Henry VIII (king of England 1509-1547), confirmation of decision with royal seal, and other Tudor charters, in Latin and Middle English, on vellum

eighteen documents, including: (a) Henry VIII's confirmation of decision of the bench to over the estate of Little Leckhamford, 450mm. by 250mm., 19 lines of professional secretarial hand with space left for an initial (wanting), very good condition, royal seal in dark brown wax attached with the king enthroned on a plain background on front, and the royal arms (quarterly England and France) supported by hounds on the reverse, seal 60 mm. in diameter, with loss at top, left-hand side and around edges, slight wear, else detail sharp, dated 4 July 1538; (b) Indenture in English between Earl John of Oxford and Sir Richard Emson ordering Emson to pay the earl £300 for seizing the estate of the late Viscount Beaumont and hindering the earl's wife (presumably in asserting her rights to this), with the faint and shaky personal signature of the earl: "Oxynford" at the base, 320mm. by 180mm., stained and cockled with a hole in centre, but quite readable, dated 1 August 1509; plus 27 other documents: 3 from the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), 17 from Henry VIII, 7 from Edward VI, 15 with seals, all with minor stains, folds, small holes and some cockling (one with serious damage), else fair and presentable condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing 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."

Item (a) is from the chancellery of King Henry VIII, offered here in the five-hundredth year since his coronation. Item (b) records a settlement in the favour of John de Vere, 16th earl of Oxford, who was in attendance of Henry VIII at the time of the 'Pilgrimage of Grace' and the ill-fated arrival of Anne of Cleves to the court. In addition, he served in the Boulogne campaign in 1544, as well as one of the chief mourners at the funerals of both Henry and his young son Edward VI. His wife in 1509 was Dorothy Neville, the daughter of the duke of Westmorland, but later she left him citing "the vnkynde dealing of the Earl"; doubtless influenced by his bigamous marriage to one Joan Jockey and his keeping of a third woman named Anne at Tilbury Hall. At that time a "Mr Tyrrell" held office as the earl's comptroller and this perhaps explains the presence of this personal document in this archive.