King George I | Document signed, ordering funds to William Burroughs, September 1717

King George I 

Document signed, addressed to Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln, as Paymaster of the Forces

ordering that the sum of £3,000 paid to William Burroughs, Commissary General in Scotland, for sums dispersed "at the time of the late Rebellion there...for gaining Intelligence and other Secret Services", which should be placed under the heading "Extraordinarys and Contingencys.", also signed by the Secretary at War James Craggs, two pages, folio, integral blank leaf, Hampton Court, 7 September 1717

The Jacobite rising of 1715 saw the James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) attempt to regain the throne of England from George I. Although the Jacobites under the Earl of Mar quickly managed to assemble an army of 16,000 and take control of much of the Highlands, they lost the initiative after the Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November.

The Jacobite threat was well understood by the government and an elaborate system of spies was in place before, during, and after the '15 Rebellion, of which this document gives a rare glimpse.