PARR, Richard / [MARSHALL, Thomas] The Life of the Most Reverend Father in God James Usher, Late Lord Archbishop of Armagh, Primate and Metropolitan of all Ireland. LARGE PAPER COPY IN A SUPERB BINDING

With a Collection of Three Hundred Letters, between the said Lord Primate and most of the Eminentest Persons for Privy and Learning in his time, both in England and beyond the Seas. With a finely engraved portrait frontispiece of James Ussher. London: Printed for Nathanael Ranew, at the Kings-Arms in St. Pauls Church-Yard, 1686. Folio. pp. [8], 103, [5], 33, [19], 92, 301-624, 28. Titlepage printed in red and black. Handsomely bound in late 19th-century English red crushed morocco, large folio format. Boards with twin gilt fillets and a tiny beaded roll forming a panel; broad gilt dentelle turn-ins; all edges gilt; endpapers of rich French-curl marbled paper. Spine with raised bands and elaborate gilt compartments of floral and foliate tools, small stars and volutes; black morocco lettering-piece titled “LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP USHER.” A bright, imposing binding in the best Victorian collector’s style, likely the work of a leading London house (Riviere/Zaehnsdorf/Bickers style), executed for a distinguished private library. Ex libris William O'Brien Milltown Park Trust, with bookplate and stamp. Also with armorial bookplate of Leonard Lawrie Hartley. Stamp of British Museum / Duplicate for Sale on verso of title. All edges gilt. A fine fresh copy.

ESTC R1496. Wing P 548. Sweeney 3327.

The major seventeenth century biography of the great prelate by an Oxford graduate and clergyman who enjoyed the assistance of Thomas Marshall, the Dean of Gloucester. It also supplies “a collection of three hundred letters between the said Lord Primate and most of the eminentest persons for piety and learning in his time, both in England and beyond the seas.”

Includes: An appendix to the Lord Primate Usher, containing a vindication of his opinions and actions in reference to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, and his conformity thereunto from the aspersions of Peter Heylin, D.D., in his pamphlet called Respondet Petrus; Letter I. A letter from Mr. William Camden to Sir Edward Stradling; Letter from Mr. William Camden to Sir Edward Stradling; Collection of three hundred letters.

The life of the most reverend father in God, James Usher, has separate dated titlepage on leaf [A]4r. ‘An appendix to the Life of the Lord Primate Usher;’ (caption title) begins new pagination with quire 2A. ‘A collection of three hundred letters,’ (Wing U163) has separate dated title page, with imprint ‘printed for Nathanael Ranew at the King’s Arms in St. Paul’s Church-yard. MDCLXXXVI.’ on leaf 2I2r; pagination begins with quire 3A. ‘Letter I. A letter from Mr. William Camden to Sir Edward Stradling.’ (caption title) begins pagination with quire 5A.

First edition (London, Nathanael Ranew, 1686) of Richard Parr’s life of James Ussher (1581–1656), the great Irish scholar-prelate and Archbishop of Armagh, with the fine engraved portrait frontispiece. Parr’s biography drawing on Ussher’s papers - remains the primary early source for the archbishop’s life and scholarly network, printing c.300 letters with many of the most eminent churchmen and savants of the seventeenth century in England and on the Continent. It is indispensable for the history of Irish and Stuart ecclesiastical politics, patristic scholarship, and for Ussher’s chronology and antiquarian interests.

Provenance: Early British Museum ownership, with the rare green octagonal stamp “MUSEUM BRITANNICUM – DUPLICATE FOR SALE – 1769.”

Armorial bookplate of Leonard L. Hartley (1816-1883), of Middleton Lodge and St Leonards-on-Sea. His library sold by Puttick & Simpson, London, 1885-86 (see Anderson, Catalogue of the Library of the late L. L. Hartley, Blades/East & Blades, 1885-86).

“Milltown Park, S.J. Library – O’Brien Bequest”, and printed donor label “Ex legato Gulielmi O’Brien, Justiciarii. An. 1899” (the bequest of Mr Justice William O’Brien, High Court judge and noted benefactor). Retains an earlier engraved armorial bookplate (stag crest) of a nineteenth-century owner, neatly mounted on the front pastedown.

A compelling copy: the standard early life of Ussher, in an impressive red morocco binding for a Victorian collector, and with a provenance chain that runs from the British Museum (deaccessioned 1769) to the Milltown Park Jesuits via the O’Brien bequest.

[L1 BC 3D]