4to., First Edition, on laid paper, with a fine portrait frontispiece in photogravure, title in red and black, and 5 fine plates in photogravure (all original tissue guards present); armorial cloth gilt, gilt back, gilt top, uncut, upper board lightly and unevenly sunned at joints else a very good, clean copy. EDITION LIMITED TO 375 COPIES SIGNED BY THE COMPILER. With the addenda slip listing four late additions to the collection. The Widdrington Collection forms a valuable supplement to the extensive assembly of Jacobite and Stuart material housed at Windsor. 'This collection is richest in reminiscences of the '15. There are three contemporary paintings in oil of King James III [the Old Pretender], many letters written by himself, his mother, and his adherents, some of which belonged to the Cardinal of York, and were sent by Dr. Watson, with a lock of Prince Charles Edward's hair, to the Rev. Mr. Bury' (Introduction). There is also information on the second attempt mad by James, in 1719, to regain his ancient kingdoms, and material relating to the marriage and married life of James and Clementina. In 1929 Skeet and his wife, Beatrice, officially adopted Miss Maria Widdrington of Syon House, Angmering in Sussex, which perhaps suggests that Maria had actually been living with them for some time prior to adoption. Skeet had published a family history of the Widdringtons in 1906, this being another family with apparent Jacobite sympathies and no doubt there were family connections between the Skeet or Wilby families and the Widdringtons. Scarce, especially in this condition.
