Lord North Signed 1780 British Treasury Warrant—Revolutionary War-Era Diplomatic Payments
Original manuscript Treasury warrant signed by Frederick North, Lord North, prime minister of Great Britain throughout most of the American Revolutionary War. Dated May 30, 1780, Whitehall Treasury Chambers, London.
This detailed government account authorizes approximately £2,540 in extraordinary payments and allowances to British ambassadors, envoys and consuls stationed at Constantinople, Prussia, Denmark, Algiers, Tripoli, Cádiz, Venice, Galicia, Bruges and other foreign posts. Among those named are Robert Ainslie, Hugh Elliot, Nathaniel Davison, Morton Eden, John Strange and Josiah Hardy.
The warrant concludes by directing payment from funds in His Majesty’s Exchequer and is signed by three Lords Commissioners of the Treasury:
- Frederick North, Lord North, prime minister and First Lord of the Treasury
- William Henry Lyttelton, Baron Westcote, Treasury commissioner
- Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston, Treasury commissioner
Signed at the height of the American Revolution, the document reflects the international financial and diplomatic responsibilities confronting Lord North’s government while Britain simultaneously fought the American colonies and their European allies.
Large manuscript document, written on both sides. Considerable fold wear, edge losses, staining and old reinforcement strips, with separations and weakness along several folds. Despite the condition, the principal text remains legible and all three Treasury signatures are clearly present.
Original manuscript Treasury warrant signed by Frederick North, Lord North, prime minister of Great Britain throughout most of the American Revolutionary War. Dated May 30, 1780, Whitehall Treasury Chambers, London.
This detailed government account authorizes approximately £2,540 in extraordinary payments and allowances to British ambassadors, envoys and consuls stationed at Constantinople, Prussia, Denmark, Algiers, Tripoli, Cádiz, Venice, Galicia, Bruges and other foreign posts. Among those named are Robert Ainslie, Hugh Elliot, Nathaniel Davison, Morton Eden, John Strange and Josiah Hardy.
The warrant concludes by directing payment from funds in His Majesty’s Exchequer and is signed by three Lords Commissioners of the Treasury:
- Frederick North, Lord North, prime minister and First Lord of the Treasury
- William Henry Lyttelton, Baron Westcote, Treasury commissioner
- Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston, Treasury commissioner
Signed at the height of the American Revolution, the document reflects the international financial and diplomatic responsibilities confronting Lord North’s government while Britain simultaneously fought the American colonies and their European allies.
Large manuscript document, written on both sides. Considerable fold wear, edge losses, staining and old reinforcement strips, with separations and weakness along several folds. Despite the condition, the principal text remains legible and all three Treasury signatures are clearly present.
