Rare Mid Victorian Collection of Rocks & Minerals by James R Gregory London
Vendor: Jason Clarke Antiques
For sale, a Victorian collection of one hundred rocks and minerals by James R Gregory of 15 Russell Street, Covent Garden, London.
As described on the paper label affixed to the lid of the hinged pine case, this rare and early Gregory set is comprised of samples from across the British Isles including the Channel Islands with handwritten labels in paper trays. It is accompanied with a facsimilie letter of provenance from Brian Lloyd of the later firm of Gregory Bottley & Lloyd dating from June 2010.
Gregory’s company first traded from Frith Street (1857), King William Street (1859-1861) and then 25 Golden Square (1862-1866) before it relocated to Russell Street in 1866. The company stayed there until 1874 as is reflected in the letter by Lloyd and it allows for accurate dating within an eight year period.
The list of rocks and minerals are listed as follows:
Tray 1
1: Peat – Banffshire
2: Brick Clay - Hampstead
3: Coralline Crag – Orford Suffolk
4: Hampstead Clay – Hampstead, Isle of Wight
5: Lignite – Bovey Tracey
6: Bembridge Limestone – Sconce Point, Isle of Wight
7: Headon Marl – Headon Hill, Isle of Wight
8: Baston Clay – Baston, Hants
9: Bagshot Variagated Sands – Alum Bay, Isle of Wight
10: Pipe Clay - Alum Bay, Isle of Wight
11: London Clay - Highgate
12: Puddingstone – Hertfordshire
13: Upper Chalk – Charlton, Kent
14: Upper Chalk Flint – Charlton, Kent
15: Chalk Marl – Ventnor Isle of Wight
16: N/A (May be include under 91 in error)
17: Gault – Folkestone
18: Coralline Colite – Weymouth
19: Low Greensand - Farringdon Berks.
20: Fullers Earth – Nutfield Surrey
21: Hastings Sand – Hastings
22: Marble – Corfe, Dorset
23: Limestone – Swanage, Dorset
24: Portland Oolite – Portland, Dorset
25: Kimeridge Clay – Weymouth
26: N/A
27: Orford Clay – Weymouth
28: Kelloway Rock – Scarborough
29: Cornbrash – Scarborough
30: Forest Marble – Melksham, Wilts
31: Great Oolite, Bath
32: Stonesfield Slate, Stonesfield
33: Inferior Oolite - Ham Hill, Somerset
34: Inferior Oolite – Crickley Hill, Cheltenham
35: Alum Shale – Whitby
36: Marlstone – Cleveland, Yorkshire
37: Marlstone – South Petherton
38: Limestone: Barrow on Soar
39: Limestone – Keynsham, Bristol
40: Bone Bed – Dust Cliff, Bristol
41: White Limstone – Corsham, Bristol
42: Keuper Limestone – Lossiemouth, Elgin
43: Keuper Sandstone – Ledbury, Hereford
44: Bunter Sandstone – Chester
45: Magnesian Limestone – East Thickley, Durham
46: Marl Slate – Midderidge, Durham
47: Conglomerate – Portishead, Somerset
48: Coal Shale, Fenton, Stafford
49: Coal Shale, Durham
50: Blackband Ironstone – Lanarkshire
Tray 2
51: Millstone Grit – Wetley, Stafford
52: Millstone Grit Flagstones – Yorkshire
53: Limestone – Breton, Salop
54: Limestone – St Vincents Rock, Clifton
55: Encrinital Limestone – Derbyshire
56: Cherb – Derbyshire
57: Limestone – Torquay, Devon
58: Killas – Lostwithiel
59: Yellow Sandstone – Kiltorcan, Kilkenny
60: Old Bed Sandstone – Cromarty
61: Lilestone – Stromness, Orkney
62: Cornstone – Cradley, Hereford
63: Bone Bed – Ludlow
64: Upper Ludlow Shale – Ludlow
65: Aymestry Limestone – Aymestry
66: Wenlock Limestone – Dudley
67: Upper Llandovery – Ankerdine Hill, Worcester
68: Caradoc Sandstone – Bala
69: Llandeilo Flags – Skiddaw
70: Lingula Flags – Tremadoe
71: Grib? – Bray Head, Wicklow
72: Grib? – Charnwood Forest, Leicester
73: N/A
74: Granite – Peterhead
75: Granite – Aberdeen
76: Granite – Penrhyn, Cornwall
77: porphyritic Granite – St Levan, Cornwall
78: Chloritic Granite – Carn Brea, Cornwall
79: Lyenite – Guernsey
80: Lyenite – Mountford, Leicester
81: Porphyry – Luxillion, Cornwall
82: Porphry Chimney Rock – Penzance
83: Porphyry – Cumberland
84: Elvan – Landsend, Cornwall
85: Elvan – Swanpool, Near Falmouth
86: Quartzite – Penzance, Cornwall
87: White Quartz – Penzance, Cornwall
88: Serpentine – Lizard, Cornwall
89: Serpentine – Lizard, Cornwall
90: Basalt – Bolam, Durham + Diorite – Guernsey ticket
91: Basalt – Guernsey (See 16 also)
92: Mica Slate – Inverness
93: Mica Slate – Perthshire, Scotland
94: Grein? – Sutherlanshire
95: Hornblende Slate – Cadgwith, Cornwall
96: Clay Slate – Cornwall
97: Dolerite – Nr Glasgow
98: Leucite – Vesuvius
99: Amygdaloid – Skye
100: Volcanic Tuff – Nr Edinburgh
The mineral and fossil specimen retailer James R Gregory founded his business in 1858 and garnered a huge reputation throughout his career. Unusually, he was not active as a field collector but simply bought through auction and private purchase but he was renowned enough to have exhibited at most of the London Exhibtions after 1851 including London, Paris and Sydney. He was also a member of both The Geological Society and The Mineralogical Society. Gregory’s two sons both worked in the business and the name was changed to James R Gregory and Co in 1896 just three years before Gregory’s death in 1899.
The company continued until 1931 whereafter it was taken over by Percy Bottley and renamed to Gregory, Bottley & Co. Upon Bottley’s death in 1981 it was taken over again and renamed Gregory, Bottley & Llloyd and was finally taken over in 2016 by Timeline Auctions who continue to exist today.
A very rare and historically interesting British regional geology set produced shortly after Darwin’s “Origin of species” publication in 1859 and produced by one of the most notable companies in the industry.
The image provided is one of James R Gregory looking very much the “aesthetic” gentleman of his time.