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EDWARD HOLMES MS, c1846

Beverley,  East Yorkshire.  After c1846
East Yorkshire Records Office. East Riding Archives and Local Studies Ref#DDX-114/21

Transcribed into ABC Music Notation for the Village Music Project


Go to ABC file by Ruairidh Greig (partial transcription, tunes 1-124 only)

Go to ABC file by Jake Wade (full transcription, 641 tunes)

Go to PDF of Wade transcription (very large file, 10Mb, 389pp)


Size 9" wide by 6" tall, hand stitched, card bound.

Inscribed:-
"E. Holmes B.1819" "farmers. Bricklayer. Fruit merchants clerk"
"Mr. Bursells and William at Pigeon Prairie Indiana - January 1831"
"Item presented by Miss J.T.Holmes .....Winchester, Hants, 1963"

One of several music books, the others contain sacred music.

The manuscript is divided internally into ten sections, ostensibly of discrete categories of tunes. The tunes are numbered within each of these sections, but our transcriptions dispense with this numbering, preferring instead to amalgamate the manuscript and number the tunes accordingly.

The sections within the manuscript are:-

Hornpipes (48 tunes, nos 1-48)
Marches (37 tunes, nos 49-85)
Cotillons (12 tunes, nos 86-97)
Minuets (27 tunes, nos 98-124)
English Airs (203 tunes, nos 125-327)
Scottish Reels and Strathspeys (29 tunes, nos 328-356)
Scotch Airs (89 tunes, nos 357-445)
Welsh Airs (28 tunes, nos 446-473)
Irish Airs (50 tunes, nos 474-523)
Waltzes (118 tunes, nos 524-641)

However, it is not very consistent: for example "Minuet de la Cour" is in the Hornpipe section, "Swiss Galopede" is in the Welsh section, and "Harvest Home" is in with the Waltzes. There are many other examples.

As Steve Gardham's biographical notes below imply, it is at least uncertain if an Edward Holmes actually compiled, rather than possessed, the manuscript, but we have adopted it for identification purposes for lack of an alternative.

"Bonaparte's Grand Parade March" near the beginning of the ms indicate that it could not have been started before the 19th century opened. Many of the waltzes were composed in the 1840s (e.g. Zurich's Waters composed by N.P.B.Curtiss, Boston, 1846) and give an absolute terminus post quem of 1846 for the latter end of the book. The handwriting is consistent throughout, and the whole looks as if it was written over a relatively short period of time as a deliberate project, so a date of "ending later than" 1846, or circa 1846, would seem appropriate.

The ms author was evidently a very competent copyist and a confident musician, there are very few "mistakes", despite a certain (normal) cavalier attitude to repeat markings. Most, if not all, of the tunes have clearly been copied from elsewhere, complete with dynamics, but for some reason titles are frequently missing.

What instrument the author played is unknown; many of the tunes are well beyond first position on the violin for example.
The waltzes in particular look as if they have been copied from the melody line of a piano book.




The following notes were provided by Steve Gardham:-

This is a large manuscript book (over 600 tunes) of country dance tunes from the early nineteenth century. It is one of six music books that are part of a 28 book bequest to the Beverley Archives, made in September 1963 by Miss Jane Jewison Holmes (b.1886 d.1963)

Her grandfather was Edward Holmes (b.1819 d.1884), possibly the Edward Holmes who's signature appears inside the front covers of the first two tune books (DDX-114/16 & DDX-114/17). (However, the dance tune book is written in a clearly different hand.)

The book is divided into the following categories:-
Hornpipes
Marches
Cotillons
Minuets
English Airs
Scottish Reels and Strathspeys
Scotch Airs
Welsh Airs
Irish Airs
Waltzes

Composers and sources credited in the book:-
T.P.  &  T.P. Clarke (Rouseau's Dream was written by Ferdinand Lauter in 1826, Old Towler was a known tune, so perhaps T.P. was meant as a source rather than a composer)
T. Smart
Hill Von Esch
R. Coningworth
Haydins (sic)
Dr. Arne
Sig. Barthlomar
Barnett
Mrs. C.B. Wilson
Beethoven
Parry (probably John Parry, Welsh harpist and composer 1776-1851)
Barbini
Mozart
Bewlay
Pleyel (Ignace Joseph 1757-1831. French composer and piano builder)
Hook
Ivers
Rorydell Old
Da Pinna
Gustavus Auber
Porteies
Berat (Frederic 1801-1855. French composer, wrote Ma Normandie, used as national anthem of Jersey)
Ditters (August Carl von Dittersdorf 1739-1799. Austrian composer and violinist)
Ruper
Taylor
Scott
Steibelt (Daniel 1765-1823. German pianist and composer)
Bishop
Strauss
De Miller
Auber (Daniel 1782-1871. His opera Gustave III was a triumph, premiered in 1833, Colonel Lilliehorn was a plum role)



The following contains mention of both Edward Holmes (several to choose from) and Jane Jewison Holmes

(from http://soc.genealogy.britain.narkive.com/LCfpl44B/the-holmes-family-of-nunburnholme-east-yorks-1775-1963-are-you-interested)

The HOLMES family of NUNBURNHOLME, East YORKS. 1775 - 1963. 

Permalink

"I was in Beverley archives looking at the BURSALL & HOLMES family papers and thought this may be of interest.

I have not yet transcribed the events for the BURSALL family.

Regards

Anglogeezer

***************************************************


Diary and Accounts of THOMAS HOLMES.

A hard back book, 18 x 11 cms.

Inside the front cover is the inscription .. THOMAS HOLMES. HULL 10 th Septr 1825

Originally blank pages but ruled where necessary to use for accounts, it has been used from both ends.

The front pages are a mixture of accounts and pages of memoranda/significant events.

The back pages are a record of family events recorded for the BURSELL & HOLMES families; from about 1577 till 1950's?

NUNBURNHOLME is in EAST YORKSHIRE, 3 m east of POCKLINGTON.

WALTHAM CHASE is in HAMPSHIRE.

CRAMBE is NORTH YORKSHIRE, 6 m SW of MALTON.

ANDSTON is in NORTH YORKSHIRE.

KIRKBY near STOKESLY is NORTH YORKSHIRE near MIDDLSBOROUGH.

LUND is in EAST YORKSHIRE, 7 m north of BEVERLEY.

********************************************************

The Registers of John and Ann Holmes and their children.

JOHN, son of JOHN HOLMES of WALTHAM CHASE, born 19 Oct 1775, registered at BISHOPS WALTHEM.

ANN, the daughter of MARMADUKE STEPHENSON born at ANDSTON 23 May 1779.

JOHN HOLMES & ANN STEPHENSON, married at LUND. 24 Nov 1801.

THOMAS HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 18 Aug 1802.

ELIZABETH HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 8 July 1804. X

ABRAM HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 4 May 1806.

WILLIAM HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 14 Feb 1808. X

SUSANNAH HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 13 May 1810. X

ANN HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 5 July 1812.

JOHN HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 18 Sept 1814.

MARY HOLMES , born at NUNBURNHOLME 12 July 1817.

EDWARD HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 18 April 1819.

Edward Holmes, married Mary Townend at Drypool Church, Hull. 8 Aug 1849.

Issue, 2 daughters & 1 son.

Susannah born 5 Aug 1850.

Elizabeth born 5 Aug 1851.

Henry born 14 Feb 1853.

Mary, wife of Edward Holmes, died at Nunburnholme, 2 June 1853, aged 27.

Edward Holmes, of Nunburnholme, married Ann Shepherd of York, 8 Oct 1859. No issue.

Edward Holmes, died at Nunburnholme, 6 March 1884, aged 64 years.

HENRY HOLMES, born at NUNBURNHOLME 8 July 1821. X

[The four entries marked thus .. X .. are later recorded as having died.]

Ann Holmes, married to George Portuse at THORNTON. Thursday 13 Sept 1832.

William Holmes, married to Jane Ann Hughes at MICHIGAN CITY, (??) County, Indiana, U.S.A. 5 July 1836. issue 3 children.

Abram Holmes, married to Mary Huthwate 22 Nov 1836, at Kirkby near Stokesly. issue, 1 daughter, Mary.

John Holmes, married Hannah Joy at Crambe. 8 Dec 1850. No issue.

Susannah Holmes, died at Nunburnholme 11 Aug 1830, aged 20 years. Typhus fever.

Henry Holmes, died at Nunburnholme, 15 April 1834, aged 12 years. Typhus fever.

Elizabeth Holmes, died at Hull, 24 Nov 1837, aged 33 years. 3 days illness, inflammation of the bowels.

William Holmes, died at Willow Creek, Porter County, Indiana, U.S.A. 21 Sept 1847, aged 39 years 7 months of inflammation of the lung. Leaving a widow and 4 children.

Abram Holmes, died at Sunderland 29 Sep 1877, aged 71..

Burial in 1776. John Holmes, Parish of WYKEHAM, County of Southampton.

Ann, wife of John Holmes, died at Nunburnholme, 8 May 1859, aged 79.

John Holmes, died at Nunburnholme, 12 Aug 1859, aged 83.

Edward Jackson, of York, 5 Oct 1859, aged 73. The brother of John Holmes, of Nunburnholme, their mother was twice married.

Henry Holmes, of Coltman St, Hull, married Amelia Robins, 30 Aug 1877.

Mary, daughter of Henry & Amelia, born 26 Oct 1878.

Thomas, son of Henry & Amelia, born 2 April 1881.

Amelia, daughter of Henry & Amelia, born 28 July 1883.

Jane Jewison, daughter of Henry & Amelia, (therefore grandaughter of Edward), born 21 Sept 1886?

Mary, wife of Abram, died at Kirby in Cleveland, 19 Nov 1864, aged 59.

Hannah, wife of John Holmes, died at Crambe, 2 Sept 1881, aged 70 years.


Jane Eliza Holmes, daughter of William Holmes married Addison Crisman, 21 Sep 1847. at Willow Creek, Indiana, U.S.A. x 4 boys.

Susannah Holmes, died at HARROGATE, Dec 1936, aged 77 years.

Henry Holmes, died at HARROGATE, 4 April 1944, aged 91 years.

Thomas Holmes, son of Henry & Amelia, died at HULL 2 Mar 1952, aged 70.

Addison Morton Crisman, born 21 July 1866.

William Colfax Crisman, born 5 Nov 1867.

Thomas Wade Crisman, born 16 May 1870.

Benjamin Franklin Crisman, born 4 Dec 1872.

******************************************************

Jane Jewison Holmes, died 1963 and these family records were deposited at the County Archives


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