Royal warrant relating to payment of the armed forces

Copy of a royal warrant signed by Robert Walpole, then Secretary at War, of 26 Dec 1708, to the auditors of the imprests on behalf of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos and Paymaster General of the Forces, allowing him to continue his payments 'for our forces & other services in the Low Countries' at the agreed rate of ten guilders, fifteen stivers to the pound sterling.

The War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713), was fought against France over the choice of successor to the throne of Charles II of Spain. England, Holland, Austria and most of the German states sided against France, and a series of battles were fought in Europe. The Dutch and English armies were led by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough.
James Brydges (1674-1744), successively Earl of Carnarvan and Duke of Chandos, was Paymaster General to the Forces during this period, and managed to accumulate a large personal fortune through the illicit investment of public funds and bribes paid by merchants.

Single item.

Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the Library's Palaeography Room. Uncatalogued material may not be seen. Please contact the University Archivist for details.

Bought from N.J. Seeley in 1965.

Collection level description.

12½" x 7½"

Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests.