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Rough and neat versions of minutes occur throughout; no inserts.

Spine reads 'Aug[us]t 1763 to March 1772'.

Front cover reads 'Minute Book Begining August 2 [illegible]'.

Rough and neat versions of minutes occur throughout; no inserts.

Spine reads 'B'.

Front cover reads 'Minute Book Begining 7th April 1772'.

Partially pasted into volume are 5 documents:

folio 28v: small piece of paper containing an addition to the rough notes for the Court sitting of 16 Mar 1773.

folio 138r: large fold-out containing a fees table titled 'Stationers Hall Fees to the Clerk and other Servants of the Company'. There are two subtitles, 'On Account of the Corporation' and 'On Account of the English Stock'.

folio 176 r: small piece of paper containing an addition to the rough notes for the Court sitting of 2 Dec 1777.

folio 177v: small printed piece of paper titled 'Inscription on a Brass Plate in Stationers Hall' and containing the transcription:

'To the united Munificence of

THE COMPANY OF STATIONERS

and other numerous Benefactors:

who,

when a calamitous Fire, Jan. 30, 1712/13,

had in one Night destroyed the Effects

of WILLIAM BOWYER, Printer,

repaired the Loss with unparalleled Humanity:

WILLIAM, his only surviving Son,

being continued Printer of the Votes of the House of Commons,

by his Father's Merits,

and the Indulgence of Three Honourable Speakers;

and appointed to print the Journals of the House of Lords,

at near LXX Years of Age,

by the Patronage of a Noble Peer;

struggling with a Debt of Gratitude which could not be repaid,

left this Tablet to suggest

what worn-out Nature could not express:

Nov. 18, 1777

EX VOTO PATRONI OPTIMI, AMICISSIMI,

PONI LUBENTER CURAVIT CLIENS DEVINCTUS

J. NICHOLS. MDCCLXXVIII'

This inscription relates to proceedings in the Court minutes for 2 Dec 1777 (folios 177r-178v), during which the executors of William Bowyer's will, including John Nichols, laid a copy of the will before the Court. Bowyer had left the Company several sums of money upon Trust, a silver cup and the aforementioned brass plate.

folio 265r: small piece of paper containing an addition to the rough notes for the Court sitting of 1 July 1780.

Draft minutes dated 1661-1675 and 1723-2009. These volumes were traditionally referred to as Wast Books, although the term was dropped in the late twentieth century. From 2000, draft minutes are born digital.

Draft minutes for 1 Mar 1675-6 Dec 1680 are contained in court book E; from there, the minutes for 1 Mar 1675-24 Oct 1679 are copied fair into court book D.

Front of file reads 'Court Minutes from 7th May, 1957 to 2nd December, 1958'.

Inserted into minutes is 1 document:

page 58: sample letter dated 8 Oct 1964 from G St P Wells, Clerk of the Stationers' Company, informing the recipient that he was not successful in the ballot for the Civic Dinner of 19 Nov 1964, but that his name was being transferred to the list of liverymen wishing to bring guests to the Civic Dinner of 5 May 1965.

At front of file is an incomplete index; many letters of the alphabet have no entries; page numbers given do not match any page or folio numbers in the minutes.

Pasted into minutes are 2 documents:

folio 89r: copy letter dated 21 May 1959 from Olivia Mulholland, Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, to Mr Simon, conveying the Queen Mother's thanks for entertaining her at Stationers' Hall after a service at St Paul's.

folio 89v: undated list of costs of investments, titled 'Worshipful Company of Stationers & Newspaper Makers. Investment of £600,000/£650,000'.

Inserted into minutes are 2 documents:

Court sitting of 6 Oct 1959: list of apprentices titled 'Apprentices - 8th June 1964'.

Court sitting of 1 Nov 1960: list of transfer deeds for share in external companies, titled 'The Following Transfer deeds were Duly Sealed This Day'.

Front of folder reads 'Typed copies Court Orders from 4th July 1961 to 1st June 1965'.

Inserted into minutes is 1 document:

Court sitting of 28 Jul 1964: notice of ward election for Farringdon Within dated 4 Oct 1963.

Front of folder reads 'Typed copies Court Orders from 6th July 1965 to 2nd Dec. 1969'.

Inserted into minutes are 2 documents:

front endpage: 'Extract from the Orders of the Court dated 6th May 1969'.

Court sitting of 27 Jul 1965: notice of ward election for Farringdon Within, dated 4 Oct 1963, with manuscript draft minutes on the reverse side.

Draft minutes are dated 27 Mar 1682, 3 Apr 1682, 8 May 1682, 24 and 26 Jun 1682, 1 and 3 Jul 1682, 7 Aug 1682, 4 Sep 1682, 4 Oct 1682, 6 Nov 1682, 4 Dec 1682, 7 Jan 1684, 4 Feb 1684, 1 Mar 1684, 5 Feb 1683, 1 Mar 1683, 3 Mar 1684 and 7 Mar 1683.

At front of file is a small slip of paper with the inscriptions 'Court - 1682' and, in a different and later hand, 'Water-mark "Pro Patria"'.

Some minutes have other documents inserted:

Minutes for 3 Apr 1682:

1. account of amounts due to English Stock and the Company by Mr Eglesfield in 1679-1682, undated.

2. submission to Court by Richard Jannoway concerning almanacks, 3 Apr 1682.

3. letter from Gabriel Cox to the Master asking to be excused his absence, explaining that as a convicted Catholic the goods in his shop had been seized by the Sheriff eighteen months prior, he had been forced to make over the goods to merchants, and he does not feel able to appear publically in his shop, 2 Apr 1682.

Minutes for 8 May 1682:

1. memorandum titled 'Heads agreed uppon by ye M[aste]r Wardens & assistants of ye Company of Stationers touching ye Beadle governing himselfe with Danby & respect becoming his Place to ye [illegible] M[aste]r Wardens & Assistants', undated.

Minutes for 7 Jan 1684:

1. letter patent ordering the Company to admit Simon Miller, William Cooper, Christopher Wilkinson and William Shrowsbery to be members of the Court of Assistants and to allow them to have the privileges, authorities and immunities thereunto, take the usual oaths and pay the usual Company fines, 29 Feb 1684.

Minutes for 4 Feb and 1 Mar 1684:

1. list of pensioners of Lamb's Charity, undated.

2. signed and witnessed statement stating that unpaid rent owed to the Company by the deceased George Eversden should be paid by his widow Elizabeth Eversden, 5 Feb 1684.

Minutes for 3 Mar 1684:

1. surrender by Sam[uel] Hoyle, thanking the company for admitting him to the English Stock share formerly belonging to Mrs Hendon, consenting and requesting that the share remains in the Company's hands until he pays Mrs Hendon's now husband John Rand £80 and the Christmas dividend of the share, and stating that if the Company does this then he will pay the duty and service that he owes, 4 Feb 1684.

Inserted loose:

1. alphabetical list of the court and livery, 6 Oct 1682.

2. petition by John Williams for transfer of his livery share to his son, 3 Feb 1683.

Draft minutes are dated 26 Mar 1683, 2, 19 and 20 Apr 1683, 7 May 1683, 4, 25 and 30 Jun, 2 Jul 1683, 6 Aug 1683, 1 Oct 1683, 6 and 12 Nov 1683, 3, 19 and 20 Dec 1683, 2 Mar 1685 and 3 and 17 Feb 1685.

At front of file is a small slip of paper with the inscription 'The Court for 1683'.

Some minutes have other documents inserted:

Minutes for 26 Mar 1683:

1. letter from James Collins to the master, requesting that he not be elected Renter Warden until he is in a better financial position, 26 Mar 1683.

2. accounts listing company income and expenses, undated.

3. petition from James Collins stating that he had mortgaged his English Stock share to George Sawbridge not knowing of the order forbidding mortgaging of shares without the consent of the Table, and requesting time to clear the mortgage, undated.

4. letter from James Collins to Mr Garret, asking him to deliver his petition to the Master and to gather the support of others, undated.

Minutes for 7 May 1683:

1. surrender of yeomanry share in English Stock by Ann Godbid, 4 May 1683.

Minutes for 1 and 25 Oct 1683:

1. draft letter to [Samuel Hoyle] informing him that he must settle his account with Mr Felton and Sam[uel] Lownds, who has been chosen to supply the place of Renter Warden for the remaining part of the year, and deliver his books to them both, undated.

Inserted loose:

1. surrender of livery share in English Stock by Margaret White, 19 Apr 1683.

Draft minutes are dated 26 Mar 1684, 7 and 24 Apr 1684, 27 May 1684, 2 and 10 Jun 1684, 16 and 25 Jun 1684, 5 and 7 Jul 1684, 4 Aug 1684, 1 and 30 Sep 1684, 6 Oct 1684, 3 Nov 1684, 3, 20 and 27 Dec 1684 and 16 Jan 1685.

At front of file is a small slip of paper with the inscription 'Court - 1684'.

Some minutes have other documents inserted:

Minutes for Apr 1684:

1. letter from R[ober]t Graham and L M Burton to the master and wardens, recommending William Phillips as a fit person to serve the King as a court assistant, undated.

Minutes for 27 May 1684:

1. draft petition from the company to the King, thanking him for the new charter and for the rights and privileges contained within it, undated.

Minutes for 2 and 10 Jun 1684:

1. letter from Rog[er] Norton and Hen[ry] Hills to Mr Garrett, requesting that as Mr Tooks had not had time that morning to bind an apprentice, Mr Garrett should seal the indenture between them and enter it as done in the morning, 5 May 1684.

Minutes for 16 and 25 Jun and 5 and 7 Jul 1684:

1. petition from Rich[ard] Butler, company freeman and prisoner in Ludgate, requesting relief for the care of his wife and children, undated.

2. letter from the Duke of Buckingham to Roger Norton, master, requesting that James Segnin, the borther of the Duke's chemist, be made free of the company, 26 Jun 1684.

Minutes for Sep 1684:

1. surrender by W[illia]m Rawlins to John Place of his 40th share in English Stock, 30 Sep 1684.

Minutes of 3 Nov 1684:

1. draft petition from the master, wardens and assistants to the King, requesting that he appoint licencers for the authorising or reprinting of all books and papers, in order to better prevent and suppress seditious works and libels, undated.

2. letter from Ro[ger] Lestrange to Roger Norton, master, complaining that several libels against himself had been entered into the book of copies, and requesting that the printer John Southby be prosecuted, 27 Oct 1684.

3. letter from Ro[ger] Lestrange to the master and wardens, stating that he is unable to attend Lord Sunderland that morning, and requesting that they deliver an enclosed document to Lord Sunderland on his behalf, 2 Jan 1685.

4. letter from Lord Sunderland to the master and wardens, stating that the King commands the company to apply itself to the best means for preventing intolerable liberties of the press, and to communicate with the Surveyor of the Press, who has orders from his Majesty to signify to the company, 17 Dec 1684.

5. letter from R[o]g[er] Lestrange to Mr Garrett, requesting that he presents Mr Lestrange's services to the master and wardens and let them know that he will have an unstated item finished on Friday morning, 23 Dec 1684.

Minutes for 3, 20 and 27 Dec 1684 and 16 Jan 1685:

1. draft demand from Roger Norton, master, to an unstated company, demanding that it pays £83 6s 8d of due rent to Thomas Guy, and stating that if it does not do so then the company will not continue to forbear to comprint with it any longer the 25 Mar 1685.

Draft minutes are dated 26 Mar 1685, 6 Apr 1685, 6, 11, 20 and 22 May 1685, 1 and 26 Jun 1685, 4 and 6 Jul 1685, 3, 18 and 22 Aug 1685, 7 and 12 Sep 1685, 5 Oct 1685, 2 Nov 1685, 7 and 22 Dec 1685, 1 Feb 1686 and 1 Mar 1686.

Some minutes have other documents inserted:

Minutes for 6 Apr 1685:

1. letter from Peter Parker and Thomas Guy, printers for the University of Oxford, to the master, wardens and court, offering to continue their former agreement that if the company pays its first quarter of rent then they will forbear to comprint, and stating that they will forgo the company's unpaid three quarters rent if the company acquits them of the Psalms they have printed, 25 Mar 1685.

Minutes for 6 and 11 May 1685:

1. Lord Mayor's precept to the master, wardens and court, requiring them to nominate a new livery and return the names of those nominated to the Guildhall on the morning of 7 July, 5 May 1685.

2. Lord Mayor's order, stating that as the liveries of several city companies are to be suspended and the livery status of these companies determined, their liveries must be newly granted, and ordering that their masters and wardens nominate loyal members to form the new livery, 5 May 1685.

3. list of members of the Haberdashers', Fishmongers', Merchant Taylors' Girdlers', Leathersellers' and Barber Chirurgeons' Companies, 6 May 1685.

4. Lord Mayor's order, listing those approved by the court as members of the new livery, 7 May 1685.

5. Lord Mayor's order, requesting that the master and wardens of several companies send their new charters to the town clerk to be enrolled in the journals of the court [of aldermen], 8 May 1685.

Minutes for 20 and 22 May 1685:

1. royal command to Roger L'Estrange, signed by Lord Sunderland, renewing regulations concerning licensing and the restriction of number of presses, 21 May 1685.

Minutes for 6 Jul 1685:

1. letter from Jo[h]n Richardson to the master, stating that by reason of commands to attend the service of his Majesty he is unable to attend the duties of renter warden, requesting that the court make a new choice and stating that he is happy to pay the fine for not serving, 6 Jul 1685.

Minutes for 3, 18 and 22 Aug 1685:

1. Lord Mayor's statement that the master, wardens and assistants had presented to the court [of aldermen] a list of names of those nominated to be liverymen of the company, and that the court approves and allows them to be of the livery, 30 Jul 1685.

2. true copy of licence and deputation from the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London to Roger Midgley, permitting him to licence books on behalf of the bishops under the revived Printing Act, 21 Aug 1685.

Minutes for 7 and 22 Dec 1685:

1. memorandum reading 'Memorandum December the 7th 1685 that the precedanse of the Westminster parliament before that at Oxford where printing in partnership for Mr Faniewell Herick Mr Tho Bassett Mr John Wright Mr Francis Smith Mr Ralp Smith Mr Robert Boulter and Benjamin Harris and Richard Chigwell, witnis my hand Benjamin Harris'.

Minutes for 1 Feb 1686:

1. otherwise blank piece of paper with the inscription 'Court 1st february 1685'.

Minutes for 1 Mar 1686:

1. draft minutes of meeting of the Committee about Stall Booksellers, 5 Mar 1686, with an annotated copy.

Inserted loose:

1. copy Lord Mayor's order that booksellers free of other companies be turned over to the company, and that in the future the chamberlain of the city do not admit any stationer to any company other than the Stationers' Company, 7 May 1685.

2. small slip of paper with the inscription 'Court - 1685'.

3. warrant from the Chief Justice 'to all Mayors Sheriffs Bayliffs Constables & all other officers & Ministers whome these may concerne', requiring them to assist the company in searching out seditious printing, 3 Nov 1685.

Committee minutes are written on some Court minute documents:

Court sitting of 6 Apr 1685: meeting of the Committee about Peter Parker and Thom[a]s Guy, 29 Apr 1685.

Court sitting of 6 Jul 1685: meeting of the Committee appointed about Parker & Guy, 21 Jul 1685.

Draft minutes are dated 26 Mar 1686, 3 May 1686, 7 Jun 1686, 3 and 5 Jul 1686, 2 Aug 1686, 6 and 8 Sep 1686, 4, 11 and 12 Oct 1686, 8 and 26 Nov 1686, 6 and 20 Dec 1686, 7, 21 and 28 Feb 1687, 1, 7 and 23 Mar 1687.

At front of folder is a small piece of paper with the inscription 'The Court. 1686'.

Some minutes have other documents inserted:

Minutes for 3 May 1686:

1. bill for clerical Corporation and English Stock work undertaken in 1681; on the front is written '23 April 1686 The two Wardens Mr Towse and Mr Henry Clarke have considered Mr Garretts Bill within mentioned & have searcht presendents for that purpose & have thought fitt that he may have £12 given him as a gratuity for the same. Jo: Bellinger Ambrose Istid John Towse Hen: Clarke Robert Scott', undated.

2. letter from Timothy Goodwin to Mr Warden Isted at Stationers Hall, stating that he is willing to resign from the Livery, as Mr Isted and Warden Billing had asked him at the Castle Tavern to make his choice to remain or not if he found the role an inconvenience, 3 May 1686.

Minutes for 7 Jun 1686:

1. petition from several London master printers to the master, wardens and assistants, stating that despite an Act of Parliament authorising only one printing press in York there are three present, which print many copies that are the property of London booksellers and that should be printed in London, and praying that the Company orders the suppression of such grievance, undated.

Minutes for 3 Jul 1686:

1. memorandum reading 'Before the election of Warden Bellinger to be Master the Court first voted the manner how they would press to the election of a Master And because some members moved for the Balotting box to be made up of [illegible] It was putt to the question & carried in the negative And then the Court preceded to election againe by scoreing and the Major vote fell upon Warden Bellinger to be Master', undated.

Minutes for 8 Sep 1686:

1. letter from John Bellinger and Rob[er]t Clavell to Roger L'Estrange, referring to a decision made that morning to put off the election of treasurer, and assuring L'Estrange that when they and the partners of the English Stock do proceed to the election then he will be given timely notice of this, 8 Sep 1686.

Minutes for 6 Dec 1686:

1. copy of bond binding Obadiah Blagrave to the company as treasurer, 8 Nov 1686.

Inserted into minutes for Court sitting of 7, 21 and 28 Feb 1687 are 4 documents:

1. letter from Mr Thynne to the master, stating that no copies of books had been sent by the company to the library at St James's as required by the Act of Parliament for Printing, requesting that these copies be sent, and stating that if this is not done then he shall be forced to prefer a chancery bill against the persons involved, 7 Feb 1687.

2. surrender of yeomanry share of the English Stock by Thomas Pierrepont, 7 Feb 1687.

3. letter from Jo[hn] Bellinger and John Baker to Mr Garrett, stating that as Mr Blagrave cannot execute his security as soon as intended he should give a bond of £1000 for the present, 21 Oct 1686.

4. letter from Simon Miller to the master, wardens and assistants, requesting dismissal from the table of assistants, 6 Sep 1686.

Committee minutes are written on some Court minute documents:

Court sitting of 8 Nov 1686: meeting of the Committee appointed about buying Mr Sawbridge's interest in Cambridge printing, 19 Nov 1686.

Court sitting of 8 Nov 1686: meeting of the Committee appointed about Mr Leigh's account, 26 Nov 1686.

Court sittings of 7 and 23 Mar 1687: meeting of the Committee appointed about Haberdashers stall booksellers, 4 Mar 1687.

Court sittings of 7 and 23 Mar 1687: meeting of the Committee appointed about the Court's last copies, 18 Mar 1687.