The Fall of Phaeton, by Rubens
Like the Phaeton of mythology, as a youth Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, seemed to have everything one could desire – wealth, status, friends, attractive physical appearance, athletic ability, and talent as a writer and musician. Yet in many ways his life resembles Phaeton’s dramatic fall, and Oxford himself appreciated the parallel, signing a sonnet in 1591 ‘Phaeton to his friend Florio’.
The documents reprinted below illustrate Oxford’s fall from a position of wealth and power to a nadir in 1590-1. In 1591 he remarried, and in 1592 his first surviving male heir was born. From that time on Oxford gradually attempted to rebuild his fortunes, a project which met with little success during the reign of Elizabeth, but which took a marked turn for the better when James I became King of England. However it was cut short by Oxford’s death on 24 June 1604, only a year 99/after King James’ accession.
To contact the author of this site, email devere@telus.net.
DOCUMENTS IN THE LIFE OF EDWARD DE VERE, 17TH EARL OF OXFORD, REPRINTED
HERE FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY
1415
Last will of Richard Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, dated 6 August 1415, and acquittance issued to his widow and executrix Alice (Sergeaux) Vere on 22 September 1417
1442
Last will and testament of Edward Tyrrell of Downham, whose wife, Anne, was a first cousin of John de Vere (d.1462), 12th Earl of Oxford
1489
Plea of 13th Earl of Oxford before justices in eyre on 17 August 1489 for confirmation of liberties in Waltham Forest and the keeping of the house and park of Havering, later claimed by Oxford in his own lifetime and restored to him by King James
1496
Last will and testament, dated 12 October 1496, of Sir Edmund Bedingfield, who fought under the 13th Earl of Oxford at the Battle of Stoke and entertained King Henry VIII at Oxburgh in the company of the 13th Earl
1500
Last will and testament, dated 21 August 1500, of Sir George Vere (d.1503), younger brother of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, and father of John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford
1509
Last will and testament, dated 10 April 1509, of John de Vere (d.1513), 13th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 23 April 1509, of Sir Robert Corbet, whose sister Elizabeth married Thomas Trentham, great-grandfather of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, and whose sister Mary was the great-grandmother of Southampton's wife, Elizabeth Vernon
1513
Inventory of the goods and chattels of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, prepared by Thomas Mercer on 20 May 1513, two months after the Earl's death on 10 March 1513
1518
Last will and testament, dated 4 October 1518, of Thomas Trentham, great-grandfather of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham
1527
Last will and testament, dated 24 August 1527, of Thomas Lee, maternal grandfather of the poet, Thomas Watson (d.1592), who dedicated Ekatompathia to Oxford in 1582
1528
Last will and testament, dated 6 July 1528, of George Waldegrave, grandfather of Sir William Waldegrave (d.1613), co-guarantor of Oxford's debt to the Court of Wards
1529
TNA C 1/685/22, TNA C 1/685/23
Bill of complaint of John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, for delivery of documents concerning his reversionary interest in the manor of Mountnessing, and answer of defendants, Henry Wentworth and Agnes, his wife
1531
Last will and testament, dated 1 May 1531, of Sir Robert Drury, chief steward and executor of the 13th Earl of Oxford, and legatee of the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales owned by the Earls of Oxford
1532
Last will and testament, dated 24 October 1532, of John Salter, whose daughter Jane married Sir William Sneyd, and whose grand-daughter, Mary Chetwynd, married Oxford's trustee, Ralph Sneyd, maternal uncle of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham
1533
Last will and testament, dated 8 April 1533, of James Tyrrell (d.1538), father of Charles Tyrrell (d.1570), second husband of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding (d.1568)
1534
Letters patent of 23 March 1534 by which Henry VIII granted the great garden property at Aldgate to Lord Audley
1536
Grant dated 22 July 1536 by King Henry VIII to John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, of Colne Priory and Hedingham Priory
1537
Last will and testament, dated 30 May 1537, of Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Oxford, widow of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 12 July 1537, of Sir John Munday, whose son John Munday was apparently in the 16th Earl's service, and whose daughter, Margaret, was the stepmother of Oxford's friend, Sir George Howard, and of Charles Arundel's mother, Margaret Arunde
Last will and testament, dated 20 September 1537, of Julian Munday, whose son John Munday was apparently in the 16th Earl's service
1539
Last will and testament, dated 15 March 1539, of Sir Thomas Bedingfield, whose father fought under the 13th Earl of Oxford at the Battle of Stoke and entertained King Henry VII at Oxburgh in the company of the 13th Earl
Grant by King Henry VIII by letters patent dated 8 June 1539 to John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, of the mansion near London Stone known as Oxford Place
Last will and testament, dated 26 June 1539, of Sir William Kingston, brother-in-law of Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Oxford, wife of the 13th Earl
1540
Account of annual rental values of lands inherited, both in possession and in reversion, by John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, upon the death of his father John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, on 20 March 1540
Last will and testament, dated 6 June 1540, of John Tyrrell of Heron, which establishes that the Charles Tyrrell who married Oxford's mother, Margery Golding, was not the testator's brother, Charles Tyrrell, as stated in The Complete Peerage
1542
Last will and testament, dated 12 May 1542, of John Holland, one of the household chaplains of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 12 September and 6 October 1542, of John Neville (1493-1543), 3rd Lord Latimer, whose first wife was Dorothy de Vere (d.1527), sister and co-heir of John de Vere (1499-1526), 14th Earl of Oxford
1543
Last will and testament, dated 16 March 1543, of Andrew, 1st Lord Windsor, a descendant of Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford, whose grandson, Edward, 3rd Lord Windsor, married Oxford's half-sister, Katherine de Vere
1544
Extract from will of Lord Audley of 19 April 1544 re great garden property at Aldgate
Grant by King Henry VIII, dated 29 April 1544, to the 16th Earl of Oxford of various manors and lands owned by the King in exchange for eight manors belonging to the 16th Earl and a payment by the Earl of £1719 19s 11-1/2
Last will and testament, dated 20 May 1544, of Oxford's maternal uncle, Edmund, Lord Sheffield
1546
Last will and testament, dated 12 July 1546, of Mary (nee Scrope) Jerningham Kingston, sister of Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Oxford, wife of the 13th Earl
Last will and testament, dated 7 August 1546, of Sir Henry Knyvet, grandfather of Oxford's mistress, Anne Vavasour, and father of Sir Thomas Knyvet, who fought with Oxford over the 'quarrel of Anne Vavasour' in 1582
Last will and testament, dated 20 December 1546, of Richard Trentham, grandfather of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham
1547
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council stating that on 21 May 1547 Somerset forced the 16th Earl to surrender his patent for the office of Lord Great Chamberlain of England
Extract from the pedigree of the Lucas family stating that John Lucas, 'being a great gamester', won the wardship of Mary Roydon from the 16th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 3 November 1547, of Richard Pranke, chaplain to Anne de Vere, Dowager Countess of Oxford, in which the testator appoints the Countess as his sole executrix and beneficiary
1548
Licence dated 30 January 1548 from King Edward VI to John, 16th Earl of Oxford, authorizing alienation of manors held from the Crown in chief by knight service to Edward, Duke of Somerset, Michael Stanhope, Thomas Darcy, and John Lucas
Exemplification dated 18 April 1548 of the fine of 10 February 1548 and 16 April 1548 by which the lands of the Oxford earldom were extorted from the 16th Earl by Somerset
Letter of 27 June 1548 from Sir Thomas Darcy to his first cousin, Sir Michael Stanhope, brother-in-law of the Protector Somerset, proposing that the 16th Earl's marriage to Mistress Dorothy be stayed, and that he marry a daughter of Thomas, Lord Wentworth
Last will and testament of John Golding, father of Margery Golding, and Oxford's maternal grandfather
Entry in parish register of Belchamp St. Paul of marriage of 16th Earl of Oxford and Margery Golding on 1 August 1548
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council stating that on 13 September 1548 the 16th Earl was forced to enter into a recognizance for 500 marks, to be forfeited if he granted any annuities, disposed of his personal possessions, or failed to accept the advice of his own servants
1549
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council stating that on 10 April 1549 Sir John Williams, Treasurer of the Augmentations, had a warrant for £29 from the sale of chantry lands for the 16th Earl and Thomas Almott
1550
Letter of 17 April 1550 to Sir Anthony Aucher re christening gift from Edward VI after Oxford’s birth on 12 April 1550
1551
Last will and testament, dated 12 June 1551, of Sir Thomas Tyrrell, containing a bequest to Charles Tyrrell, second husband of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding
1552
Private Act of Parliament passed on 22 or 23 January 1552 which restored the 16th Earl's lands to him after Somerset’s extortion
Private Act of Parliament passed on 13 April 1552 which repealed the private Act of Parliament of April 1540 by which the lands of the 16th Earl had become secretly entailed to Somerset and his heirs, and by which the King and others had also lost rights of inheritance
Copy made 17 May 1552 of Act of Parliament of 22 or 23 January 1552 by which the 16th Earl’s lands were restored to him after Somerset’s fraud and extortion
Last will and testament, dated 9 August 1552, of Sir Edmund Bedingfield, grandfather of Thomas Bedingfield, who dedicated his translation of Cardanus' Comfort to Oxford
First surviving last will and testament of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, dated 21 December 1552, with a memorandum dated 28 January 1554
1553
Letters patent of King Edward VI dated 22 January 1553 restoring to the 16th Earl bonds, goods and chattels which had escheated to the crown as a result of Somerset's extortion against the 16th Earl and his subsequent attainder and execution
Excerpt from the Vitae Mariae Angliae Reginae of Robert Wingfield of Brantham describing the 16th Earl's support of Queen Mary in opposition to the Duke of Northumberland's attempt to put his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, on the throne
1554
Last will and testament, dated 28 June 1554, of Elizabeth Onley, maternal grandmother of the poet, Thomas Watson (d.1592), who dedicated Ekatompathia to Oxford in 1582
Last will and testament, dated 8 November 1554, of Sir William Waldegrave, father of Sir William Waldegrave (d.1613), co-guarantor of Oxford's debt to the Court of Wards
1555
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter sent by the Council 18 March 1555 to the 16th Earl and Lord Rich ordering them to be present at the burning of Protestant heretics at certain places in Essex
Extracts from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning letters sent by the Counci on 3 June 1555 ordering Lord Rich to be present at the burning of heretics at certain places in Essex, and ordering the 16th Earl to send his officers, servants and tenants to attend Lord Rich
Extracts from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning letters sent by the Counci on 13 and 15 June 1555 thanking Sir Henry Tyrrell, Mr Anthony Browne, the 16th Earl, Lord Rich and Sir John Wentworth for assisting the Sheriff of Essex with the execution of heretics
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter of 111 July 1555 summoning the 16th Earl's servant and brother-in-law, Henry Golding, to appear before the Council
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter of 6 August 1555 thanking the 16th Earl and others and instructing them to examine and punish the persons connected with an intended conspiracy
1556
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter sent by the Council on 13 January 1556 to Edward Waldegrave and Serjeant Browne requiring them to investigate whether one Rooke, 'an innkeeper of Braintree', was in the 16th Earl's service
A further extract from the Acts of the Privy Council of 30 January 1556 concerning Thomas Rooke, 'an innkeeper of Braintree' (see APC, p. 355)
A further extract from the Acts of the Privy Council of 15 February 1556 concerning Thomas Rooke, 'an innkeeper of Braintree' (see APC, p. 355)
A further extract from the Acts of the Privy Council of 4 April 1556 concerning Thomas Rooke, 'an innkeeper of Braintree' (see APC, p. 355)
A further extract from the Acts of the Privy Council of 20 April 1556 concerning Thomas Rooke, 'an innkeeper of Braintree' (see APC, p. 355)
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter of thanks sent by the Council on 12 June 1556 to the 16th Earl, presumably in connection with a matter of the administration of justice in Essex
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter sent by the Council on 19 July1556 to the 16th Earl and the Justices of Oyer and Terminer in Essex notifying them of a conspiracy which had been discovered in Suffolk and urging vigilance
Extract from the Acts of the Privy Council concerning a letter sent by the Council 22 July1556 to the 16th Earl and the Justices of Oyer and Terminer in Essex notifying them that the 16th Earl's brother-in-law, Lord Darcy, had been joined with them in Commission
1557
Last will and testament, dated 21 November 1557, of Robert Hickes, first husband of Julian Penn, from whom in 1590 Oxford rented rooms at her house on St Peter's Hill
Last will and testament, dated 26 December 1557, of Sir William Drury, whose name appears in the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales owned by the Earls of Oxford
1558
Bill of complaint filed in Chancery by the executors of Andrew, Lord Windsor, against Robert Wingfield with respect to the purchase by Lord Windsor of the wardship of Roger Corbet from the executors of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 20 January 1558, of Ursula (nee de Vere) Knightley, niece of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, and sister and co-heir of John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 27 March 1558, of Oxford's paternal uncle, Thomas, 1st Lord Darcy of Chiche
Last will and testament, dated 10 August 1558, of William, 2nd Lord Windsor (d.1558), whose son Edward, 3rd Lord Windsor (d.1575) married Oxford's half-sister, Katherine de Vere (d.1600); the will mentions her dowry and jointure
Last will and testament, dated 23 December 1558, of the 16th Earl's yeoman servant, Thomas Hunt, witnessed by the Earl
1559
Last will and testament, dated 10 December 1559, of William Watson, father of the poet, Thomas Watson (d.1592), who dedicated Ekatompathia to Oxford in 1582
1561
Last will and testament, dated 8 May 1561, of Anne Watson, mother of the poet, Thomas Watson (d.1592), who dedicated Ekatompathia to Oxford in 1582
1562
HUNTINGTON LIBRARY HAP o/s Box 3(19)
Indenture of 1 July 1562 between the 16th Earl of Oxford and Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, providing for a contract of marriage between Oxford and one of Huntingdon's sisters
Indenture of 2 June 1562 by which the 16th Earl appointed Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, Sir Robert Dudley, and Sir Thomas Golding as trustees of his lands with the exception of Colne Priory, Christian Malford, Thorncombe, Colbrooke and Acton Trussell
Second surviving will of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, dated 28 July 1562 and probated 29 May 1563
Entry in the diary of Henry Machyn describing the funeral in Essex of the 16th Earl on 31 August 1562
Entry in the diary of Henry Machyn describing Oxford's arrival in London on 3 September 1562 after the funeral in Essex of his father, the 16th Earl
Survey made by an officer of the Court of Wards, the feodary John Glascock, of the annual rental value of the 16th Earl of Oxford's lands in Essex
Program of studies drawn up for Oxford shortly after he came to live at Cecil House as the Queen's ward
List of all the lands and the office of Lord Great Chamberlain held by the 16th Earl at his death, together with their individual values, totalling £2255 1s 9d
1563
TNA C 142/136/12 Latin transcript
Inquisition post mortem taken at Stratford Langthorne in Essex on 18 January 1563, five months after the death on 3 August 1562 of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford
TNA C 142/136/12 English translation
Inquisition post mortem taken at Stratford Langthorne in Essex on 18 January 1563, five months after the death on 3 August 1562 of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford
List of 103 knights' fees held by John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, at his death, valued at £6 1s 10d in total
Declaration of 16th Earl of Oxford's legal title to the properties left by him at his death
Receipt issued by Arthur Golding for one half year's rent for Oxford's manor of Colbrooke received on 22 May 1563 from John Dawe, bailiff
Certificate dated 24 May 1563 issued by John Purvey, feodary of Hertfordshire, for his survey of all the 16th Earl's lands in that county made pursuant to a commission directed to him after the 16th Earl's death on 3 August 1562
Receipt issued by Arthur Golding for one half year's rent for Oxford's manor of Christian Malford received on 26 May 1563 from Jerome Balborough, bailiff
Receipt issued by Arthur Golding for rents received in 1563 from the bailiffs of Oxford's manors of Colbrooke and Christian Malford
Arthur Golding’s petition of 28 June 1563 requesting the Archbishop of Canterbury to stay proceedings by Oxford’s half-sister, Lady Katherine Windsor
Oxford's letter re his studies written in French to Sir William Cecil on 19 August 1563
Account by Thomas Lee, deputy to Jerome Balborough, for Oxford's manor of Christian Malford for the year 29 September 1562 to 29 September 1563
BL MS Lansdowne 6/34, ff. 96-7
Letter of 11 October 1563 from Margery Golding to Sir William Cecil re rent corn for her household which Lord Robert Dudley's servants had forbidden the tenants to provide to her
Queen’s lease dated 22 October 1563 of her 'thirds', that is, her one-third interest in the lands of her ward, Oxford, to Sir Robert Dudley, later Earl of Leicester, during Oxford’s minority
Court of Wards accounting for Oxford's lands for 1563-64
Letter of 7 December 1563 from John Chidley, bailiff of Thornecombe, to Thomas Williams, feodary of Devonshire, re collection of Oxford's rents for Thornecombe
Letter of 13 December 1563 from Robert Newdigate, feodary of Buckinghamshire, to Sir William Cecil re collection of Oxford's Michaelmas revenues in that county
Survey made in 1563 of rents and tenants of all Oxford’s lands in Cornwall
Note of rents and fines for certain of Oxford's tenements in Cornwall which were currently void
Excerpt from John Strype's life of Sir Thomas Smith stating that Oxford was tutored by Smith before Smith left for France in 1562, and that Oxford 'afterwards proved of excellent abilities and learning'
1564
Letter dated 28 January 1564 from Thomas Browne, feodary of Cornwall, to Sir William Cecil re revenues from Oxford's lands in Cornwall
Acquittance dated 12 February 1564 from Sir John Tyrrell and his son, George, acknowledging receipt of £15 pursuant to an annuity of £10 per annum granted to Sir John Tyrrell by the 16th Earl in 1546
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Arthur Golding's Th' Abridgement of the Histories of Trogus Pompeius, published in May 1564 when Oxford was fourteen, a translation of Trogus, Pompeius. Historiae Philippicae
Account for repairs done at Colne House in Essex in 1563 and 1564 when Oxford's mother took up residence there after the death of the 16th Earl
Court of Wards summary of accounts for revenues for the years 1562-1564 for manors which came to Oxford as a joint purchaser with his father, the 16th Earl
Last will and testament of Oxford's paternal aunt, Elizabeth de Vere, widow of Thomas, 1st Lord Darcy of Chiche
1565
Letter dated 10 February 1565 from Stephen Bagot, feodary of Staffordshire, to Sir William Cecil re rents received for Oxford's manor of Acton Trussell
Letter dated 7 May 1565 from Oxford's mother, Margery Golding, to Sir William Cecil urging that money due to come to Oxford during his minority be entrusted to her and other persons of substance so that it would be available to meet the charges of suing his livery
Account by William Cooke of sums of money received by him to Oxford's use from bailiffs and farmers of Oxford's manors and from the feodary of Buckinghamshire in 1564 and 1565
Note dated 10 November 1565 recording the location of documents pertaining to Oxford's title to his lands
1566
Letter from Sir William Cecil and other officers of the Court of Wards to Leicester's servant. Robert Christmas, advising that the rent of £66 for Oxford's property of Colne Priory, a property included in the Queen's grant to Leicester, had been unpaid for three years
Memorandum of the prospective marriage of the Earl of Leicester and Queen Elizabeth at Oxford’s residence at London Stone on 2 April 1566
Last will and testament of Richard Tyrrell, which makes mention in an entail of the marriage of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding, to Charles Tyrrell
Last will and testament, dated 8 October 1566, of the 16th Earl's friend and executor, Sir John Wentworth, whose great-nephew, Lord William Wentworth, the husband of Lord Burghley's younger daughter, Elizabeth, was Oxford's brother-in-law
1567
Expenditures for Oxford's apparel for the 52-month period from 3 September 1562 to Christmas 1566, totalling £683 18s 10d
Report of coroner’s inquest taken 24 July 1567 on accidental death of Thomas Brinknell
Court of Wards summary of revenues amounting to £1999 11-1/2d received during the first five and a half yearsof Oxford's wardship from manors which came to Oxford as a joint purchaser with his father
Summary of revenues received in the Court of Wards in the year 1566-67 with respect to the possessions of royal wards including Oxford
1568
Last will and testament, dated 19 April 1568, of Steven Cardinall, tenant of Oxford's manor of East Bergholt in 1563
Last will and testament, dated 3 September 1568, of Oxford's first cousin, Robert Darcy
1569
Last will and testament, dated 19 January 1569, of William Ayloffe, who held the lease of Oxford's manor of Wennington, and whose son, William Ayloffe, purchased Oxford's manors of Wennington and Kennington
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Thomas Underdowne's An Ethiopian History, a translation from Latin published in 1569
BL MS Lansdowne 11/53, ff. 121-2
Letter written by Oxford on 24 November 1569 requesting Sir William Cecil to obtain licence from the Queen for him to serve in a military expedition
1570
Note from February 1570 setting out the legal issue in the Queen's lawsuit against Oxford for £471 19s 5-1/4d per annum in revenues from lands which had constitued his mother's jointure, and for £343 6s 5-1/4d per annum in revenues from lands which he had inherited in tail
Undated copy of part of TNA SP 12/66/47
Letter dated 15 February 1570 from the French ambassador in England, Fenelon, to Queen Catherine de Medici of France, reporting Oxford's request that Queen Elizabeth grant him leave to serve in the wars in France
Note recording the lands comprising the jointure of Margery Golding, Countess of Oxford, likely prepared in connection with the Queen's lawsuit against Oxford for the revenues from the lands of Margery Golding's jointure after her death on 2 December 1568
Letter dated 21 March 1570 from the French ambassador in England, Fenelon, to King Charles IX of France, reporting Oxford's request that Queen Elizabeth grant him leave to serve in the wars either with the Prince of Conde or some German prince
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in the revised edition, published in 1570, of Arthur Golding's Th' Abridgement of the Histories of Trogus Pompeius, a translation of Trogus, Pompeius. Historiae Philippicae
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Edmund Elviden's The Most Excellent and Pleasant Metaphorical History of Peisistratus and Catanea, thought to have been published in 1570
Undated last will and testament of Oxford's stepfather, Charles Tyrrell, second husband of Oxford’s mother, Margery Golding, probated 4 May 1570
Last will and testament, dated 12 December 1570, of Anthony Penne, second husband of Julian Penn, from whom in 1590 Oxford rented rooms at her house on St Peter's Hill
1571
Letter dated 23 January 1571 from the French ambassador in England, Fenelon, to King Charles IX of France, reporting that a tournament is to be held at Greenwich at Shrovetide at which Oxford and Charles, Lord Howard of Effingham, are to be the defenders
Report by Sir James Dyer of his judgment in a case involving a suit by the Queen against Oxford for the revenues of the lands of the jointure of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding, which he had inherited on 2 December 1568 while a ward
Account in Sir William Segar's The Book of Honor and Armes (1590) of two tournaments in which Oxford participated, the first on 1-3 May 1571, and the second on 22 January 1581
Entry dated 5 May 1571 from Court of Wards Record Book stating that Oxford tendered his livery on 7 February 1571 but that the process was delayed because of 'arrearages' against his lands, presumably connected with the Queen's lawsuit against him
Letter dated 8 May 1571 from the French ambassador in England, Fenelon, to King Charles IX of France, describing the tournament of 1-3 May 1571 in which Oxford participated as one of four challengers, all of whom received a prize presented personally by the Queen
Last will and testament, dated 12 May, apparently in the year 1571, of William Sneyd, maternal grandfather of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham
Last will and testament, dated 31 May 1571, of Sir Thomas Pakington, whose son, John "Lusty" Pakington, was one of Queen Elizabeth's favourites, and among Oxford's circle of friends and acquaintances at court
Letter dated 20 July 1571 from the French ambassador in England, Fenelon, to King Charles IX of France, with a postscript to Queen Catherine de Medici quoting a remark of Queen Elizabeth mentioning Oxford in connection with the French marriage negotiations
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford dated 20 October 1571 in Arthur Golding's The Psalms of David and others, with M. John Calvin's Commentaries, a translation from the Latin of Calvin's In librum Psalmorum, Iohannis Calvini commentarius
Entry in the notebook of Oxford's maternal uncle, George Golding, recording Oxford’s marriage to Anne Cecil on 16 December 1571 at Whitehall
Latin eclogue composed by Giles Fletcher the elder in honour of Oxford's marriage to Anne Cecil
1572
Dedicatory Latin epistle dated 3 January 1571 [=1572] by Oxford to Bartholomew Clerke's Balthasaris Castilionis Comitis De Curiali siue Aulico, with a translation of Oxford's epistle by Dr. Dana F. Sutton
Last will and testament, dated 12 April 1572, of Thomas Lee, maternal uncle of the poet, Thomas Watson (d.1592), who dedicated Ekatompathia to Oxford in 1582
Letter dated 28 May 1572 from the French ambassador in England, Fenelon, to King Charles IX of France, mentioning that Oxford and Leicester were to meet the Duc de Montmorency at Somerset House on his arrival in London to ratify the Treaty of Blois
Copy of Queen’s letters patent of 30 May 1572 licensing Oxford to enter into possession of his lands
Schedule for Oxford’s payment of fines assessed against him in the Court of Wards for wardship, mean rates, and livery
Last will and testament, dated 15 August 1572, of Sir Henry Jerningham, nephew of Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Oxford, wife of the 13th Earl
BL MS Lansdowne 14/84, ff. 185-6
Letter written by Oxford on 22 September 1572 asking Lord Burghley to procure him service either at sea or on the sea-coast
BL MS Lansdowne 14/85, ff. 186-7
Letter written by Oxford on 31 October 1572 in which he expresses his relief that Lord Burghley has now conceived a favourable opinion of him
Last will and testament, dated 21 November 1572, of Oxford's maternal uncle, Edmund Golding, half-brother of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding
List of fees and annuities totalling £325 13s 9d paid out of Oxford’s estates circa 1572
Last will and testament, dated 20 December 1572, of Oxford's brother-in-law, Edward, 3rd Lord Windsor (d.1575)
1573
Last will and testament, dated 5 March 1573, of Elizabeth Drury, whose father-in-law was chief steward to the 13th Earl of Oxford, and whose husband's name appears in the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales owned by the Earls of Oxford
Letter of 30 April 1573 from Roger, Lord North, to Lord Burghley concerning Oxford's servant Booth
Letter of 11 May 1573 from Gilbert Talbot to his father, George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, mentioning Oxford as a favourite of the Queen
Last will and testament, dated 4 June 1573, of Roger Amyce, father of Oxford's servant, Israel Amyce, mentioning a deed poll by which the manor of Cranbrook, later purchased by Oxford, had been conveyed to Israel Amyce and his wife Martha
Letters patent of 11 June 1573 by which the Queen regranted the 'great messuage' at London Stone to Oxford after he had transferred legal title to it to the Queen by fine in Easter term 1573
Last will and testament, dated 20 June 1573, of Sir John Tyrrell, to whom the 16th Earl granted an annuity and the office of constable of Castle Hedingham in reversion after the death of Margery Golding's second husband, Charles Tyrrell
Epistle to Oxford in Thomas Bedingfield's translation of Cardanus' Comfort, published in 1573
Dedicatory epistle and verses by Oxford in Thomas Bedingfield's translation of Cardanus' Comfort, published in 1573
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Thomas Twyne's The Breviary of Britain, published in 1573, a translation of Humphrey Llwyd's Commentarioli Descriptionis Britannicae Fragmentum (1572)
Letter dated 2 September 1573 from Bernard Dewhurst to Lord Burghley reporting on financial arrangements being made prior to Oxford's departure on a continental tour
Twelve articles, dated 2 September 1573, concerning financial arrangements proposed by Lord Burghley prior to Oxford's departure on a continental tour, together with Oxford's answers
BL MS Lansdowne 17/23, ff. 47-8
Letter of 1 November 1573 from Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, to Lord Burghley, proposing a match between Essex' son Robert and Lord Burghley's daughter Elizabeth, and referring to the match between Oxford and Anne Cecil
Letter from Nicholas White to Lord Burghley of 4 November 1573 mentioning the ‘great bruit’ of Oxford’s coming into Ireland
Petition and replication of Robert Cole, and rejoinder of William Cardinal, in Chancery suit concerning copyhold lands held of Oxford's manor of East Bergholt concerning events which occurred while Oxford's lands were held by Leicester during Oxford's minority
1574
Indenture of 16 March 1574 containing articles of defeasance under which a recognizance of £4000 from Oxford to Lord Burghley of the same date would become void
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in George Baker's 1574 translations of The Composition or Making of the Most Excellent and Precious Oil Called Oleum Magistrale . . . Also the Third Book of Galen of Curing of Pricks and Wounds of Sinews
BL MS Lansdowne 19/50, ff. 116-17
Letter of 7 November 1574 from Sir Thomas Smith to Lady Burghley reassuring her about the medicinal water which he has sent for Oxford's wife, Anne, during a serious illness
Copy of indenture of 10 December 1574 between Roger Kelke and Benedict Spinola re great garden property at Aldgate
Copy of indenture of 13 December 1574 by which Roger Kelke sold the great garden property at Aldgate to the Queen
Suit in Chancery by Edward Atslowe complaining of the cutting of timber by copyhold tenants on Oxford’s manors of Chesham Higham and Chesham Bury
1575
List of licences to travel including Oxford’s licence for one year issued in January 1575 and a one-year extension issued to him on 2 March 1576
TNA CP 25/2/129/1658/17ELIZIHIL, Item 23
Fine of 20 January 1575 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Steeple and Mayland in Essex to John Gaywood for £40
Copy of indenture of bargain and sale of 20 January 1575 between Oxford and three trustees, Sir William Cordell, Thomas Bromley & Edward Hubberd, for the sale of Oxford's manors in Staffordshire, Wiltshire and Cornwall for £6000
Fine of 27 January and 18 April 1575 by which Oxford transferred clear title to his manors in Cornwall to three trustees, Sir William Cordell, Master of the Rolls, Thomas Bromley, the Queen's Solicitor-General, and Edward Hubberd, Oxford's receiver-general
Lease for 41 years dated 28 January 1575 from Oxford to his servant Thomas Atkinson, gentleman, of the manor of Tresithney and tenements of Bejowan manor, all in Cornwall, for a fine of £83 6s 8d and an annual rent of £4 4d
Letters patent of 29 January 1575 by which Queen Elizabeth granted the great garden property at Aldgate to Benedict Spinola
Indenture entered into by Oxford with five trustees on 30 January 1575 prior to his departure on his continental tour including a schedule of debts amounting to £9096 10s 8-1/2d
Dedicatory epistle to Anne, Countess of Oxford, in Geoffrey Fenton's The Golden Epistles, published in 1575, a translation of letters from the Spanish of Antonio de Guevara and other Latin, French and Italian authors
Indenture of 10 February 1575 by which certain parcels of land in Bednall and Acton Trussell in Staffordshire were sold for £5 to Thomas Hill of Haughton by Oxford’s trustees Sir William Cordell, Thomas Bromley, and Edward Hubberd
BL MS Lansdowne 19/83, ff. 181-2
Letter of 7 March 1575 from Dr. Richard Masters to Lord Burghley re Anne Cecil’s pregnancy
Latin verses to Anne, Countess of Oxford, copied from a New Testament which was likely presented to her by her mother or father or a close family friend shortly after the birth of her daughter, Elizabeth Vere, on 2 July 1575
Last will and testament, dated 24 October 1575, of Richard Blount, from whose widow, Margaret, Oxford leased the mansion of Fisher's Folly from sometime in 1579 until 1588, and who left Oxford's maternal uncle, George Golding, a ring of gold worth 40s
Exemplification dated 21 November 1575 of a common recovery of Oxford's manors in Cornwall between Oxford's three trustees, Sir William Cordell, Thomas Bromley and Edward Hubberd, and Edward Cordell and Bernard Dewhurst
Indenture of bargain and saled dated 20 December 1575 by which Oxford's three trustees, Sir William Cordell, Thomas Bromley and Edward Hubberd, sold Oxford's manors in Cornwall to Sir John Arundel for the stated consideration of £3083 5s 8d
1576
Excerpt from The Rare and Most Wonderful Things Which Edward Webbe, an Englishman born, hath seen and passed in his troublesome travels, published in 1590, describing Oxford's challenge to all comers at Palermo in 1576
Account of a mock tournament in the repertoire of the Commedia Dell'Arte featuring Oxford as one of the participants
Dedicatory epistle to Anne, Countess of Oxford, in George Baker's The New Jewel of Health, published in 1576, a translation from the Latin of the second part of Konrad Gesner's Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri de remediis secretis
Dedicatory epistle to Henry, Lord Compton, in The Paradise of Dainty Devises, published in 1576 by the printer Henry Disle, in which Oxford is mentioned on the title page, and as the author of eight songs in the collection
Last will and testament, dated 20 March 1576, of Oxford's maternal uncle, Henry Golding of Little Birch, half-brother of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding
Lord Burghley’s account of 26 April 1576 of the circumstances of Oxford's return to England from his continental tour
Quitclaim of 20 June 1576 by which Oxford quitclaimed all his interest in the manors of Roseworthy, Tregenna Wollas, Tregenna Wartha, Bejowan, Domellick, Tresithney and Tregorrick, all in Cornwall, to Sir John Arundel of Lanherne
Lord Burghley’s memo of 10 July 1576 re allegations against him concerning Oxford
Document of 12 July 1576 by which Oxford revoked all uses
Recognizance dated 13 July 1576 in the amount of £3150 acknowledged by Oxford in Chancery to Sir John Arundel of Lanherne for peaceable enjoyment of the manors in Cornwall which Arundel had purchased from Oxford
Receipt by Edward Hubberd and memorandum of acknowledgement by Oxford dated 13 July 1576 for payment by Sir John Arundel of £1244 13s 4d due on 1 November 1576 for Oxford's manors in Cornwall under the indenture of bargain and sale of 20 December 1575
Receipt by Edward Hubberd and memorandum of acknowledgement by Oxford dated 13 July 1576 for payment by Sir John Arundel of £1244 13s 4d due on 1 November 1577 for Oxford's manors in Cornwall under the indenture of bargain and sale of 20 December 1575
Fragments of cancelled bond(s) in the amount of £2000 dated 5 August 1576 from Sir John Arundel of Lanherne to Thomas Skinner entered into in connection with payment by Arundel for Oxford's manors in Cornwall
1577
Licence granted to Oxford on 2 January 1577 to alienate his manor of Thornecombe in Devonshire (now Dorset) to John Freke and Matthew Bragge
TNA CP 25/2/130/1665/19ELIZIIHIL, Item 31
Fine of 20 January 1577 by which clear title to the manor of Battles Hall in Essex passed from Oxford to Charles Arundel, and was restored by Arundel to Oxford, likely for the purpose of clearning the title after Oxford inherited the reversionary interest
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in John Brooke's The Staff of Christian Faith, published in 1577, a translation from the French of the 1561 Belgic Confession (Confession de Foi des Eglises Reformees) written by Guy de Bres
Undated draft letter, likely written in July 1577, from Peregrine Bertie (1555-1601), later Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, to Oxford's sister, Lady Mary de Vere (d.1624), when he was seemingly confined to Willoughby House by his parents, who disapproved of the marriage
Letter dated 2 July 1577 from the Duchess of Suffolk to Lord Burghley expressing concerns about the projected marriage between her son, Peregrine Bertie (1555-1601), later Lord Willoughby d"Eresby, and Oxford's sister, Lady Mary de Vere (d.1624)
Letter dated 10 July 1577 from Sir Amias Paulet to Sir Francis Walsingham advising that Oxford's cousins ('the two young Veres'), Oxford's servant, Denny, and Walter Williams are at Poitiers, and 'resolved to follow the Duke of Guise into Champagne'
Letter dated 12 July 1577 from King Henri III of France to the French ambassador in England, Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de Mauvissiere, expressing the King's good opinion of Oxford, and his intention to send him a jewel as a token of his esteem
Nuncupative will made in late July or early August 1577 by William Sankey of East Barnet, alleged to have been a servant of Oxford's who was murdered, and whose widow, Mary, is alleged to have been the step-daughter of Oxford's maternal uncle, Henry Golding
Last will and testament, dated 20 August 1577, of Thomas Bacon, former bailiff of the 16th Earl' s manor of Lavenham and husband of Anne Bacon, mentioned in the indenture by which Shaksper of Stratford purchased the Blackfriars Gatehouse on 10 March 1613
Document recording the questions posed to Orazio Cuoco by the Holy Office of the Inquisition on 27 August 1577, a few days after he returned to Venice after 11 months spent in Oxford's service
Dedicatory epistle to Bartholomew Clerke in Gabriel Harvey's Rhetor, published in 1577, in which Oxford is referred to as 'a most noble and magnificent lord' and 'a courtier of unsurpassed excellence', translated from Harvey's Latin by Mark Reynolds
Letter dated 5 September 1577 from King Henri III of France to the French ambassador in England, Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de Mauvissiere, discussing a plan proposed by Oxford to Mauvissiere, and reiterating the King's intention to send Oxford a jewel
Letter dated 24 September 1577 from Sir Amias Paulet to Sir Francis Walsingham defending himself for having given Oxford's cousin a horse by explaining, inter alia, that only those, like Oxford's cousin, who served on the King's side had any reputation at court in England
Licence granted to Oxford on 5 November 1577 to alienate his manor of Great Abington in Cambridgeshire to Robert Taylor
Letter dated 19 November 1577 from Sir Amias Paulet to Sir Francis Walsingham stating that Denny and Williams and other Englishmen are at Namur in Belgium, serving under Don John of Austria, but making no mention of Oxford's cousins, the 'two young Veres'
Letter dated 15 December 1577 from the Duchess of Suffolk to Lord Burghley speaking of Oxford's openness to the possibility of reconciliation with his wife, his desire to see Elizabeth Vere, and his plan to buy a house in Watling Street and give up the
1578
Letters patent of 15 January 1578 by which the Queen granted Castle Rising and related properties to Oxford
Excerpt from the last will and testament, dated 20 April 1578, of Lady Mary Keys or Keyes, whose bequest to Oxford's sister, Mary de Vere, and her new husband, Peregrine Bertie, confirms that the couple were married by the spring of 1578
Last will and testament, dated 30 April 1578, of Sir Ambrose Nicholas, Lord Mayor of London, in which he mentions his purchase of Oxford's mansion at London Stone
Copy of Oxford's letter of 21 May 1578 to the commissioners for Martin Frobisher's third voyage to the Canadian Arctic, offering to invest £1000 to be secured by a bond due 29 September 1578
Oxford's indenture of 22 June 1578 for the sale of Castle Rising and related properties to Roger Townshend and Robert Buxton for £2396 13s 4d
Section dedicated to Oxford in Book IV of Gabriel Harvey's Gratulationes Valdinenses, a work presented to the Queen on Harvey's behalf by Leicester on 30 July 1578, and again presented in printed form at Hadham Hall on 15 September 1578
Letter written on 14 August 1578 by the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to de Zayas describing the Queen's humiliation of the Earl of Sussex during the visit of a delegation sent by Alencon, and Oxford's refusal of the Queen's command to dance before the Frenchmen
Last will and testament, dated 6 October 1578, of the 16th Earl's former officer, John Turner, containing a bequest to Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 7 November 1578, of the personal property of John Mabbe (d.1582), whose son, John Mabbe the younger, purchased Oxford's manors of Gibcrack and Little Yeldham
Last will and testament, dated 20 November 1578, of the real property (including the Tabard Inn in Southwark) of John Mabbe (d.1582), whose son, John Mabbe the younger, purchased Oxford's manors of Gibcrack and Little Yeldham
Dedicatory epistle to Anne, Countess of Oxford, in John Brooke's A Christian Discourse Upon Certain Points of Religion, published in 1578, a translation from the French version dedicated to Henri de Bourbon, 2nd Prince of Conde
1579
TNA CP 25/2/130/1672/21ELIZIHIL, Item 10
Fine of 20 January 1579 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex to Edward Hubberd for £480
TNA CP 25/2/130/1672/21ELIZIHIL, Item 25
Fine of 20 January 1579 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Bowers Gifford in Essex to Hugh Beeston and Geoffrey Crome for £180
Letter written on 8 April 1579 by the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to King Philip II, mentioning that Oxford, the Earl of Surrey and Lord Windsor were proposed as hostages for the Duke of Alencon's visit to England
TNA CP 25/2/130/1673/21ELIZIEASTER, Item 16
Fine of 9 February and 6 May 1579 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Langdon Hills in Essex to Thomas Mildmay for £310
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Geoffrey Gates' The Defence of Military Profession, published in 1579
Dedicatory epistle and English and Latin verses to Oxford in Anthony Munday's The Mirror of Mutability, or Principal Part of the Mirror for Magistrates, published in 1579
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford's father-in-law, Lord Burghley, in John Brooke's A Brief and Clear Confession of the Christian Faith, a translation from the French
TNA CP 25/2/131/1674/21ELIZITRIN, Item 22
Fine of 15 June 1579 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Maldon and Woodham Mortimer in Essex to William Twedy for £280
TNA CP 25/2/131/1674/21ELIZITRIN, Item 12
Fine of 29 June 1579 by which Oxford's uncle, Robert Vere, transferred clear title to the manors of Kennington and Wennington in Essex to William Ayloffe for £680, manors in which Robert Vere held only a life estate while Oxford held the reversionary interest
TNA CP 25/2/131/1675/21/22ELIZITRIN, Item 10
Fine of 6 July and 6 October 1579 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Rainham, Wennington and Aveley in Essex to William Ayloffe and his son, William Ayloffe, for £16
Last will and testament of Jasper Fisher, one of the Six Clerks of Chancery, from whose widow, Margaret, Oxford leased the mansion of Fisher's Folly in St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, from 1579-80 until 1588
Letter written on 25 August 1579 by Philip Sidney in response to advice from Sir Christopher Hatton that the 'tennis-court quarrel' between Sidney and Oxford should be made up
1580
TNA CP 25/2/131/1676/22ELIZIHIL, Item 8
Fine of 20 January 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Doddinghurst in Essex to Richard Stoneley for 130 marks
TNA CP 25/2/131/1676/22ELIZIHIL, Item 10
Fine of 20 January 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Mountnessing in Essex to Sir John Petre for £480
Indenture of 1 April 1580 by which Oxford granted a lease for 21 years of a cottage and garden at Castle Hedingham to his servant, Nicholas Bleake
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 2
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Gibcrack, Purleigh and Sandon in Essex to Robert Petre for £40
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 3
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Maldon in Essex to William Twedy for 130 marks
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 6
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Gutteridge in Essex to George Knightley for £220
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 9
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Battles Hall in Essex to John Byrd for 400 marks
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 17
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Bentfield Bury in Essex to Edward Hubberd for £400
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 19
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Doddinghurst in Essex to Richard Stoneley for £360
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 28
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in sixteen villages in the area of Maldon in Essex to Richard Brooke and Nicholas Lambert for 130 marks
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 34
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Gobions in Essex to Edward Lawrence for £600
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 36
Fine of 18 April 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Waltons and Netherhall in Essex to George Golding and his wife, Mary, for £320
TNA CP 25/2/131/1677/22ELIZIEASTER, Item 23
Fine of 2 May 1580 by which Leicester transferred clear title to the manors of Wanstead and Stonehall in Essex to Thomas Skinner for £40, a transaction related to Leicester's later purchase of the manors of Cranbrook and Rayhouse from Oxford on 9 June 1585
TNA CP 25/2/131/1678/22ELIZITRIN, Item 22
Fine of 13 and 30 May 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Great Canfield in Essex to John Wiseman for 400 marks
TNA CP 25/2/131/1678/22ELIZITRIN, Item 20
Fine of 30 May 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Fingrith in Essex to Richard Branthwayte for £200
TNA CP 25/2/131/1678/22ELIZITRIN, Item 26
Fine of 30 May 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Wakes Colne in Essex to Israel Amyce and William Tiffin for 400 marks
TNA CP 25/2/131/1678/22ELIZITRIN, Item 28
Fine of 30 May 1580 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Bumpstead Hall in Essex to William Stubbing for an annuity of £30 to Oxford and his heirs
Exemplification of a common recovery, dated 11 May 1580, between Oxford, on the one part, and Sir William Cordell and Edward Cordell, on the other part, of the manor of Barwicks in Toppesfield
Petition of Julio Borgarucci for commission on sale of great garden property at Aldgate to Oxford, and answer of Benedict Spinola
Indenture of 15 June 1580, sale by Benedict Spinola of great garden and messuage at Aldgate to Oxford
Epitaph on the death on 12 July 1580 of Benedict Spinola from whom Oxford purchased the great garden property at Aldgate
Oxford’s appointment of a council of six officers on 17 September 1580 consisting of William Daniel, Richard Branthwayte, Edward Hubberd, Israel Amyce, George Golding and John Mynors
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in John Hester's A Short Discourse of the Excellent Doctor and Knight, Master Leonardo Fioravanti, Bolognese, Upon Surgery, a translation from Italian published in 1580
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in John Lyly's Euphues and his England, published in 1580
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Anthony Munday's Zelauto, published in 1580
Dedicatory epistle to Anne, Countess of Oxford, in Abraham Fleming's The Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Saint Paul, published in 1580, a translation from the Latin of Neils Hemmingsen's Commentarius in epistolam Pauli ad Ephesios
Copy of a warrant dated 4 November 1580 by which Oxford authorized the payment of £200 per annum to his estranged wife, Anne Cecil, by his receiver-general, Edward Hubberd
Allegations against Oxford in Lord Henry Howard's hand, with additions and a lengthy note to Howard in the hand of Francis Southwell, perhaps compiled shortly after Southwell's examination by the authorities on or about 25 December 1580
Allegations against Oxford in Charles Arundel's hand with additions and corrections in another hand, perhaps compiled when Howard and Arundel were at the house of the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, on 26 and 27 December 1580
Statement to the Privy Council by Charles Arundel concerning his secret meeting with Oxford at court on the night of 25 December 1580, likely written by Arundel on 28 December 1580 after he and Lord Henry Howard had given themselves up to the authorities
Allegations against Leicester attributed to Oxford, written in the hand of Charles Arundel in late December 1580 or early January 1581
Letter dated 30 December 1580 in which Thomas Norton suggests to Sir Christopher Hatton that 'the gentleman in restraint' (likely Charles Arundel, who was in Hatton's custody) be examined concerning the authorship of treasonous books and other matters
1581
Dedicatory epistle dated 1 January [1581] to Philip Howard, Earl of Surrey, in Thomas Churchyard's A Light Bundle of Lively Discourses Called Churchyard's Chance, in which Churchyard promises to dedicate his next book to Oxford
Letter from Lord Henry Howard to Queen Elizabeth containing allegations against Oxford, written by Howard at the Queen's commandment shortly after 30 December 1580
A second letter from Lord Henry Howard to Queen Elizabeth containing allegations against Oxford, in particular an allegation that Oxford had vaunted of receiving sexual favours from the Queen, written by Howard at the Queen's commandment
Letter written on 9 January l 581 by the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to King Philip II, reporting the arrests of Lord Henry Howard, Charles Arundel and Francis Southwell, and stating that Leicester was inflaming the people against them and against the French
TNA SP 12/147/4, 4. I, ff. 5-6
Excerpt from letter from Thomas Norton to Sir Francis Walsingham endorsed 10 January 1580 [=1581], enclosing interrogatories which had already been administered to Lord Henry Howard by the Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Bromley
Letter from Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de Mauvissiere, to King Henri III dated 11 January 1581 mentioning Oxford's allegations against Lord Henry Howard and Charles Arundel
Transcript by M. Armand Baschet of part of BN 15973, ff. 387v-392v above
Transcript by J. H. Pollen and W. MacMahon, and translation by B.M. Ward, of part of BN 15973, ff. 387v-392v above
Letter from Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de Mauvissiere, to Queen Catherine de Medici of 11 January 1581 mentioning Oxford's allegations against Lord Henry Howard and Charles Arundel
Letter endorsed 12 January 1580 [=1581] in which Lord Henry Howard requests Sir Francis Walsingham to speak favourably for him to the Queen, and mentions that Oxford's message that he would be revenged on Howard was sent on 16 December 1580
Interrogatories to be administered to Charles Arundel concerning events which long predate Howard and Arundel's flight to the house of the Spanish ambassador Mendoza on the night of 25 December 1580, and which appear to advance Leicester's interest
Answers in Charles Arundel's hand to interrogatories in SP 12/151/47, ff. 105-106
Notes in Oxford's hand for interrogatories to be administered to Lord Henry Howard and Charles Arundel
Notes in Oxford's hand for interrogatories to be administered to Lord Henry Howard and Charles Arundel
TNA SP 12/151/43, ff. 95-95v, 97
Answers in Charles Arundel's hand to SP 12/151/42, f. 96 and SP 15/28/2, f. 3
Allegations against Oxford in Charles Arundel's hand, perhaps intended as a letter to the Queen, written after Arundel had been examined on interrogatories prepared from Oxford's notes
Extensive allegations against Oxford in Charles Arundel's hand, organized under nine headings
Account in Sir William Segar's The Book of Honor and Armes (1590) of two tournaments in which Oxford participated, the first on 1-3 May 1571, and the second on 22 January 1581
Speech spoken by Oxford's page at a tournament at Whitehall on 22 January 1581 in which Oxford took part as the Knight of the Tree of the Sun
BL MS Lansdowne 99, ff. 259a-64b
Oxford’s response as the Knight of the Tree of the Sun to Philip Howard's challenge as Callophisus, issued in the form of a printed broadside
Last will and testament, dated 3 February 1581, of Oxford's first cousin, John, 2nd Lord Darcy of Chiche
Fine of 9 February and 12 April 1581 by which clear title to the castle of Camps and the manors of Castle Camps and Fowlmere passed from Oxford to Thomas Skinner for £1200
Letter of 23 March 1581 in which Sir Francis Walsingham advises the Earl of Huntingdon of Anne Vavasour's imprisonment in the Tower after the birth of her illegitmate son by Oxford on the night of 21 March 1581, and of attempts to apprehend Oxford
Dedicatory epistle of 6 May 1581 to Oxford in Thomas Stocker's Divers Sermons of Master John Calvin, a translation from the French of Plusieurs sermons touchant la divinite humanite et nativite de nostre Seigneur Jesus Christ
Last will and testament, dated 9 May 1581, of John Freke, co-purchaser with Matthew Bragge of Oxford's manor of Thorncombe in Devonshire (now Dorset)
TNA CP 25/2/131/1682/23ELIZITRIN, Item 31
Fine of 22 May 1581 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Waltons and Netherhall in Essex to George Golding and his wife, Mary, for £320
Letter of 12 July 1581 in which Sir Francis Walsingham advises Lord Burghley that the Queen is insistant that Oxford be reconciled with his wife Anne before the Queen will restore his liberty
Letter of 13 July 1581 in which Lord Burghley thanks Sir Christopher Hatton for his intervention with the Queen, and urges that Oxford not be forced to reconcile with his wife as a condition of being granted his liberty
BL MS Lansdowne 33/6, ff. 12-13
Letter of 13 July 1581 in which Oxford urges Lord Burghley to remind the Queen of her promise that he is to be restored to liberty
Letter of 14 July 1581 in which Sir Francis Walsingham advises Lord Burghley of his efforts to secure Oxford's liberty and of the Queen's insistance that Oxford publicly accuse Lord Henry Howard and Charles Arundel
Copy of a letter endorsed 20 July 1581 in which Lord Henry Howard requests assistance in securing his liberty, and mentions that whenever the subject is broached to the Queen, she demands a face to face confrontation between himself and Oxford
Letter dated 12 August 1581 from the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to King Philip II stating that the Queen has sent Lord Henry Howard on an embassy to her suitor, the Duke of Alencon and Anjou
Answers by Charles Arundel, miscellaneous accusations by him against Oxford, and a letter by Arundel to an unnamed friend, all in Arundel's hand, dating from July and August 1581 while Arundel was under house arrest at Sutton in West Sussex
Letter dated 11 September 1581 from the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to King Philip II which states that Oxford has been deputed to accompany Don Antonio on his departure from England
TNA SP 12/155/44, ff. 84-84bis
Letter written by Lord Henry Howard on 14 September requesting Sir Francis Walsingham to further his suit for reinstatement in the Queen's favour, and accusing Leicester of having caused Oxford to make an allegation against Howard concerning a prophecy
Letter dated 27 September 1581 from the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to King Philip II stating that Lord Henry Howard has returned from his embassy to the Queen's suitor, the Duke of Alencon and Anjou
Letter of 19 October 1581 from Thomas, Earl of Sussex, to Charles Arundel, then under house arrest in Sutton in Sussex and still under suspicion by the Queen
Letter of 27 October 1581 written by Lord Henry Howard to Leicester from Highgate, asking to be reconciled to him, and currying favour by claiming he had stayed Oxford's hand against Leicester in the past
TNA CP 25/2/131/1683/23/24ELIZIMICH, Item 10
Fine of 27 October 1581 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Earls Fee in Essex to Humphrey Dreywood and Robert Dreywood for £180
Oxford’s lawsuit in Chancery of 11 November 1581 as guardian of 4-year-old Henry Bullock to put a stop to fraud by Bullock’s uncle, Richard Wiseman
Letter of 3 December 1581 written by Lord Henry Howard after his release from house arrest to Sir Francis Walsingham at court, indicting that rumours have reached him of a fresh attempt to shake and undermine his liberty
BL MS Lansdowne 104/63, ff. 164-165
Copy in Lord Burghley's hand of a letter dated 7 December 1581 to Oxford from his estranged wife Anne, expressing her love for him and hope to be returned to his favour
BL MS Lansdowne 104/64, ff. 166-167
Copy in Lord Burghley's hand of a letter dated 12 December 1581 to Oxford from his estranged wife Anne, expressing her willingness to bear his adverse fortune, and alluding to Oxford's warning about Lady Drury
Dedicatory epistle to Anne, Countess of Oxford, in An Exposition Upon the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, a translation of Expositio super Epistolam Sancti Pauli ad Epheseos, published on 24 December 1581
Letter from the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, to King Philip II written on 25 December 1581 describing the flight of Lord Henry Howard and Charles Arundel to his house a year earlier on 25 December 1580, and Lord Henry Howard's service as a spy for Spain since that time
1582
TNA CP 25/2/131/1684//24ELIZIHIL, Item 6
Fine of 20 January 1582 by which Oxford transferred clear title to a yearly rent of £12 from the manors of Tendring Hall and Garnons to William Drury for £240
TNA CP 25/2/131/1684//24ELIZIHIL, Item 13
Fine of 20 January 1582 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Flanderswick to William Lewin, Anthony Luther and Thomas Gooche for 400 marks
BL MS Cotton Appendix 47, f. 5
Entry dated 3 February 1582 in the diary of Richard Madox mentioning that Oxford and his wife Anne had been reconciled
Extract from a memorandum dated 14 February 1582 from Cardinal de Granvelle to King Philip II recommending that the King praise the Spanish ambassador in England, Mendoza, for having saved Lord Henry Howard, and encourage Mendoza to retain Howard as a spy
Entry from the parish register of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, recording the burial of Oxford's man, Robert Breninges, who was slain in the fray between Oxford and Anne Vavasour's uncle, Thomas Knyvet, on 21 February 1582
BL MS Cotton Appendix 47, f. 7v
Entry dated 3 March 1582 in the diary of Richard Madox mentioning the fray on 21 February 1582 between Oxford and Anne Vavasour's uncle, Thomas Knyvet, in which both Oxford and Knyvet were hurt, and Oxford's man Robert Breninges was slain
Letter dated 6 March 1582 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II referring to information passed on to Mendoza by his 'second confidant', Lord Henry Howard
Letter dated 6 March 1582 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II recommending that the King pay Lord Henry Howard a pension for his services as a spy for Spain, and mentioning Leicester's attempt to drive Howard from court by 'false accusations'
Excerpt from a letter dated 17 March 1582 from Walsingham's secretary, Nicholas Faunt, to Anthony Bacon, mentioning the fray of 21 February 1582 in which Oxford and Anne Vavasour's uncle, Thomas Knyvet, had both been hurt, Oxford 'more dangerously'
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford and poem mentioning Oxford in Thomas Watson's The EKATOMPATHIA or Passionate Century of Love (Hekatompathia) published in 1582
Letter dated 23 April 1582 from King Philip II to Don Bernardino de Mendoza agreeing to the payment of Lord Henry Howard for his services as a spy for Spain
Letter dated 26 April 1582 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II confirming that Lord Henry Howard continues to act as a spy for Spain, and that Mendoza has prevailed upon Howard to refuse an embassy to Germany
Letter dated 20 May 1582 from King Philip II to Don Bernardino de Mendoza authorizing payment to Lord Henry Howard for his services as a spy for Spain
TNA CP 25/2/131/1686/24ELIZITRIN, Item 26
Fine of 11 June 1582 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Essex to John Mayer for £43
TNA CP 25/2/131/1686/24ELIZITRIN, Item 36
Fine of 11 June 1582 by which Oxford transferred clear title to lands in Essex to Edward Glascock for £428
TNA CP 25/2/131/1686/24ELIZITRIN, Item 41
Fine of 11 June 1582 by which Thomas Skinner and his wife, Blanche, transferred clear title to the manors of Wanstead and Stonehall to Leicester for £80, a transaction related to Leicester's purchase of Cranbrook and Rayhouse from Oxford on 9 June 1585
Statement by Roger Townshend of events leading up to a fray on 18 June 1582 between one Gastrell, purporting to be one of Oxford's men, and Thomas Knyvet's men
Statements taken on 22 and 24 June 1582 from four witnesses to an affray on 18 June 1582 between one Gastrell, purporting to be one of Oxford's men, and Thomas Knyvet's men
TNA SP 12/154/12, ff. 22-22bis
Statements taken on 24 and 26 June 1582 from two witnesses to an affray on 22 June 1582 between one Gastrell, purporting to be one of Oxford's men, and Thomas Knyvet's men
Indenture dated 28 June 1582 by which the Queen leased her 'thirds' in the lands of her ward, Southampton, to Lord Howard, which provides a standard against which to measure the favouritism which tainted the Queen's lease of her 'thirds' in Oxford's lands to Leicester
Letter dated 25 July 1582 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II stating that he has given Lord Henry Howard 500 crowns and promised him a pension of 1000 crowns a year for his services as a spy for Spain
Letter written 27 July 1582 by Sir Christopher Hatton to Lord Chancellor Thomas Bromley conveying the Queen's request for Bromley's reasons for actions taken in connection with Thomas Knyvet's trial for the killing of Oxford's man Robert Breninges
Letter written 28 July 1582 by Lord Chancellor Thomas Bromley responding to the Queen's request that Bromley provide reasons for actions he had taken in connection with Thomas Knyvet's trial for the killing of Oxford's man Robert Breninges
Letter written 2 August 1582 by Sir Christopher Hatton indicating the Queen's pleasure at Lord Chancellor Bromley's reply to her request for reasons for his actions taken in connection with Thomas Knyvet's trial for the killing of Oxford's man Robert Breninges
Last will and testament, dated 20 August 1582, of Frances Jerningham, who was in the service of Elizabeth de Vere (d.1537), Countess of Oxford, wife of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, and whose husband, Sir Henry Jerningham, was a nephew of the Countess
Letter dated 1 November 1582 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II confirming that he has given Lord Henry Howard 500 crowns and promised him a pension of 1000 crowns for spying for Spain, and that Howard is providing him with twice weekly reports
Copy of indenture of 13 November 1582 between Oxford and Thomas Skinner granting Oxford the right to repurchase the manors of Castle Camps and Fowlmere from Skinner on or before 30 November 1584
Letter dated 13 December 1582 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II reporting that Lord Henry Howard has been offered a pension of 1000 crowns by the French, but has refused it on the ground that he is already pledged to French interests
BL MS Lansdowne 36/ 76, ff. 192-3
Letter from Oxford’s servant, John Lyly, to Lord Burghley re Oxford’s displeasure
Last will and testament, dated 16 November 1582, of Lucy Neville, Lady Latimer, mother of Oxford's sister-in-law, Dorothy Cecil, and grandmother of 'Anne Corwaleys' of the Cornwallis-Lysons manuscript
1583
Fine of 20 January 1583 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Overhall and Netherhall in Suffolk to Richard Peacock and Rowland Martin for £800 in preparation for the eventual transfer of these manors to the use of the heirs of Thomas Skinner
TNA CP 25/2/131/1688/25ELIZIHIL, Item 2
Fine of 20 January 1583 by which Oxford transferred clear title to two mills and lands in Essex to Robert Pinder for £120
TNA CP 25/2/131/1688/25ELIZIHIL, Item 25
Fine of 20 January 1583 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Stansted Mountfitchet and Burnells in Essex to John Southall, father-in-law of Oxford's receiver-general Edward Hubberd, for £480
TNA CP 25/2/131/1688/25ELIZIHIL, Item 29
Fine of 3 February 1583 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Easton Hall in Essex to John Gardiner, Anthony Watson and Michael Gardiner for 400 marks
Letter dated 28 February 1583 from Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, stating that Mendoza's letters to her could be safely conveyed via Lord Henry Howard
Letter written by Lord Burghley on 12 March 1583 to Sir Christopher Hatton acquainting him with the facts concerning the false allegations made to the Queen against Oxford by Thomas Knyvet and his men
Letter written by Lord Burghley on 18 March 1583 to Sir Christopher Hatton intimating that he has heard from Leicester that Oxford is not to be reinstated in the Queen's favour
Letter written by Sir Christopher Hatton on 19 March 1583 in which he advises Lord Burghley that he sees some hope of Oxford reinstatement in the Queen's favour
Entry in the parish register of St. Nicholas church, Castle Hedingham, recording the burial of Oxford's infant son on 9 May 1583
Letter written by Sir Walter Raleigh on 10 May 1583 in which he advises Lord Burghley of his efforts to have Oxford reinstated to the Queen's favour, and of the fact that someone has 'strangely' persuaded the Queen otherwise
BL MS Lansdowne 38/62, ff. 158-9
Letter written by Oxford on 20 June 1583 requesting Lord Burghley to intercede in the matter of Lord Lumley's payment to the Queen
Last will and testament, dated 16 August 1583, of Sir Henry Bedingfield, whose second son, Thomas Bedingfield, dedicated his translation of Cardanus' Comfort to Oxford
TNA CP 25/2/132/1691/25/26ELIZIMICH, Item 39
Fine of 6 October 1583 by which Thomas Skinner and his wife, Blanche, transferred clear title to the manors of Wanstead and Stonehall to Leicester for £80, a transaction related to Leicester's purchase of Cranbrook and Rayhouse from Oxford on 9 June 1585
Excerpt from Camden's Annales Rerum Anglicarum et Hibernicarum Regnante Elizabetha, published in 1615, mentioning the flight from England of Oxford's foe Charles Arundel shortly after the arrest of Francis Throckmorton on 13 November 1583
TNA CP 25/2/132/1691/25/26ELIZIMICH, Item 31
Fine of 18 November 1583 by which Oxford transferred clear title to twelve knights' fees in Essex and Hertfordshire to Peter Palmer
Oxford's acknowledgement, dated 30 November 1583, of the receipt of £13,400 for the sale of Castle Camps and Fowlmere in Cambridge and Overhall and Netherhall and the park of Lavenham in Suffolk to Richard Peacock, Rowland Martin and Thomas Skinner
Oxford's deed of 9 December 1583 in fulfilment of indentures entered into on 30 November 1583 for the sale of his manors of Overhall and Netherhall in Lavenham in Suffolk to Richard Peacock, Rowland Martin and Thomas Skinner
Letter written on 22 December 1583 by Juan Bautista de Tassis, the Spanish ambassador to France, to King Philip II of Spain describing the arrival in Paris of Charles Arundel and Thomas, Lord Paget, who had fled England for fear of arrest
Document dating from December 1583 entitled 'Account of Events in England ' reporting that Lord Henry Howard had also been imprisoned
1584
TNA CP 25/2/132/1692/26ELIZIHIL, Item 1
Fine of 20 January 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Tilbury-juxta-Clare, Nortofts and Skaths in Essex to Israel Amyce for £640
TNA CP 25/2/132/1692/26ELIZIHIL, Item 13
Fine of 20 January 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the park of Colne in Essex to Roger Harlakenden for £800
TNA CP 25/2/132/1692/26ELIZIHIL, Item 35
Fine of 20 January 1584 by which Sir Thomas Heneage and his wife, Anne, transferred clear title to the manor of Bretts in Essex to Roger Townshend, who sold it shortly thereafter to Oxford, perhaps in part payment for Wivenhoe, Battleswick and Great Bentley
TNA CP 25/2/132/1692/26ELIZIHIL, Item 43
Fine of 20 January 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Great Yeldham in Essex to Thomas Plome and Edmund Plome for £600
Letter from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Queen Elizabeth recounting gossip relayed to Mary by Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury
Copy enrolled in Chancery on 2 May 1584 of the indenture of 6 February 1584 between Oxford and Thomas Skinner by which Oxford relinquished his right to repurchase the manors of Castle Camps and Fowlmere on or before 30 November 1584
TNA CP 25/2/132/1693/26ELIZIEASTER, Item 39
Fine of 6 May 1584 by which Israel Amyce and his wife Martha transferred clear title to the manors of Cranbrook and Rayhouse in Essex to Oxford for £300
TNA CP 25/2/132/1693/26ELIZIEASTER, Item 43
Fine of 6 May 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Vaux in Essex to Israel Amyce for £300
TNA CP 25/2/132/1693/26ELIZIEASTER, Item 51
Fine of 6 May 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Wivenhoe, Battleswick and Great Bentley in Essex to Roger Townshend for £2513
TNA CP 25/2/132/1693/26ELIZIEASTER, Item 46
Fine of 18 May 1584 by which Thomas Skinner and his wife Blanche transferred clear title to Wanstead and Stonehall in Essex to Leicester for £80, a transaction related to Leicester's later purchase of Cranbrook and Rayhouse from Oxford on 9 June 1585
TNA CP 25/2/132/1694/26ELIZITRIN, Item 19
Fine of 29 May and 15 June 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Hayes in Essex to Thomas Willows and John Pratt for 400 marks
TNA CP 25/2/132/1694/26ELIZITRIN, Item 26
Fine of 15 June 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Little Yeldham in Essex to John Mabbe for £300
TNA CP 25/2/132/1694/26ELIZITRIN, Item 24
Fine of 29 June 1584 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manor of Sheriffs in Essex to Richard Bowser for £180
Account dated 1 July 1584 estimating expenses at court for Oxford's wife, Anne Cecil, and her two daughters at £232 17s 8d for one year
Ode to Oxford in John Southern's Pandora, The Music of the Beauty of His Mistress Diana, published on 20 June 1584
Epitaphs by Anne, Countess of Oxford, on the death of her infant son, Lord Bulbeck, who was buried at Castle Hedingham on 9 May 1583, published in 1584 John Southern's Pandora, The Music of the Beauty of His Mistress Diana
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Robert Greene's Gwydonius, The Card of Fancy, published in 1584
BL MS Lansdowne 42/39, ff. 97-8
Letter written by Oxford on 30 October 1584 in which he advises Lord Burghley that purchasers of his lands, fearful that the Queen might extend against the lands for his debt to the Court of Wards, have requested that they be permitted to repay the debt
Indenture of 24 November 1584 by which Oxford granted to his servant, John Lyly, gentleman, a perpetual yearly rent of £30 13s 4d which he had received from the sale on 2 March 1584 of his manor of Bentfield Bury to his receiver-general, Edward Hubberd
Last will and testament, dated 18 November 1584, of Justice William Ayloffe, who purchased Oxford's manors of Kennington and Wennington, and who was related by marriage to Oxford's maternal uncle, Henry Golding
TNA CP 25/2/132/1696/27ELIZIHIL, Item 30
Fine of 25 November 1584 and 20 January 1585 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the manors of Lamarsh and Crepping Hall to Christian Turner
1585
Indenture dated 4 January 1585 providing that Richard Peacock and Rowland Martin will enter into a recovery as a result of which Roger Townshend and Thomas Owen will be seised of Oxford's former manors in Lavenham to the use of the heirs of Thomas Skinner
BL MS Lansdowne 99/93, ff. 252-253
Letter endorsed 19 January 1585 from Anne Vavasour's only brother, Thomas Vavasous, challenging Oxford to a duel
Interrogatories and depositions of 19 and 20 January 1585 in the Key v. Masterson lawsuit concerning the legitimacy of the marriage of the 16th Earl and Margery Golding
Indenture of 2 February 1585 by which Oxford granted privileges to his copyhold tenants of the manor of Grays in Sible Hedingham
Excerpt from the translator's additions to the French edition of Leicester's Commonwealth, published in early 1585, in which mention is made of Leicester's attempt to nourish discord between Oxford and his wife Anne
Letter written on 4 March 1585 by Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II mentioning a possible visit by King James to England, and the rumour that the Earls of Oxford, Arundel and Bedford would go to Scotland as hostages for the King's safety
Last will and testament, dated 19 March 1585, of Edmund Bedingfield, brother of Thomas Bedingfield, who dedicated his translation of Cardanus' Comfort to Oxford, and brother-in-law of Francis Southwell, involved in 1581 in allegations against Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 26 May 1585, of Alice Golding, the widow of Oxford's maternal uncle, Henry Golding
Letter written on 1 June 1585 by Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II confirming the capture of the Earl of Arundel and the arrest of Lord Henry Howard, and the Queen's attempt to prohibit the sale of the French edition of Leicester's Commonwealth
Entry of 16 June 1585 in an account book of Robert, Earl of Leicester, for $50 in part payment for the manor of Cranbrook which Leicester had purchased from Oxford on 9 June 1585
Letter written on 11 July 1585 by King Philip II of Spain to Don Bernardino de Mendoza indicating that the King had bestowed a pension of 80 crowns on Charles Arundel
Letter written on 11 September 1585 by Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II stating that a force of 4000 men was being raised which Oxford would lead in Zeeland, and that Oxford had left for Zeeland on the night of 29 August
Document dated 19 September 1585 indicating that Oxford and Sir John Norris had arrived in Flanders with 5 or 6000 soldiers, and that Charles Arundel had been declared guilty of high treason
Extract from a letter dated 9 October 1585 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II stating that Charles Arundel and other exiles have complained that the pensions granted them a year earlier by the King have not been paid
Last will and testament, dated 2 December 1585, of Oxford's nephew, Frederick, 4th Lord Windsor
1586
Excerpt commending Oxford as the best of the court poets from William Webbe’s Discourse of English Poetry
Extract from a letter dated 11 May 1586 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II reporting on Charles Arundel's presence at the house of the English ambassador, Sir Edward Stafford, and the possibility that Arundel might be spying for England at the Spanish court
Letter dated 11 May 1586 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip reiterating his suspicion that Charles Arundel might be spying for England at the Spanish court, and urging the King to send him away
BL MS Lansdowne 50/22, ff. 49-50
Lettter written by Oxford on 25 June 1586 requesting Lord Burghley to lend him £200 so that he can pursue a suit to the Queen, likely the suit by purchasers of his lands to repay his debt to the Court of Wards for fear of extents by the Queen
Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Seal warrant of 26 June 1586 granting Oxford an annuity of £1000 ‘until such time as he shall be by us otherwise provided for to be in some manner relieved’
Letter dated 2 July 1586 from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Don Bernardino de Mendoza, reminding Mendoza that moneys which were advanced on her behalf by Charles Arundel and others have not been reimbursed by the Pope and King Philip II as had been agreed
Letter dated 13 August 1586 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II outlining details of the Babington plot and identifying Lord Henry Howard as one of the principals who would be involved in it
Excerpt from Camden's Annales Rerum Anglicarum et Hibernicarum Regnante Elizabetha, published in 1615, mentioning Oxford as present at the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, on 14 and 15 October 1586 at Fotheringay, and on 25 October in the Star Chamber at Westminster
Last will and testament, dated 19 October 1586, of Thomas Trentham, father of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, containing a clause providing for her marriage portion of £1000 payable at 500 marks per year for three years
Letter dated 8 November 1586 from Don Bernardino de Mendoza to King Philip II describing Charles Arundel's dealings with Sir Edward Stafford, the English ambassador to France, who was furthering the interests of Mary, Queen of Scots and acting as a spy for Spain
Account dated December 1586 stating amounts owing to Charles Arundel and other English exiles with respect to their pensions from King Philip II
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Angel Day's The English Secretary, wherein is contained a perfect method for the inditing of all manner of epistles and familiar letters, published in 1586, the first letter-writing manual written in English
1587
Letter from Lord Burghley of 5 May 1587 requesting Sir Francis Walsingham to obtain a firm answer from the Queenwith respect to her grant to Oxford of the lands of Edward Jones
Indenture of 10 May 1587 by which John Lyly sold his grant from Oxford of £30 13s 4d yearly rent to Edward and Jane Hubberd for £250
Letter of 13 May 1587 from Lord Burghley to Sir Francis Walsingham with respect to the Queen's grant to Oxford of the lands of Edward Jones
Indenture dated 16 May 1587 by which Oxford granted a 1000-year lease of Swetney wood to Thomas Harrington, yeoman, of Sible Hedingham
1587 suit by purchasers to Lord Burghley that leaseholders be required to repay a proportionate share of Oxford’s £3300 debt to the Court of Wards
Recognizance by John Lyly of 20 May 1587 to guarantee performance of C 54/1275 above
Bill of complaint filed by Israel Amyce in Chancery against Dorothy Breamer concerning payment for velvets and silks received by Amyce on Oxford's behalf in 1582
Queen Elizabeth’s letters patent of 1 July 1587 granting the lands of the Babington conspirator Edward Jones to Oxford's brother-in-law Robert Cecil and Oxford's servant Hugh Beeston for Oxford’s benefit
Last will and testament, dated 1 July 1587, of Sir William Drury, who was one of Oxford's associates at court circa 1578-81, and jousted against Oxford in a tournament on 22 January 1581
Oxford’s grant of 3 July 1587 of the honour of Hedingham to the Queen on condition that she regrant it to him and his heirs by his wife, Anne Cecil, Oxford’s bond of the same date for £4000, and the fine of 7 October 1587 by which clear title passed to the Queen
Letter from Lord Burghley to Thomas Fanshawe requesting delivery of evidences of lands and bonds of Edward Jones
Extract from Leicester's will dated 1 August 1587 mentioning thirteen parcels of land formerly belonging to the manor of Cranbrook which Leicester had purchased from Oxford in 1585
TNA CP 25/2/133/1707/29/30ELIZIMICH, item 45
Fine of 6 October 1587 by which Oxford transferred clear title to Castle Hedingham to the Queen
Documents in a lawsuit filed by Oxford in the Court of Star Chamber circa November 1587 alleging that Richard Payne, Edward Berthelet, Anthony Berthelet, John Lennard, William Stamford and Richard Whalley had tampered with a writ of exigent
Schedule of recognizances and statutes acknowledged by Oxford in the Court of Chancery from 1571 to 1587 amounting in total to almost £150,000
Unsigned note circa 1587 with respect to recognizances encumbering lands in Cheshire sold by Oxford to Sir Christopher Hatton
Unsigned note circa 1587 in Lord Burghley's hand with respect to a problem in the drafting of the letters patent authorizing the purchasers of Oxford's lands to repay his debt to the Queen in the Court of Wards
Draft proviso intended to resolve the problem mentioned in Lord Burghley's note above
Unsigned letter on Oxford's behalf to Sir Christopher Hatton answering certain objections to the draft letters patent by which purchasers of Oxford's lands would repay his debt to the Queen in the Court of Wards
Draft bond to be entered into by purchasers of Oxford's lands with respect to rights of execution assigned to them by the Queen under letters patents in 1589/90
1588
Nuncupative will, dated 8 February 1588, of Oxford's maternal uncle, William Golding of Belchamp St Paul, brother of Oxford's mother, Margery Golding
Letter from Lord Burghley of 8 March 1588 directing that Castle Hedingham be taken into the Queen’s hands by extent to preserve it from ‘utter spoil’
Last will and testament, dated 2 May 1588, of Richard Wingfield, whose son, Sir John Wingfield, married Susan Bertie, the sister of Oxford's brother-in-law, Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby d'Eresby
Lease dated 16 May 1588 by which Oxford granted the manor of Aveley to the Queen for two years in satisfaction of a debt of £200
Excerpt from an 11-page elegy by Wilfred Samonde written after the death of Oxford's first wife, Anne Cecil, on 5 June 1588
Latin epitaph by John Hoskyns written after the death of Oxford's first wife, Anne Cecil, on 5 June 1588
Letters patent dated 8 June 1588 by which Queen Elizabeth regranted the site of the former Colne Priory, the site of the former Hedingham Priory, and the manor of Bretts to Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 16 September 1588, of Elinor Eliott, whose son-in-law, Robert Harris, sold Oxford an interest in a 31-year lease of the manor of Aveley, a transaction which eventuallyresulted in a suit brought by Oxford in the Star Chamber
Excerpt from Camden's Annales Rerum Anglicarum et Hibernicarum Regnante Elizabetha, published in 1615, mentioning Oxford as among those who hired ships at their own expense to fight the Spanish Armada
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in Anthony Munday's Palmerin D' Oliva, a translation from Spanish, Italian, and French published in 1588
1589
BL Lansdowne MSS 77/ 81, f. 198
Undated letter from Roger Harlakenden to Lord Burghley re properties purchased from Oxford and lease of Colne priory
Excerpts from The Art of English Poesy in which Oxford is named among court poets, and is said to deserve ‘the highest prize’ for comedy and interlude
Last will and testament, dated 24 September 1589, of John Stubbe, husband of Oxford's first cousin, Anne Vere, daugher of Oxford's uncle, Aubrey Vere
Last will and testament, dated 12 December 1589, of Sir John Arundel of Lanherne, formerly surveyor of Oxford's lands in Cornwall and Devon, and purchaser of Oxford's manors in Cornwall, who died on 17 November 1590
1590
Bill of complaint and answer filed against William Cardinall, the purchaser of Oxford's former manor of East Bergholt, by his copyhold tenants
Last will and testament, dated 3 April 1590, of Thomas Bedingfield, who has often been confused with Thomas Bedingfield (d.1613) who dedicated his translation of Cardanus' Comfort to Oxford
Lease of Lavenham made 13 April 1590 by the Queen to Oxford’s servant, Arthur Milles
Letter from John Herdson to Lord Burghley concerning Oxford's lease of Aveley, likely dating from early 1590
Indenture of 24 March 1590 by which Oxford and John Herdson granted the Queen a one hundredth part interest in lands in Aveley for a three year term
Interrogatories administered to Wilfred Luty in Easter term 1590 in Queen Elizabeth's lawsuit against Richard Payne concerning Oxford's lease of the manor of Aveley
Dedicatory sonnet to Oxford in the first edition of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen, published in 1590
Letter written by Oxford on 5 August 1590 in which he requests permission from Lord Burghley to dispose of his lease of Aveley in order to redeem leases at Castle Hedingham
BL MS Lansdowne 63/76, ff. 191-2
Letter written by Oxford on 8 September 1590 in which he advises Lord Burghley of difficulties with one Bellingham, and mentions that Thomas Skinner has attempted to obtain a composition to settle matters resulting from his fraud against Oxford
Judgment granted to Thomas Skinner on 20 October 1590 against Oxford for 2000 marks pursuant to a recognizance acknowledged by Oxford in Chancery on 17 September 1580
Another copy of TNA C 43/10/340, i.e. judgment granted to Thomas Skinner on 20 October 1590 against Oxford for 2000 marks
Letter from Henry Lok to Lord Burghley of 6 November 1590 explaining his reasons for leaving Oxford’s service
Chancery petition of Christopher Marshall dated 10 November 1590 against Thomas Skinner and Nicholas Mynne re Queen’s extents against manor of Castle Camps
Chancery petition of Sir Roger Townshend and others against Sir William Waldegrave and Thomas, Lord Darcy of Chiche, to restrict the latter’s use of statutes for £6000 from Oxford
1591
BL MS Lansdowne 68/6, ff. 12-13
Letter written by Oxford on 18 May 1591 in which he thanks Lord Burghley for punishing Hampton for his part in the Skinner fraud, and broaches a plan to purchase the demesnes of Denbigh which the Queen is selling to one Carmarden and one Middleton
Lawsuit filed by Anthony Caldwell on 8 May 1591 mentioning extents against Oxford's former manor of Gibcrack by Edmund Style, Thomas Skinner, and the Queen
Certificate of 20 June 1591 re payments of Thomas Skinner to Court of Wards
BL MS Lansdowne 68/11, ff. 22-3, 28
Letter written by Oxford on 30 June 1591 requesting Lord Burghley's assistance in remedying the consequences of the fraud perpetrated by Thomas Skinner which had been brought about with the connivance and furtherance of Thomas Hampton
Lord Burghley’s notes on top portion of Oxford’s letter of 30 June 1591 re Oxford’s debt and forfeitures to the Court of Wards
Lord Burghley’s notes on bottom portion of Oxford’s letter of 30 June 1591 re Oxford’s debt and forfeitures to the Court of Wards
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in John Farmer's Divers & Sundry Ways of Two Parts in One, to the Number of Forty, upon one Plainsong, published in 1591
Last will and testament, dated 4 October 1591, of Elizabeth Golding, wife of Oxford's maternal uncle, Sir Thomas Golding (d.1571)
TNA CP 25/2/135/1723/33/34ELIZIMICH, item 74
Fine of 25 November 1591 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the honour and castle of Hedingham and the manors of Hedingham, Shetleford, and Parkes to Lord Burghley and his heirs
Exemplification, dated 29 November 1591, of fine of 25 November 1591 by which Oxford transferred clear title to the honour and castle of Hedingham and the manors of Hedingham, Shetleford, and Parkes to Lord Burghley and his heirs
Licence of 2 December 1591 authorizing Oxford to alienate the manors of Castle Hedingham and Gosfield to Lord Burghley and to Oxford's three daughters Elizabeth, Bridget, and Susan Vere
1592
Commission of 9 January 1592 granted by Oxford to Roger Harlakenden for the sale of Colne Priory
Pardon of alienation dated 27 January 1592 for Oxford’s sale of Castle Hedingham to Lord Burghley and his heirs in Michaelmas term 1591 without licence
Indenture of 7 February 1592, sale of Colne Priory by Oxford to Richard Harlakenden
TNA CP 25/2/135/1725/34ELIZIEASTER, Item 44
Fine of 12 April 1592 by which Oxford and his second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, transferred clear title to the manors of Castle Hedingham and Gosfield to Lord Burghley and his heirs and to Oxford's three daughters Elizabeth, Bridget, and Susan
Copy of letters patent of 14 April 1592 by which Queen Elizabeth granted her reversionary interest in Colne Priory to Theophilus Adams and Thomas Butler
TNA CP 25/2/135/1725/34ELIZIEASTER, Item 43
Fine of 5 May 1592 by which Oxford and his second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, transferred clear title to the rectory of Messing to George Maxey for 160 marks
Map prepared by Israel Amyce, taken from Louis Thorn Golding's An Elizabethan Puritan
1593
Oxford's revocation on 3 December 1593 of his earlier commission to Lewin, Harlakenden, & Tiffin re Earls Colne grammar school, & his reappointment of Adams as schoolmaster
Oxford’s replication in his Chancery suit against Roger and Richard Harlakenden for either reconveyance of Colne Priory or for compensation for fraud and breach of trust in the sale
1594
Memorandum of 1594 re repayment of Oxford’s debt of £3300 to the Court of Wards and extents for repayment of Oxford’s debt for forfeitures
Interrogatories drawn up in Oxford's suit against Roger and Richard Harlakenden for fraud in the sale of Colne Priory, together with answers taken between February and May 1594 from Barnaby Worthy, Nicholas Bleake, David Wilkins, Simon Ive and Thomas Hampton
Last will and testament, dated 12 April 1594, of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, brother of Oxford's son-in-law, William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby
Chancery suit commenced on 6 May 1594 by Oxford's paternal uncle, Robert Vere, and his second wife, Joan (nee Hubberd) against Edward Hubberd, alleging fraud in the sale of Oxford's manors of Kennington, Wennington and Shottesbrook
BL MS Lansdowne 76/74, ff. 168-9
Letter written by Oxford on 7 July 1594 requesting Lord Burghley's assistance in rectifying certain abuses in his office of Lord Great Chamberlain
Last will and testament, dated 24 August 1594, of Richard Branthwayte, serjeant at law, to whom Oxford transferred his manor of Fingrith by a fine of 30 March 1580 and whom Oxford appointed as one of his officers on 17 September 1580
1595
Last will and testament, dated 1 February 1595, of Oxford's paternal uncle Robert Vere (d.1598), brother of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford
Memorandum by Oxford on 9 March 1595 asking Lord Burghley's furtherance in a suit to the Queen for a licence to transport tin and lead, for which Oxford offers the Queen £500 a year
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley on 20 March 1595 outlining a plan to equal the artficially high offer of £10,000 by which his competitors, including Lord Buckhurst, had earlier driven him out of the bidding for the tin monopoly
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley on 23 March 1595 responding to questions as to how his offer for the tin monopoly compares to that made by Lord Buckhurst
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley on 25 March 1595 responding to further questions as to how his offer for the tin monopoly compares to that made by Lord Buckhurst
Letter written by Oxford on 28 March 1595 citing Richard Carmarden as his source for figures concerning the quantity of tin, and stating that Lord Buckhurst now claims that his offer was only intended to be for £4000 over the Queen's current £3000 revenues
BL MS Lansdowne 86/66, ff. 169-70
Memorandum by Oxford, likely dating from late March 1595, stating that Lord Buckhurst now claims that his offer for the tin monopoly of £7000 was intended as £4000 over and above the £3000 of revenues currently received by the Queen
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley's secretary Michael Hicks on 28 March 1595 re the annual production of tin in Devon and Cornwall
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley on 1 April 1595 with his firm offer to increase the Queen's revenues from tin from £3000 to £10,000, and the names of the merchants associated with him in the venture
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley on 9 April 1595 advising that the merchants named in his letter of 1 April 1595 have backed out, having been dissuaded by members of the Turkey Company which transported most of England's export tin
Letter written by Oxford on 13 April 1595 after both his and Lord Buckhurst's backers for the tin monopoly had deserted them, proposing a new plan for the tin monopoly for the consideration of the Queen, Lord Burghley, and Lord Buckhurst
Letter written by Oxford to Lord Burghley on 17 April 1595 mentioning deceptive practices by Richard Carmarden, and that Lord Buckhurst has abandoned his suit for the tin monopoly
Memorandum from Oxford on 4 June 1595 to Lord Burghley in which he refutes Richard Carmarden's reasons why the Queen should accept Lord Buckhurst's offer of £4600 for both the pre-emption and transportation of tin
Letter written by Oxford on 7 June 1595 to Lord Burghley advising of the dishonesty of Richard Carmarden and suggesting a means by which the Queen can obtain an accurate estimate of the annual production of tin in Cornwall
Letter written by Oxford on 13 June 1595 to Lord Burghley requesting that Alderman John Catcher be sent down to Cornwall to work with Middleton in obtaining an accurate estimate of the annual production of tin in Cornwall
Letter written by Oxford on 14 June 1595 to Lord Burghley reiterating his request that an order be sent by the Queen to Sir Francis Godolphin directing that no tin be bought or sold till the midsummer coinage, and that agents be appointed for Cornwall and London
Letter written by Oxford on 15 June 1595 to Lord Burghley reiterating his request that an order be sent by the Queen directing that no tin be bought or sold till the midsummer coinage, and that the tin be sold by agents, realizing a profit of £20,000
Letter written by Oxford on 5 August 1595 re Middleton's return from Cornwall and bribes offered by Lord Buckhurst to Oxford's agents and co-offerors for the tin monopoly to persuade them to abandon him, thus hindering the Queen's service
Oxford’s bill of complaint in Chancery of 1 July 1595 against Thomas Coe and his sons Roger and Edward for non-payment of rent under a lease of the rectory of Walter Belchamp & for recovery of documents, and answer of Thomas Coe
Complaint in 1595 against any 'innovations' in the tin trade, perhaps instigated by those who had originally offered Queen Elizabeth 1000 marks for the tin monopoly in 1594 and had been forced to raise their offer to a point at which it had become unprofitable
Memorandum by Oxford which appears to date from the end of 1595, listing the prices paid by the tin merchants per 1000 pounds of tin from 1571 to midsummer 1595, and discussing the Queen's attempt to exercise her pre-emption in 1595
1596
Last will and testament, dated 26 February 1596, of Sir John Wolley, one of Oxford's trustees in connection with legal agreements for the benefit of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham
Letter written by Oxford on 14 March 1596 in response to a letter from Lord Burghley with unspecified questions about the suit for the tin monopoly based on Oxford's notes on pre-emption
Agreement dated 16 June 1596 between the Company of Pewterers and Henry Jackman that Jackman would be the Company's agent for a period of one year to pursue the Company's suit to the Queen that no tin should be exported from England in blocks
Undated memorandum by Oxford re the revival of the 'suit of bars' on behalf of the Pewterers
Last will and testament, dated 28 December 1596, of Thomas Skinner, with whom Oxford had extensive financial dealings throughout his life
Last will and testament, dated 31 December 1596, of Sir John Wotton, appointing Oxford as his executor and making Oxford and his son, Henry de Vere, residuary legatees
1597
Chancery petition of Roger Harlakenden dated 25 November 1597 against Samuel Cockerell for documents relating to Colne Priory, and answer of Samuel Cockerell
Letter written on 11 January 1597 in which Oxford thanks Sir Robert Cecil for advising the Countess of Oxford, Elizabeth Trentham, of Thomas Gurley's petition against her to the Privy Council
Sonnet to Oxford in Henry Lok's Ecclesiastes, Otherwise Called The Preacher . . . whereunto are annexed sundry sonnets of Christian passions, published by Richard Field in 1597
Sonnet to Oxford's daughter Elizabeth Vere, Countess of Derby, in Henry Lok's Ecclesiastes, Otherwise Called The Preacher . . . whereunto are annexed sundry sonnets of Christian passions, published by Richard Field in 1597
Last will and testament, dated 7 April 1597, of George Sneyd, maternal uncle of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham
Undated memorandum from Oxford to an unnamed lord re the Queen's right to purchase by pre-emption all the tin available at a coinage and sell it to the tin merchants herself, thereby greatly increasing her revenues
Last will and testament, dated 30 May 1597, of Isabelle Mabbe, owner of the Tabard Inn in Southwark, and mother of John Mabbe the younger, who purchased Oxford's manors of Gibcrack and Little Yeldham
Licence of 2 September 1597 authorizing the executors of Sir Rowland Hayward to alienate the manor of King's Place in Hackney to Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, Francis Trentham, Ralph Sneyd, and Giles Yonge
Petition filed in Chancery in fall of 1597 concerning lands belonging to Oxford's manor of Thorncombe in Devonshire
Last will and testament, dated 3 and 7 November 1597, of John Drawater, who defrauded Oxford of his manor of Inglesthorpe
1598
Excerpt from Francis Meres’ Palladis Tamia, published in 1598, in which Oxford is named among those English poets who are ‘best for tragedy’
Last will and testament, dated 14 February 1598, of Oxford's half-sister, Katherine, Lady Windsor (d.1600)
Last will and testament of William Cecil, Lord Burghley (d.1598), dated 1 March 1598, containing generous bequests to Oxford's three daughters
Memorandum of lands purchased by Lord Burghley for the maintenance of Oxford’s three daughters after Lord Burghley's death
Queen Elizabeth's letter of Privy Seal of 15 April 1598 which granted to the Company of Pewterers privileges which Oxford considered very disadvantageous to the Queen's financial interests, as indicated in several of his tin mine letters and memoranda
Letter by Oxford, likely written on 16 April 1598 to Sir Edmund Anderson, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, explaining the origins of competing suits for the tin monopoly, one by a group including the Company of Pewterers, and the other by himself
Memorandum by Oxford, likely written on 16 or 17 April 1598 to Sir Edmund Anderson, concerning the profits to be made by the Queen from the tin monopoly
Memorandum by Oxford, likely written on 16 or 17 April 1598 to Sir Edmund Anderson, a day or two after the Queen's grant of privileges to the Company of Pewterers on 15 April 1598
Bill of complaint, answer and replication in Chancery suit of 21 May 1598 by Judith Ruswell against Oxford for an alleged debt of £1000 allegedly owed to her late husband, the tailor William Ruswell (dismissed at trial)
Letter dated 30 August 1598 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning that Lord Burghley has left £6000 and £800 or £900 in land to Oxford's two younger daughters, Bridget and Susan de Vere
Undated memorandum from Oxford to Queen Elizabeth explaining why she should impose a tax of 32 shillings per 100 lbs. of tin as well as an export tax of 2d per 100 lbs. of tin in order to realize a profit of £34,500
1599
Last will and testament, dated 4 January 1599, of Anne Carew, mother of Thomasine Vere, who married Oxford's first cousin John Vere of Kirby Hall
Chancery petition of Henry Atslowe re manor of Downham sold by Oxford to Edward Atslowe, and answers of Frances Atslowe and Edward Francis
TNA C 78/104, mbs 27-8, item 17
Judgment rendered by the Court of Chancery on 10 February 1599 in Oxford’s suit against Roger and Richard Harlakenden for reconveyance of Colne Priory and for compensation for fraud and breach of trust in the sale
Copy of Chancery decree of 10 February 1599 in Oxford’s suit against Roger and Richard Harlakenden for reconveyance of Colne Priory and for compensation for fraud and breach of trust in the sale
Letter to Oxford dated 3 March 1599 from Robert Bertie, son of Oxford's sister, Mary, and her husband Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby d'Eresby
Letter dated 1 March 1599 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning that a contract has been concluded for the marriage of Oxford's daughter, Bridget de Vere, to Francis Norris
Depositions of 13 witnesses taken in 1599 in case of Ruswell v Oxford (see TNA C 2/Eliz/R8/29 above)
Memorandum of 21 April 1599 giving figures for the coinages in Devon and Cornwall for the years 1595 to 1598, and discussing the Queen's right to purchase all the tin by pre-emption, a course Oxford had recommended to her since 1595
Memorandum by Bevis Bulmer of 23 April 1599 consisting of statements taken from Oxford's memorandum to an unnamed lord (EL2344) and Bulmer's responses
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in John Farmer's The First Set of English Madrigals to Four Voices, published in 1599
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in George Baker's The Practice of the New and Old Physic, a second edition of Baker's earlier 1576 publication The New Jewel of Health, which he had dedicated to Anne, Countess of Oxford
Letter written by Oxford to the Queen in June 1599, explaining the circumstances by which she has been deceived as to the money the merchants had ready for her to exercise of the pre-emption
Letter written by Oxford to Sir Robert Cecil in June 1599, a few days after he had written his letter to the Queen explaining the circumstances by which she had been deceived as to the money the merchants had ready for her to exercise of the pre-emption
Letter dated 23 August 1599 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford’s second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, Countess of Oxford, stood godmother, as the Queen's deputy, to Elizabeth Coke
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford in the second edition of Angel Day's The English Secretary, published in 1599
Offer of £10,000 for the tin monopoly made by Bevis Bulmer on 16 October 1599; by letter dated 31 October 1599, Sir John Popham informed Sir Robert Cecil that Queen Elizabeth had directed that Oxford be made aware of Bulmer's offer
1600
Interrogatories drawn up on behalf on Oxford in his suit against Roger and Richard Harlakenden for fraud in the sale of Colne Priory, together with answers by six witnesses taken in November 1599 and February 1600
Interrogatories drawn up on behalf on Oxford in April 1600 in his suit against Roger and Richard Harlakenden for fraud in the sale of Colne Priory
Lawsuit commenced 25 April 1600 concerning lands, parcel of Oxford's former manor of Thorncombe, mentioning Oxford's four commissioners, Luke Atslowe, Roger Baynes, John Floyde and Richard Temple, who held courts of survey of Oxford's lands in 1572
Letter dated 4 November 1600 from Sir Walter Raleigh to Lord Buckhurst and Sir Robert Cecil concerning the Queen’s exercise of the pre-emption, a right discussed in Oxford’s letters and memoranda on the tin trade
Last will and testament, dated 17 November 1600, of Oxford's servant and officer, Nicholas Bleake
1601
Excerpt from the Exchequer Pipe Roll of 1600-1601 indicating that Oxford was listed on the subsidy roll as owing £20, but that the amount had been paid in the county of Essex
Letter dated 3 February 1601 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning that Bridget, Dowager Duchess of Bedford, has 'bequeathed the greatest part of her wealth' to Oxford's son-in-law, Francis Norris
Last will and testament, dated 16 March 1601, of Oxford's onetime receiver-general, Edward Hubberd, whose sister Joan married Oxford's uncle, Robert Vere
Letter dated 8 July 1601 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning the death of Oxford's brother-in-law, Lord Willoughby, and that the presidency of Wales, for which Oxford had petitioned, has been awarded to the Earl of Shrewsbury
Excerpt from 'The State of England Anno Dom. 1600', an unpublished manuscript by Sir Thomas Wilson, in which it is erroneously claimed that Oxford's income in 1575 was 'rated' at £12,000 per year and that he had sold all his lands by 1577
Account of debate on monopolies in House of Commons on 20 November 1601, including Raleigh’s defence of his patent concerning tin
1602
Two documents concerning the Danvers escheat: (1) memorandum re harassment of Oxford’s secretary Michael Cawley, and (2) draft letter from Oxford to the Queen
Undated bill of complaint in the Court of Requests by Francis Trentham and Ralph Snead on behalf of Oxford and his Countess against Edward Coe concerning the rectory of Walter Belchamp, and answer of Edward Coe dated 14 June 1602
1603
Last will and testament, dated 2 January 1603, of Roger Harlakenden, who defrauded Oxford of Colne Priory
Printed proclamation of James as King of England to which Oxford was one of 37 signatories
Great Council warrant of 8 April 1603 signed by Oxford and 25 others
Latin epigram on Oxford from Anagrammata in Nomina Illustrissimorum Heroum, attributed to Francis Davison and likely published between late May and 24 June 1603, with a translation by Dr. Dana Sutton
Memorandum of the offices and rights claimed by Oxford in Waltham Forest
Privy Seal warrant dated 2 August 1603 by which King James confirmed Oxford's annuity of £1000 'during our pleasure, or until such time as he shall be by us otherwise provided for to be in some manner relieved'
Earl of Lincoln’s report concerning his conversations with the French ambassador and with Oxford
Sir John Peyton’s letter and report of 10 October 1603 to Sir Robert Cecil concerning his conversations with Oxford before and after Queen Elizabeth’s death
1604
Last will and testament of Sir John Harte, Lord Mayor of London, who purchased Oxford's mansion at London Stone, and kept his mayoralty there
Letter dated 15 January 1604 from Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain mentioning the involvement of Oxford's daughters Elizabeth, Lady Derby, and Susan de Vere in festivities during the Christmas season at Hampton Court
Inquisition post mortem taken at Brentwood on 27 September 1604 three months after Oxford's death on 24 June 1604
Court of Wards copy of Oxford’s inquisition post mortem of 27 September 1604
Letter dated 18 December 1604 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning the forthcoming wedding of Oxford's youngest daughter Susan de Vere and Sir Philip Herbert
1605
Letter dated 7 January 1605 from Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain describing the wedding, on 27 December 1604, of Oxford's youngest daughter, Susan de Vere, and Sir Philip Herbert
Last will and testament dated 5 April 1605 of Oxford's nephew, Henry, 5th Lord Windsor
Last will and testament dated 8 April 1605 of Oxford's brother-in-law, Thomas Trentham, which includes bequests to Oxford's widow, Elizabeth Trentham, and Oxford's 12-year-old son, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
Letter dated 24 October 1605 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning the serious illness in Paris of Oxford's son-in-law, Francis, 2nd Baron Norris of Rycote, the husband of Oxford's daughter Bridget
Letter dated 17 November 1605 from Sir Francis Vere to Sir Robert Cecil mentioning his service with the Duke of Guise, and his association with Oxford's followers Sir Roger Williams and Denys 'a Frenchman' in Paris in 1577
1606
Letter dated 5 March 1606 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son-in-law, Francis, 2nd Baron Norris of Rycote, is expected to return to England, having remained at Paris for several months after a serious illness
Letter dated 12 March 1606 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton again mentioning the expected return to England of Oxford's son-in-law, Francis, 2nd Baron Norris of Rycote
Letter dated 11 May 1606 from Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain mentioning that Oxford's daughter, Bridget, is estranged from her husband Francis, 2nd Baron Norris of Rycote, and is residing at the Kensington home of Sir Walter Cope
Letter dated 11 November 1606 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning a rumour that King James has undertaken to pay the debts of Oxford's son-in-law, Philip Herbert, Earl of Montgomery, husband of Oxford's daughter Susan de Vere
Nathaniel Baxter’s verses honouring Oxford's youngest daughter, Susan de Vere, published in 1606 in Sir Philip Sidney’s Ourania
1608
Letter dated 11 February 1608 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford’s widow, Elizabeth Trentham, dined in state at court on 9 February 1608 at the marriage of Viscount Haddington and Elizabeth Radcliffe
Letter dated 15 July 1608 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning a visit by Sir Robert Cecil to Oxford's daughters Elizabeth, Lady Derby, and Bridget, Lady Norris, in Lancashire
Inquisition post mortem taken on Oxford’s Great Garden property in London on 13 August 1608
Court of Wards copy of the inquisition post mortem of 13 August 1608 concerning Oxford's Great Garden property in London
Letter dated 27 September 1608 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning the favour shown by Queen Anne to Oxford's former mistress, Anne Vavasour, now the mistress of Sir Henry Lee
Letter dated 8 November 1608 from John Chamberlain to Dudley Carleton mentioning the arrival in London of Oxford's daughters Elizabeth, Lady Derby and Bridget, Lady Norris, and hinting at the possibility of friction between them
1609
Act of Parliament of 1609 authorizing sale of the manor of Bretts to help finance repurchase of Castle Hedingham
Copy of Act of Parliament of 1609 authorizing sale of the manor of Bretts to help finance repurchase of Castle Hedingham
Document of 26 November 1609 outlining claim of Magdalene College for Oxford's great garden property at Aldgate
Suit in Court of Requests by Edward Johnson against Elizabeth Trentham, Dowager Countess of Oxford, for payment for joiner work done on Oxford’s alleged ‘house called Plaistow’
Letter written circa 1609 by Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Oxford, re commission looking into the administration of Earls Colne grammar school
1610
Undated draft bill to be put before Parliament with respect to Oxford's great garden property at Aldgate
Last will and testament, dated 19 July 1610, of Oxford’s brother-in-law, Sir John Stanhope
1611
Letter written 22 July 1611 by Dowager Countess of Oxford re influence of John Hunt on her son Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 22 October 1611, of Sir William Cornwallis, who purchased Oxford's lease of the mansion of Fisher's Folly in the parish of St Botolph's, Bishopsgate
1612
Last will and testament, dated 12 January 1612, of Mary Golding, widow of Oxford's uncle, George Golding
Letter dated 17 June 1612 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford’s widow, Elizabeth Trentham, Countess of Oxford, is to entertain King James at Havering at her own expense
Last will and testament, dated 25 November 1612, of Oxford’s widow, Elizabeth Trentham, Countess of Oxford
1613
Letter dated 9 January 1613 from John Chamberlain to Sir Ralph Winwood mentioning the death of Oxford’s widow, Elizabeth Trentham, Countess of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 24 February and 26 May 1613, of Thomas Bedingfield, who dedicated his translation of Cardanus' Comfort to Oxford
Last will and testament of Oxford's first cousin, John Vere of Kirby Hall, begun 26 February 1613
Description of a meeting between Oxford and the fictional Clermont D'Ambois in March 1576 in George Chapman's play The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois; A Tragedy, published in 1613
Judicial sentence of 26 June 1613 by which the court revoked an earlier granted of administration of the will of Elizabeth, Countess of Oxford, to her son Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, and granted administration to the executors named in the will
1614
Extract from the calendar of the sessions of the peace and gaol delivery stating that on 5 February 1614 the house in Clerkenwell occupied byOxford's sister, Mary, and her second husband, Sir Eustace Harte, was broken into, and various items stolen
Letter dated 31 March 1614 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the restoration of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, to his rights in Waltham Forest
1615
English Reports, vol. 77, pp.1235-1252
Report of judgment in Court of King’s Bench in Easter term, 1615 in case involving Oxford’s great garden property at Aldgate
English Reports, vol. 21, pp. 485-9
Report of Earl of Oxford’s case in Chancery re great garden property at Aldgate
1617
Last will and testament, dated 20 January 1617, of Oxford's first cousin, Anne Vere, daughter of Oxford's uncle Aubrey Vere, and wife of Christopher Sherbourne, John Stubbe, and Anthony Stapley
Report dated 28 January 1617 of two Masters in Chancery concerning items which Oxford's former mistress, Anne Vavasour, allegedly failed to include in an inventory of the possessions left by Sir Henry Lee at his death.
1618
Letter dated 8 August 1618 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's former mistress, Anne Vavasour, was about to be brought before the High Commission on bigamy charges at the instigation of 'young Sir Henry Lee'
1619
Excerpt from Sir George Buc’s history of Richard III in which Buc terms Oxford magnanimous, learned, and religious
Dedicatory epistle to Oxford's son Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, in Anthony Munday's The Famous and Renowned History of Primaleon of Greece, a translation published in 1619 which Munday had originally intended to dedicate to Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 7 September 1619, of Oxford’s sister-in-law, Katherine (Trentham) Stanhope, containing a bequest of a diamond ring to Oxford's son, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
Last will and testament, dated 25 November 1619, of Oxford's brother-in-law, Francis Trentham (d.1626) of Rocester, probated 10 June 1628 at Lichfield
1620
Letter dated 8 January 1620 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning Oxford's illegitimate son Sir Edward Vere, and Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
Letter dated 1 April 1620 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the participation in a tilting of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, and his dispute with William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, over precedence
Letter dated 29 April 1620 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Sir Henry Parker and Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, were beaten by the watch on 14 April for 'ill rule'
Letter dated 4 August 1620 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, is in the Low Countries serving under the command of Oxford's first cousin, Sir Horace Vere
Last will and testament, dated 21 October 1620, of Sir Thomas Vavasour, brother of Oxford's former mistress, Anne Vavasour, who challenged Oxford to a duel in 1585
1621
Letter dated 18 April 1621 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning a quarrel involving Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, and a rumour that he is to marry the eldest daughter of John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater
Letter dated 21 July 1621 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, has been released from house arrest at Sir William Cokayne's
Letter dated 10 November 1621 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, is to be admiral of a fleet of six of the King's ships and six merchant ships
1622
Letter dated 16 February 1622 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the suicide of Oxford's son-in-law, Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire, and the return from sea of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
Letter dated 30 March 1622 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, has been barred from court for his involvement in the marriage of Oxford's granddaughter, Elizabeth Norris
Letter dated 27 April 1622 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, had been committed to the Tower on 15 April 1622
Letter dated 8 June 1622 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, is held as a close prisoner in the Tower
Letter dated 1 July 1622 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, is still held as a close prisoner in the Tower
1623
Letter dated 21 March 1623 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the likelihood that Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, is soon to be released from the Tower
Letter dated 19 April 1623 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the ongoing imprisonment of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, in the Tower, and his prospective marriage to Lady Diana Cecil
Last will and testament, dated 24 April 1623, of Sir Edward More of Odiham, one of the executors of the will of Oxford's second wife, Elizabeth (nee Trentham), de Vere, Countess of Oxford
Letter dated 17 May 1623 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning a bill in the Star Chamber against Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford
1624
Letter dated 3 January 1624 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the release from the Tower of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, his marriage to Lady Diana Cecil, and his reinstatement to favour at court
Letter dated 16 November 1624 from Sir Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain mentioning the illness of Lady Diana, wife of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, at Waalwijk during his participation at the siege of Breda
Letter dated 4 December 1624 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the death of Oxford's sister, Mary, Lady Willoughby d'Eresby
Description of Oxford’s valour, honesty, piety, and magnanimity in Honour in his Perfection
1625
Excerpt from Sir Francis Bacon's Apophthegmes New and Old, published in 1625, concerning Oxford's alleged jest at Walter Raleigh
Last will and testament, dated 20 May 1625, of Oxford’s only surviving son and heir, Henry de Vere (1593-1625), 18th Earl of Oxford
Letter dated 12 June 1625 from John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton mentioning the death of Oxford's son and heir, Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, and the succession of Robert de Vere, 19th Earl of Oxford, to the earldom
1630
Last will and testament, dated 13 December 1630, of Sir John Vere, said to have been the illegitimate son of Oxford's first cousin, John Vere of Kirby Hall
1634
Last will and testament, dated 10 November 1634, of Oxford's first cousin, Sir Horace Vere
1639
Last will and testament, dated 6 April 1639, of Thomasine Vere, widow of Oxford's first cousin John Vere, mentioning a bible 'bossed with silver' which may be the bible thought to have been owned by Oxford and now in the Folger Shakespeare library
Last will and testament, dated 21 April 1639, of Mathie Bacon, son of the 16th Earl of Oxford's bailiff of Lavenham, and defendant in a 1615 lawsuit in Chancery brought by Shaksper of Stratford and others concerning the Blackfriars Gatehouse property
1641
Excerpt from Sir Robert Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia, or Observations on Queen Elizabeth, Her Times & Favourites, published in 1641, concerning Oxford's jest at Sir Walter Raleigh
Excerpt from Sir Robert Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia, or Observations on Queen Elizabeth, Her Times & Favourites, published in 1641, concerning Oxford's brother-in-law, Peregrine Bertie (1555-1601), Lord Willoughby de Eresby
1650
Excerpts describing the vindictive character of Oxford’s first cousin, Lord Henry Howard from Anthony Weldon’s book on the court of King James
1658
Account of insult offered to Philip Herbert by a Scottish courtier at horse-race at Croydon in 1607
1668
Petition to the House of Lords by Robert, Earl of Lindsay et al claiming the honour and manor of Castle Hedingham, answer of Brian, Viscount Cullen et al, and decision by the House of Lords
1670
Last will and testament, dated 23 March 1670, of Lady Mary Vere, widow of Oxford's first cousin, Horatio Vere
1698
Excerpt from John Strype's life of Sir Thomas Smith stating that Oxford was tutored by Smith before Smith left for France in 1562, and that Oxford 'afterwards proved of excellent abilities and learning'
1796
Majendie's baseless claim that buildings at Castle Hedingham were destroyed circa 1592 on Oxford’s warrant
1836
Excerpt from Thomas Wright’s error-filled
biographical sketch of Oxford
 Signature and seal of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford |
OXMYTHS
Research into Oxford's life has unfortunately resulted in the publication of a series of errors and misconceptions about Oxford, some of which are included here under four categories. The most pervasive and long-lived of these Oxmyths is the so-called Prince Tudor theory, which makes the specious claim that Oxford was the son of Queen Elizabeth and Lord Thomas Seymour, and that Southampton was the son of Oxford and the Queen. The so-called Prince Tudor theory is conclusively refuted by extant historical documents, but this has had no effect whatsoever on its believers. For a discussion of the Prince Tudor theory, see http://shakespeare-oxford.com/wp-content/oxfordian/Paul_PT_Dilemma.pdf.
I. Oxmyths involving Oxford personally
II. Oxmyths involving Shaksper of Stratford
III. Oxmyths involving individuals other than Oxford and Shaksper
IV. Oxmyths involving the Shakespeare pen-name and the Shakespeare plays
STRATMYTHS
One of the most prevalent myths in Stratfordian orthodoxy is the claim that three tracts concerned with the wreck of the Sea Venture in Bermuda in 1609 were sources of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. This myth has received new life in recent years as a result of David Kathman’s essay “Dating The Tempest”. All fifty-three of the alleged parallels cited by Dr. Kathman are refuted in the paper below.