It’s been just over a year since the Rook Book went to the printers containing all the information I’d gleaned about the man and his music. The book is not only a transcription of the music but also the culmination of many years of research and ultimately a story I had to share even without knowing the fate of the original manuscript.
Despite many attempts to locate the original it appeared to be irretrievably lost; as I finalised the book I harboured a hope that the publicity would raise awareness of the manuscript and might provide a hook on which it might, at some point in the future, be recovered. Imagine my surprise and delight when contacted a few weeks ago by a chap in Scotland who had a handwritten manuscript by John Rook that included the missing page 102! We quickly established that this was the original, with clear provenance from the last known sighting, and the manuscript appeared to be in good condition.
Ultimately the owner decided to sell the manuscript and I have been lucky enough to become the new owner. I collected the long lost John Rook manuscript yesterday and it is an absolute delight!
The manuscript is complete, the frontispiece is a lovely illustration and the musical penmanship is simply wonderful; much better than the 1980s photocopy suggests. In terms of overall condition; the paper is thin with some foxing in places and occasional drip marks. The binding, which may well be the original (by Mr Ismay of Wigton?), is fragile, but the boards which have held the MS for so long are in good condition; although the corners are somewhat bruised.
I will be providing a free PDF of the missing tunes from page 102 in due course. Page 102 does indeed contain the 6 named tunes from the index and 1 unlisted tune that was inferred – it is a common time tune in the key of G called the Harlequin
Comparison of the original frontispiece with the 2021 re-imagined illustration 
Rook Manuscript including the ‘From Memory’ note for Betsey Baker which corresponds with the 1833 diary entry. 
Oh wow! Wigton resident here – 2 miles from where John Rook lived, and I bought a copy of your book if you remember, having been using the tunes from the digitised version. Ismay was most certain,y a printer in Wigton at the tie, who published a number of books so may well have bound John Rook’s MSS. I can find out the dates John (or Joseph?) Ismay was active as a printer if you like? There are still Ismays in Wigton (though not printers) and in fact one of them is my neighbour!
Sue Allan