Jubilee Blogs Part 2: Royal manuscripts continued...

Will I complete the challenge? Let's start where we left off, with...

Edward VI

Another illustration, this time an engraving, dating from 1787, depicting the procession of King Edward VI from the Tower of London to Westminster for his coronation. If the image can be trusted, the procession must have been a very grand affair!

U DDSY4/12/1

Mary I

From an unknown scribe we have any apparently contemporary account of Wyatt’s Rebellion and the marriage of Queen Mary and Philip II of Spain. Suffice to say, handwriting standards have changed considerably!

U DDSY/104/2

Elizabeth I

And for Mary’s rival and half-sister, we have a letters patent granting to Sir Henry Knevett special livery of all estates of his mother Dame Anne Knevett (1586), with the great seal of Elizabeth I still attached. 

U DDFA/5/72 extract

U DDFA/5/72 great seal of Elizabeth I

James I

Another letters patent (1607), this time sealed by the king who united the crowns, relating to various properties and lands in Yorkshire, including 10 mills, 100 gardens, 3000 acres of land, and 4 dovecotes! 

U DDFA/5/75 great seal of of James I

Charles I

Charles, I think it’s safe to say, proved unsuccessful as a monarch and in this letter he gives leave to the Earl of Nithsdale to surrender Caerlaverock Castle which was besieged for 13 weeks in 1640 by the Protestant Covenanter army during the Bishops’ Wars. This was two years before the start of the Civil War and 9 years before Charles’ execution.

U DDEV/79/G159

Charles II

We stay with items relating to contemporary religious issues, with this manuscript report of a Mr Huddleston’s account of the death in the Roman Catholic faith of Charles II. For a supposedly Protestant monarch, to convert on his death bed was controversial. 

U DDEV/68/248/82

James II

Charles’ brother, James, found to his cost that England, Wales and Scotland would no longer tolerate a Catholic monarch. This item dates from July 1687, not long before he was forced from the throne by the Glorious Revolution, and is a form of loyal address to the king from Roman Catholics ‘whiche should have been presented at the assizes at York but the grand juryes would not allow of itt’. 

U DDEV/68/248/84

William and Mary

For our one and only joint reign, we have a letter to Sir John Hotham from eight leading citizens of Hull professing support for William III, with hopes that Sir John and William Gee would represent the city in Parliament (15 Dec 1688).

U DDHO/13/2b

Anne

And this letter to another Hotham, Sir Charles, is signed by Queen Anne herself. In it she orders Sir Charles to encamp his regiment in the Isle of Wight in preparation for ‘the present expedition’ to Spain (2 Jun 1706). 

U DDHO/13/4

George I

Now for the first of the Georges and another reminder of the religious difficulties Britain continued to face, with a list of the ‘Names of the Roman Catholics, Non-jurors, and others, who refused to take the Oaths’ to the King (1715). Here we can see the first entries for the East Riding of Yorkshire: 

U DDEV/67/25 extract

George II

For George II, we have an agreement between the king and a William Thompson with a particularly grand portrait of George and other elaborate decorations (4 Jul 1737). 

U DDHO/55/27 extract

George III

A significantly less ostentatious item now, a letter from George Hotham to Sir Charles Thompson describing a meeting with George III, Hotham’s new post as Sub-Governor to the Prince of Wales and a description of Hotham’s wife’s meeting with the king and queen (15 Jun 1776). 

U DDHO/4/17/5 extract

George IV

And for the final George, a remarkably well preserved newspaper with a sombre account of his death. Newspapers generally deteriorate rapidly, despite best preservation efforts, owing to their being printed on low grade paper. 

U DDSH2/12/11 extract

William IV

Our final charter on this list is a copy of one granted by William IV to Hull Trinity House – quite apt considering he was nicknamed the ‘Sailor King’ owing to his youthful Royal Navy service. 

U DTR/5/4 extract

Victoria

A fitting item for a blog celebrating a jubilee – a menu for a banquet at Beverley Assembly Rooms in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Do you think you would have enjoyed any of the courses? 

U DDMM/2/64 front and reverse

U DDMM/2/64 inside

Edward VII

From one royal celebration to another, this time a coronation. Here we have a copy of the order of service used at the Priory Church, Bridlington, to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra: 

U DDMM/4/22 front

George V

And this booklet was produced as a souvenir to commemorate the opening of Hull Joint Dock by King George V on 26 June 1914.

U DGO/49 p1

U DGO/49 p4

Edward VIII

This photograph was taken as part of Edward’s visit, whilst still Prince of Wales, to the University College of Hull to see local efforts being made to help the unemployed (1930s). 

U PHO

George VI

Whilst this photograph is of Edward’s brother, later George VI, who laid the foundation stone of the University College in 1928.

U PHO

Elizabeth II

And now to our final monarch, Elizabeth II, who granted the University College its charter in 1954 enabling it to award degrees in its own right! 

U REG

Woo hoo, challenge completed! I hope you enjoyed taking this trip with me, via manuscripts, through royal history and hope that you have a great Jubilee weekend!

Until next time…

 

Verity Minniti

Archives Assistant

University of Hull