ENGLISH ARMY, AN ESTABLISHMENT FOR THE NEW RAISED FORCES, CALLIGRAPHIC MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, 1660

CALLIGRAPHIC MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, title page with title in gold ink heightened in blue within an ink cartouche of swirls and flourishes, further elaborated with human forms, birds, and two mottoes ("Prudentes ut serpentes et Simplices ut columba", and "Autant de testes [sic] Autant d'humeurs") heightened in gold, the text throughout with engrossed capitals in blue ink, extensively heightened in gold, with further calligraphic flourishes, text listing the regiments of guards, infantry and cavalry, followed by a copy of a royal decree "for the Mustering regulating and payment of our Established forces", also "An Establishment of his Majesties Garrisons of England", with salaries and other costs throughout, giving a total annual cost of £223,358, 14s., 10d., 27 pages, folio (415 x 280mm.), c. 1663, contemporary vellum with (faded) calligraphic title on upper cover, covers stained, some discolouration; with related letter by J.H. Leslie and two other items loosely inserted

Catalogue slip as lot 562 in unidentified auction, c.1920s, loosely inserted 

AN ESTABLISHMENT BOOK SUMMARISING THE BRITISH ARMY AT ITS POINT OF ORIGIN. The New Model Army was disbanded at the Restoration with a few exceptions such as "His Grace the Duke of Albemarle his Troope of Guards", today's Coldstream Guards (the only non-royal regiment of guards listed here), which then consisted of a Captain, Lieutenant, Quarter Master, Chaplain, Surgeon ("...and one Horse to carry his Chest), four corporals, four trumpeters, a drummer, and 150 soldiers. The first section details the army in January 1661 (the manuscript itself uses the old style date of 1660) but the manuscript includes the "establishment of his Majestie's Foot Regiment of Guards Comanded by ... Thomas Lord Wentworth that came from Dunkirk ... 17th of November 1662" (this regiment was eventually to become the Grenadier Guards) so the manuscript was evidently produced after that date. This is a lavish manuscript and was undoubtedly produced for presentation to an important figure at court. The extravagant calligraphic ornamentation in this manuscript, which include human figures and animals, are typical of the writing-masters of the period: similar flourishes are found, for example, in James Hodder, The pen-man's recreation (1660). A small number of other lavish Restoration establishment books are known. One such copy, of a similar date to this one and signed four times by King Charles II, was sold in these rooms from the collection of Edward Almack on 26 May 1911, lot 719. Another closely related manuscript, written for the Duke of Albemarle and with similar calligraphic ornamentation, was sold at Anderson Galleries, NY, 23 January 1924, lot 74, and similar manuscripts exist for later in the reign of Charles II, for example for the 1st Earl of Dartmouth as General of Artillery.  

Lord Cottesloe appreciated the historical importance of this manuscript and rightly saw it as one of the jewels in his collection; he arranged for its publication as 'The Earliest 'Establishment' - 1661 - of the British Standing Army' in The Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, 9 (1930), 147-161 and 214-242.