PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY

Part 2: The Braye Manuscripts from the House of Lords Record Office

The Braye Manuscripts, the papers accumulated by John Browne, Clerk of the Parliaments, 1638-91, are the most important collection of seventeenth century parliamentary records to have passed into private hands. After Browne's death the papers were moved to Stanford Hall, the home of the Cave family, which eventually succeeded to the Barony of Braye. The purchase of the Braye Manuscripts was completed by the House of Lords Records Office in 1987. We now make available the complete collection on microfilm.

Manuscripts of particular significance include:

- Letters and State Papers, 1572-1636 (including material on the Duke of Buckingham, the Earls of Bristol, Essex, Northampton and Somerset; the Impeachment of Dr Roger Manwaring; John Durie's mission to the Continent on behalf of Archbishop Laud, to effect a union between the Lutherans and the Calvinists)
- House of Commons diaries for 1593-1601
- A chronological list of Private Acts 1510-1589
- Protestations of the Commons, 1604-1621
- Petitions of grievances of the House of Commons, 1606-1610.
- Scribbled Books of Proceedings for 1609-1610
- John Browne's Commonplace Book with detailed entries for 1614-1625, 1641-1645 and 1661-1688
- Draft Journals of the House of Lords, 1620/1-1628
- Sir John Coke's speech, 1625, to both Houses at Oxford
- Habeas Corpus, 1627, and proceedings in 'The Five Knights Case'
- A draft message from Charles I concerning the Earl of Bristol's charge against the Duke of Buckingham, 1626
- Letters and State Papers, 1637-1641 (including the suspension of the Bishop of Lincoln; assessments at Twickenham and Whitton; the Scottish General Assembly; English and Scottish Commissionaires; material on the Earl of Strafford; the First Army Plot; the Committee for Petitions; the quarrel between the Earl of Pembroke and Lord Mowbray; and the Second Army Plot)
- A declaration or remonstrance of both Houses of Parliament, 19 May 1642
- Proceedings against the Earl of Strafford and Archbishop Laud, 1641-1644
- Scribbled Books of Proceedings in the House of Lords for 1640-1642
- Draft journals of the House of Lords, 1660-1689/90
- Conference between the Houses on the Bill for Uniformity, 1662
- Letters and State papers, 1648-1710 (including descriptions of the actions of Cromwell, Lambert and their forces in Northern England and Scotland; Anglo-DutchTreaty Papers; Impeachment of the Earl of Clarendon; restoration politics; and Navy lists)
- The Braye-Teeling manuscript containing important documents relating to the English Civil War, 1641-1660
- Resolutions concerning ship money, 1640/1
- Information on the Popish Plot, 1680 and James II's declaration of Liberty of Conscience, 1687

"An essential research collection, the Braye Manuscripts relate tosubstantive issues in Parliament during virtually all of the seventeenthcentury. The collection complements the House of Lords Main Papers, theJournals, Howell's State Trials and Rushworth. The Braye Papers are doublyimportant because we know their provenance and legitimacy."
Maija Jansson, Executive Editor
The Yale Center for Parliamentary History, Yale University

This material is of paramount importance for all students and scholars of Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, the Civil War and the Inter regnum, Charles II, James II and the Glorious Revolution. With significant early diaries, draft journals, scribbled books, lists of Private Acts, petitions and the dialogue between both Houses, there is a wealth of detail on all manner of social, economic, financial, political and religious issues.