Harley MS 703

This manuscript contains a large collection of state papers and tracts, many relating to the county of Sussex, dating between 1583 and 1627, apparently compiled around 1627 for Sir Walter Covert (b. c. 1544. d. 1632), High Sheriff of and Deputy Lieutenant in Sussex, and Member of Parliament for Sussex.

Contents:

ff. 1v-176v: Collection of state papers and tracts, containing copies or entries of all orders and letters from the Privy Council, Lord Lieutenants, and others relating to the public business of the county of Sussex or to those offices, from 16 November 1583 until 16 November 1627, including letters from Francis Walsingham, Principal Secretary to Queen Elizabeth I; William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley; Walter Mildmay; Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu; William West, 1st Baron De La Warr; Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset; Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, 2nd Baron of Effingham, and Lord High Admiral; William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury; Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton; and Walter Raleigh [Ralegh].

Among the collection are the following items:

ff. 2v-3r: 'Surrey - Nomina Prisonariorum Gaole [...] xxx die novembris Anno Regine Elyzabeth xxvjto'; and ' 'Sussex - Nomina Prisonariorum Gaole present. 11 die Decembris Anno Regine Elyzabeth 16' [crossed out].

ff. 3r-3v: 'An advice to a Captaine of a Companie of fotemen howe to frame and instruct his Companie'.

ff. 4r-10v: Crossed out accounts concerning Surrey and Sussex, beginning: 'Edwardus nuper dominus Windsor'; also including: 'Proces out of the Courte of Wardes'.

f. 11r: Instructions for prisoners, beginning: 'George Bowrer to be executed'; with an instruction for 'Thomas ffunnell to be set in the stockes the next Sundaie from ix of the clocke until xij in the fore noone with a paper on his hed written with great letters: for unseemely and indecent words against her Majestie and some Justices of the Peace. And the next market daie at the next market towne to be in like manner set in the stockes with the like paper written upon as aforesaid, and the like time' [crossed out].

ff. 21v-22r: 'Orders to be put in execution by the Justices of Peace in the severall Countyes of the Realme for the Restraint of eating and killing of flesh in tyme of Lent and daies prohibited [sic]'.

f. 23r: 'The Charge gevyn to Mr Vicechamberlaine' for a search for conspirators involved in the Babington Plot.

ff. 25r-30v: 'Instructions both generall and particular drawen by the Lord Generall Essex for the better instructing and government of the Army in Anno 1596'.

f. 32v: 'Articles for the setting uppe of the beacons and for the fyring of the same'.

ff. 34v-35r: 'Orders to be observed by the Lords Lieutenants [in] Sussex'; by Charles Howard.

ff. 35r-36r: 'Instructions concerning Musters [in] Sussex'; by Charles Howard.

ff. 44v-45r: 'Orders for puttinge in strength the power of the Realme in the Maritine Counties'; signed by Francis Walsingham and Thomas Coventry.

ff. 52r-52v: 'Certaine pointes wherin the deputie lieutenants of Sussex humblie desire to be resolved by some direction from my Lord of the Counsell as touching th'execucion of their Lordships letters for restrayning of Recusants'; by Francis Walsingham.

f. 68v: Warrant of Queen Elizabeth to the Lords Lieutenants of Sussex to provide 50 recruits for her service in Brittany under the command of John Norris; dated 3 October 1592.

f. 73r: 'Instrucions for such gentlemen inhabiting neare the Portes in the Maritime Counties as are appointed to joyne with the Vice Admirall, the Major, or Bailives and all the Officers of the Portes as Customers and Searchers to staie and examine such passengers or other persons as shall from tyme to tyme come from forraine partes into this Realme'.

f. 73v: 'The discriptions of certaine parsons expected to come into the realme from the partes beyond the Seas for some dangerous practizes to be attempted heere'; 16 February 1593.

f. 75v: Warrant of Queen Elizabeth to the Lord Lieutenants of Sussex to levy 300 men to fight with others levied in other Counties against the Spanish at Brest; dated 16 July 1584.

ff. 87r-93r: 'The Certificate of the Armour and Furniture of the Residentiary Prebendaries and others of the Clergie aswell within the Cathedrall Church of Chichester and the two Archdeaconries of Chichester and Lewes as also within the Peculiers of my Lords grace of Canterbury, and of the deane of Chichester viewed and seene in January 1595'.

ff. 97v-98r: 'Instructions for trayning and disciplining of the men'; dated 'At the Court at Whitehall.12. febr. 1597'.

f. 99r: Warrant of Queen Elizabeth to keep one hundred men from Sussex in readiness to be employed in the service in Ireland; dated 26 August 1598.

ff. 103r-106r: Names of men equipped with lances and light horses, within the Rapes of Chichester, Arundel, Bramber, Lewes, Pevensey and Hastings, 1583.

f. 109r: Warrant of Queen Elizabeth for preparing 400 men from Sussex to fight under the Earl of Essex at Oostende in Flanders against the forces of Albert VII, Archduke of Austria; dated 29 November 1598.

ff. 113v-114r: 'Instructions for the Commissioners that are appointed to examine such Persons as shall attempt to go beyond the Seas without Licence, to repayre hither from the parts of the Seas: drawn up by reason of Priests & Jesuits going to & from; & young Papists sent abroad: with a Letter from the Lords of the Privy Council touching the same'; dated 28 November 1599.

f. 116r: Queen Elizabeth's Commission to the Lord High Treasurer and Lord High Admiral and Lords Lieutenants of Sussex to levy 100 men for the service in Ireland; dated 12 January 1599.

ff. 129v-131r: Warrant of Queen Elizabeth for making a collection for setting out 10 to 12 ships for fighting the ships of the King of Spain and Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, that intercepted several merchant ships; dated 18 February 1602.

f. 137r: 'The names of all those parties who as yet have not fetched their Armes at Lewes'; dated 26 December 1606.

ff. 139v-140r: Commission of Charles Howard, Lord High Admiral, to Sir Walter Covert to inquire about all matters relating to the pirates infesting the coasts of England and Ireland, and their secret correspondents; dated 21 May 1608.

f. 140r: Instructions from King James I concerning the planting of mulberry trees for setting up a silk manufacture; dated 27 November 1608.

ff. 140r-140v: Order of the Privy Council for 500 Loads of timber to be brought from the Manor of Marlpost and Colstaple and from the parks of Bewbush and Shelley in the county of Sussex, to the Deptford and Woolwich for the building of royal ships; dated 31 March 1609.

ff. 144r-144v: Proposals to the High Sheriff, Deputy Lieutenants, and Justices of Peace in Sussex for establishing the colony already planted in Virginia; dated 28 February 1610.

ff. 150r-151r: 'A Rolle of the severall Armors and furniture, with theire names of the Clergie, within the Arch Deaconry of Lewes and Deanery of South Malling with the Deanry of Battell in the County of Sussex - Rated and appointed the xith day of March Anno Domini 1612, by the Right Reverend father in God Samuell Lord Bishoppe of Chichester'.

ff. 151v-152v: Commission of the Lieutenancy of the county of Sussex and city of Chichester granted by King James to the Earls of Nottingham, Arundel and Dorset; dated 10 December 1612.

ff. 160r-160v: Speech of the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice in the King's Bench, 18 November 1616.

f. 162v: Sir Walter Raleigh, Letter to his wife, 1603.

f. 162v: Sir Walter Raleigh, 'Even such is tyme which takes in trust'.

ff. 168v-169v: 'A Rolle of the severall Armoures and Furniture with the names of the clergie within the Archdeaconry of Lewes and Deanrye of South Mallinge in the Countye of Sussex; sett and appointed by the righte reverende Father in God, George Charleton Lord Bishop of Chichester the 4th of Julie, Anno domini 1620'.

f. 172v: An English letter by the Vice Chancellor and a Latin letter by the University of Oxford, both dated 18 July 1622, concerning Lectures in the Schools of Logic and Metaphysics and Philology.

f. 176v: Warrant of King Charles I to the Earl of Arundel and Surrey, and the Earl of Dorset, his Lieutenants of Sussex, to levy 50 men as recruits for his forces employed in the Île de Ré; dated 8 August 1627.

For a more detailed description, see A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts, II (1808), pp. 416-21.

The manuscript contains a few additions:

ff. 1*r-1*v, 177r-177v: Fragments of a vellum wrapper from a rubricated 15th-century (?) Breviary, Use of Sarum; with large (2- and 3-line) initials in blue, green, or red; rubrics in red; and music notation (neumes) on 4-line staffs in red ink. A later inscription in the margin of f. 1*recto reads: '16 Aug[ust] 1606 - 84o'.

f. 1r: An erased date : 'Vicesimo septembris Anno Regni […] Elizabeth […]'; added in the late 16th century or early 17th century.

f. 1r: A list of names relating to 'Commissions for the second Parliament of the Subsidie Anno 1589'.

f.1r: Note on a law case: 'ffraunces morgan of woorth […] for the peace against John yarwood of woor husband'; added in the late 16th century or early 17th century.

f. 1r (paper pastedown): A woodcut showing a priest kneeling before an altar, performing the Mass, while a soul rises up to God (shown above); inscribed with the rubric 'Graduale ad consuetudinem Sarum'.