It was suggested that ‘Coats of Arms Trick’t…’, an indexed collection covering 120 leaves, might date from the late 18th century, though some of the content could well be earlier.
A book label shows that it once belonged to William Constable (1721-91), a distinguished naturalist and scientist, a Fellow of the Royal Society and member of the Fine Art Society. He was a notable collector of works of art, coins, scientific instruments, natural history specimens, and much more besides.
His family’s ancient East Yorkshire home, Burton Constable Hall, is run nowadays as a museum by a charity whose mission is to safeguard the house, its exceptional collections and the surrounding parkland for future generations.
An online search for William Constable revealed that in 1966 Hull City Museum was presented with some 200 objects from his renowned cabinet of curiosities.
The sale took place on January 20.
