Two works in two separate hands, recording the orders and rules of a fictitious noble order created for ladies' amusement, presumably by someone well acquainted with the customs and using her knowledge to arrange a masque for the amusement of her circle of friends in the months leading to the coronation of George III, possibily at her home in Yorkshire. The first work entitled "The Order for the installation of one of the Ladies of the most noble Order of the Needle instituted in 1761" (pages 2-4) is followed by "The Rules of the most Noble Order of the Needle Instituted on July 25th 1761" (pages 4-8), both written in black ink
Description:
Miss Frankland remains unidentified but is likely a descendant of the family of Lady Elizabeth Russell Frankland (1666-1733), the granddaughter of Oliver Cromwell, and her husband Sir Thomas Frankland (1665-1726) of Thirkleby Park, North Yorkshire. Lady Frankland was the sister of John Russell (-1735), the stepfather of Mary Joanna Russell., Mary Joanna Cutts Revett Russell (1707-1764) was the daughter of Colonel Edmund Revett (-1709) and Joanna Thurlbarne Revett (-1764), the step-daughter of John Russell (-1735), and the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Russell (1701-1754). The Russell family acquired Chequers, their family home in Buckinghamshire, through John Russell's 1715 marriage to Joanna Revett., In English., Titles from captions at the head of each of the two works., "By Miss F-nkl-d" on first page, upper right corner, suggests the author of the first manuscript, "The Order for the installation," as a member of the Frankland family., The second work is attributed to Mary Joanna Russell based on a manuscript also entitled "The rules of the most Noble Order of the Needle" in the British Library (Add MS 69390). The online record for that copy states that it was drawn up by Mrs. Russell for her daughter and nieces and their friends., One signature, sewn and unbound, with watermarked laid paper, horizontal chainlines; crowned watermark with lion rampant, countermark 'EH'. Pages with text are unnumbered; final 8 pages are blank., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
England.
Subject (Name):
George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820
Subject (Topic):
Coronation, Amateur theater, Masques, and Satire, English
A certificate recording the appointment 31 May 1781 of Henry Hastings "gentleman to be collector for ... the district of Colchester and Maldon ... for administering the oaths ... taken by paper-makers ... for proving that paper brought to be stamped as stock in hand, was really, and bona fide made in Great Britain, before the commencement of ... An act for repealing the present duties upon paper, pasteboards, millboards and scaleboards, made in Great Britain, and for granting other duties in lieu thereof ... and also the oath taken by such makers of paper, for ascertaining the value of such paper ...”. The cost of war with America caused the British government to increase taxes. In 1781 the existing excise duty on paper was abolished and replaced with a more complicated scheme which imposed seventy-eight different rates applied on the various types of paper. Transitional arrangements allowed that paper produced before the new system came into force could be taxed at the old rate, the holder of this certificate being required to take oaths from papermakers concerning such previously-manusfactured paper stock
Description:
Caption title., Dated in last line of text: "... in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and eighty." Added in black ink "one"., Form printed on vellum with blanks filled in ms., With engraved initial letter portrait of George III at head., With embossed stamps of the signers and with postage tax stamps. Remnants of a wax seal on verso along with ms. note., Not in ESTC., Completed in manuscript with signatures and embossed “Excise Office” wafer seals of five Excise Commissioners: David Papillon, William Lowndes, Anthony Lucas, John Pownall, and Charles Garth. With blue paper tax stamp., and For further information, consult library staff.