Charles II, King of England

Charles II, King of England: [Letter, Signed, from King Charles II to Colonial Governor Sir William Berkeley, Regarding a Debt Owed by the King's Deceased Servant to a Resident of Virginia]. Stirling, Scotland. May 20, 1651.

Stirling, Scotland: 1651. Charles II, King of England: [Letter, Signed, from King Charles II to Colonial Governor Sir William Berkeley, Regarding a Debt Owed by the King's Deceased Servant to a Resident of Virginia]. Stirling, Scotland. May 20, 1651. [1]p. on a folded folio sheet, docketed on verso. Original folds, minor toning, remnants of seal. Very good. Matted and framed. Frame measures approx. 25-1/2" x 21".

An early colonial Virginia document in which King Charles II asks the colonial governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley, to pay a 460 pound debt owed by the King's deceased servant, Charles Murray, to Edward Whitney. The King vows to then reimburse Berkeley for the debt. He explains that Whitney intends to settle in Virginia for "the remainder of his dayes." The text is written in a fine scribal hand, with the King's signature above the text. The docketing reads: "To our trusty and welbeloved William Berkeley Our Governour of Virginia." Colonial documents from Virginia as early as this are rare in the market.

Charles II became King of England when his father was executed in 1648. He was recognized as king by Scotland in 1649, and operated from there in 1650 and 1651. On Sept. 3, 1651, Charles was soundly defeated by Oliver Cromwell's forces at the Battle of Worcester, and was forced to flee Europe. This document thus seems from the narrow time frame between his accession to the throne and his exile. In 1660, after Cromwell's death, Charles was restored to the English throne.

Sir William Berkeley was appointed governor of Virginia in 1641 by Charles I. He held the post until 1652, when he was removed by the forces of the Commonwealth but was allowed to remain on his Virginia plantation. In 1660 Charles II reappointed him governor, and he remained in that post until his death in 1677. Item #100098

Price: $11,000.00