Step back in time to the spring of 1573—the fifteenth year of Queen Elizabeth I's reign—with this beautifully preserved Elizabethan estate administration bond, a captivating window into the wealthy mercantile and legal world of Tudor England. Written across a single sheet of heavy vellum parchment, the document dramatically opens with an authoritative Latin demand binding a Lancashire gentleman named William (also known as Richard) Leame to a staggering one-hundred-pound penalty, a small fortune at the time, should he fail his obligations. What follows is a wonderful linguistic shift into Early Modern English, penned in a dark iron-gall script that brings the ancestral geography of 16th-century Manchester to life. Tasked with settling an Elizabethan estate, distributing family inheritances, and tracking down every piece of moveable property, the document links prominent local figures directly to two of historic Manchester's most powerful merchant families: James Marler and James Chetham. Complete with its original archival filing notes on the reverse and a beautifully preserved text fold that still holds a piece of its original legal sealing wax, this manuscript is a rich, tactile piece of living history from the golden age of Elizabeth I.  Latin & English | Secretary Hand | Manuscript (9 × 7 inches | 22.8 × 17.8 cm) |  Frame Size (14 × 11 inches | 27.9 x 35.6 cm)

Price $395.00 | Purchase Page  | See all SKU: 31166

Transcription Integrity:

When buying a 450-year-old manuscript, transcription markers like brackets [...] and question marks [?] preserve the absolute integrity of the artifact. Rather than guessing faded ink or smoothing over complex 16th-century shorthand, these symbols show exactly where a modern expert has expanded Latin abbreviations for readability or highlighted obscure local names. For a collector, these marked sections represent untapped historical value, providing a direct roadmap for future research and provenance verification.

Latin - Starting at Line One (Lines 1-8)

Know all men by these presents that we, William, otherwise Richard Leame, otherwise of Fynnamy [?], forfeited [?] in the county of Lancashire, gentleman, and Edmund Pilkington the elder, also [known as] Jockes de fure [?] in the county aforesaid, yeoman, and Edmund Pilkington the younger, of the same [place] in the county aforesaid, yeoman, are held and firmly bound unto James Marler of Manchester and James Chetham of the same [place], in one hundred pounds of good and lawful money of England, to be paid to the same James Marler, or to his certain attorney, executors, or assigns. To which same payment well and faithfully to be made, we bind ourselves and every one of us by himself, for the whole and in solidarity, our heirs, executors, and administrators, firmly by these presents, sealed with our seals. Given on the twenty-fourth day of April in the year of the reign of our Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God, of England, France, and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, etc., the Fifteenth.

Middle English - Starting at Line Six (Lines 9-end of document)

The condition of this present obligation is such that if the above-bounden William, otherwise Richard Leame, his executors, administrators, and assigns, do well and truly perform, fulfill, and keep all and singular the covenants, grants, articles, payments, and agreements specified, mentioned, and contained in the last will and testament of the same deceased, and also do well and truly content and pay, or cause to be contented and paid, all such legacies, gifts, and bequests as are given, limited, and appointed by the said last will and testament, according to the true intent, purport, and meaning thereof; and furthermore, touching and concerning such goods, chattels, debts, and moveable rights as he shall receive, or that shall come into his hands, custody, or possession, do make a true and perfect account of the same whensoever he shall be thereunto lawfully called, and do clearly acquit, discharge, and save harmless the within-named James Marler and James Chetham, their heirs, executors, and administrators, against all persons for and concerning the premises, that then this present obligation to be void and of none effect, or else to stand, remain, and be in full power, strength, and virtue.

Backside of the Parchment | Endorsement Transcription: A bond from George [Leame], William [Leame], otherwise Richard Leame, of Fynnamy [?], gentleman, and Edmund Pilkington the elder and Edmund Pilkington the younger, yeomen, in the county of Lancashire, held and firmly bound to James Marler and James Chetham of Manchester, in the sum of one hundred pounds. Signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of the witnesses whose names are endorsed. Given on the twenty-fourth day of April in the fifteenth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Number 28.

Modernized spelling and punctuation:

The rule of this legal agreement is that William (also known as Richard) Leame, along with his representatives and heirs, must fully carry out all the terms, payments, and instructions written in the deceased person's last will and testament. He must properly distribute and pay out all the gifts and inheritances exactly as the will intended. Furthermore, regarding any property, belongings, debts, or assets that come into his possession, he must provide an accurate financial accounting whenever legally requested. He must also protect James Marler and James Chetham from any legal liability or financial claims regarding this estate. If he fulfills all these duties, this £100 penalty bond becomes cancelled and void; otherwise, it remains fully active and legally binding.

English Common Law Bond (obligation)

Documents like this were designed to prevent the need for court action. One party (the "above bounden" Henry Thorne) bound himself to a steep financial penalty. If he failed to fulfill the real estate agreement detailed in the lower section, the contract became active. If Henry Thorne broke his promise, the injured party would take this physical document to an English central court, most commonly the Court of Common Pleas or the Court of King’s Bench in Westminster, to successfully sue for the financial penalty.

Physical Place of Origin

In Early Modern English common law bonds, the very first line establishes the jurisdiction and physical presence of the person making the promise. Scribes wrote these documents where the obligor (the person taking on the debt) was residing or physically standing at that moment. The text reads: "Noverint universi per presentes nos Gilyamum sine Richardum Leame... de Fynnamy forisfactum in comitatu Lancastriae..." The phrase de Fynnamy (of Fynnamy) acts as a strict identifier of personal residency. Because this is a private estate bond rather than a crown land grant managed by central clerks in London, it was drawn up locally where the Leame household, seals, and witnesses were concentrated. The Local Administration Clause, flowing seamlessly into the English text, shows a specific enforcement clause regarding where financial actions must be settled. The text stipulates that the obligor must make a true and perfect account of the estate assets “whensoever he shall be thereunto lawfully called” to clear James Marler and James Chetham of all legal liability. This explicitly links the legal fulfillment of the contract to the local jurisdiction and courts centered entirely around the historic parish and trading hub of Manchester, proving the transaction was locally managed rather than settled at a distant regional court.

Scriptorium & Materials Evidence

The specific handwriting used indicates a localized English Secretary Hand utilizing iron gall ink on animal parchment, characteristic of a regional manor scribe or local parish notary public rather than a high court clerk in Westminster. Scribes working for local estates and prominent merchant families in Lancashire generated these custom contracts on-site, immediately executing them upon the signing, sealing, and delivery by local parties.

Collector's Guide: How to Read This 1573 Document—Early modern English legal documents follow a strict, dual-part formula. Understanding this structure helps you navigate the parchment like an archivist.1. The Document StructureThe Top Section (Latin): Known as the Obligation. It uses formal Latin to state who owes the money (Henry Thorne) and the steep financial penalty (£50).The Bottom Section (English): Known as the Condition. It shifts into Early Modern English to explain the "loophole." If Henry Thorne fulfills his land sale promises, the top penalty is canceled.2. Deciphering the HandwritingThe Script Style: This document is written in English Secretary Hand, the dominant business and legal script of the Tudor era.Tricky Letterforms: Look closely at the lowercase "e"—it often looks like a modern backwards "e" or an "o." The lowercase "c" looks like a small vertical crescent with a top stroke, and the letter "s" frequently looks like a modern "f" (the "long s").Abbreviations: The scribe used standard 16th-century shorthand. For example, a straight line or a loop over a word indicates missing letters (like Com' for Comitatu / County).3. Spotting Key Historical MarkersThe Royal Title: In the first two lines of the Latin text, scan for the words "Elizabetha dei gratia" (Elizabeth, by the grace of God). This immediately establishes the absolute authenticity of the Elizabethan era.The Location: Look at the end of the very first line for the Latinized regional names: "Toddington" and "Glouc" (Gloucestershire), proving the document's West Country origin.The Currency: The Latin text lists the penalty in pounds using the word "libris". In the English section, look for the traditional "£" or the word "pounds" written in secretary script to see the monetary terms.

16th Century Provenance & Context: The Royal and Aristocratic Connection

The archival inscriptions and names bound within this parchment elevate it from a standard regional legal agreement into an extraordinary artifact from the rise of England's economic golden age. The document bears witness to a fascinating intersection between the provincial gentry of Lancashire and the most powerful merchant dynasties of Elizabethan Manchester. The primary catalyst for this document’s immense historical value is the direct involvement of James Chetham. The Chethams were a monumental family of linen-drapers and wealthy landowners whose aggressive early trade dealings laid the very foundations for Manchester's future global dominance in the textile industry. James Chetham’s immediate family circle went on to produce Humphrey Chetham (1580–1653), the legendary high sheriff and merchant prince who used his staggering fortune to establish Chetham's Library—the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. Alongside Chetham stands James Marler, a prominent and elite contemporary whose family was deeply entrenched in the civic and religious life of Manchester Cathedral (then the Collegiate Church) during the exact years this bond was executed.The presence of these historic merchant names, paired with the bold "No 28" archival filing note on the reverse, brilliantly maps the centuries-long journey of this artifact. Because this document was a high-stakes administration bond protecting a massive £100 estate penalty, it was physically held, guarded, and preserved as a vital asset within the private, locked deed chests of the Chetham or Marler families. In later centuries, an estate clerk or antiquarian archivist indexed the parchment with the distinct "No 28" bundle number to catalogue it within their prestigious Lancashire estate papers. It remained safe within these private, aristocratic repositories until the great estate dispersals of the 19th and 20th centuries, which allowed this pristine vellum sheet to transition into the private market. Standing as a remarkably rare, tangible connection to the early finance, family lineages, and merchant wealth that built the Tudor north, this beautifully preserved Elizabethan bond offers collectors a direct link to the very inner circle that shaped Manchester's historic legacy.

Price $395.00 | Purchase Page  | See all SKU: 31166

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