Rare Book Returns to Wiltshire

by Angela | Jul 20, 2026 | Arts/Culture/Heritage

Rare Book Returns to Wiltshire. A rare first edition of Bleak House by Charles Dickens is returning to its historic Wiltshire home. Its owner, Victoria Miles from Vancouver, Canada, decided the treasured book should return to Chiseldon. It’s returned to the home of its first owners, the Calley family of Burderop Park.

Published in 1853, the famous Victorian novel tells the story of the Jarndyce family. They became embroiled in a dispute around the inheritance of a fortune – all wrapped up in a murder mystery. As with much of Dicken’s work the novel first went into to print as as series of articles, from 1851.

Victoria’s father, Larry Candido, bought this particular edition for £12 from a London bookshop, almost 20 years ago.

Bookplate

It bears a bookplate inside its front cover bearing the coat of arms of the Calley family. And the name of Thomas Charles Pleydell Calley of Burderop Park, Wiltshire. The book is rare and thought to have a value of at least £300. 

Realising its historical connection to Wiltshire, Victoria contacted Chiseldon Local History Group (CLHG) offering to donate it to their museum.

Victoria said: ‘My husband and I are both excited to visit England in November. We’ll meet the community in Wiltshire who already care as much about preserving the book as we do.

It bears a bookplate inside its front cover bearing the coat of arms of the Calley family. And the name of Thomas Charles Pleydell Calley of Burderop Park, Wiltshire. The book is rare and thought to have a value of at least £300. 

Realising its historical connection to Wiltshire, Victoria contacted Chiseldon Local History Group (CLHG) offering to donate it to their museum.

Victoria said: ‘My husband and I are both excited to visit England in November. We’ll meet the community in Wiltshire who already care as much about preserving the book as we do.

‘Repatriating this book to Burderop Park is a great privilege. We’re so appreciative of the care and commitment the Chiseldon Local History Group and Arthur Dallimer have expressed to us as the book’s future custodians.’

Chiseldon Local History Group Spokesperson

Elaine Jones, Chairperson of CLHG, said: ‘It was a surprise and a delight to receive such an intriguing email from so far away. All the contents of Burderop Park went up for sale when Miss Joan Calley, the last of the direct line, died in 1972. It would be fantastic to have a tangible link to the Calley family, who had lived at Burderop Park since 1619, returned to its home parish. Major General T C P Calley (Thomas) was such a prominent figure, both in public life and in the local area.

‘Yet, it presented us with a problem. While we could display Victoria’s book on museum open days, the building is not temperature controlled. Further, it’s damp which would not be good for such a fragile object.

‘Then we had an idea! Why not contact Arthur, the current owner of Burderop Park? It’s once again a family home after almost 50 years as the HQ of the civil engineering company, Halcrow. We had met Arthur when he kindly hosted group members at his restored home and showed us round the house and grounds last year. The delighted Arthur, accepted our offer to house the precious book as a long term loan from Chiseldon Local History Group.’

Major General Thomas Calley CB CBE MVO, son of Henry Calley, lived between 1856 and 1932. He was a British Army officer in the Life Guards and led them at Queen Victoria’s funeral in 1901. Furhter he served in many places including in the Second Boer War where he had a horse shot from under him. Major Calley was also, for a short period, a Member of Parliament for Cricklad – elected in early 1910. He then lost his seat at the end of that year.

A friend to the royal family, Calley served as Silver Stick in Waiting at the Coronation of Edward VII in 1902. He was a Mason and a Swindon Lodge takes his name. He particularly supported the British Legion and hosted the annual Wiltshire rally at Burderop Park. Locally he was patron of many village organisations such as Chiseldon Cricket Club. After his death a new British Legion hall was built in the village and named in his memory.

Burderop Manor

Arthur is now the custodian of Burderop Manor and is passionate about heritage, arts and culture generally and an advocate for preserving local history.

He said: ‘This is a wonderful example of history finding its way home. The book is of course delicate and deserves preservation in the right environment. I’m pleased to accept a long term loan for it at Burderop House while ensuring it remains accessible as part of Chiseldon’s local heritage.’

Victoria has also accepted an invitation from Arthur to visit Burderop Manor to make a formal presentation of the book to the Chiseldon community later this year. Thus bringing its remarkable journey full circle.

Chiseldon Local History Group dedicates itself to researching, preserving and sharing the rich history of Chiseldon and its surrounding communities. The group has a museum in The Old Chapel in Butts Road. It’s open every Saturday between 2pm and 4pm until the end of September 2026.

Run by volunteers, entry to the museum is free.

Working with local residents, historians and organisations, the group helps protect important artefacts and historical records for future generations. For more information visit chiseldonlhg.org.uk

Anything but a bleak house – The Bothy in the Bothy Gardens at Burderop: