ment in 1881. On 7 April 1842 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He was a believer in spiritualism and a patron of Daniel D. Home. With his wife he aided in the formation of many charitable institutions. He died at his residence, 24 Stanford Road, Kensington, London, on 16 March 1889, and was buried at Addlestone, Surrey, on 23 March. He married in 1824 Anna Maria Fielding, who is noticed separately.
Although Hall was a most industrious literary man, and edited with annotations numerous books, he did not publish many original works; his chief productions were:
- ‘The Amulet,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1826–36, 11 vols.
- ‘The Book of Gems, the Poets and Artists of Great Britain,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1836–1838, 3 vols.; another ed. 1866.
- ‘The Book of British Ballads,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1842; other editions, 1879 and 1881. This work was illustrated by British artists from designs drawn on wood. The idea of it was taken from the ‘Nibelungenlied,’ and the book was dedicated to Louis, king of Bavaria.
- ‘Gems of European Art, the Best Pictures of the Best Schools,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1843–5, 2 vols.
- ‘The Beauties of the Poet Moore,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1844.
- ‘The Acquittal of the Seven Bishops,’ a descriptive history, 1846.
- ‘The Baronial Halls and Picturesque Edifices of England,’ 1848.
- ‘The Gallery of Modern Sculpture,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1849–54.
- ‘The Vernon Gallery of British Art,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1849–54, 3 vols.
- ‘Poems,’ &c., 1850.
- ‘The Royal Gallery of Arts, Ancient and Modern,’ 1858–9, edited by S. C. Hall.
- ‘Selected Pictures from the Galleries and Private Collections of Great Britain,’ edited by S. C. Hall, 1862–8, 4 vols.
- ‘A Book of Memoirs of Great Men and Women of the Age from personal acquaintance,’ 1871; 2nd edit., 1877.
- ‘Wimbledon, illustrative details concerning the Parish and Wimbledon Park Estate,’ 1872.
- ‘The Trial of Sir Jasper: a Temperance Tale in Verse,’ 1873; another edit. 1874.
- ‘An Old Story: a Temperance Tale in Verse,’ 1875; 2nd edit. 1876.
- ‘Words of Warning addressed to Societies for Organising Charitable Relief,’ 1877.
- ‘Social Notes,’ directing editor S. C. Hall, 1878.
- ‘A Memoir of T. Moore,’ 1879.
- ‘Rhymes in Council. Aphorisms versified,’ 1881.
- ‘Retrospect of a Long Life from 1815 to 1883,’ 1883, 2 vols.
He also wrote many works in conjunction with his wife.
[Retrospect of a Long Life, 1883, with portrait; Cassell's Family Mag. September 1883, pp. 587–91, with portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hall; Times, 17, 19, 23 March 1889; Illustrated News of the World, vol. viii. 1861, with portrait; Graphic, 30 March 1889, pp. 319, 320; Illustrated London News, 30 March 1889, p. 407, with portrait; Standard, 19 March 1889; Athenæum, 23 March, 6 April 1889; Goss's Life of Llewellyn Jewitt, 1889, pp. 39 et seq.]
HALL, SPENCER (1806–1875), librarian of the Athenæum Club, was born in Ireland in 1806, and was articled to John Booth, bookseller, of Duke Street, Portman Square, London. He lived a short time in Germany and was afterwards with Messrs. Hodges & Smith of Dublin. He was appointed librarian of the Athenæum Club in 1833, on the recommendation of his relative Magrath, who succeeded Faraday as the first secretary of the club. The members had been only three years in possession of their present house in Pall Mall, so that Hall was connected with the early organisation of the library. He issued a pamphlet on the classification of the library in 1858, followed three years later by a letter to John Murray suggesting an edition of Shakespeare with literary criticisms. His other publications were mainly of an antiquarian character. He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, 13 May 1858. Under his management the library of the Athenæum Club gradually became one of the choicest collections of books of reference in London. He retired after forty-two years' service, owing to failing health, in May 1875, when he was elected an honorary member of the club and voted a pension. He died 21 Aug. 1875 at Tunbridge Wells, in his seventieth year. His knowledge of books and general literature was very great, and he was always ready with help and advice. His own library was sold by Messrs. Sotheby on 26 June 1876. William Hall, of Messrs. Chapman & Hall, was his brother.
He contributed to the ‘Archæological Journal,’ to the ‘Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries,’ as well as to the ‘Art Journal’ and other serials. He published:
- ‘Suggestions for the Classification of the Library, now collecting at the Athenæum,’ London, 1838, 8vo (for private circulation).
- ‘Letter to John Murray upon an Æsthetic Edition of the Works of Shakespeare,’ London, 1841, 8vo.
- ‘Echyngham of Echyngham,’ London, 1850, 8vo.
- ‘Notices of Sepulchral Memorials at Etchingham, Sussex, and of the Church at that Place,’ London, 1851, 8vo.
- ‘Documents from Simancas relating to the Reign of Elizabeth (1558–68); translated from the Spanish of Don Tomás Gonzalez, and edited with Notes and an Introduction,’ Lond., 1865, 8vo.
- ‘Francesca da Rimini’ [London, privately printed, 1874],
