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Finding Aid for the Legal and Exchequer Document Collection 1541-1754
MS.1976.019  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Historical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Legal and Exchequer Document Collection,
    Date (inclusive): 1541-1754
    Collection number: MS.1976.019
    Creator: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
    Extent: 4 boxes
    Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
    Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
    Abstract: The bulk of this collection consists of Exchequer records and legal documents from England, 1541-1754. Includes documents and fragments bearing the signatures of Exchequer officials and other public officials. Also includes indentures regarding property in the village of Sulgrave, ancestral home of George Washington's family, and copies of documents relating to the city of Lille, France.
    Physical location: Clark Library
    Language of Material: Collection materials in English, Latin, French

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts or printed items must be submitted in writing to the Clark Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Legal and Exchequer Document Collection, MS.1976.019, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

    Acquisition Information

    Some of the items described in this finding aid originated in accessions MS.1960.013 (Edwards), MS.1976.015 (Hofmann and Freeman), MS.1976.016 (Hofmann and Freeman), MS.1976.016 (Myers), MS.2003.02, and MS.1976.20 (Thomas). Accession MS.2003.02 was the gift of Kenneth Karmiole, 2003. For many items, provenance and accession information is unclear.

    Historical Note

    Indentures
    Indentures are legal contracts written in multiple copies (usually in duplicate) on one sheet. The resulting parts of the sheet are separated along a toothed or curved line. The parties to the contract each keep one part of the indenture. The authenticity of the documents is established by realigning the separated parts.
    The Exchequer
    The Exchequer was responsible for receiving, recording and dispersing the public revenue. It was divided into two parts: the Upper Exchequer, or Exchequer of Account, and the Lower Exchequer, or Exchequer of Receipt.
    Four Tellers of the Receipt recorded payments into the Exchequer. In this process, three records of payments were created: one in the Teller's book, one in the Teller's Rolls, and a third in the form of a Teller's Bill or Exchequer Receipt. Payments to be made by the Exchequer, such as repayments of loans, were authorized by Orders on the Exchequer created in the office of the Auditor of the Receipt.
    The offices of the Exchequer were abolished in 1834 by Act of Parliament. Their functions were transferred to the Comptroller General of the Receipt and Issue of the Exchequer.

    Scope and Content

    This is an artificial collection, composed of several distinct accessions. It is primarily comprised of legal documents and Exchequer records from England (after 1707, Great Britain), 1541-1754. The collection features some interesting examples of calligraphy and many documents and fragments bearing the signatures or autographs of key public figures.
    The collection includes indentures and other sealed legal documents; inventories and wills; records of jury verdicts; orders on the Exchequer and Exchequer receipts; personal and political correspondence; and drafts and copies of acts of Parliament, correspondence, and legal documents. It also includes a collection of documents regarding land in Sulgrave, the ancestral home of George Washington's family, and several copies of extracts from letters and privileges related to the city of Lille.

    Arrangement

    This collection is a composite of several accessions and lacks a clear, organic original order. The arrangement scheme for this collection was therefore imposed during processing. The collection is arranged in twelve series, by monarch's reign or regnal chronology. Within these series items are arranged chronologically. There are three exceptions to this chronological arrangement within series. First, items from different accessions will be found in separate folders within the relevant series. Within the separate folders, items are arranged in chronological order. Second, small sub-collections comprised entirely of a particular document type (e.g. verdicts) are placed in separate folders within the relevant series. Finally, the collection of documents concerning Sulgrave are treated as a subgroup within Series 3 (James I).
    The collection is organized into the following series:
    • Series 1. Henry VIII, 1509-1547
    • Series 2. Elizabeth I, 1558-1603
    • Series 3. James I, 1603-1625
    • Series 4. Charles I, 1625-1649
    • Series 5. Charles II, 1649-1685
    • Series 6. James II, 1685-1688
    • Series 7. William III and Mary II, 1689-1694
    • Series 8. Willliam III, 1695-1702
    • Series 9. Anne, 1702-1714
    • Series 10. George I, 1714-1727
    • Series 11. George II, 1727-1760
    • Series 12. Undated and Miscellaneous

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

    Subjects

    Eglinton Family
    Washington family
    Beversham family
    England and Wales. Exchequer
    Great Britain. Exchequer.
    Arundell, Richard
    Baillie, George, 1664-1738
    Bertie, Charles, 1640 or 41-1711
    Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, 1562-1630
    De la Warr, John West, Baron, ca. 1663-1723
    Downing, George, Sir, 1623?-1684
    Eglinton, Alexander Montgomerie, Earl of, 1723-1769
    Ernle, John, Sir, d. 1697
    Halifax, Charles Montagu, Earl of, 1661-1715
    Halifax, George Montagu, Earl of, ca. 1684-1739
    Holland, Henry Fox, Baron, 1705-1774
    Howard, Robert, Sir, 1626-1698
    Leeds, Thomas Osborne, Duke of, 1631-1712
    Long, Robert, ca. 1602-1673
    Lynde, Humphrey, Sir
    Lyttelton, George Lyttelton, Baron, 1709-1773
    Marlborough, James Ley, Earl of, 1550-1629
    Onslow, Richard Onslow, Baron, 1654-1717
    Oxford, Robert Harley, Earl of, 1661-1724
    Pelham, Henry, 1695?-1754
    Pye, Robert, 1585?-1662
    Squibb, Lawrence, 1604-1674
    Tonson, Jacob, 1656?-1736
    Finance, Public--Great Britain
    Gresham College
    Sulgrave (England)
    Lille (France)

    Genres and Forms

    Autographs
    Legal instruments
    Letters
    Seals