Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/588

 484

NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. vi. D*.-. 21, 1912.

-workhouse, Jonathan, for you." But King's

lather


 * ' turned out, took a shop .it 45. Chapel Street

Somerstown, and went travelling from shop to

shop in juvenile plays and valentines, and die

not go to the workhouse."

This was in 1844. In 1852 he removed to

56 (renumbered 43), Seymour Street, Euston

"Square, and at this address his name is

given on some of Green's juvenile theatre

plays as vendor. He died about 1865.

Jonathan King the collector was born 28 Oct., 1836, at Tottenham Court Road, and began in his father's business at Chapel Street when twelve years of age.

In 1862 he was married at St. Pancras Church ; after the ceremony he went back and opened his shop at 22, Stevenson Terrace, afterwards renumbered 295, Cale- donian Road. As he required larger pre- mises in 1872, he bought 302 and 304, Essex Road, Islington. With the greatest reluctance in 1905 he retired in favour of his sons, and lived the life of a private gentleman but he could not dissociate himself from the business, and he died, as he had lived, over his shop on 25 April, 1912.

When I sent my draft of these dates to Mr. King, he pretended to make fun of the particulars I had from time to time gleaned from him ; so, on returning it, he wrote on the back :

"I don't know when I was vaccinated; my father was inoculated for cowpox. I left school at about twelve years of age; being ill, my attend- ance had been very bad. I never got further than four pages in any schoolbook ; changed school when I went again, and began the same tiooks again at page 1 ; never got out of A in spelling," &c.

But on his retirement his troubles began. Up to this time he had always had his own way and wanted nothing from anybody, but now the tables were turned. He had these vast collections of valentines and cards, which were no longer required for business purposes ; his children took no interest in them, and the idea seized upon him that he had better get them housed in some place where they would not be broken up. He surmised that no private person would buy, so he thought of the public institutions. He first tentatively tried to sell to the Print-Room, British Museum, but Iris offer was refused without hesitation they had " no money." Then, desiring to perpetuate his name as a collector, he offered to present them. This was declined with equal decision they had " no room." <5reat was his disappointment at the refusal of so magnificent an offer. He had been

endeavouring to make the collections better known through the Press, and a number of articles and paragraphs appeared in the magazines and newspapers, many of them suggesting that the collections should belong to the nation. Next he offered the valentines and cards alone to the British Museum Library ; they were at first declined, but after a time he was persuaded to offer them again. On 3 July, 1911, he wrote to me that at last the British Museum " have con- descended to accept my collections : the lot catalogues, index, Press cuttings, &c.," and he added that it was only subject to the approval of the Trustee^, which was a " mere formality " so he had altered his will to suit the circumstances. Not long after- wards I saw him, and he then told me of his amazement the Trustees had declined his proposed gift. This was a knock-down blow and a bitter disappointment. Mr. King's executors, I venture to say, are not going to beg and pray of any public institutions to receive them, as their father did : they are now for sale. *

When we think that a house would have to be provided for these hundreds of large folio volumes, it is conceivable that the Trustees thought the collections did not warrant such an outlay. But housing was only the initial cost. To put them in order so that they could be consulted by the public the volumes would require to be newly bound, a far greater expense than ordinary binding ; and a still greater expense would have to be incurred if they required to be catalogued and that from the nature of the case by a person obliged to feel his way. Any one to whom the task might be entrusted would be undertaking work of which he was totally ignorant, and, however industrious he might be, the cataloguing would take years to complete.

inspected King's will. It is in his own hand- writing and his own composition, consequently somewhat ambiguous. There being an omission an affidavit of due execution was required. It is dated 1 July, 1011, which seems inconsistent with iia statement to me as above, unless this is the altered will. He leaves the things in his "home" >vhich, I presume, means house) to his daughters Kllen Rose King and Prances King. As all his jooks, valentines, Christmas cards, &c., are in his ' home," they would now seem to belong to these adies. The rest of his property is to be divided between his [thirteen] children, the unmarried daughters to take two shares.
 * Since reading a proof of this note I have

I should like to observe that I asked him for some particulars about himself for a catalogue ' have long had in hand of all juvenile theatrical rtists, authors, publishers, printsellers, &c.