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Descriptive Summary

Repository: Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
Location: f
Call No.: MS Eng 1478
Creator: Chappell, W. (William), 1809-1888, compiler.
Title: W. (William) Chappell English ballad index collection, ca. 1800-1899.
Quantity: 7 volumes (.75 linear ft.)
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Abstract: Manuscript transcripts of indexes to English ballad collections, all copied under the direction of William Chappell.

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Historical Note

William Chappell (1809-1888) was the eldest son of Samuel Chappell, one of the founders (1810) of the London firm of music publishers, concert agents, and piano manufacturers known as Chappell & Co. After Samuel Chappell's death in 1834, William continued running the business with his mother and brothers. William was noted for his interest in early music and in 1840 he founded (with Rimbault, Macfarren, and others) the Musical Antiquarian Society. He left the family firm in 1843 and went into partnership with Cramer and Beale, as Cramer, Beale & Chappell where he remained until his retirement in 1861. He took principal part in the founding of the Percy Society, the Ballad Society, and in 1874 he assisted in founding the Musical Association. He is especially know for his publication of A collection of national English airs (1838-1839), and Popular music of the olden time (1855-1859). It has been said that the modern revival of interest in English folk-songs owes much to the work of William Chappell.

Arrangement

Arranged in former call-number order.

Scope and Content

This finding aid brings together a number of manuscript transcripts of English ballad indexes that were "copied under the direction of William Chappell." Some of the volumes include notes in the hand of William Chappell, but the predominant copyist's hands are identified in a letter from Chappell to Child (1875 May 29) as that of Chappell's young daughters. A few volumes are annotated by Harvard ballad scholar Francis James Child. Most of the indexes list ballad text by first line.

Collection includes transcripts for ballad indexes to the collections of: Pepys Ballads; Pepys' collection of "Penny merriments"; Ballad collections of Richard Heber, John Bagford, and Anthony à Wood; Ballad collection of Francis Douce; and Ballad collection of Richard Rawlinson. Original collections are at the Bodleian Library (Oxford University) and Magdalene College (University of Cambridge).

Container List

• f(1) Index to the Pepys Ballads, Magdalene College, Cambridge, I-V : Ms transcript, undated. 3 v.
  5 volumes of content bound as 3 v., paged continuously, ff.54, 1113.
  Contents of volumes:

  • Vol I: alphabetical index of the first lines of ballads and manuscript transcript of Pepys vol I.
  • Vol II: manuscript transcript of Pepys vols II and III.
  • Vol III: manuscript transcript of Pepys vols IV and V.
  Vol I includes autograph annotation by Francis James Child: "Copied under the direction of William Chappell, Esq. from an index made with his own hand. The rest of first lines was made by Mr. Chappell expressly for this library."
  Transcribed from the original volume: Pepys, Samuel, 1633-1703. Index of the first lines [and titles] of ballads in the Pepysian Library at Magdalen College, Cambridge, Eng.
  Vol I also includes text: "This collection was commenced by the illustrious Selden and continued by Samuel Pepys . . . These ballads are all printed in broadside. - i.e. upon one side only of a sheet of paper. The paper is of the coarsest description, but usually has woodcuts upon it, at the head of the ballads. They were universally sold for one penny each."
  Acquisition Information: Purchased with the Subscription fund of 1858; received: 1875 July 26.

  Recataloged from: 25241.3F*

• f(2) Index to Pepys' collection of "Penny merriments" : Ms transcript, undated. 1v.
  3 volumes of content bound as 1v.
  Transcribed from the original volume: Pepys, Samuel, 1633-1703. [Index to the] Pepys collections of "Penny merriments" (i.e. garlands of songs in ballads chap-books etc.;) [at Magdalen College Library, Cambridge, Eng.]
  Acquisition Information: Purchased with the George W. Wales fund; received: 1876 June 6.

  Recataloged from: 25241.4F*

• f(3) Index to the ballads of the Heber, Bagford, and Wood collections : Ms transcript, undated. 1v.
  3 volumes of content bound as 1 v.
  Includes transcriptions from the original ballad indexes:

  • [Index of] Heber's ballads copied from the catalogue of the auction of his books but arranged in alphabetical order for reference by W.C.; 12ff. [Collection of Richard Heber (1773-1833)].
  • A list of such ballads from the Bagford collection as are not included in the Roxburghe collection; 15ff. [Collection of John Bagford (1650-1716)].
  • Index of ballads in the Wood collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford none of which are included in the Roxburghe collection. Arranged under the first lines; 42ff. [Collection of Anthony à Wood (1632-1695)].
  Acquisition Information: Purchased with the George W. Wales fund; received: 1876 June 6.

  Recataloged from: 25241.5F*

• f(4) Index to the ballads of the Douce collection : Ms transcript, undated. 90ff. in 1v.
  Transcribed from the original volume: An alphabetical index of first lines of the Douce collection of ballads, excluding such of them as are included in the Roxburghe collection. [Collection of Francis Douce (1757-1834). ].
  Acquisition Information: Purchased with the George W. Wales fund; received: 1876 June 6.

  Recataloged from: 25241.7F*

• f(5) Index to the Rawlinson ballads, Bodleian Library, Oxford : Ms transcript, undated. 91ff in 1v.
  Transcribed from the original volume: "A catalogue of 218 black-letter ballads being the Rawlinson collection of ballads, in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford; the reference being '4 to Rawl.566.' To which is added an alphabetical index of the first line of each ballad in that volume; and occasionally the burden. To this index references are added for other editions, or other copies of the same edition, in other collections in the Bodleian Library, especially to the Anthony Wood, and the Douce collections. With marginal notes as to the Roxburghe collection as most accessible through its republication by the Ballad Society of London."
  Includes autograph annotation by Francis James Child: "Copied, under the direction of Wm Chappell, Esq., from indexes made for his use while editing the Roxburghe Ballads."
  [Collection of Richard Rawlinson (1690-1755)].
  Acquisition Information: Purchased with the Subscription fund; received: 1875 July 26.

  Recataloged from: 25241.8F*