British Library

Contents:

MS. Sloane 3962: Sloane papers

MS. Sloane 4036: Sloane papers

MS. Sloane 4037: Sloane papers

MS. Sloane 4038: Sloane papers

MS. Sloane 4039: Sloane papers

MS. Sloane 4059: Sloane papers

Add. MS. 4222: Biographical papers collected by Thomas Birch

Add. MS. 4223: Biographical papers collected by Thomas Birch

Add. MS. 4224: Papers of Pierre Desmaizeaux

Add. MS. 4264-4267: Papers of Catharine Cockburn

Add. MS. 4290: Miscellaneous papers collected by Birch

Add. MS. 5253: A notebook belonging to Sir Hans Sloane

Add. MS. 5540: Papers of John Cary

Add. MS. 5714: Medical notes

Add. MS. 6194: Papers of Dr. John Ward

Add. MS. 14,269

Add. MS. 15,640: Bahamas Company papers

Add. MS. 15,642: Journal for 1679

Add. MS. 16,272: Letterbook of Sir Walter Vane

Add. MS. 17,017: Heathcote papers

Add. MS. 22,910: Papers of Dr. John Covel

Add. MS. 28,075: Sir Robert Howard papers

Add. MS. 28,273: Notebook of John Locke, Sr.

Add. MS. 28,728: Toinard papers

Add. MS. 28,753: Toinard papers

Add. MS. 28,835: Toinard papers

Add. MS. 28,836: Toinard papers

Add. MS. 32,094: Papers of Sir William Coventry

Add. MS. 32,096: Papers of Sir William Coventry

Add. MS. 32,554: Medical commonplace book

Add. MS. 38,771: Directions concerning education

Add. MS. 41,656: Townshend papers

Add. MS. 42,592: William Brockman papers

Add. MS. 46,470: Pocket memorandum book for 1669

Add. MS. 70,949: Lady Charnwood collection, vol. 2

Add. MS. 72,531 etc.: Marquess of Downshire Manuscripts

Add. MS. 74,273: MS copy of A letter from a person of quality

Egerton MS. 22: Miscellaneous letters and papers

Egerton MS. 3383: Papers of the Duke of Leeds

Stowe MS. 748: Miscellaneous letters and papers

The most important Locke manuscripts in the British Library are three items that must originally have been part of the Lovelace collection, but which became separated during the 19th century: (a) Locke’s Journal for 1679; (b) his pocket memorandum book for 1669; and (c) one of his medical commonplace books, Adversaria 2.

Also noteworthy are a draft for Some thoughts concerning education and Locke’s letters to Nicolas Toinard.

MS. Sloane 3962

Papers of Sir Hans Sloane. Purchased by the British Museum in 1753.

Includes:

ff. 227-228:

Copy of letter from William Charleton to Locke, 26 July 1687; original in MS. Locke c. 5, ff. 70-71.

[part printed in Biographia Britannica, ed. Kippis (1778-1793), vol. 4: 342-343; De Beer, iii. 949]

ff. 229-230:

Copy of letter from Charleton to Locke, 28 August 1687; original in MS. Locke c. 5, f. 72.

[part printed in Biographia Britannica, ed. Kippis (1778-1793), vol. 4: 343; De Beer, iii. 956]

ff. 295-296:

Letter from Locke to Charleton, 16/26 August 1687.

[printed in Biographia Britannica, ed. Kippis (1778-1793), vol. 4: 342; De Beer, iii. 955]

ff. 297-298:

Letter from Locke to Charleton, 2/12 August 1687.

[printed in Biographia Britannica, ed. Kippis (1778-1793), vol. 4: 342; De Beer, iii. 951; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, p. 117-118]

MS. Sloane 4036

Papers of Sir Hans Sloane. Purchased by the British Museum in 1753.

Includes:

f. 185:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 14 September 1694.

[printed De Beer, v. 1785; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, pp. 198-199]

ff. 290-291:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 15 March 1696/7.

[printed De Beer, vi. 2219]

ff. 294-295:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 22 March 1696/7.

[printed De Beer, vi. 2227]

MS. Sloane 4037

Papers of Sir Hans Sloane. Purchased by the British Museum in 1753.

Includes:

f. 356^b:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 2 December 1699.

[printed in Forster, Original letters (1830), pp. 66-69; De Beer, vi. 2640; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, pp. 280-281; facsimile in Facsimiles of royal, historical, literary and other autographs in the Department of Manuscripts, British Museum, ed. G. F. Warner (1899), no. 103]

MS. Sloane 4038

Papers of Sir Hans Sloane. Purchased by the British Museum in 1753.

Includes:

ff. 113-114:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 27 December 1700.

[printed in Forster, Original letters (1830), pp. 69-71; De Beer, vii. 2833]

ff. 187-188:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 14 July 1701; enclosing a letter from Benjamin Furly to Arent Furly, 14/25 March 1701 (MS. Locke c. 9, ff. 13-14).

[printed (without the enclosure) in Forster, Original letters (1830), pp. 72-73; De Beer, vii. 2956]

ff. 221-222:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 22 August 1701.

[printed De Beer, vii. 2984]

MS. Sloane 4039

Papers of Sir Hans Sloane. Purchased by the British Museum in 1753.

Includes:

ff. 243-244:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 21 February 1703/4.

[printed in Forster, Original letters (1830), pp. 73-75; De Beer, viii. 3466]

ff. 259-260:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 15 March 1703/4.

[printed De Beer, viii. 3489; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, pp. 324-325]

ff. 261-270:

Weather register for December 9, 1691 to December 31, 1692

MS. Sloane 4059

Papers of Sir Hans Sloane. Purchased by the British Museum in 1753.

Includes:

ff. 282-283:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 15 October [1698?].

[printed De Beer, vi. 2296]

ff. 284-285:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Sloane, 14 August [1697?].

[printed De Beer, vi. 2296]

Add. MS. 4222

Biographical material collected by Thomas Birch, for A general dictionary historical and critical (1734-41), his translation and expansion of Bayle’s Dictionnaire historique et critique (1730). The papers relating to Locke include material obtained from the Clarke family and from Pierre Desmaizeaux.

Includes:

ff. 224-226:

“An account of M^r Locke’s birth & pedigree”, dated “Chipley July y^e 6^th 1737”. The note may be by Edward Clarke, although dated after his death. The manuscript consists of an original (f. 226) and a fair copy (ff. 224-225).

ff. 227-244,
248-262:

Manuscript drafts and other material for Pierre Desmaizeaux’s preface to A collection of several pieces of Mr. John Locke (1720).

ff. 245-247:

An account of Locke’s life in French, based on information from one who knew him well during the last 20 years of his life. This source may have been James Tyrrell.

Add. MS. 4223

Another volume of biographical material collected by Thomas Birch.

Includes:

f. 196:

The early history of the Shaftesbury family [between Nov. 1673 and Mar. 1674?]

Add. MS. 4224

Papers of Pierre Desmaizeaux, collected by Birch.

Includes:

ff. 228-243:

Desmaizeaux’s annotated copy of A Letter from a Person of Quality [late 1710s?]

Add. MS. 4264-4267

Four volumes of papers relating to Catharine Cockburn, collected by Thomas Birch for his edition of The works of Mrs. Catharine Cockburn … (1751). Contains original manuscripts of some of Cockburn’s writings on Locke that were first published by Birch.

Add. MS. 4264

f. 111:

Letter from Thomas Burnett of Kemnay to Catharine Trotter, [7/]18 December 1701.

Printed: Corr., ix. (3086A)]

Add. MS. 4265

f. 16:

Letter from Locke to Catharine Trotter, 30 December 1702.

A copy in Mrs. Trotter’s hand.

Printed: Corr., vii. 3234, ixix 3234*; Broad (ed.), Women philosophers of eighteenth-century England, pages 123-124.

Add. MS. 5253

A notebook belonging to Sir Hans Sloane

Includes:

ff. 6-7:

Copy of a picture showing Lapp life by Sylvester Brounower. The original picture (probably lost) was sent to Locke by William Allestree, together with notes on “The lives and manners of the Laplanders”, dated “Stockholm | Sept: 16.1673.”

Add. MS. 5540

Papers of John Cary

Includes:

f. 66:

Letter from Cary to Locke, 11 January 1696 (copy or draft); letter sent is in MS Locke c. 5, ff. 14-15.

[printed in Rand (ed.), The correspondence of John Locke and Edward Clarke (1927), pp. 433-435; from letter sent in De Beer, v. 2000; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, pp. 220-221]

ff. 67-68:

Letter from Locke to Cary, 12 April 1696.

[printed in Rand, Correspondence (1927), pp. 460-461; De Beer, v. 2064]

f. 69:

Letter from Cary to Locke (copy or draft), 17 April 1696.

[printed in Rand, Correspondence (1927), p. 463; De Beer, v. 2068]

ff. 70-71:

Letter from Locke to Cary, 2 May 1696.

[printed in Rand, Correspondence (1927), pp. 472-473; De Beer, v. 2079]

f. 72:

Letter from Cary to Locke, 9 May 1696 (copy or draft); letter sent is in MS Locke c. 5, ff. 16-17.

[printed in Rand, Correspondence (1927), pp. 477-479; from letter sent in De Beer, v. 2084; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, pp. 227-228]

Add. MS. 5714

Medical case notes, September 1667 to September 1670

Add. MS. 6194

Papers of Dr. John Ward

Includes:

pp. 248-250:

Copy by Ward of letter from Locke to Dr. John Mapletoft, 29 October/8 November 1678.

[De Beer, i. 417]

Add. MS. 14,269

Includes:

pp. 151-152:

Copy of a letter of dispensation allowing Locke to retain his studentship at Christ Church without taking orders, (3 November 1666); original: PRO 30/24/47 no. 8A; another copy: MS Locke c. 25, f. 11.

Add. MS. 15,640

Articles and Orders of the Company of Adventurers to the Bahama Islands, 1672. Contains some marginal notes in Locke’s hand. Later used as a minute book, and shows Locke’s presence at meetings in September-November 1672.

Blank leaves at the end of the volume were used for household accounts by Anne, wife of Locke’s cousin Peter King, indicating that the volume was likely part of the Lovelace Collection at one time.

Add. MS. 16,272

Letterbook of Sir Walter Vane, during his embassy to the Elector of Brandenburgh at Cleves, from December 1665 to February 1666; written by Locke as secretary to the embassy.

Add. MS. 17,017

Papers of Samuel Heathcote

Includes:

f. 85:

Letter from Locke to an unknown correspondent, 6 January 1696.

[printed De Beer, v. 1993]

f. 86:

Letter from Locke to [Samuel Heathcote?], 26 May [1694?].

[printed De Beer, v. 1743]

Add. MS. 22,910

Papers of Dr. John Covel

Includes:

f. 463:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Covel, 29 September 1697; written in blank space on this letter is a draft of a letter from Dr. Covel to Locke, dated 4 October 1697; this letter (MS. Locke c. 7, f. 163) was enclosed in a letter to Locke, 2 August 1698 (MS. Locke c. 7, ff. 170-171). A draft of Locke’s 29 September 1697 letter is in MS. Locke c. 24, f. 32.

[printed in Bourne, Life, vol. 2:413; De Beer, vi. 2319; Goldie (ed.), Selected correspondence, p. 250-251]

ff. 474-475:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Covel, 1 July 1698.

[printed De Beer, vi. 2467]

ff. 476-477:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Covel, 26 July 1698.

[printed De Beer, vi. 2477]

ff. 478-479:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Covel, 12 March 1698/9.

[printed De Beer, vi. 2562]

ff. 505-506:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Covel, 25 October 1700.

[printed De Beer, vi. 2799]

ff. 507-508:

Letter from Locke to Dr. Covel, 3 November 1700.

[printed De Beer, vii. 2808]

Add. MS. 28,075

Papers of Sir Robert Howard

Includes:

f. 25:

Letter from Sir John Nicholas to [Sir Robert Howard], October 1673; early colonial papers.

Printed: Corr., ix. (278A).

Add. MS. 28,273

Notebook originally belonging to John Locke, Sr. Later used by Locke for medical recipes and related material (some of which were later copied into MS. Locke e. 4 and f. 18). Contains information relating to Locke’s family and its landed property in Somerset, and the activities of John Locke, Sr., as a magistrate.

The book contains (ff. 125-126) an essay with the title “Philosophy – Moral Philosophy – Of the Kinds of Teaching Moral Philosophy”, which Fox Bourne (vol. 1, pages 170-171) printed as as early work by Locke and which other writers have considered the work of his father. Edward A. Driscoll, “Note on the authorship of an ethical fragment in the memorandum book of John Locke Senior” (1980) has identified as an abridged extract from William Baldwin’s A treatise of moral philosophy (1620).

On f. 12, there is a deleted note dated 5 September 1659 which suggests that Locke obtained Henry Stubbe’s An essay in defence of the good old cause in early September.

Add. MS. 28,728

Letters from Locke to Nicolas Toinard, 1678-1700, and other miscellaneous papers.

Add. MS. 32,094

Papers of Sir William Coventry and others (including George Harbin)

Includes:

ff. 222-223:

Letter to Margaret Beavis, 24 and 27 January 1670.

ff. 289-293:

Some of the consequences that are Like to follow upon Lessening of interest to 4 per cent (1668)

A copy made for Sir William Coventry. Endorsed by Coventry “By M^r Locke” and (in a different hand?) “directed by L^d Ashley.” Fol. 293 is a blank cover with the endorsement “M^r Lock about falling of Interest”

Add. MS. 32,096

Papers of Sir William Coventry

Includes:

ff. 1-2:

Letter to Edward Clarke, 23 January [1700].

[printed in Ollion (ed.), Lettres inédites de John Locke à ses amis …, p. 244; Rand, Correspondence (1927), pp. 552; De Beer, vi. 2661]

Add. MS. 38,771

“Some directions concerning the education of his son” (1684 or 5)

Following the draft is a letter from Locke to Edward Clarke, transmitting the draft [c. 5/15 January 1685?].

[printed in Rand (ed.), The correspondence of John Locke and Edward Clarke (1927), p. 25 n. 1; De Beer, ii. 804 (not printed); Some thoughts concerning education / by John Locke ; edited with introduction, notes, and critical apparatus by John W. and Jean S. Yolton (1989), p. 318]

Add. MS. 41,656

Townshend papers

Includes:

ff. 54-55:

The Test Bill (1675)

Add. MS. 46,470

Locke’s pocket memorandum book for 1669

Add. MS. 42,592

William Brockman papers

Includes:

f. 203:

Draft of the first 1695 Printing Bill (1695 March?)

Add. MS. 46,470

Locke’s pocket memorandum book for 1669

Add. MS. 70,949

Lady Charnwood collection, vol. 2

Includes:

no. 3 (1):

Letter from Locke to Nicolas Toinard, 16/26 November 1678.

Superscription: JOrleans 26 Nov. ’78

Salutation: Monsieur

Signature: Monsieur | vostre tres humble et tres oblige serviteur | J. Locke

Address: A Monsieur Monsieur Toynard à la teste noire dans la rüe mazarin Fauxbourg st German a Paris

In French; answers Toinard’s letter of 11/21 November.

Printed: De Beer, i. 424; Lady Charnwood, An autograph collection (1930), pages 246-247; partially printed in Alfred Morrison Collection, Catalogues, vol. 3 (1888) and from that in Ollion (ed.), Lettres inédites de John Locke à ses amis …, page 148.

Marquess of Downshire Manuscripts

Add. MS. 72,531

ff. 81-82:

Letter from Locke to Sir William Trumbull, 30 June 1694.

[printed De Beer, v. 1754]

Add. MS. 72,532

ff. 6-7;

Letter from Locke to Trumbull, 9 May 1695.

[printed De Beer, v. 1898]

Add. MS. 72,533

f. 146:

Letter from Locke to Trumbull, 5 October 1695.

[printed De Beer, v. 1953]

Add. MS. 72,535

ff. 181-182:

Letter from Locke to Trumbull, 22 May 1696; draft in MS. Locke c. 24, f. 55.

[printed De Beer, v. 2093; printed in part in H.M.C., Downshire MSS., vol. 1, part ii, no. 665]

Add. MS. 74,273

Manuscript copy of A letter from a person of quality (1675?)

Egerton MS. 22

Miscellaneous letters and papers

Includes:

ff. 228-229:

Letter from Locke to Nicolas Toinard, 29 October/8 November 1678.

Superscription: Lyon 8 Nov. 78

Salutation: Monsieur

Signature: Vostre tres humble et tres acquis serviteur | JLocke

Address: A Monsieur Monsieur Toynard a la Teste noire dans la rue Mazarin Fauxbourg st Germain a Paris

Written in French; answered by Toinard on 21 November.

Printed: De Beer, i. 418.

Egerton MS. 3383

Papers of the Duke of Leeds

Includes:

ff. 59-68:

Manuscript copy of A Letter from a Person of Quality (1675)

MS. Stowe 748

Includes:

f. 27:

Letter from Locke to Awnsham Churchill, 27 June 1704.

[printed in Bourne, Life, vol. 2:546; De Beer, viii. 3573]