UK Parliamentary Archives

• Held At: Parliamentary Archives: GB-061
• Catalogue Reference: WAL
• Accession Number: 67
• Former Archival Reference: Historical Collection 65
• Ref No: WAL
• Date: 1644-1649
• Level: Fonds
• Extent: 2 files
• Creator Name: Walker; Sir; Edward (1612-1677) Garter King of Arms and Secretary to Charles I (1642-1648)
• Administrative or Biographical History: Walker wrote the draft letters and warrants on behalf of King Charles I during the campaign of 1644, whilst he was acting as his Secretary at War. In November 1655 Walker joined Charles II at Cologne and acted once again as Secretary of the Council. In the Autumn of 1656, Charles II had gathered a small army in the Netherlands and Walker was again charged with the functions of War Secretary. It is therefore probable that he wrote some of the letters and commissions contained in the second file. For further information on Edward Walker and his career, see his authority file.
• Acquisition: The first volume was donated to the House of Lords Library in 1932 by Mr R W Whiteing. The British Record Association donated the second volume to the House of Lords Record Office, as part of deposit number BRA 833, in 1952. Accession number 67.
• Category: Personal/Political Papers
• Description: Draft correspondence, warrants and commissions prepared on behalf of Charles I, Charles II and by others, comprising two separate files. The first contains draft letters, commissions and warrants made in the King's name by Sir Edward Walker, a Secretary to the Privy Council. They relate to the conduct of the Civil War between September 1644 to 1649. Common themes reappear regularly throughout this correspondence such as the impressing of men for the Royal Army, the supply of shoes and stockings for the army and the desertion of soldiers. Many are addressed to Army officers and administrative officials in the Western part of the country, Dorset, Somerset, Devon Cornwall, as well as Leicestershire and Wales. The second file also contains draft correspondence, warrants and commissions from Charles I, Charles II, and also possibly from the Privy Council under Charles I. Also included is a letter from Colonel Windebank and a report on the conduct of the Royal Army under Charles I.
• Terms:
  • English Civil War, 1642-1649,
• Language: English
• System of Arrangement: In chronological order.
• Related Material: Records of Sir Edward Walker on the subject of Charles I and the Civil War in 1644 are held at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts MS. Clar. 136; relevant records are also held in the British Library, Index of MSS, X, 19861639-77, correspondence and papers 1639-1677, Add. MSS 14294, 33223, 33224, 38847, 37820, 15750 and Stowe Collection MSS 489. There are 8 other small collections held in other archives; for details of these see the National Register of Archives via the National Archives website.
• Access Status: Open
• Publication Notes: "The Manuscripts of the House of Lords" (London, 1962) xi (new series), pp362-364.

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