Maskelyne, Nevil (1732-1811), Astronomer-Royal

File of miscellaneous material, mostly correspondence, formerly held in the Western Manuscripts Department's Autograph Letters Sequence. Comprises:

MS.7305/1-11: Autograph letters, signed, and third-person notes by Maskelyne. To various correspondents including Peter Dollond, optician (no.4) and John Canton F.R.S. (1718-1772), electrician (no.9). 1767-1804.

MS.7305/12-13: Receipts signed by Maskelyne. 1772-1797.

MS.7305/14: Warrant to the principal officers of His Majesty's Ordnance announcing Maskelyne's appointment as Astronomer-Royal and setting out details of payments to him. 1765.

MS.7305/15: 1 autograph letter, signed, by Thomas Taylor, to Mr. Wingrave, bookseller, about the sending of books, mentioning Maskelyne as involved in the order. 1794.

MS.7305/16: Printed outline of Maskelyne's career, removed from a longer text. 18th century.

MS.7305/17: Engraving of Maskelyne. 18th century.

MS.7305/18: Printed cutting outlining Maskelyne's career. 18th century.

1765-1804

18 items

Purchased from Tregaskis, ?London, December 1927 (acc.68038); Stevens, London, August 1930 (acc.63313), March 1931 (acc.56482) and September 1932 (acc.89090); Degranges, Paris, September 1931 (acc.64710); either from Desgranges, Paris, January 1936 or Glendining, London, circa 1932 (acc.69293). Some material transferred from Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, c.1939 (acc.91800); previous details generally not known although one such item is noted as having been purchased at Sotheby's, London, December 1922.

Database description transcribed from Richard Aspin and Christopher Hilton's typescript supplement to S.A.J Moorat's Catalogue of Western Manuscripts.