Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time

This title is an essential text for the study of the English Civil War and political history from the Restoration of King Charles II to the rule of William and Mary. Burnet offers a uniquely close account of the era of the ‘Glorius Revolution’ to the early reign of Queene Anne from his position as a Protestant leader of the time. Gilbert Burnet (1643-1715) was a Scottish scholar, author, and cleric and was often closely associated with the British court. The son of a lawyer from Aberdeen, Burnet’s popularity as a preacher and his brother’s role as a court physician garnered him an appointment to serve as chaplain to Charles II. His Protestant views and later support of William and Anne counter to James II’s rule led to a move away from Britain for some years, before Burnet returned under William and Mary’s rule as a preacher at their coronation and appointment as Bishop of Salisbury. Burnet began writing his History in 1683 and kept an account of contemporary events to the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The first volume of this work was published posthumously and covers up to the beginning of the Revolution; the second volume, published in 1734, concludes with the events of 1713. One of his elder sons, Thomas, was an editor of these works going to press. This account is praised by scholars for Burnet’s engaging and enthusiastic voice and mediating historical report and personal account and is the source material for many direct quotes of key players of court at this point in history.

The two-volume set that calls the Salisbury House Library Collection home bear the bookplate of Carl Weeks, who likely purchased them in the 1920s or 1930s, and a yet unidentified plate of a former owner or seller with a unicorn in both volumes. The place that would typically include an owner’s name remains blank. A unique aspect of this copy is ‘extra illustration’, in which a previous owner has inserted portraits of historical figures alongside textual references. This was a popular practice in the 19th and early 20th century and creates one-of-a-kind editions. Were they added by the ‘unicorn’ era owner? The bindings on both volumes are identical, suggesting that they were bound at the same bindery or bookshop, likely both being completed in 1734 or later. More research ahead!