Beschreibung:

GUY, Thomas (1645?-1725). A Copy of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Guy Esq. London: John Osborn, 1725. [ Bound with: ] Anno regni Georgii ... undecimo. At the Parliament begun ... the ninth day of October ...1722 [The title on p. [v] reads: 'An Act for incorporating the Executors of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Guy, .. in order to the better management and disposition of the charities given by his said last will.’]. London: John Baskett and the assigns of Henry Hills deceas’d, 1725.
GUY, Thomas (1645?-1725). A Copy of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Guy Esq. London: John Osborn, 1725. [ Bound with: ] Anno regni Georgii ... undecimo. At the Parliament begun ... the ninth day of October ...1722 [The title on p. [v] reads: 'An Act for incorporating the Executors of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Guy, .. in order to the better management and disposition of the charities given by his said last will.’]. London: John Baskett and the assigns of Henry Hills deceas’d, 1725. 2 works in one volume, 8° (203 x 127mm). Late 18th-century black morocco, spine gilt, gilt edges (lightly rubbed, spine faded, dent to lower board edge). Provenance: Robert More (thought to be the unidentified recipient of a loosely inserted one-page letter, 4to, from Thomas Matthew, Sherborn Lane, 10 November 1732, telling his correspondent that he has been elected a Governor of Guy’s Hospital, mentioning ‘I also send you a Book containing a copy of Mr Guy’s Will and the Act of Parliament for incorporating his Trustees’, and summoning him to a meeting of the Annual General Court) – Jasper More (bookplate). PRESENTATION COPY [to Robert More], with accompanying letter from Thomas Matthew, the first clerk to the hospital (period in office 1725-1737), presenting the book. According to the copy of a typed letter to R.H.F. Brain from the hospital archivist, 7 January 1970, More did not attend the annual court of 14 November, 1732. ‘He did however attend the following November when he was one of the seven governors elected to the Court of Committees for the ensuing year. He attended only one of the dozen or so meetings of that body during his year of office .... His subsequent attendance at meetings of the full Court was spasmodic, but he did attend once and, on two occasions, twice in the years 1736, 1737, 1744, 1758, 1754 and 1755.’ The archivist affirms that this copy of the Will ‘was probably one of the last of the first printing commissioned by the Governors.’ ESTC lists five issues of the Will in 1725, two under the imprint of J. Osborn with variant title 'A Copy ...' and 'A True Copy ....' ; of three others with the imprint of J. Peele, two are designated 'second' and 'third' edition. ESTC N4813 & T198277.