| Description | This volume is entitled on the front cover, apparently in Matthew Boulton’s own hand, ‘M: Boulton’s Letter Book.’ (The title stamped on the spine was added by the Assay Office.) It contains drafts or transcripts of 41 letters, the draft of an advertisement for ormolu, and several pages of memoranda concerning minerals. These entries are written at the front of the book, between pages 1 and 79, the rest of the pages (about two-thirds of the book’s contents) being empty. The pages and entries have now been numbered, but these numbers are not original. A few pages are blank. Two unnumbered pages at the front contain an Index prepared by the Assay Office.
The entries are in Boulton’s hand, except where stated in the list below. Most of the letters were probably written at Soho, though the place of writing is indicated in only a few cases. The book was not in constant use between the dates of the earliest and latest entries, and some of the entries form distinct chronological groups; for instance, 24-27 are all dated in February 1771 and are mainly in an unidentified hand (possibly John Scale’s). 28-30 are dated at Soho Manufactory on 25 or 27 Mar. 1771; note that Boulton was in fact in London at this period.
A transcript of 8 will be found after the table of Contents.
CONTENTS
Page
1. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Isaac Panchard. 17 Dec. 1768. 1
2. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Joseph Harrop [London]. 17 Dec. 1768. 2
3. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to William Matthews [London]. 17 Dec. 1768. 3
4. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Josiah Wedgwood (Burslem). 28 Dec. 1768. 4
5. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Mrs. Hen. Ing. 28 Dec. 1768. 5
6. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Whitehurst (Derby). 28 Dec. 1768. 6
7. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Josiah Wedgwood. 4 Jan. 1769. 7
(In an unidentified hand.)
8. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Mr. Mynd (Ross-on-Wye). 17 Jan. 1769. 8
(Abstract only.)
9. Boulton & Fothergill [Soho] to Isaac Panchard. 12 Jan. 1769. 9
(In an unidentified hand.)
10. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Henry Carver [Winson Green]. 16 Jan. 1769. 10
(In an unidentified hand.)
11. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Taylor (Birmingham). 23 Jan. 1769. 11
(In an unidentified hand.)
12. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Mrs. Hen. Ing. 19 Jan. 1769. 13
(In an unidentified hand.)
13. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Solomon Hymen. 23 Jan. 1769. 14
14. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Daniel Bureau. 28 Jan. 1769. 16
15. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Motteux [London]. 21 Feb. 1769. 17
16. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Motteux [London]. 22 Apr. 1769. 18
17. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Henry Wicke. 23 Apr. 1769. 20
(Abstract only.)
18. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Henry Wicke. 24 Apr. 1769. 20
19. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Sir John Goodricke, Bt. 1 May 1769. 21
20. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Richard Tonson. 21 Jun. 1769. 25
(Followed by calculations of interest, in an unidentified hand.)
21. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to John Motteux [London]. 26 Jul. 1769. 26
22. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Peter Capper (Redland). 12 Aug. 1769. 28
23. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to [James] Adam. 1 Oct. 1770. 29
(In an unidentified hand.)
24. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Thomas Gilbert. 2 Feb. 1771. 34
(In an unidentified hand.)
25. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Thomas Gilbert. 10 Feb. 1771. 35
(In an unidentified hand; completed in Boulton’s hand.)
26. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Samuel Garbett. 12 Feb. 1771. 40
(In an unidentified hand. Followed by a postscript ?)
27. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Samuel Garbett. 14 Feb. 1771. 43
28. Matthew Boulton (Soho Manufactory) to ‘Duchesses.’ 25 Mar. 1771. 47
Invitation to a private exhibition of ormolu-ware, 8 and 9 Apr. (In an unidentified hand.)
29. Matthew Boulton (Soho Manufactory) to ‘Dukes.’ 25 Mar. 1771. 47
Invitation to a private exhibition of ormolu-ware, 8 and 9 Apr. (In an unidentified hand.)
30. Matthew Boulton (Soho Manufactory) to — . 27 Mar. 1771. 48
31. Advertisement, headed ‘Or Moulu.’ 48
32. Matthew Boulton (—) to the Comte de Scarnafis. Apr. 1771. 49
(Abstract only.)
33. Matthew Boulton (—) to the Committee of the Birmingham Navigation. 4 Oct. 1771. 49
34. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Richard Tonson. 23 Dec. 1771. 51
35. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Mr. Clements (Worcester). 27 Dec. 1771. 52
36. Memoranda respecting the examination of minerals. 53
(In an unidentified hand.)
37. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to John Herman Ebbinghaus. 24 Oct. 1772. 59
38. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to Rod. Valltravers. Nov. 1772. 63
39. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to the Earl of Warwick (London). Nov. 1772. 68
(Directed to St. James’s Square.)
40. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to the Duke of Richmond. 4 Dec. 1772. 71
41. Matthew Boulton [Soho] to Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu. 14 Dec. 1772. 73
(In an unidentified hand.)
42. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to William Baker (London). 26 Dec. 1772. 76
(Directed to Hill Street, Berkeley Square.)
43. Matthew Boulton (Soho) to William Baker (London). 14 Jun. 1773. 78
(Directed to Hill Street.)
TRANSCRIPTS
8. Matthew Boulton to Mr. Mynd. 17 Jan. 1769.
(Abstract.)
Soho, Jan. 17th, 1769.
Wrote to Mr. Mynd senior, attorney at Ross, and beg’d he would recollect the proposal I made to him (when I was at Ross) in favor of his son’s being taken into partnership with me, and that, as it would afford me some satisfaction for him to have an opportunity of refering to the said proposal on some future day, I there gave it him in writing:
"Viz. that his son should become a partner with me in our general trade, and should receive the same profit per cent. upon all the mony his father would advance him as I received from our said trade per cent. for my capital; and, over and above, he should receive one guinea per week."
I told him that it was impossable to make a distinct trade of the plated branch, it was so interwoven with many of my other articles, and that I had some articles that would soon be introduced that would diametricaly clash with the interest of the plated work, and that I did not choose to be upon a plan that would subject us to disputes and that would produce opposite interests in the same house, but wished to extend his son’s ideas and prepare him to stand in my shoes by introducing him into our general trade; however, to my great surprise, his son had deliver’d me the keys of his shops, which I received with dumb surprise. I had not the least suspicions of his leaving me untill the minute he resignd. He assignd no other reason than that, as his father had left it to his own choice, and as he had some dislike to his house, he had determin’d after deliberate thinking to go to Birmingham. |