James I-Era English Exchequer Receipt — Tax on Steel, May 4, 1618
An intriguing early Stuart financial document, dated May 4, 1618, recording a payment into the English Exchequer during the reign of King James I.
Written in abbreviated Latin on a long, narrow strip of parchment, the receipt names William Elliott and a second payer identified in an accompanying typed description as “Mathia Mesey.” That description records a payment of £73 6 shillings 8 pence for the “new imposition on steel,” accounted through the Feast of the Annunciation in 1618.
The document bears a bold signature apparently reading “Edw: Carye,” tentatively attributed to Sir Edward Cary, a royal court official who served as a Teller of the Exchequer. The signature attribution and complete transcription remain subject to verification.
A distinctive survival of early seventeenth-century English commerce and royal taxation, combining flowing manuscript lettering, contemporary accounting annotations, and an impressive official signature.
Condition: Age toning, folds and wrinkling, scattered staining, small holes or splits, and marginal wear with loss at the upper-right edge. Portions of the text are faded or affected by wear; the principal signature remains strongly visible. Brief docketing on the reverse. Accompanied by a later typed identification label.
An intriguing early Stuart financial document, dated May 4, 1618, recording a payment into the English Exchequer during the reign of King James I.
Written in abbreviated Latin on a long, narrow strip of parchment, the receipt names William Elliott and a second payer identified in an accompanying typed description as “Mathia Mesey.” That description records a payment of £73 6 shillings 8 pence for the “new imposition on steel,” accounted through the Feast of the Annunciation in 1618.
The document bears a bold signature apparently reading “Edw: Carye,” tentatively attributed to Sir Edward Cary, a royal court official who served as a Teller of the Exchequer. The signature attribution and complete transcription remain subject to verification.
A distinctive survival of early seventeenth-century English commerce and royal taxation, combining flowing manuscript lettering, contemporary accounting annotations, and an impressive official signature.
Condition: Age toning, folds and wrinkling, scattered staining, small holes or splits, and marginal wear with loss at the upper-right edge. Portions of the text are faded or affected by wear; the principal signature remains strongly visible. Brief docketing on the reverse. Accompanied by a later typed identification label.
