souvenir / Daniel O'Connell, 1836

Portion of pencil, said to have been used by Daniel O'Connell. Daniel O'Connell made his last note in Parliament with. Sent to the donor by Rev. Dr. O'Hanlon of Dublin. J. Slevin.A portion of 2.5 in long, of cylindrical pencil, diam. 45. in. with imprint - FACTURER KESWICK, and writing strip of square section composed of hard brown clay or chalk. This pencil known to the trade as a "Rud" pencil, was manufactured by the predecessors of the Cumberland Pencil Co., Ltd., Messrs. Hogarth and Hayes, Ltd., at Keswick in Cumberland, England. The wood is pencil cedar (Juniperus virginia). The writing strip is hand cut from natural substance, the type of pencil being the first of the "coloured" pencils. The substance came from Shropshire, and it occurs only in this colour. The "skin" finish of the outside of the pencil a coal of shellac on the wood, and then burnished by hand with fish skin, is peculiar to Keswick. "Rud" pencils were made there until 1913, and as far as can be ascertained, were being manufactured as early as the forties of the last century. The following note was with the pencil on receipt, see file for this and typological evidence received from Cumberland Pencil Co., Ltd. This is the pencil that Daniel O'Connell made his last note in Parliament with. c. 1836. Sent to the donor by Rev. Dr. O'Hanlon of Dublin. J. Slevin.;