Document - Elizabethan vellum indenture, dated 4th October 1565 - 1564

A primary-source manuscript of significant historical gravity. This Elizabethan vellum indenture, dated 4th October 1565, bears the rare and legible signature of Walter Devereux ("W. Hereforde").

Walter Devereux was a titan of the Tudor age—the 1st Earl of Essex and the progenitor of a line that would define and eventually defy the Elizabethan Court. This document dates to the 7th year of Elizabeth I’s reign, capturing the Devereux family at the height of their landed power.

Historical Context:
As the father of Robert Devereux (the 2nd Earl of Essex), Walter’s life set the stage for his son’s tragic rise as the Queen’s favourite. This document is a foundational record of the Devereux estates, written in a clear Elizabethan Secretary hand on parchment. It represents a rare opportunity to own a direct link to the man whose lineage became synonymous with the high drama of the Tudor era.

Walter Devereux (1539–1576) was a central figure in the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was later created the 1st Earl of Essex. However, his enduring legacy in British history is as the father of Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl of Essex—Queen Elizabeth I’s beloved favourite whose spectacular rise and eventual execution for treason in 1601 remains one of the Great Dramas of the age. Walter died in Dublin in 1576, officially of dysentery. However, rumours persisted for centuries that he was poisoned by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Leicester’s swift marriage to Walter’s widow, Lettice Knollys, only fuelled the fire of this 16th-century "true crime" mystery.

This charter represents the Devereux family's massive territorial influence during the mid-Tudor period. Documents signed by Walter Devereux are significantly scarcer than those of his more famous son, making this a vital acquisition for collectors of Elizabethan nobility and Tudor statecraft.

Condition:
The parchment is in remarkable condition for its 460-year age. The ink remains dark and the text highly legible. A stunning candidate for archival framing.

Document measures 29.9 x 20.4cm or 30.2cm including the seal strip (approximately 12" x 8" x 12").