HISTORICAL ENGLISH ITEMS
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Many Thanks to the Following for Their Assistance Bridget Clifford (Mrs), Keeper of Tower Armouries, HM Tower of London Prof. Matthew M Reeve, Associate Professor and Queen's National Scholar, Ph.D. (Cambridge University) , FSA Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries Michael Snodin, Chairman and Honorable Curator of the Strawberry Hill Trust Ingrid Thompson, Glamis Castle Archivist Nica Gutman Rieppi, Principal Investigator for Art Analysis & Research (US) LLC (worked recently on the Savator Mundi by da Vinci
Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures York House, St James's Palace
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King Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649)[a] was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649 th 17 C. painting in original frame collection Yuko Nii Foundation Provenance Christies Auction House
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Henrietta Maria of France (1609-1669) wife of King Charles I of England 17th c. portrait in original frame Collection Yuko Nii Foundation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Henrietta Maria and Charles were "dedicated and knowledgeable collectors" of paintings, including Orazio Gentileschiand the miniature painters Jean Petitot and Jacques Bourdier. During his 1631 Northwest Passage expedition in the ship Henrietta Maria, Captain Thomas James named the north west headland of James Bay where it opens into Hudson Bay for her. The US state of Maryland was named in her honour by her husband, Charles I.
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Above: The original death warrant of King Charles I and the wax seals of the 59 commissioners, 1649 Location: British Parliament The above is a copy of the Warrant sent o the Sheriff (by the Lords) for the execution of King Charles. Magna Carta Libertatum (Medieval Latin for "the Great Charter of the Liberties"), commonly called Magna Carta is a charter darfted by the Archbishop of canterbury and agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. It declared the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown to be implemented through a council of 25 barons. The charter was annulled by Pope Innocent III, leading to the First Barons' War. At the end of the war in 1217, it formed part of the peace treaty agreed at Lambeth, where the document acquired the name Magna Carta. At the end of the 16th century there was renewed interest in Magna Carta. Some at the time believed that this was derived from an ancient English constitution, going back to the days of the Anglo-Saxons, that protected individual English freedoms. Jurist Sir Edward Coke used Magna Carta, arguing against the divine right of kings propounded by the Stuart monarchs. Both James I and his son Charles I attempted to suppress the discussion of Magna Carta. The issue was settled by by the English Civil War of the 1640s and the execution of Charles.
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Above: Hand rendered copy of the death warrant of King Charles I. Iron gall ink was in wide use from the 9th century until the 19th century, and there are innumerable objects that display the signs of "strikethrough" deterioration like this when the ink appears to sink through the paper and become increasingly visible on the reverse side.
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Among items in the Yuko Nii Foundation's Milton collection is a fascinating historical document, an EXACT handwritten copy, without seals, of the death warrant of King Charles I. We thought that it may be a copy that hung at Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill estate. Walpole was a Member of Parliament from 1754 until 1757. At his home he hung a copy of the warrant for the execution of Charles I over his bed with the inscription "Major Charta" and wrote of "the least bad of all murders, that of a King". In 1756 he wrote: “I am sensible that from the prostitution of patriotism, from the art of ministers who have had the address to exalt the semblance while they depressed the reality of royalty, and from the bent of the education of the young nobility, which verges to French maxims and to a military spirit, nay, from the ascendant which the nobility itself acquires each day in this country, from all these reflections, I am sensible, that prerogative and power have been exceedingly fortified of late within the circle of the palace; and though fluctuating ministers by turns exercise the deposit, yet there it is; and whenever a prince of design and spirit shall sit in the regal chair, he will find a bank, a hoard of power, which he may lay off most fatally against this constitution. [I am] a quiet republican, who does not dislike to see the shadow of monarchy, like Banquo's ghost, fill the empty chair of state, that the ambitious, the murderer, the tyrant, may not aspire to it; in short, who approves the name of a King, when it excludes the essence.”
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Summary: Dating of the paper support was performed as an aid for determining when this copy of the death warrant of King Charles I might have been made. Radiocarbon analysis indicates that the paper could date from the ranges 1666-1784, 1796-1895 or 1904-1949; however, the data shows the greatest probability is within 1796-1895. This result excludes the document being from the time of Charles I’s execution. Although it is possible that the paper support could have been in existence before Horace Walpole died, the greater probability is that the document post-dates his life. However The fact that it is a unique handwritten document remains a mystery. So, it is post 1666, which makes for interesting possibilities.
B.3 Radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating was performed on the paper substrate, with the sample being taken from a paper tacking margin that folds onto the outer edge of the bottom stretcher bar. The measured date was 138 ± 21 years BP (before present = 1950), giving a calibrated result at the 99.7% probability level with date ranges of 1666-1784 (43.0%), 1796-1895 (39.2%) and 1904-1949 (17.5%) (Figure 1).
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Above is a handwritten description that accompanies the Yuko Nii Foundation death warrant. It reads:
“The above is a copy of the Warrant sent o the Sheriff (by the Lords) for the execution of King Charles…the original is preserved among other documents in the Tower; & the Antiquarian Society have in theirs a copy of the same with the seals which were annexed to each signature, but the original seals have long been decayed. Mr. Walpole has also a copy inscribed with a pen “Magna Charta” and one of the only Rings at the King’s burial. It has on it The Kings head in a miniature, behind Deaths head initials C.R. with inscription “Prepared be, to follow me”. A present from Lady Murray Elliott.”
Horace Walpole
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The YNF contacted the Strawberry Hill House that has the archives of Horace Walpole. Dear Yuko Nii: Thank you for your enquiry. Walpoles’s copy of the death warrant was an engraved (ie printed) facsimile, not a manuscript. The entries in the 1774 Description of Strawberry Hill and the Strawberry Hill sale catalogue are as follows : Prints, of the house of commons and warrant for beheading of Charles 1st. inscribed with a pen, Major Charta; of Ethelreda lady Townshend; of lord Chatham; lord Holland; lord and lady Strafford; Mr. H. Walpole; and le comte de Guerchy. Two curious prints, fac similies of Magna Charta and of the Death Warrant of Charles I. Best wishes, Michael Snodin, Chairman and Honorable Curator of the Strawberry Hill Trust
The words "Mr. Walpole also has a copy" in the descriptive of the Yuko Nii Foundation (YNF) copy appears to indicate that this copy might have been made while Walpole was alive (died 1797) perhaps around 1756, the time Walpole had acquired the one he hung above his bed. Or it may indicate that the YNF copy is a copy made at the same time that the original with seals was made and that additional copies were made as “solicitor’s copies” a common practice with legal documents, which would make it 17th century. One assumes that this copy in the YNF collection was made in the presence of the actual death warrant that is herein described as "...preserved among other documents in the Tower..." unless it is a copy from a copy. It would still be a remarkable piece of 17th or 18th C. ephemera for one of the most important periods of English history during which John Milton played a significant role as Cromwell's secretary and advocate of the execution of King Charles. The Yuko Nii Foundation also owns a copy of Defensio pro Populo Anglicano, a Latin polemic by John Milton, published in 1651 that defends the right to execute an unjust monarch.
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As we continued to examine and consider the Yuko Nii Foundation’s copy of the death warrant, we consulted paper experts and scholars. We were told that we were asking all the right questions. Further thoughts were, if there were engraved printed copies available in the 18th century, why would a handwritten copy be made. Clearly, it would NOT have been. We concluded, therefore, that this handwritten copy in iron gall ink preceded any engraved copy. We have concluded that this is a copy executed between the death of King Charles and the time of Horace Walpole, most probably in the 17th century. Finally we submitted the YNF death warrant to Nica Gutman Rieppi, Principal Investigator for Art Analysis & Research (US) LLC New York, NY, She was also the chief investigator of for a painting worth nearly half a billion dollars, Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi. The 500-year-old portrait of Jesus Christ has a shady past that includes ownership by King Charles I, a 160-year disappearing act and a sale for only thousands of dollars just 12 years ago. From TIME MAGAZINE: “Rieppi and her team of six scientists painstakingly analyzed the painting at a microscopic level, taking minuscule samples to determine the pigments, materials and techniques used to create it. They also used technical imaging with x-rays, infrared and ultraviolet technology to evaluate how it evolved with each stroke. “The CSI-like research contributed to the work of other teams researching the artistic expression (connoisseurship) and history (provenance) of the piece. In the increasingly high-stakes world of multimilliondollar fine art sales, science is becoming ever more important, Rieppi said. The purpose, ultimately, is to “get inside the head of the artist,” Rieppi said
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Rieppi’s radiocarbon analysis of the Yuko Nii Foundation death wrrant said: “…giving a calibrated result at the 99.7% probability level with date ranges of 1666-1784 (43.0%)…” Such analysis is imperfect at this time, but detective work and thought can offer insight into what is likely. What is likely is that 1) This carefully rendered handwritten copy in iron gall ink was done prior to any engraved copies 2) The excellence of the copy suggest it was done for an important person or institution that needed a copy for historical or other purposes 3) This copy existed at the time of Horace Walpole, which is why reference is made to Horace Walpole’s engraved copy in the handwritten note that accompanies the YNF copy
So this is an important item.
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In January 2019 we received an email from a scholar: On Jan 19, 2019, at 12:28 PM, Matthew Reeve wrote: Dear Sir or Madam, I was intrigued to see a reference to a Warrant for the death of Charles I in your collection, which apparently was the one formerly from Strawberry Hill in Twickenham. I have just completed a lengthy study of Walpole's Strawberry Hill but I should be able to draw attention to this important document. Could I ask you to please send me some catalogue information on it and also some indication of its provenance? Many thanks, Prof. Matthew M Reeve, Associate Professor and Queen's National Scholar , Ph.D. (Cambridge University) , FSA Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries We are now informing him of our conclusion that it was not the Walpole copy.
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The Yuko Nii Foundation made inquiries about from Glamis Castle, the family seat of the British monarchy. They say that these Strathmore documents are solicitor’s copies. Here is her email: Dear Terrance, Thank you for your e-‐mail. You may be interested in the enclosed extract from The Rev. John Stirton’s book ‘Glamis A Parish History’ (Forfar, W. Shepherd, 1913) on the 13th Earl and Countess of Strathmore, as well as the enclosed photograph of the couple on the occasion of their Golden Wedding in 1903. We also hold the diaries of Claude, 13th Earl, for 1844 and 1861 to 1904 at Glamis. The peerage web site is helpful if you are trying to piece together the Bowes Lyon family history; for Claude, 13th Earl, see http://www.thepeerage.com/p10083.htm#i100829 Thank you again for passing on the scanned copies. It is amazing what can get buried in lawyers’ offices; their records can be a veritable treasure trove. I have listed a few lawyers’ collections over the years and they tend to cover a diverse (and sometimes surprising!) subject area. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other queries and you are most welcome to visit Glamis in the future. With best wishes, Ingrid Thompson, Glamis Archivist
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Oliver Cromwell, Portrait on Panel Collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation
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Sir Oliver Cromwell, Uncle to the General and Lord Protector of England
June 4, 1628 -- a marriage agreement between his daughter Mary Cromwell and Edward Rolt of Pertenhall in Bedfordshire. Signed by all three across the sheaths that house the hanging ribbons and seals. Note: Sir Oliver's privy seal still remains attached to its mounting with the embossed lion (walking and facing left) visible to the naked eye.
Collection Yuko Nii Foundation
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Death Warrant of King Charles I
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Left: Obverse of the Seal of Charles I as King of Scotland, On the obverse of the Seal, King Charles I, crowned and armoured, is holding the reins of his horse and brandishing a sword with his right hand. In the lower part of the seal, a city (Edinburgh?) can be seen. Two royal badges, the thistle of Scotland and a Tudor rose, are depicted on the bardings of the galloping horse. Above the animal, we find a large fleur de lys -- a reminder of the claim of the English kings to the throne of France since Edward III -- and a portcullis. On the edge of the seal, within two circles, appears the motto taken from the Psalm 77:8 Deus Judicium Tuum Regi Da (Give to the King, O God, Thy Faculty of Judgement). Right: Obverse of the Seal of Charles I as King of Scotland, a fragment, attached a document in the collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation Date: 1635 Location: The Carlowrie estate near Edinburgh, part of which is now Edinburgh Airport in Scotland Persons Involved: William Countie and Joanne Countie. Contents: Deed dealing with property on the Carlowrie estate with the involvement of Parliament with details of the terms and conditions Material: Vellum Language: Latin. Size: A single leaf 25 inches by 7 inches. Other: There is ornate calligraphy at the introduction. Handwritten in beautiful legible Latin script throughout, at the end is about
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Reverse of the Seal of Charles I as King of Scotland On the reverse of the seal is to be found a superb impression of the Royal Arms of Scotland: Grandquarterly, 1 and 4, Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counterflory Gules (Scotland); 2, Quarterly, I and IV, Azure three fleurs de lys Or (France Modern), II and III, Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or (England); 3, Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland). The shield is ensigned by the Royal Crown and encircled with a collar of thistles, St.Andrew's badge, and the Garter. Supporters: Dexter, a unicorn Argent, armed crined and unguled or, royally crowned proper gorged with a coronet composed of crosses paty and fleur de lys Gold, a chain affixed thereto of the last passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back supporting a lance proper from which flies to the dexter a banner Azure, charged with a saltire Argent (Scotland); Sinister, a lion rampant guardant Or, royally crowned proper supporting a like lance from which flies to the sinister a banner Argent, charged with a cross of Gules (England). On the edge of the seal are the royal titles CAROLUS. D. G. MAG. BRIT. FRAN. ET HIB. REX. This Royal Seal of King Charles I, even a fragment, is a true heraldic treasure and probably unique outside the British Isles.
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Various English Wax seals with Heraldic Devices Bottom Rows are from Era of Kings Charles II, Comptrollers and Customs Various Over 400 in the collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation
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ROYAL DOCUMENT BEARING THE SEAL OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I April 25th, 1599 Manuscript on Fine Vellum
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This is another wax seal of Queen Elizabeth I in the YNF Collection, the size a plate, shoing Elizabeth on a horse. It is remarkably well preserved!
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ROYAL DOCUMENT BEARING THE SEAL OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I April 25th, 1599 Manuscript on Fine Vellum Elizabeth I (Queen of England and Ireland;1533-‐1603). Chancery grant to members of the Holland family, Humphrey Hills etc., relating to a messuage (dwelling house with outbuildings) at Darton alias Dartington, Ds. Jo Blandyle", Manuscript in Latin, in beautiful Chancery hand, on vellum, Privy Sea,l wax seal appended, seal intact with edges/impressions blunted, some surface wear slightly affecting text, folds, 500 x 720 mm. (App 19.6 x 28.25 in), 25th April 1599. This intriguing document is a relic of Elizabethan England. As such it is contemporary with William Shakespeare, the Geneva Bible and the English Reformation. Notably, Oliver Cromwell was born on April 25, 1599! Elizabeth I used this great seal during the second half of her reign -‐ from 1586 to 1603. It is an impression from seal matrix made of bronze and was engraved by Nicholas Hilliard, who was famous for his small paintings or miniatures. His paintings are superbly executed and have a freshness and charm that has ensured his continuing reputation as "the central artistic figure of the Elizabethan age, the only English painter whose work reflects, in its delicate microcosm, the world of Shakespeare's earlier plays. "The matrix was used to create wax impressions that were used to 'seal' documents. This was a means of proving that the accompanying document had been written or approved by the owner of the seal. Seals were widely used by statesmen, nobles, judges, churchmen and even ordinary people. The great seal was the most important of all as the monarch used it to approve public acts and announcements. The inscription around the edge reads : 'Elizabetha dei gracia Anglie Francie et Hibernie Regina Fidei Defensor' (Elizabeth, by grace of God, Queen OF England, France AND Ireland, Defender OF the Faith ).
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The beheading ax in the Tower of London with makers marks. It is very similar to the Yuko Foundation axe.
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Above: “Heading axe in the Royal Armoury We solicited an opinion from the Royal Armouries about our axe. They were kind enough to reply as follows: Dear Mr. Lindall, Thank you for your email asking about a potential 17th C heading axe. Unfortunately the initials IP within a circular indent and on a striated background are not instantly identifiable – and in the current circumstances as I’m having to work away from the office I can’t access any of my references to check what if any 17th C records there are of a similar mark. I will look them up when we are permitted to return and let you know. They are probably a maker’s mark, but sadly there is no guarantee that we can offer further identification. I’ve attached details of our so-called heading axe (XV.1), and should note that its maker’s marks remain anonymous.
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The axe you’ve illustrated is a socket axe, and it has a relatively slim blade next to the socket compared to our example. I have yet to be convinced that a separate category of axes exist purely for beheading, and illustrations of executions (trustworthy contemporary ones are surprisingly few and far between) show a variety of heads and handle lengths being used. The execution of Charles I illustrated shows a very square bladed axe with short handle and Charles kneeling up to what appears to be a substantial trunk of tree. The executioner was disguised with fake beard and cap, and Charles questioned the small size of the block causing him to have to lay down on it – much as the Earl of Essex is recorded as doing in 1601. There were simply not enough beheadings to justify a specific type – however bloodthirsty we regard the past as. Beheading axes became so through use – and anything that lopped off a tree branch would do equal service in decapitation. Bridget Clifford (Mrs) Keeper of Tower Armouries HM Tower of London
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Defensio Regio & Defensio pro Populo Anglicano Bound Together Collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation Left: Terrance Lindall, President of the Yuko Nii Foundation
n 1649, in November, appeared the work for which many remember Salmasius best: his royalist tract Defensio regia pro Carolo I provoked by the execution of Charles I. Defensio pro Populo Anglicano is a Latin polemic by John Milton, published in 1651. The full title in English is John Milton an Englishman His Defence of the People of England.[ The work includes invective against Salmasius and accusations of that scholar's inconsistency for taking contradictory positions. Milton also claims Salmasius wrote his work only due to being bribed with a "hundred Jacobuses" by the exiled son of Charles, who would later become King Charles II of England.[4] The level of ad hominem attack is high: “...It were better for you to return to those illustrious titles of yours in France: first to that hunger starved Seigneurie of St. Loup, and next to that sacré Council of the Most Christian King; you are too far abroad from your own country for a counsellor. But I see full well that France desires not either you or your counsel, and did not, even when you were back a few years ago, and were beginning to smell out and hunt after a Cardinal's kitchen. She is right, by my troth, she is right, and can willingly allow you, you French capon, with your mankind wife and your desks chock-full of emptiness, to wander about, till somewhere in creation you light upon a dole bountiful enough for a grammarian-cavalier or illustrious hippo-critic,--always supposing any king or state has a mind to bid highest for a vagabond pedant that is on sale....”
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Vindication of King Charles 1648 in the collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation
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Authentic and scarce oblong folio document boldly signed "Charles R.," November 24, 1643, by the beleaguered English monarch. The king entrusts Robert Ellys with our regiment of twelve hundred foot soldiers, "to furnish our armies with all things necessary for Our survival wheresoever you shall be able in Our kingdom of England...for the defence of Our Royal Person and posterity [and] the true reformed Protestant religion." Charles, a little over a year into the Civil War, has signed this order from his stronghold at Oxford. From this base, he hoped to cut off London, thus weakening the Parliamentary rebels. The letter shows light discoloration around the edges and throughout the document, consistent with age (see photos). Light vertical and horizontal creases/fold marks are visible but do not detract from the viewing or value of the document. Some warping and fading. Purchased from Gary E. Combs Autographs, New York, NY
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EIKON BASILIKE.PORTRAITURE OF HIS SACRED MAJESTY.CHARLES 1,1648,ORIGINAL 269 PAGES Signed on last page by Charles Shipley
Collection Yuko Nii Foundation
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On the next page is a MANUSCRIPT OF AN IMPORTANT SPEECH QUEEN ELIZABETH I GAVE BEFORE THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT ON MARCH 29, 1585 in the collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation. Elizabeth I gives a trenchant warning to Parliament about religion, very likely on Catholicism: “One thing I may not overskip. Religion, the ground on which all other matters ought to take root, and, being corrupted, may mar all the tree. And that there be some fault-finders with the order of the clergy, which so may make a slander to myself, and to the church, whose over-ruler God hath made me, whose negligence cannot be excused, if any schisms or errors heretical were suffered. Thus much I must say, that some faults and negligences must grow and be, as in all other great charges it happeneth; and what vocation without? All which, if you, my lords of the clergy, do not amend, I mean to depose you. Look ye, therefore, well to your charges.”. ELIZABETH I GIVES A TRENCHANT WARNING TO PARLIAMENT ABOUT RELIGION THE SAME YEAR AN ACT WAS PASSED THAT OUTLAWED ORDAINED CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN ENGLAND Elizabeth I persecuted Catholics and approved measures that outlawed Catholicism during her long reign. The same year the present speech was given, “An act against Jesuits and seminary priests” was passed which made it treason for any Catholic priest ordained abroad after 1559 to come into or remain in England and a felony for anyone to shelter or assist such a priest, treason and felony were both punishable by death. This action consolidated English society and made it possible over the following centuries to create the greatest empire the world has ever seen. The writing is in “secretarial hand,” most commonly used at court during the Elizabethan period. This writing style is the direct precursor to our modern handwriting.
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Bellow is part of a manuscript document in the Folger Shakespeare Library with remarkably similar handwriting in “secretarial hand.”
Fourth paragraph of: Information given by Walter Massie against Mr. Thomas Littleton and William Houghe, Folger Shakespeare Library
“The documents were written between with a goose-‐quill pen and an iron gall or carbon-‐based ink. Iron gall ink was made up from galls (usually oak-‐galls).
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Above Testament of William Shakespeare in “secretarial hand.”, National Archives
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Below letter from Elizabeth to Robert Dudley in “secretarial hand.”, National Archives
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19th C. Miniature Portrait of John Milton Yuko Nii Foundation Collection Charles I's head had been off his shoulders for six weeks when John Milton accepted the office of Secretary for Foreign Tongues to the Commonwealth Council of State. He had announced his approval of the execution in a pamphlet that came out within a few days of the event and throughout the struggle between Parliament and the King he had been a vigorous anti-Royalist polemicist. Under Cromwell, Milton became Foreign Secretary. Latin was the language of international communication. Few foreign governments wished to have much to do with the regime in England, Milton could spend his time writing propaganda tracts for his employers. One of them was Eikonoklastes ('The Image-Breaker'), which came out in October, 1649. It was a counterblast to the Eikon Basilike ('The Royal Image'), believed to be an account of the last days of his life by the martyred Charles himself.
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17th C. Portrait Thought to be of John Milton Yuko Nii Foundation Collection The coat of arms has yet to be identified
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The Yuko Nii Foundation Library where many of the objects are kept houses a very fine small collection of art and manuscripts 15th-20th c. from around the world.
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ABOUT THE YUKO NII FOUNDATION
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