The "Original Source Manuscript 1863" to Wisden's Almanack 1st edition 1864

This 250 page part illustrated manuscript is without doubt provably, to the requirements of criminal law ie. beyond reasonable doubt in part at least the "Original Source Manuscript " to the 1st edition of Wisden's Almanack 1864.

N.B. The full explanation as to why this is so is not for those of limited attention span

A complete transcription of this fascinating manuscript together with all relevant explanatory notes proofs etc. is currently underway (60% +completed ) and is to be found at Wisdenssecret.com
But in Brief
This manuscript is 3 perhaps 4 manuscripts in 1.
The first part is in the form of a day to day diary for Jan - Sept 1863. It gives a brief account of the author's daily life and includes many meetings with Wisden at his shop in 1863. From these diary entries it is quite obvious that Wisden and this gentleman aristocrat are on very good terms with each other. Subsequent research indicates that they probably first met at Cambridge when the author was playing cricket for Magdalene College, a game in which he took 13 wickets on the same day as Wisden was at Cambridge in his capacity as cricket coach. Further research into this aristocrat's banking details which still survive show him to have been a customer of Wisden and before that with Wisden's partner Lillywhite.
Aside from the entries where Wisden is met are several entries towards the end of March relating to Almanacks. The author at some time spends some of his time creating Almanacks
Many of the entries in the diary section have a clear relationship to many of the oddities in the Almanack section of the 1st edition of Wisden. Further research also shows that what at first sight appears a completely random series of entries for much of the almanack has a certain logical connectedness once this author his life and family are known.
The second manuscript is a perfectly delightfully illustrated shooting manuscript for the period Nov 1862 - Jan 1863. Based mainly on the Egton shooting estate in North Yorkshire which at the time belonged to another member of the Elwes family.
Together with the illustrations is a well written and concise short narration of the day's events written very much in "Wisden style"
This account is elevated into an important social historical document by the inclusion of a wealth of statistical material usually totally absent from any similar shooting diaries.
It is written virtually without error. A particularly rare accomplishment
Further interest is to be found in the guest list. Some of the guests paid and some did not. 2 of those who did not over a period of 10 days were George Parr England cricketer and his best friend John Wisden.
The third manuscript is a collection of sporting reports for the year 1863. They include reports for Horse Racing, Rowing, Racquets, Boxing and principally Cricket. One does not need to be an expert in linguistic analysis to recognise that that textually and stylistically these reports are the blueprints the models the forerunners for the Wisden reports that were to begin appearing a few years later for the first time.
The fourth? manuscript consists of a significant number of missing pages throughout the manuscript. None of these missing pages impacts in any way shape or form upon the other 3 manuscripts and therefore shows the probability of a fourth manuscript.
The 1st edition of Wisden's Almanack 1864 is to those who know it a quite bizarre publication. The cricket content is bad enough but there is all the rest of it. The list of the canals of Britain, a list of the societies of Britain, a list of the winners of the Epsom Derby , the Oaks and St. leger, a table showing the winners of the university rowing matches, the Almanack with its strange agglomeration of memorable dates, the "factoids scattered throughout and finally a brief account of the trial and execution of King Charles the 1st.
What one may ask is all this stuff doing here. Indeed so odd is that many of those who know the 1st edition have wondered whether in fact it was all Wisden's own work. Until now nothing has materialised to show that it is not all Wisden's own work. But detailed within this manuscript are clear proofs that the 1st edition is absolutely not all Wisden's own work and nor by the by is the way it evolved with the introduction of cricket reports etc.
That's not to say that Wisden had nothing to do with it, he did but his creative input is at best minimal.

Illustrations
a) The red leather bound manuscript itself.
b) A particularly neatly written part of a cricket report.
c) and d) Early pages of the diary. Note the variety of lettering styles. The title page of the 1st edition of Wisden is printed in text of many different varieties. Also note the headings at the top of each days entry... Many of these entries are repeated in the Almanack section of the 1st edition of Wisden
d) The authors "guest" list for 1863 on the Egton Estate. Note especially the names for the 18th of November onward Wisden and George Parr. In the author's banking records there are no payments from either George Parr or Wisden for this stay unlike some of the others and it can be assumed that this was an invitation from friends.
e) A drawing room scene showing the author who has done several illustrations with a self portrait in this case standing by the fireplace. The other 2 at a guess and one of them looks like Wisden and George Parr. A maid on the right is bringing port and brandy?
f) Note in particular the pen and ink drawing of Epsom race Day. The author's father was a breeder of race horses and bred 2 winners of the Derby. Clearly the author must have grown up with a good knowledge of horse racing and is a far more likely source for the list of race winners of the Derby The Oaks and St. Leger that appear in the 1st edition of Wisden 1864
g) A proof
The manuscript page written in 1863 showing the University Rowing matches. This was almost certainly sourced and modified from the page showing the same table of races from the Rowing Almanack. The page in Wisden 1864 of the university Rowing matches shows a few further small modifications. These modifications have been copied verbatim in Wisden 1st edition. The absolute proof that Wisden used this manuscript page is shown by the timings for the last 3 races. Finally : The timings for the last 3 races are exactly the same in Wisden as the manuscript and all 3 are wrong. How could that possibly have happened in any other way than Wisden copying this manuscript!?
h) A second Proof

Notes of further interest

1) Wisden's Almanack 2021 and the June edition 2021 of cricket quarterly The Nightwatchman John Hotten noted cricket writer has written an article for each publication about this manuscript . Martin Chandler in his review of Wisden 2021 had this to say and I quote in full "And of course the book wouldn't be a modern Wisden without the occasional look at the quirky and the best example of of that is John Hotten's piece about Nigel King, a man with a manuscript that might be described as an "1863 Wisden"

2) The manuscript has been uploaded with explanatory notes almost in entirety and can be viewed at my website wisdenssecret.com

3) Sara Oliver a journalist from the Mail on Sunday produced a full page article about this manuscript in April 2023. It was due to be printed in early April 2023. Everybody according to her loved the article. It reached final proofs stage and was ready to print at which point for some reason it was pulled at the last minute. The reasons given seem spurious to say the least. I suggested that a person or persons unknown had sufficient influence over the MOS and had caused this story to be pulled. She suggested I was just being a conspiracy theorist. The article was duly published in the Mail Digital. This is a subscription only Mail outlet with hardly any fully paid up subscribers. Those interested will discover it takes some effort to find this article.