Manuscript DS, signed ““H. Vane” and “Warwicke,” one page, 7.5 x 11.75, May 21, 1646. A document in which the Parliamentary Committee of Lords and Commons for the Admiralty advises the Navy that the captain of the ship Cornucopius “hath aboard the said ship but five weekes provision of fish from the first of this instant“ and “pray and require you to take order that a convenient supply of ffish be speedily sent to Guernsey that shee may bee inabled thereby to continue her attendance there.” British-born Sir Henry Vane (1613–1662) served as governor of Massachusetts in 1636. After returning to England in the following year, Vane served in Parliament. As a result of serving on the Council of State during the Protectorate, he was tried for high treason upon the Restoration of the throne, found guilty, and beheaded on June 14, 1662. Robert Rich, Second Earl of Warwick (1587–1658) obtained the patent for the Massachusetts Colony and founded the town of Saybrook, Connecticut in 1635. He ultimately gained control of the vast Richneck Plantation near present-day Newport News, Virginia. The document has also been signed by fellow parliamentarians John Rolle, Giles Grene, John S. Prince, and Alex Bence. In good to very good condition, with allover light foxing and soiling, scattered toning (mainly along folds), and a few tiny chips and tears. The signatures are generally dark and clear. R&R COA.
