King James I, document signed, 1610

KING JAMES I

Document signed at the head ("James R"),

licencing Thomas Puckering "to passe out of this our realme of England into the partes beyond the Seas" for a period of three years, with various conditions including that he "use not the company of any Jesuite or Seminary or otherwise evell affected person to our State" and that he return home immediately when summoned, one vellum membrane (280 x 400mm), Holdenby, 13 August 1610, papered seal, docketed, water staining

The unusually restrictive terms of this passport to Thomas Puckering (1591-1637) were a consequence of Puckering's youth (he was 18) and friendship with the King's son Henry, Prince of Wales. The two boys had been educated together. Puckering's licence to travel was issued to allow him to study horsemanship under the great Parisian riding master Antoine de Pluvinel, and he remained in Paris until June 1611. Puckering's chances of a career at court were shattered by the death of Prince Henry in 1612, and his adult life was mostly spent in his native Warwick. Dr. John Hall, Shakespeare’s son-in-law, knew him as a prominent local figure and described Puckering as "much given to study, of lean constitution yet phlegmatic".

Please see shipping calculator link: click here.