S&SWM PR papers L259

L259

[Answrd]

Nash Mills, | Hemel Hempstead | Nov 2 1886

My dear Pitt Rivers

Many thanks for your handsome subscription to the Scientific Relief Fund. Mr Rix will send you a formal receipt. Is the enclosed the sort of letter you want as to the Rothwell Cross? I have brought back from Stockholm one of the large padlocks from a Church door in the neighbourhood which I hope some day soon to exhibit to the Soc. Ants - Afterwards I shall have much pleasure in presenting it to your collection. Or would you prefer my doing so at once and letting you purpose the note for the Ants. I make no doubt that you would do it better than I could. It is quite complete key and all, but not very easy to unlock. Do you know the padlock on our iron chest at the R.S.? With kind regards

Yours sincerely
John Evans

This is presumably Add.9455vol2_p329 /3

Date: 1887
Description of object: Padlock of Aspö Church near Stockholm See Proc. Soc. Antiq. Lond. Vol XI no III page 361 Presented to General Pitt Rivers by John Evans Esq [Drawing]
Price:
Deposited at: With collection of Locks & Keys in drawer of office 4 Grosvenor Gardens
Transferred to: Museum Farnham (8)
Added: Room IV case 12 [in red]

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L302-3

Nash Mills, | Hemel Hempstead | May 11 1887

My dear Pitt Rivers

If ever you are at Burlington House call on Mr Hope at the Soc Ants. and you will "find something to your advantage" with kind regards

Yours sincerely
John Evans

[The numbering of this letter is strange, there appears not to be a separate 303]

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L306

Nash Mills, | Hemel Hempstead | May 17 1887

My dear Pitt Rivers

What I have left for you at Burlington House one a large Swedish lock (figured in the Proceedings that are about to come out) and a smaller Chinese lock ** You will I think like the former but perhaps you may not want the latter - I shall be glad to have a copy of your Excavation medal. I saw one at the Brit Assoc. on Saturday Your Romano British discoveries are very interesting. Cannot you give us some account of them at the Soc. Ants & let us have the paper for the Archaeologia. What a Zacchaeus like race you seem to have found!

With kind regards from most truly
John Evans

** Add.9455vol2_p329 /4:

Date: 1887
Description of object: Chinese padlock and key  Presented to General Pitt Rivers by John Evans Esq [Drawing]
Added: Note: Accompanying these Padlocks is a letter from Edward Peacock Esq of Bottesford Manor, Brigg, about a lock in his possession with a drawing of the object
Price:
Deposited at: With collection of Locks & Keys 4 Grosvenor Gardens
Transferred to: Museum Farnham (8)
Added: Room IV case 12 (no key)[in red]

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P164

Ansd. Oct. 1/91

Nash Mills, | Hemel Hempstead | Sept 29 1891

My dear Pitt Rivers

I think that your bronze arrow-points with the [drawing of a ogee section] section are from Motya in Sicity - Perhaps they date from B.C. 396. when the town was stoned by the Carthaginians The bronze sword (Lindenschmidt) is said to have been found at PELLA in Macedonia - See Bastian and Voss "Die Bronze schwerten der K. Museums in Berlin (1878) Plate XII NO 4 - XIII No 1. I cannot find any reference to your stone axe with runes

I am thanking Mrs Pitt Rivers for an enjoyable visit

Yours very truly
John Evans

There is no reference to a Macedonian sword from Pella in the catalogue of the second collection though there are objects from Lindenschmit, nor can the arrowheads be identified.

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L874

Nash Mills, | Hemel Hempstead | May 30 1892

My dear Pitt-Rivers

Many thanks for your kind congratulations on my K.C.B. Mrs Pitt-Rivers and you may also more heartily congratulate me on my approaching marriage to Miss M. Lathbury, a lady whose name you may perhaps have heard in connexion with Greek archaeology - Apart from any such acquirements she is very charming and I look forward with confidence to our again having a happy home - All my children are pleased at the prospect - I hope that you may soon shake off this bronchial attack and with very kind regards remain

Yours [illegible]
John Evans

I will send the book to Grosvenor Gardens

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There are other untranscribed letters here

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L1883

Nash Mills, | Hemel Hempstead | July 21 1897

My dear Pitt-Rivers

I am glad that the book has reached you safely. Many thanks for the Plates illustrating your Bronze hoard from Donhead. What an interesting lot it seems to be. Those flanged palstaves are scarce in England. Are you sure that the wire-like material was not used for fine bracelets and not for attaching the axes then hafts? I do not remember to have seen the boring-bit in bronze to be used like a centre-bit. It is a most remarkable tool. The burnishing stone is also note-worthy. Altogether it is a fine lot and I congratulate you on its acquisition. We are off to Canada in a fortnight. I wish that you were better and could accompany us. With kind regards to Mrs Pitt-Rivers.

Yours sincely
John Evans

The hoard is Add.9455vol4_p1284 /1 and on

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L2266

Ansd Dec 3/98

Nash Mills | Hemel Hempstead | Dec'r 1 1898

My dear Pitt Rivers

We are off to Egypt in ten days time. Is there anything that I can do for you there? We shall probably get up as far as the second cataract - I saw Sir John Lubbock last night and I was sorry that he could not give a better account of your health. I hear that the 4th volume of your Excavations is out. May I venture to make an application for a copy or is it "dans le commerce" With our united kind regards believe me

yours sincerely
John Evans

Transcribed by AP May - July 2011 as part of the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers project.