The first contact concerning Samuel Appleby arrived from a most unusual enquiry.  A gentleman representing a Swiss Violin workshop, emailed with some intriguing information ...

"For more than 40 years I have been researching the history of the former owners of violins made by the great Cremonese Maker Joseph Guarnerius del Gesù (1698-1744). Among the early owners of at least one of his violins, was Samuel Appleby Esq. who worked as solicitor from about 1843 onwards in London at 6, Harpur Street, Red Lion Square.

Furthermore there is record of this gentleman having been one of the executors of the last will of the famous double bass-player Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846) who died in London, April 16th 1846. One of the other executors was the famous music publisher Vincent Novello (1781-1861).

In the eminent work about the violinmakers of the Guarneri family by W.E.Hill & Sons, London (1931) are to be found several little notes about the said Samuel Appleby, as solicitor, amateur violinist and poet. Before 1867, Mr. Samuel Appleby must have also lived in Brighton, at 23, Park Crescent."

I now understand that these violins are very special indeed - which probably explains a mystery uncovered whilst researching Samuel Appleby!

Samuel and his sister Ann were both christened in Manchester in the early 1790s - their parents were Thomas Appleby, silver smith and Elizabeth Cooke.  Samuel's grandfather and gt grandfather were both Jewellers of Manchester. When Samuel married Elizabeth Jemima Webb King in London in 1831 he was an attorney at Grays Inn - they do not appear to have had any children, but a niece of Elizabeth - Sarah Mary King - appears as a niece in 1861 as housekeeper to Samuel (his wife Elizabeth had died by this time). By the 1871 census Samuel - now an annuitant aged 81, along with Sarah Mary King and her mother plus two servants were living at 'Valestrand', Alexandra Villas,  Brighton.