The Great Seal of James I, With the Attached Document Dated 1613
The document is a transaction involving London Mayor Stephen Soame, whose name appears in the 1609 Charter of Virginia as a member of the Virginia Company
In 1603, James succeeded his cousin Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, who died childless. He continued to reign Scotland, Ireland and England for 22 years, a period known as the Jacobean era, until his death in 1625.
From the outset the Virginia Company was granted the authority...
In 1603, James succeeded his cousin Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, who died childless. He continued to reign Scotland, Ireland and England for 22 years, a period known as the Jacobean era, until his death in 1625.
From the outset the Virginia Company was granted the authority to govern its own colony. A ruling council in England, composed of members of the joint-stock company who were usually merchants of great distinction, was formed immediately after King James I granted the charter of 1606. The councillors were appointed ostensibly by the king, but in reality were nominated by the membership, or more often, by the inner executive group of the company. The council in England issued instructions to the first settlers appointing a colonial council to make daily decisions. This group proved ineffective, and a governor, Lord Delaware, was eventually appointed.
Sir Stephen Soame was an English merchant, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1601. He served as Lord Mayor of London for the year 1598 to 1599. As Lord Mayor, Soame presided over the first meeting of merchants to consider the formation of the East India Company. In 1605 he was named among the principals in the Charter granted by James I to revive the Levant Company, created to maintain trade and political alliances with the Ottoman Empire. His will refers to a significant East India Company investment, and to his “great Adventures [i.e. investments] abroade in Turkey and in many other places out of the kingdom”. He was Surveyor-General of Hospitals in 1609-1610 and Comptroller-General of Hospitals from 1610 until his death. He was a member of the Virginia Company.
Document with the Great Seal, Westminster, 22 June, 1613. A complete and relatively clear impression of the Great Seal, attached to the document by the original vellum tag. The document is a pardon of alienation for Andrew Bayninge, esquire in respect of a transaction between himself and Stephen Soame, Andrew Grey, and the latter’s wife, Thomasina, relating to lands in Hingworth, Calcott and Ashwell, Hertfordshire. Alienation was the transfer of a holding by sale rather than by inheritance. A licence was required from the lord, who would of course collect a fee. If the holding was from the Crown there were also licences and fees and fines for ‘pardons’. The functions of the Alienation Office were eventually transferred to the Treasury.
Although there are two Soames recorded at this time, this designation is clearly the correct one. It is recorded that Andrew Grey and Stephen Soame both owned corresponding plots of land in Hertfordshire. There is another Stephen Soame, whose daughter went to Plymouth Massachusetts but this is evidently not the same Soame.
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