Edward Smyth 1686-1744

Sir Edward SMYTH or SMIJTH, 3rd bart 1686-1744

Biographical Note

Son of Sir Edward Smyth, 2nd bart, of Hill Hall, Essex; the family had been settled there since the time of the 16th-century Secretary of State Sir Thomas Smith (1513-77). He inherited the baronetcy and family estates from his father in 1713.

Books

Smyth used two slightly different engraved armorial bookplates (Franks 27454-5), with the name spelt "Smijth" (a habit the family followed over several generations). The extent of his library is not known, but as noted in the entry for his grandfather Sir Thomas Smyth, the first baronet, there is evidence of a family library built up over generations at Hill Hall. After Edward's death, the baronetcy passed through his three sons in quick succession; his younger son William (ca.1719-77), who became the 6th baronet in 1773, adapted his father's bookplate for his own use (Franks 27457). Examples: British Library C.69.ff.12 (also with a 17th-century Smyth armorial stamp).

Sources

• Bowyer-Smyth baronets, Wikipedia.
• Gambier Howe, E. R. J. Franks bequest: catalogue of British and American book plates bequeathed to the ... British Museum. London, 1903.