An Elizabethan vellum manuscript dated 4th October 1565, bearing the rare and bold signature of Walter Devereux, 2nd Viscount Hereford ("W. Hereforde").
 
Walter Devereux (1539–1576) was a central figure in the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was later created the 1st Earl of Essex. However, his enduring legacy in British history is as the father of Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl of Essex—Queen Elizabeth I’s beloved favourite whose spectacular rise and eventual execution for treason in 1601 remains one of the Great Dramas of the age. Walter died in Dublin in 1576, officially of dysentery. However, rumours persisted for centuries that he was poisoned by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Leicester’s swift marriage to Walter’s widow, Lettice Knollys, only fuelled the fire of this 16th-century "true crime" mystery.
 
This charter represents the Devereux family's massive territorial influence during the mid-Tudor period. Documents signed by Walter Devereux are significantly scarcer than those of his more famous son, making this a vital acquisition for collectors of Elizabethan nobility and Tudor statecraft.
 
Key Features:
Authentic Signature: Clearly signed "W. Hereforde" on the lower fold.
 
Period Script: Executed in a professional Tudor secretary hand on high-quality vellum.
 
Direct Essex Link: A foundational document of the family whose fate was inextricably tied to Queen Elizabeth I.
 
Condition:
The vellum is in remarkable condition for its 460-year age. The ink remains dark and the text highly legible. A stunning candidate for archival framing.
 
Document measures 29.9 x 20.4cm or 30.2cm including the seal strip (approximately 12" x 8" x 12").