Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/335

 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 287 work, the proporty of Miss E. Burr, of Stockwell. They composed a cap worked in black silk and silver tlircad, supposed to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth, and said to have been worked in some foreign convent ; also a worked scapular, supposed to have been worn with the cap. A Christening suit, consisting of a cap, shirt, sleeves of China silk, iriits, and a large bib or pinafore of point lace. All these reliques had been many years preserved at Ilockliffe, Bedfordsliire. There were also exhibited two ancient samplers of point lace ; a mantilla and hood of the same material, and other portions of beautiful work attached to a piece of silk. By Mr. G. B. Webu. — The original Letters Patent of King Edward VI., dated the 2Gth Nov., in the first year of his reign, with an imperfect impression of his great seal appended ; whereby he confirmed, by In- spe.ximus, the Charter granted by Edward I. at Flint to the town of Carnarvon on the Sth September in the twelfth year of his reign. These Letters Patent recited similar confirmations of that Charter by Edward IL while Prince of Wales, Edward IIL, Richard IL, Henry V. while Prince of Wales, Henry VI., and Edward IV., therein called Edward V., but evidently by mistake, since the instrument was dated in the eighth year of his reign, and under that year of Edward IV. the Cal. Rot. Pat. mentions a confirmation of the liberties of Carnarvon. The parchment was so much worn at the folds as to render portions of the writing illegible, and the last line had the appearance of having been cut through longitudinally with a knife for some inches. This document was accompanied by another, but much smaller, instru- ment, also on parchment, dated the 10th of April, 1688, and purporting to be a surrender by the Mayor and Burgesses of Carnarvon, under their common seal, to King James II. , of all their powers, franchises, liberties, privileges, and authorities of electing and appointing to ofiices of or be- longing to the town, with a request that his Majesty would accept the same, and regrant them such other charter as he should think fit ; which surrender was preceded by a short recital of how much it imported the government of the town " to have persons of known loyalty and integrity to bear offices of magistracy and places of trust therein." In the margin is a round discoloured spot 2f inches diameter, where a seal, no doubt that of the corporation, was once aflfixed, but it appears to have been removed carefully and completely, as if for the purpose of cancellation. An indorse- ment designates it " Surrender of the Charter of the Borougli of Carnarvon, " over which is " 1688, 4 Car. 2," instead of 1688, 4 Jac. 2, as must have been intended. It is well known that both Charles II. and James II. , beside depriving some cities and towns of their charters by legal proceedings, induced others to surrender theirs in order that new charters might be granted them, under which persons favourable to the views of the court might be elected. In the state of dismay in which James found himself shortly before the coming of the Prince of Orange, among other measures, that he was advised to adopt to regain public confidence, was the restoration of the charters to those cities and towns ; and he accordingly issued a proclamation under the great seal, dated the 7th of Oct., 1688, in which it was stated, that several corporations had surrendered their charters, but the surrenders were inefiectual for want of enrolment ; and that the King had caused the deeds of surrender which could bo found to be de- livered to the Attorney-General, to be by him cancelled and returned to VOL. XI. P P