By J. B. Nichols, F.8.A. 



121 



were brought under my notice many years ago whilst forming a 

 catalogue of them, at the request of his executors, Merrick Hoare 

 and Henry Charles Hoare, Esqrs. I therefore venture to congra- 

 tulate this Society on the accumulation of such a valuable treasure 

 existing in the county, which has been made an heir-loom in the 

 family by the will of Sir Richard Hoare, and no doubt will, by the 

 liberality of the present Sir Hugh Hoare and the possessors for the 

 time being, become accessible in future to all who know how to 

 value the privilege. 



I hope I shall not be thought tedious if I glance at a few objects 

 of interest, more particularly relative to Wiltshire, in the Library 

 of Stourhead. 



The MS. collections from which Sir Richard Hoare and his 



coadjutors compiled the Antient History of Wilts, and his more 



voluminous History of Modern Wiltshire. The objects sought to 



be accomplished were thus concisely stated by Sir Richard Hoare, 



in his preface to the " Hundred of Mere" : — 



' 1 To rescue from total oblivion the relics of Antient Britain ; to illustrate the 

 remaining vestiges of its conquerors, the Romans ; to investigate the monastic 

 and ecclesiastical history of our county ; to trace the genealogy of distinguished 

 families, and the descent of property; to record the monumental inscriptions, 

 and the biography of celebrated characters ; and above all, to endeavour by this 

 example to excite the zeal of my fellow countrymen in the same desirable cause, 

 is the sole purport of this my humble undertaking. " 



It is gratifying to know that this example has been followed by 



several eminent individuals, some of whom I have the pleasure of 



seeing in this room. 



The History of Modern Wiltshire may be considered as one of the 



scarcest, as well as most valuable books of its kind. A very small 



impression of the work was printed; and many single volumes 



having been presented by Sir R. C. Hoare to friends resident in the 



particular Hundred described, perfect sets are comparatively few 



in number. It consists of eleven parts, forming six volumes. 



Vol. I. Contains the Hundreds of Mere and Heytesbury, by Sir 



Richard Colt Hoare. 



Vol. II. The Hundreds of Branch and Dole, by the Rev. John 



Offer and Sir R. C. Hoare. The Hundreds of Everley, Am- 



bresbury, and Underditch, by Sir R. C. Hoare. 



