John Baskerville's shroud

The drawing made of his remains is accompanied by a portion of Baskerville’s shroud, which is said to be cursed after a surgeon from Newhall Street, who cut the section of shroud from around Baskerville's body and placed it in his coat pocket, died a few days after.

The handwritten note accompanying the shroud reads: Relic of Mr John Baskerville taken 15 August 1829.

Newspaper Article:

N. 2 - PORTRAIT OF BASKERVILLE, - Many thanks for your ready acquiescence in my suggestion, which I hope will be well supported by your many readers. a portrait of John Baskerville is very rarely met with. there appear to be only two known, one formerly belonging to Mr Knott, of Aris's Gazette, and one in London, belonging, I think, to Mr William Longman. I have never met with more than one engraving, that in Hansard's Typographia, which is a very ordinary woodcut, copied, as far as I remember, from the picture formerly belonging to Mr Knott. For several years I have been looking out for portraits of Baskerville, but have found only one impression of this woodcut till a few days since, when Mr Sackett, of Bull Street, showed me a copper-plate, apparently taken from the Knott portrait (as I will call it to save space). This plate has evidently had very few, if any, impressions worked from it; indeed, I have never seen of even heard of one. The plate itself was bought in London in 1817, and has been in the hands of some quiet collector till a few weeks ago. It bears the engraver's name - Rothwell. I shall be glad of any information about him or his works, particularly this. While writing, let me add that posthumous portrait of Baskerville is among very curios engravings and papers lately added to the Birmingham Library. The sketch is a pencil one of the great printer as he was found in his coffin when it was removed and opened some thirty years ago, and was taken by Mr Underwood, of Castle Street, with many valuable sketches of the old houses of that time.
STUDENS

N. 4 - RELIC OF BASKERVILLE - A curious relic of our great printer came recently under my notice. It is a small square slab of slate, with the inscription, "Grave Stones Cut in any of the Hands, by John Baskervill, Writing Master." The letters are most beautifully cut in Baskerville's best style, and exactly of the form for which he made his type so famous. The chief peculiarity is that the name, which is in Old English letter, is spelt without the final "e" which always appears in his name. Possibly this was at the addition of his later and more prosperous days, The slab was evidently cut for a window sign or some such purpose, and is an undoubtedly genuine relic of the great printer's early work. It has been in the hands of the present possessor for many years, and I believe he bought it in some pawn shop in this town. There is, I think, some vague tradition that it was once at Baskerville's House, in Easy Row (Hill), and was carefully preserved by him; for vain and eccentric as he was, he was never ashamed of his early days. If so, it was probably left there and saved by some friendly hand when the house of Mr. Ryland was sacred and burnt in 1791.
ESTE.

Q.2. - Can any of your older readers remember anything about this very curious relic? In whose possession has it been? Can its history be traced? Is anything known of its ever having been at Easy Hill? As it is unmistakenly the work of Baskerville's own hand, any information about its history will greatly oblige.
ESTE.

Reference: Timmins Baskerville Scrapbook, n.d. (MS 1666/4/1)

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