An original 52 page issue of "The London Magazine and Monthly Chronologer" dated August 1744. This rare monthly publication was established in 1732 as a competitor  to The Gentleman's Magazine and is England's oldest literary magazine - see history below. 

King George ll was on the British throne while George Washington was celebrating his twelfth birthday! Henry Pelham was Prime Minister of England

The magazine publishes prominent essays on a variety of subjects taken from current news sources as well as poetical essays. A separate section entitled The Monthly Chronologer provides news items of interest from Britain (Domestick Occurrences) followed by Marriages and Deaths, Promotions, Bankruptcies, Mortality Tables, New Publications and Foreign News. 

Reports of actual Parliamentary debates (Proceedings and Debates in the Political Club) avoided governmental strictures by using fictitious reporters - in this case the names of Roman notables - see scan. 

Following the recent Declaration of War by France, the British were busy capturing French naval vessels around the world and confiscating their valuable cargo - see scan. The start of the War of Austrian Succession was causing multiple battles in Europe between the French, Prussians, Italians, Spanish and Hungarians - see scan

At this early date it was not common to include an engraving in the monthly issues - however in this case an engraved map entitled "A Plan of Fort Louis " in Alsace illustrates the fortifications of a city in the midst of warring sides

News from New England tells of the British garrison at Canso, Nova Scotia being captured by the French, helped by 800 Indians, and the four companies of soldiers transported to Cape Breton as prisoners of war. - see scan and below

On the domestic front the mortality tables for London confirm that almost 40% of all deaths for the prior month were children below the age of 2 - childbirth was a risky affair at this time. 

 The famous trial of J. Annesly vs. the Earl of Anglesey was concluded with a guilty verdict and fine levied against the Earl - see scan and below 

 After six or twelve months the monthly issues were usually taken by the subscriber to the bookbinder for safe retention. In this case the issue has subsequently been dis-bound. At the end of the year the publisher would produce a cover page and Preface for the bookbinder to complete his work 

Good condition - visible binding holes to front and back pages - evidence of burning to the corner of a few pages - see scan. Page size 8 x 5 inches. 282 years old and a rare and important resource for the historian. 


The London Magazine is England’s oldest literary periodical, with a history stretching back to 1732. Today – reinvigorated for a new century – the Magazine’s essence remains unchanged: it is a home for the best writing and an indispensable feature on the British literary landscape.

Across a long life – spanning several incarnations – the pages of the Magazine have played host to a wide range of canonical writers, from Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Hazlitt and John Keats in the nineteenth century, to T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden and Evelyn Waugh in the early twentieth century. Meanwhile, in recent decades the Magazine has published work by giants of contemporary fiction and poetry such as William Boyd, Nadine Gordimer, and Derek Walcott.

The London Magazine was founded in 1732 as The London Magazine, or Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer, a rival to the new, and popular, Gentleman’s Magazine.

The 1744 Annesley v. Anglesey case (often filed as Campbell Craig v. Richard Earl of Anglesey) was a landmark 18th-century legal battle over inheritance, titles, and legitimacy. James Annesley claimed his uncle, Richard Annesley (6th Earl of Anglesey), kidnapped him to the American colonies to steal the family fortune. While James won his ejectment trial in 1743/44, subsequent criminal trials and appeals lasted for years. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key Aspects of the Case:
  • The Claim: James Annesley claimed to be the rightful son and heir of Arthur Annesley, 4th Baron Altham, making him the rightful Earl of Anglesey.
  • The Defendant: Richard Annesley, James’s uncle, argued James was an illegitimate son and therefore held the title and estates himself.
  • The Plot: James was reportedly kidnapped at age 12, shipped to America, and sold into indentured service for 13 years before returning to Ireland to reclaim his inheritance.
  • 1744 Trial: The trial took place in Dublin, lasting several weeks and involving intense perjury and witnesses attempting to discredit James's legitimacy.
  • Outcome: A jury ruled in favor of James in 1743, but Richard continued to battle the decision through appeals, and in August 1744, Richard was convicted of assaulting James.
  • Legacy: The dramatic case is believed to have inspired novels such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped and Charles Reade's The Wandering Heir. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
The case was a sensation, pitting a poor returned heir against one of the wealthiest men in Ireland, highlighting significant legal corruption. 
CANSO, NOVA SCOTIA : The Raid on Canso was an attack by French forces from Louisbourg on the British outpost Fort William Augustus at Canso, Nova Scotia shortly after war declarations opened King George's War. The French raid was intended to boost morale, secure Louisbourg's supply lines with the surrounding Acadiansettlements, and deprive Britain of a base from which to attack Louisbourg. While the settlement was utterly destroyed, the objective failed, since the British launched an attack on Louisbourg in 1745, using Canso as a staging area.