The universe is a strange and mischievous actor.  Having handled a number of documents in archives around England containing Sir Richard Lane’s signature, I would never have thought I’d ever actually own one.  Can you imagine my shock to find such a document listed for a reasonable price on Ebay, with Sir Richard Lane (correctly) identified in the listing title?  I wasn’t even shopping on Ebay at the time, but noticed it in the results of an internet search for another purpose. Of course, once I convinced myself it wasn’t a scam, I didn’t hesitate to buy it.

The Document (Fragment)

This document is apparently the signature portion of a promissory note made in 1637.  This was the year Richard Lane was the Treasurer (the administrative head) of Middle Temple Inn of Law in London.  The year 1637 appears at multiple places on this document, and it appears to be written and signed in one hand, with 4 additional signatures added (including that of Richard Lane).  Remarkably, the paper the document appears on includes an intact watermark that can be used to roughly identify where the paper itself originated–a paper mill in the Normandy region of France.

Analysis of the Document Itself

The paper this document was written on is actually linen, made from the fiber of the flax plant.  These plants produce the fibers used in making both paper and cloth.  The durability of this material has allowed the preservation of many documents (and books from this era.  The watermarks themselves are a subtle craftsman’s “brand” built into the paper, indicating a finer quality of product.  Both this document fragment (produced in 1637) and my copy of “Lane’s Reports” (published in 1657) were printed on similar linen paper from different paper mills in Normandy.

A field of flax plants in bloom. About a month after they bloom, they are harvested for the fibers they contain.

When flax fibers were made into paper in these times, they were entrained in a large heated vat of water. A rectangular wood-framed mesh sheet of wire was dipped into this solution of linen fibers, capturing a layer of them while allowing the water to drain away.  The moulds are then allowed to dry before the layer of paper is removed to be pressed and treated.  In the image below, you can see the impression of the structure of the mould when the paper is backlit.  The horizonal lines are the primary structure of the mould’s mesh, while the vertical wires stabilize it’s surface.  The lines left by these vertical wires are called “chain lines”.  In the center of this image, you can also see a “watermark” of grapes embedded in the paper. This watermark image was made by a wire image attached to the backside of the mesh of the mould.  The presence of additional wire causes slightly more fiber to be retained as the water drains away, causing the paper there to be minutely thicker.

A backlit view of the document fragment showing “chain lines” and watermark in the structure of the linen paper

There are several watermark databases around the world used by paper researchers learning all they can about the documents they are studying.  In the United States, the primary database I have used in the Gravell Watermark Archive maintained by the University of Delaware.  This particular watermark is in the “Grapes” category common to many papers produced in Normandy.

An extraction of the watermark from the 1637 promissory note. It is of grapes hanging from a stem augmented by the letters “IH, or “HI” (likely the initials of the artisan that made the paper)

In the figure above, I have extracted an image of the watermark from the document.  The initials it contains are likely the initials of the artisan who made the moulds the paper was created on.  Because the letters “IH” and “HI” are both reasonable when viewed in mirror image, it cannot be said for certain which was the artist’s intent.  When I searched several watermark databases, I was unable to find a match for either orientation, indicating this may be a previously undocumented watermark.

Signatories of the Promissory Note

The signature of Sir Richard Lane

The seller of this document correctly identified the signature of Sir Richard Lane (though he was not to be knighted until years later).  What surprised me is that the seller of the document featured Richard Lane’s name in the title of the listing, even though his signature was not the most grandiose on the document, nor would have seemed to be the most important.  This latter point is interesting, as 1637 was the year he was not just a Senior Master of the Bench, but also serving as the Treasurer (head administrator) of Middle Temple.  I am hoping to find some assistance transcribing the rest of the text visible in this document fragment to see if more can be known about the transaction involved.

Other Signatories to the Document

The most apparent name in the writing above is that of Sir David Cunningham.   There seem to be two David Cunninghams of note in this period.  The first was David Cunningham of Auchenharvie (and owner the Auchenharvie Castle, whose ruins still stand in Scotland).  This David Cunningham was an administrator of income to King Charles I.  The particular notation on this promissory note was likely that of his younger namesake cousin, Sir David Cunningham, Baronet of Nova Scotia (who died in 1666).  These two corresponded regularly, indicating strong familial connections to the court of King Charles I.

While looking into this particular Sir David Cunningham, I found another quite remarkable connection to Sir Richard Lane’s story.  It seems the man whose name appears on this document in 1637 was captured 14 years later in the aftermath of the Battle of Worcester. He was made prisoner at the Chester Castle along with Sir Richard Lane’s son, who had been made a personal groom to King Charles II.  If you are interested, see my article on Richard Lane the Younger .   It would seem even in the 1600’s the world could be a very small place indeed…

The other signatory that seems legible is simply “Lumley”.  This was likely Sir Richard Lumley, 1st Viscount Lumley, who would become an important royalist commander during the Civil War, serving under Prince Rupert.

Conclusion

I am thrilled to have such an intriguing artifact.  Owning something that Sir Richard Lane set his hand to is especially satisfying when so much about the man has been elusive.  But this document could also be historically interesting, given the important royalist people who signed it.. I am hopeful I may find someone who is able to assist me in transcribing the handwritten text (and other signatures) to see what else can be known about it…