Swan Roll

each mark in a ruled frame with the name of the owner above and additional instructions occasionally noted ("...the arrow should be on this side the bill &c..."), a few with solid triangular difference marks, manuscript on vellum, 37 pages, small quarto (190 x 162mm), mid seventeenth century, contemporary limp vellum covers with "swan marks" on the upper cover, vellum ties, staining and some fading, some creasing, lacking one tie, covers stained with slight loss at head of spine

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An important and unrecorded volume containing a pictorial record of nearly 600 swan marks from the Fenland region, especially Lincolnshire. It was undoubtedly produced by or for a swan-master as a register of marks used in his region and would have been used to identify marks during the annual swan upping, when broods were allocated and cygnets counted, as well as to record new marks of ownership. Although such volumes are usually known as swan rolls, most of those that survive from the Fenland region are, like this, in codex form. The region of origin can be identified from the names of the owners, which range from the monarch - whose mark of two "E"s presumably dates from Elizabeth's reign, although it is described as the mark of "the Kinges Majestie" - to Lincolnshire gentry families. Many of the individuals named were alive in the early seventeenth century, and although swan rolls are difficult to date from names as they tended to be transcribed from earlier volumes so often include the names of long dead individuals, in this case the handwriting confirms a mid seventeenth century date.