Material connected to Wiltshire, collected by J E Jackson

Materials collected by Canon John Edward Jackson, FSA (1805-91), rector of Leigh Delamere, near Chippenham, Wilts., for a projected history of Wiltshire; compiled over many years and including original deeds, drawings, etc., 13th-19th century. Canon Jackson published many local and parish histories, edited John Aubrey's Wiltshire Topographical Collections (1862), and arranged and indexed the MSS at Longleat where he acted as librarian. See the memoir of Canon Jackson and list of his works in J Stratford, Catalogue of the Jackson Collection of Manuscript Fragments in the Royal Library Windsor Castle (Academic Press, London, 1981), 11-41, 43-61; C R J Currie, C P Lewis (eds.), English County Histories A Guide (1994), 420-1.

The collection consists mainly of secondary material: transcripts, notes, printed pamphlets and maps, press-cuttings, etc. Scattered through the volumes are a number of original deeds, autograph letters, topographical drawings, watercolours, early sepia prints, engravings and early printed matter, of which the more important or unusual items are indicated in the record for each volume.

The arrangement is mostly alphabetical by parish; JAC/008 contains, at the end, papers relating to Canon Jackson's parish, Leigh Delamere; JAC/013,014 contain miscellaneous papers, some relating to Somerset and Gloucestershire.