{"product_id":"1781-earl-of-hillsborough-signed-50-bank-draft-british-colonial-secretary-during-the-american-revolution","title":"1781 EARL OF HILLSBOROUGH SIGNED £50 BANK DRAFT — BRITISH COLONIAL SECRETARY DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eOriginal manuscript bank draft signed \u003cstrong\u003e“Hillsborough”\u003c\/strong\u003e by \u003cstrong\u003eWills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the British officials most closely associated with the imperial policies that helped precipitate the American Revolution.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDated \u003cstrong\u003eApril 21, 1781\u003c\/strong\u003e, the draft instructs the prominent London bankers Robert and Henry Drummond to pay £50 to John Gibb or his order:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Pray pay to Mr. John Gibb or order the sum of Fifty Pounds and place it to my account.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is boldly signed at lower right:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Hillsborough”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHillsborough served as Britain’s first Secretary of State specifically charged with colonial affairs from 1768 to 1772. A forceful opponent of concessions to the American colonies, he supported strict enforcement of parliamentary authority and the stationing of British troops in Boston. His policies during the aftermath of the Townshend Acts placed him in direct conflict with Benjamin Franklin and other colonial representatives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen this draft was signed in April 1781, Hillsborough had returned to Lord North’s government as \u003cstrong\u003eSecretary of State for the Southern Department\u003c\/strong\u003e. He consequently occupied a senior cabinet position during the final year of major British military operations in America. The document dates approximately six months before Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe payment was directed to \u003cstrong\u003eRobert and Henry Drummond at Charing Cross\u003c\/strong\u003e, members of an important London banking family whose clients included aristocrats, government officials and British army agents. Henry Drummond was particularly associated with military finance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccompanied by a contemporary address or filing panel bearing the names John Gibb and possibly Henry Green, with additional manuscript endorsements and extensive remnants of old dark-blue mounting paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 21, 1781\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlace:\u003c\/strong\u003e London\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSignatory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wills Hill, Earl of Hillsborough\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecipient:\u003c\/strong\u003e John Gibb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBankers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Robert and Henry Drummond, Charing Cross\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Manuscript financial draft with accompanying address or docket panel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Scattered foxing and staining; several small holes caused by ink corrosion; minor edge wear and handling creases. Accompanying panel has extensive old blue mounting paper obscuring part of its surface. Hillsborough’s signature is large, dark and clearly legible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Signature Documents LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52742011126042,"sku":null,"price":1258.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2221\/0931\/files\/IMG_2579.jpg?v=1787691902","url":"https:\/\/www.thearchiveauthority.com\/en-ca\/products\/1781-earl-of-hillsborough-signed-50-bank-draft-british-colonial-secretary-during-the-american-revolution","provider":"Signature Documents LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}