Holdings Information
Bibliographic Record Display
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Author/Creator:Browne, John, 1608?-1691.
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Title:[Commonplace book], circa 1680.
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Physical Description:1 v. (ca. 543 p.) ; 30 x 19 cm
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Links:View a description and listing of collection contents in the finding aid
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Yale Holdings
Holdings Record Display
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Notes:Armorial bookplate of Alfred Verney-Cave, 5th Baron Braye.
Binding: full parchment. Written on spine: Commonplace Book. J. Browne.
In English.
For information on the source of acquisition, consult the appropriate curator.
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Biographical / Historical note:John Browne (circa 1608-1691) was a parliamentary official. He became a student in the Middle Temple in 1628 and was appointed clerk of the parliaments in 1638. Following the break between the king and parliament in 1642, he remained at Westminster to serve the House of Lords. In 1650 the House of Commons appointed Henry Scobell, over Browne, as their clerk and as designated clerk of the parliaments, but in 1660, the House of Lords reinstated Browne as clerk of the parliaments. He served the house for another thirty years until his death in 1691. He acquired property in Northamptonshire and as well as a house in Twickenham, and was father-in-law to Sir Roger Cave.
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Summary:Manuscript, in a single hand, of copies of several dozen Parliamentary papers, including speeches, orders, petitions, and declarations spanning the parliaments of Elizabeth I through James II, though much of the manuscript focuses on the period between 1630 and 1680. The papers address such topics as the evils of Popery; the war in the Palatinate; financial reform; and the dissolution of the Oxford Parliament. Several items concern the proposed Spanish marriage between Charles I and the Infanta Maria, as well as the involvement of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, in the negotiations. Other items include addresses from Presbyterian ministers in London and the Society of Friends thanking James I for his declaration for the liberty of conscience; a copy of the marriage treaty between Charles I and Henrietta Maria; and the statutes of the Order of the Garter.
A number of items in the manuscript are not Parliamentary but are by Browne himself, including a list of proper addresses towards nobility; a list of cathedral and collegiate churches in England and Wales; and notes concerning proceedings in Chancery in cases of equity and conscience.
- Format:Archives or Manuscripts
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Indexes/Finding aids:Finding aid available.
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Cite as:John Browne, Commonplace Book. James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
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Subjects:Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649.
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603.
Henrietta Maria, Queen, consort of Charles I, King of England, 1609-1669.
James I, King of England, 1566-1625.
Browne, John, 1608?-1691.
Buckingham, George Villiers, Duke of, 1592-1628.
Great Britain. Parliament.
Order of the Garter.
Law--Great Britain.
Nobility--Great Britain.
Great Britain--Court and courtiers.
Great Britain--Foreign relations--Spain.
Great Britain--Politics and government--1558-1603.
Great Britain--Politics and government--1603-1714.
Great Britain--Religious life and customs--17th century.
Spain--Foreign relations--Great Britain.
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Subjects (Local Yale):Braye, Alfred Verney-Cave, Baron, 1849-1928--Bookplate.
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Genre/Form:Commonplace books.
Link to this page: https://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/7041730