MS 245: John Applebee, Original Essays on Various Subjects

Archive Unit
  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 473 MS245
  • Dates of Creation
      Oxford?, 18th c.; 1789
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      Support (paper) 229 x 135 mm. Text area: typically 202 x 117 mm. Fol. 49 leaves. (later pencil foliation from fol. 1r: 49 leaves; integral pagination fols 3r-41v: 1-13 13-77 pages). Several stubs of torn leaves after fols 44 48 and 7 stubs after fol. 49 many with the remnants of writing possibly accounts? Binding: Late 18th c? half bound tan leather (sheep?) and marbled paper over pasteboard. 5 raised bands to spine. Binding dimensions: 234 x 145 mm.

Scope and Content

Set of ten essays chiefly on education, language and clerical matters in fair copy by John Applebee (1756-1825), Fellow of St John's (although some appear to be initialled "G.A.") With various dates of composition during 1789.

1. Fols 1r-41v: Applebee, John. Original Essays on Various Subjects (from title page). English. Single 18th c. hand in black ink. Written in long lines with ca. 28-30 lines to a page.

  • a. [Fol. 1 blank]. Title page, fol. 2r: "ORIGINAL ESSAYS | on various | SUBJECTS". [fol. 2v blank.]
  • b. Contents, fol. 3r. [Fol. 3v blank.]
  • c. Fols 4r-7r: "[Caption] On the present state of the English language." Dated: "Feby 21. 1789."
  • d. Fols 7v-10v: "[Caption] On the early maturity of genius." Dated: "Feby 23. 1789."
  • e. Fols 11r-13r: "[Caption] On the abuse of fashionable phrases." Dated: "Feby 24. 1789." Initialled "G.A."?
  • f. Fols 13v-16r: "[Caption] On the pernicious effects of improper education." Dated: "Feby 28. 1789." Initialled "G.A."?
  • g. Fols 16v-19v: "[Caption] On the affectation of indifference." Dated: "Feby 26. 1789."
  • h. Fols 20r-23r: "[Caption] On the present defects of Academical education." Dated: "March 2. 1789."
  • i. Fols 23v-26v: "[Caption] On the eloquence of the pulpit." Dated: "March 9. 1789."
  • j. Fols 27r-29v: "[Caption] On the advantage of early habits of industry." Dated: "March 9. 1789." Initialled "G.A."?
  • k. Fols 30r-33r: "[Caption] On the danger of conversing with persons of unsettled principles." Dated: "March 16. 1789." Initialled "G.A."?
  • l. Fols 33v-41v: "[Caption] On the causes of the decline of that respect, which is due to the Clergy." Dated: "March 16. 1789." [fols 42-49 blank, except for later? financial calculations in pencil on fols 42v & 49r.]

Access Information

For information about how to access St John's Special Collections and how to request images and/or publication permissions, please visit https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/library/research-visits-image-requests/

Acquisition Information

Presumably one of the manuscripts donated by Applebee's great grand-daughter, Miss Mabel Williams, in 1943 (see correspondence accompanying MS 242).

Pencil shelfmark at top right of fol. 1r.

Other Finding Aids

This catalogue entry derives from Stewart Tiley's unpublished descriptive catalogue of the post-1500 western manuscripts at St John's College, Oxford (2018). This entry was uploaded to ArchivesHub in April 2023 as part of the St John's College Library digitization project. To learn more about the project and to find digital resources, please visit the Digital Library