Description:

James II of England King

James II ALS Re: "affaire of the Sherifs", a London Election that Inspired the Earl of Shaftesbury's Rebellion and Assassination Plots

2pp ALS inscribed overall and signed by the future James II, King of England (1633-1701) as "j" at the bottom of the second page. Written at Windsor Castle on July 9, [1682]. The letter is displayed to the left of James II's portrait by Whiteway, after the original painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller in London's National Portrait Gallery, and above an envelope, its red wax seal embossed with a large "D". Matted and framed behind Plexiglas within a double-sided frame permitting a full view of the reverse side of the document. Within an antiqued burnished frame with cream tipped olive colored matting. Not examined out of frame. The document sight size is 6.625" x 8.875" while the overall frame size is 23.5" x 22" x 1.25".

Transcribed in full, with unchanged spelling and punctuation:

"Windsor July 9.  

I had but yesterday yours of the 3:, and came away from London so sone after diner that I could not till now lett you know I had receved it, I see by it that you had then had but one of myne, and that you had not had better weather than we have here, I hope now you have the same that we have, and then you will have very good, and warme which is sesonable at this tyme of yeare, till this affaire of the sherifs shall be over, we shall not be long settled here, for on Thursday his Ma: [jesty]  

[second page]

gos back to London, and I beleve the Queene to, but I hope we shall not stay there above a day or two there, for I should be sorry the Dutchess should be any longer alone here, she having been it to long already, I send this under Mrs. Bromleys cover who can so well informe you of all the newse here that I need not write any more to you, but to assure you that you shall always find me to be your most humble servant.

j."

This letter was written by the future James II, then the Duke of York, to his favorite niece, Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield (1664-1718). The Countess of Lichfield was the illegitimate daughter of James's older brother Charles II and the latter's mistress Barbara Villiers. Though he had no children with the Queen of England, it's estimated that "the Merry Monarch" had at least a dozen illegitimate offspring including Charlotte, nee Fitzroy.

The most significant aspect of this letter is James's reference to "this affaire of the sherifs" (found at the bottom of the first page.) (This event also indicates the letter's probable date of 1682.) "The Affair of the Sheriffs" was a period of socio-political unrest during the summer of 1682, when pro-Royalist Tories and Whigs critical of absolute monarchy struggled to sway the election of two London sheriffs. The election of two Tory candidates in September 1682 was viewed as a triumph by Charles II and the ruling faction. The Whigs, led by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury--himself just arrested for high treason just a year earlier--interpreted this power play as despotism. In response, Shaftesbury attempted to launch multiple coordinate rebellions, and even assassinate Charles II and the Duke of York. Shaftesbury's plans fell apart, however, and he fled to Holland where he died soon after.

Historical personages referred to in the letter include: "his Ma:" or Charles II; the "Queene" Catherine of Braganza; the "Dutchess" or James's second wife, Mary of Modena; and "Mrs Bromley", one of Mary of Modena's ladies in waiting.

James II ruled for only three years, between 1685-1688, before his daughter Mary II and son-in-law William III, Duke of Orange assumed the throne through the Glorious Revolution.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000