Hard-coded id of currently selected item: . JSON version of its record is available from Blacklight on e.g. ??
Metadata associated with selected item should appear here...
Add MS 43724
- Record Id:
- 032-002056718
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-002056718
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000039.0x000195
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100163539445.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Add MS 43724
- Title:
-
Letters of John Thurloe and Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell
- Scope & Content:
-
These 43 original letters were written to Henry Cromwell in Ireland, and are supplementary to the collection of his correspondence in British Library, Lansdowne MSS 821-823. In the period covered by the letters, Cromwell was effectively Chief Administrator of Ireland: Major-General of the Forces in Ireland, Lord Deputy (from autumn 1657) and Lord Lieutenant (from late 1658 until he left Ireland in Jun 1659).
The volume contains 9 letters from John Thurloe, Secretary of State, 15 May 1655-19 Feb 1656. These are numbered in a series, nos. 1-9. A second numbered series is formed of 34 letters from Charles Fleetwood, 24 Nov 1657-8 Feb 1659. These are numbered nos. 1-37; nos. 17, 18 and 20 are now missing. Fleetwood was Cromwell's brother-in-law, married to his sister Bridget; he was Lord Deputy of Ireland until Sep 1657 (though resident in England from Sep 1655); and he was a member of the Council of State. From Jan 1658 he was a member of the 'Other House', and endorsements consistently call him Lord Fleetwood. The numbering and endorsements are possibly in the hand of William Petty, Cromwell's secretary, who evidently collected and retained these letters.
All the letters, except that at ff. 31r-32v (see below), are printed by Thomas Birch in A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, Esq., 7 vols (London: Fletcher Gyles, 1742). The volumes are accessible through British History Online, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/search/series/thurloe-papers (accessed 8 Jan 2020).
When Birch saw the letters, they were in the possession of Henry Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne, Sir William Petty's son. In 1877, 8 of the Thurloe and 31 of the Fleetwood letters were in the possession of Shelburne's descendant, Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, at Lansdowne House (see Historical Manuscripts Commission, 6th Report, Appendix, pp. 238, 242). The three letters not there listed as present (now ff. 5r-6v, 19r-20v, 77r-78v) appeared in 1934 at Sotheby's (sale-cat., 24 April, lots 441, 399, 400) on the death of Charles Carmichael Lacaita, whose father, Sir James Philip Lacaita (notes on Thurloe and Fleetwood in his hand are at ff. iii, iv) was private secretary to the 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne from 1857 to 1863. Lot 400 was originally purchased at the same sale by Captain Robert Arthur Christie Crawfurd, whose unreliable type-written transcript now follows the original at f. 79, and subsequently, along with the other two letters, by the Friends of the National Libraries, who presented them to the British Museum.
Contents:
ff. i recto - ii recto: Notes by Henry William Edmund Petty-Fitzmaurice, 6th Marquess of Lansdowne, 20th-century.
ff. iii recto - iv recto: Notes by Sir James Philip Lacaita, KCMG, 19th-century.
ff. v recto-vi recto: Memorandum by Robert William Ramsey, 1934.
ff. 1v-2r: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell, Whitehall, 15 May 1655.
ff. 3r-4v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), London, 25 Sep 1655. With Thurloe's signature and a postscript in his hand. With address and broken seal. The location comes from the endorsement.
ff. 5r-6v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), Whitehall, 17 Dec 1655. In Thurloe's hand throughout. With address and seal.
ff. 7r-8v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 1 Jan 1656. In Thurloe's hand throughout. With address and fragment of seal.
ff. 9r-10v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), Whitehall, 8 Jan 1656. In Thurloe's hand throughout. With address and seal.
ff. 11r-12v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 15 Jan 1656. In Thurloe's hand throughout. With address and fragment of seal.
ff. 13r-14r: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell, London, 5 Feb 1656. In Thurloe's hand throughout. Location from endorsement.
ff. 15r-16v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell, London, 12 Feb 1656. In Thurloe's hand throughout. Location from endorsement.
ff. 17r-18v: Letter of John Thurloe to Henry Cromwell, London, 19 Feb 1656. In Thurloe's hand throughout. Location from endorsement. With address and fragments of seal.
ff. 19-20v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell, 24 Nov 1657. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 21r-22v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), c. 15 Dec 1657. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal. Date comes from endorsement.
ff. 23r-24v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 19 Jan 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 25r-26v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell, 8 Feb 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 27r-28v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 23 Feb 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 29r-30v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 2 Mar 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 31r-32v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell, 1 Apr 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 33r-34v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 13 Apr 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 35r-36v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 27 Apr 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 37r-38v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 11 Mar[?] 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal. The endorsement says 11 Mar 1657[/58]; the text may say 11 Mar or 11 May, and in terms of the contents 11 May is perhaps more plausible.
ff. 39r-40v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 8 Jun 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal. the date comes from the endorsement.
ff. 41r-42v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 15 Jun 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 43r-44v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 21 Jun 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 45r-46v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 17 Aug 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 47r-48v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 31 Aug 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 49r-50v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 7 Sep 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 51r-52v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 21 Sep 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 53r-54v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), n.d. [Sep or Oct?] 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal. The address is to Henry Cromwell as Lord Deputy, but the letter reports how today His Highness (Ri chard Cromwell) has thought fit to confer upon Henry the title of Lord Lieutenant. Letters to Henry from 5 Oct 1658 onwards are addressed to him as Lord Lieutenant.
ff. 55r-56v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 5 Oct 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 57r-58v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 12 Oct 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 59r-60v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 19 Oct 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 61r-62v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 26 Oct 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 63r-64v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), n.d. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal. The item is no. 37; nos. 35 and 36 (ff. 86r-87v, 84r-85v) are both Feb 1659, although numbering is not always chronologically consistent.
ff. 65r-66v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 9 Nov 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 67r-68v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 16 Nov 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 69r-70v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 24 Nov 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 71r-72v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), n.d. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal. The letter is no. 9, but the numbering is not entirely consistent. the letter is assessed to Cromwell as Lord Lieutenant (i.e. Oct 1658 or after). The letter refers to how we are come to a resolution concerning a Parliament, which suggests early Dec 1658.
ff. 73r-74v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 7 Dec 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 75r-76v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 14 Dec 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 77r-78v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 28 Dec 1658. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 79r-v: Typewritten transcript by Captain Christie Crawford, Hampton, Middlesex, the original purchaser at Sotheby's sale, 23/25 Apr 1934, ff. 77r-78v: letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell, 28 Dec 1658.
ff. 80r-81v Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 4 Jan 1659. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 82r-83v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 18 Jan 1659. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
ff. 84r-85v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 1 Feb 1659. Possibly 10 Feb 1659 (the date in the text looks most like 1o. but might be 10.
ff. 86r-87v: Letter of Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell (at Dublin), 8 Feb 1659. In Fleetwood's hand, with address and seal.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Additional Manuscripts
- Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "032-002056718", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Add MS 43724: Letters of John Thurloe and Charles Fleetwood to Henry Cromwell" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002056718
- Is part of:
- not applicable
- Hierarchy:
- 032-002056718
- Container:
- not applicable
- Record Type (Level):
- Fonds
- Extent:
- 1 volume
- Digitised Content:
- http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100163539445.0x000001 (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- English
- Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1655
- End Date:
- 1659
- Date Range:
- 1655-1659
- Era:
- CE
- Place of Origin:
- England.
- Access:
-
Please request the physical items you need using the online collection item request form.
Digitised items can be viewed online by clicking the thumbnail image or digitised content link.
Readers who have registered or renewed their pass since 21 March 2024 can request physical items prior to visiting the Library by completing
this request form.
Please enter the Reference (shelfmark) above on the request form.If your Reader Pass was issued before this date, you will need to visit the Library in London or Yorkshire to renew it before you can request items online. All manuscripts and archives must be consulted at the Library in London.
This catalogue record may describe a collection of items which cannot all be requested together. Please use the hierarchy viewer to navigate to individual items. Some items may be in use or restricted for other reasons. If you would like to check the availability, contact our Reference Services team, quoting the Reference (shelfmark) above.
- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Paper.
Dimensions: 300-345mm x 205-230mm (writing area: 280-335mm x 200-225mm).
Foliation: ff. vi + 87 (plus one modern unfoliated flyleaf at the front and two modern unfoliated flyleaves at the rear). Between many items there are guard-pages to protect seals.
Scripts: 17th-century secretary hands.
Binding: British Museum, 1957.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin:
England.
Provenance:
Sir William Petty (1623-1687), natural philosopher and administrator in Ireland, secretary to Henry Cromwell.
Henry Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne (1675-1751). In Shelburne's possession in 1742.
The documents passed through the Shelburne (later Lansdowne) family. In 1877 8 of the Thurloe and 35 of the Fleetwood letters were in the possession of Shelburne's descendant, Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, at Lansdowne House (see Historical Manuscripts Commission, 6th Report, Appendix, pp. 238, 242).
Henry William Edmund Petty-Fitzmaurice, 6th Marquess of Lansdowne: presented through the Friends of the National Libraries to the British Museum, 12 May 1934. (except ff. 5r-6v, 19r-20v, 77r-78v).
ff. ff. 5r-6v, 19r-20v, 77r-78v had become separated from the other letters by 1888. The three letters not there listed as present (now ff. 5r-6v, 19r-20v, 77r-78v) appeared in 1934 at Sotheby's (sale-cat., 24 April, lots 441, 399, 400) on the death of Charles Carmichael Lacaita, whose father, Sir James Philip Lacaita (notes on Thurloe and Fleetwood in his hand are at ff. iii, iv) was private secretary to the 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne from 1857 to 1863. Lot 400 was originally purchased at the same sale by Captain Robert Arthur Christie Crawfurd, whose unreliable type-written transcript now follows the original at f. 79 (and identifies him as purchaser), and was subsequently presented directly by the Friends of the National Libraries, along with the other two letters, to the British Museum, 12 May 1934.
[Presentation noted on the inner front fly-leaf; see also A.J. Collins, 'Letters to Cromwell from Thurloe and Fleetwood, British Museum Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Sep 1934), pp. 15-16.]
- Publications:
-
The British Museum: Catalogue of Additions to the Manuscripts, 1931-1935 (London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1967),pp. 206-7.
A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, ed. by Thomas Birch (London, Fletcher Gyles, 1742), 7 vols. The volumes are accessible through British History Online, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/search/series/thurloe-papers (accessed 8 Jan 2020).
The Correspondence of Henry Cromwell, 1655-1659, ed. by Peter Gaunt, Camden Society, 5th series, Vol. 31 (2007). This is an edition of British Library, Lansdowne MSS 821-823; at pp. 2-4 it discusses the relationship between them and this manuscript.
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)