'From her truly affectionate friend'

This lengthy inscription is found in a copy of surgeon Richard Wiseman’s Severall chirurgical treatises (1676) in the RCP library. It shows that this grisly book was owned by Jane Hatcher, née Hussey (1657–1735), granddaughter-in-law of Thomas Hatcher (c.1589–1677) of Lincolnshire.

Jane Hatcher her Booke This Booke was by the Author Presented unto Thomas Eldest Sonne of Sr John Hatcher & by the Grand Sone of the Afore sayd Thomas Hatcher Humbly presented to his Moste Trulye Good & Well deserving Spouse Mrs Jane Hatcher Sister of Sr Edward Hussey of Cayethorpe in the Countye of Lincolne. Anno Dom: 1706

Many of the books in the RCP library contain evidence of their history and previous use, known as provenance. Provenance information comes in many forms: notes of prices paid and dates of purchase, stamps and labels from earlier libraries, presentation inscriptions from authors, presentation inscriptions to the RCP, readers’ notes in the margins, trial signatures on blank (or not-so-blank) pages, doodles, scribblings and more. It’s usually a fair guess that the authors of most of these marks were men, but every now and again there’s a tantalising glimpse of women owning and using printed books.

Cockburn, Gonorrhoea, flyleaf

Some of these glimpses are extremely brief and raise more questions than they answer. Who was the ‘Mary Jones’ who wrote her name carefully but inexpertly on the title page of William Cockburn’s 1718 book The symptoms, nature, cause and cure of a gonorrhoea? Did she own this book herself, or was it just a convenient place to try out her penmanship before signing a document?

Other women’s names are found in books on more expected topics. On 9 September 1708 Mary Prideaux added her name to the beginning of The Queen's closet opened, a popular book of medicinal and culinary recipes.  A copy William Myerick’s New family herbal (1790) has the bookplate of a Mrs Ellison and the signature of Richard Ellison, perhaps her husband.

 

CN 51858, Euripides, Hippolytus, flyleaf, Wauchope inscription
Hippolytos stephanephoros. Euripides, published Oxford, 1796

 

As with Jane Hatcher, we’re sometimes able to find out more about the women who owned or used our books. A note in a 1796 copy of Euripides’ play Hippolytus states that it was ‘Bought off a barrow in Whitechapel’ in 1920. The purchaser was Gladys Mary Wauchope (1889–1966), the first of about 70 female medical students to be admitted to the London Hospital Medical College after the First World War. This is one of several rare and early books that Wauchope bequeathed to the library.

 

CN 4509-1, Eames, Brief memorial, 1873, Jane Eames inscription
Brief memorial of Henry Eames. Jane Catherine Eames, published Dublin, 1873

 

Some marks made in books are intensely personal. Jane Eames was married to Dr Henry Eames, physician to Mercers Hospital, and lecturer at the Ledwich School of Medicine and Surgery in Dublin. In 1873 Henry Eames died – aged only 31 – from typhus fever.  Later that same year Jane wrote and had printed a Brief memorial of her husband’s life and death. She presented one copy of this slim book to a certain Mrs Bessermet, and this copy found its way into our library. The inscription reads 'from her truly affectionate friend, Jane Catherine Eames’.

Work continues to record all of provenance evidence – by whomever it was made – in the RCP rare book collections. It’s certain that more historical and biographical gems are waiting to be found.

Katie Birkwood, rare books and special collections librarian

March is Women’s History Month.

Read more about our historic collections on our blog, and follow RCPmuseum on Twitter.

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Katie Birkwood ,
Rare books and special collections librarian

Read our weekly library, archive and museum blog to learn more about the RCP’s collections, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.


Library, Archive and Museum