Papers of Nathaniel Bacon
Abstract
Contains papers and letters relating to Bacon's career: 11 papers relating to his work as Justice of the Peace, including a paternity case, and 5 papers concerning a case brought forward by a Nicholas Ringolde for money owed; 3 papers as Clerk of Methwold and Deputy Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster; and 26 papers relating to the Norfolk Militia, of which 6 concern an inquiry into the number of forces raised and paid in Norfolk, 1594-1595 and 20 concern the musters in Norfolk, 1603-1620, which had not been held between 1591 and 1611. Also includes 11 personal papers, of which 6 are autograph letters signed to Bacon from various correspondents, 3 are documents relating to his daughter Lady Anne Townshend and the wardship of her son Roger Townshend and 2 relating to land in Hockwold.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1574-1650 ( 1590-1622)
- 1574 - 1650
Creator
- Bacon, Nathaniel, 1547-1622 (Person)
Availability
Collection is open for research.
Biographical Note
Sir Nathaniel Bacon (1547-1622) was the second son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper to Elizabeth I, and Jane, daughter of William Fernley. He matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge in Michaelmas term, 1561, and was admitted to Gray's Inn on December 16, 1562. In 1569, he married Anne Gresham, natural daughter of Sir Thomas Gresham, Royal Agent in the Netherlands, and Winifred Dutton, wife of Thomas Dutton. They had three daughters (Anne, Winifred, and Elizabeth), and two sons, both of whom died in infancy. Anne died in 1595, and in 1597 Bacon married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Arthur Hopton.
Bacon served as a justice of the peace for nearly fifty years, beginning in 1574, and was sheriff of Norfolk in 1586 and 1599. He was an M.P. for Tavistock in 1571 and 1572, was returned as knight of the shire for Norfolk for three parliaments (1584, 1593, 1604), and as burgess for King's Lynn for one parliament (1597). He was a subsidy commissioner, and served on numerous other special commissions. He was knighted in 1604.
Bacon was related to numerous court figures. His father-in-law was Sir Thomas Gresham, and his half-brothers were Francis Bacon and Anthony Bacon (through his father's second marriage, to Anne Cooke). Through his father's second marriage, he became a kinsman of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Sir Henry Killigrew, Lord John Russell, and Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury. Through his sister's marriages, he was a brother-in-law to Sir Robert Doyly, Sir Henry Neville, Sir William Peryam, Sir Francis Wyndham, and Sir Robert Mansell.
Extent
51.0 items
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Organized into 4 series: 1. Personal papers, 1574-1650, (bulk 1574-1621); 2. Justice of the Peace, 1590-1622; 3. Clerk of Methwold and Deputy Steward of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1591-1592, 1607; 4. Norfolk Militia, 1594-1595, 1603-1620.
Series 4 is further divided into 2 subseries: 4.1. Inquiry into Norfolk Militia, 1594-1595; 4.2. Norfolk Muster Papers, 1603-1620.
Papers are arranged chronologically within each series and subseries.
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 1970 from Hoffman and Freeman. Hoffman acquired X.d.502 (1) from Bernard Quaritch in 1962.
Other Formats
Also available on microfilm, Film Fo. 2319 (reduction ratio 12:1, 13 feet).
Many of the papers have been transcribed in The Papers of Nathaniel Bacon of Stiffkey / edited by A. Hassell Smith, Gillian Baker, and R.W. Kenny (Norwich: Centre for East Anglian Studies, 1979): v. 1, p. 123, 154; v. 3, p. 95, 98, 100, 105, 117, 124, 281-3, 287, 290, 305.
Processing Information
Processed by Folger Shakespeare Library staff.
- Arundel, Thomas Howard, Earl of, 1585-1646
- Catholics
- Deputy Lieutenant (Norfolk, England)
- England
- England and Wales. Privy Council
- Guardian and ward
- Heydon, Christopher, Sir, 1561-1623
- Justices of the peace
- Letters (correspondence)
- Manuscripts (documents)
- Militia
- Neville, Henry, approximately 1520-1593
- Norfolk (England)
- Northampton, Henry Howard, Earl of, 1540-1614
- Paternity
- Petitions
- Seventeenth century
- Sixteenth century
- Warrants
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of Nathaniel Bacon, 1574-1650 (bulk 1590-1622) Folger MS X.d.502 (1-51)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Heather Wolfe, July 2001; revised by Alison E. Bridger, April 2010
- Date
- July 2001
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Revision Statements
- April 2010: Revised by Folger Staff, March 23, 2004; Converted from EAD 1.0 to EAD 2002 in 2010; imported into AT in 2010 and revised in April 2010
Repository Details
Part of the Folger Shakespeare Library Repository
201 E. Capitol St. SE
Washington DC 20003 USA