A collection of Manuscript volumes on Public Finances, Duties, etc. to include Manuscript of Abstracts of the Money Bills Beginning the first of William and Mary shewing the Funds for how long granted the Sums given, the Borrowing Clauses, Transferences, the Interest allowed & Clauses of Appropriation, oblong 8vo, two volumes, 18th century calf with gilt tooled spines, volume one with 81 leaves in manuscript with handwritten title page opposed by a blank page with rubbed out inscription, followed by four pages of index and 155 numbered pages (pages numbered 2-155) of detailed accounts of transactions and calculations; volume two with handwritten title page followed by 40 leaves in manuscript with similar pages as the first volume numbered 156-234 followed by empty pages; the volumes covering the period 1689-1744 the entries on watermarked paper with fleur de lis; together with a folio manuscript volume regarding the Imports and Exports compared with the Excess of each country from Christmas 1698, 39 leaves in manuscript with 39 facing pages lined in red and filled, with annual pages up to 1736, 18th century panelled calf, marbled endpapers; another folio volume regarding Revenue from Duties volume in gilt tooled red morocco and aeg with 137 numbered pages with 124 filled in manuscript lined in red prefixed by an index and a further page on 'Weights of Several Sorts of Malt', 'Measure of Excisable Liqueurs' and Allowances to Brewers', the volume concerning the Revenue of Excise from Michaelmas 1662 to 1174, Numbers of Common Brewers and Victuallers 1684-1771, and further tables from Cider Vinegar, Mead, Coffee, Liquors, number of Distillers, Malt, Candles, Hops, Paper, printed Silks, Gilt & Silver Wire, Starch, Soap, Paper Callicoes, Hides, Silver Wrought Plate, Tea, Chocolate, Appropriation, Compound Waters, Glass Spirituous liqueurs, Coaches, Plate Licenses, Cyder [sic] appended by 'An Account of the several species of Commodities together with their Rates and Duties'; further with two further volumes regarding A particular State of the Receipts and Issues of the Publick Revenue, Taxes and Loans, 4to, contemporary calf with gilt tooled spines, volume 1 on the reign of his late Majestic King William, spanning 1688-1702, 74 pages in manuscipts preceded by a handwritten title page and summary pages, volume 2 on 1702-1710, 80 pages in manuscipt preceded by a handwritten title page and index pages; a further two volumes as previous in another hand, 4to, contemporary panelled calf, with red morccco title labels, volume 1 spanning 1688-1702, 74 numbered pages in manuscript predeced by a mansuscript title page and summary pages, appended by five unnumbered pages in manuscipt of 'Errors', volume 2 spanning 1702-1710 with 78 numbered pages in manuscript preceded by handwritten title page and appended by an memorandum page regarding Mr Stratford, several empty pages and three pages of Errors (8)

Ombersley Court, Worcestershire

This collection of manuscript volumes recording the public debt, income and duties appear to be based on the Sir William's Petty's (1623-1687) principle of 'Political Arythmetic', also referred to in Thomas Davenant's book on 'Discourses on the Publick Revenues, and on the Trade of England' (1698). It is not known who or for which purpose the volumes were produced, but they likely relate to a member, or were created on the instruction of the Sandys family given their provenance from Ombersley Court.

The 1^st Baron Sandys was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1742/3), and held the Government post of Cofferer subsequently, and later (1761/3) 1^st Lord of Trade.