[Collection of affidavits of burial in woollen] [manuscript], [1683].

1683-1702.

9 sheets ; 30 x 20 cm

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Four entirely in manuscript; five printed forms completed in manuscript.

FAST ACC 272517

Ordered from Dean Cooke, Manuscripts & Rare Books, D9535, 2021-10-06, Cat. "First words: catalogue of manuscripts & rare books to be exhibited by Dean Cooke Rare Books Ltd on stand A7 at the firsts fair Saatchi Gallery London 21 - 24 October 2021.", item #1. From dealer's description: "[1] Manuscript. Single sheet. Folio (305 mm x 197 mm). Two red wax seals (one broken). Edges spotted. Written in a clear hand. “Emma Moose of Great Kimble in the County of Bucks Maketh Oath That Mary King the daughter of Thomas Knight … lately deceased was not wrapped or Wound or buryed in any Shirt Shift Sheete or Shroud made or mingled with fflax Hemp Silke haire gold or Silver or other than Sheeps Wool onely … [16th April] 1683. / Sealed & Subscribed by We who were put & Wittnesses to the sweareing of the abovesaid Affidavit / Sarah Widdowes / Eliz: Eldridge / I Gervase Widowes of Minster of Princes Risborough … Ger: Widowes.”" From dealer's description: "1. REST IN FLEECE[BURIED IN WOOL]A group of nine printed and manuscript affidavits for being buried in wool.[Circa 1683-1702]. A collection of nine documents. Printed examples are in various stages of decay (some in poor condition), but the manuscript documents are in rather better condition. Gathered here together are a group of nine witnesses to the contentious ‘Burying in Woollen’ acts of 1666 and 1678; acts which made the burying of the deceased in pure English woollen shrouds a legal obligation. This collection comprises an unusually large grouping all from the same location. These nine affidavits, written between 1683 and 1702, document the deaths of nine people from the county of Buckinghamshire. The second “Act for Burying in Woollen” of 1678, a repeal of the first act, stated its aim as “lessening the importation of linen from beyond the seas, and the encouragement of the woollen and paper manufacturer of the kingdom”. Capitalising on the high death toll of the period due to the plague, this act moved to halt the importation of foreign materials commonly used in burials such as linen from France. The majority of these affidavits reference women from the Buckinghamshire parishes of Aylesbury and Great Kimble. Each affidavit bears a variation of the phrase “buried the day of ye date hereof was not wound or wrapt in any sheet shirt shift or shroud made or mingled with hemp flax gold silver silk or hair, or any other material save of sheeps wool only & that the coffin was lin’d or fac’d with nothing...”. A sworn affidavit was required to be signed by two people, and if relatives of the deceased failed to comply, they were threatened with a fine of £5, a sum often crippling to ordinary citizens. This requirement inadvertently provides some evidence of education through the quality of the signatures themselves: the ability to write one’s name must proceed from an ability to read it, along with, presumably, other words. Of the 19 signatures, eight are by women, only two of whom sign with “The mark of”, while the others are signed in full or confidently abbreviated (e.g. “An: Lodington”). That so many were able to sign their names perhaps reflects the literacy level of a select group of citizens called upon as witnesses or it may even point to an unusually high level of literacy among both men and women in this small rural community, though it also supports the assumption that fewer women had access to education." From dealer's description: "The act was widely unpopular, with disgust at being buried in wool conveyed through 18th-century literature, eg: “Odious! in woollen! 'twould a saint provoke! (Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke).” (Alexander Pope: Moral Essays, Epistle I). The move to wool away from linen proved particularly contentious owing to its disregard for the popular Christian tradition of burying oneself in linen, emulating the burial of Jesus. These affidavits were notarized at the height of strict adherence to the ‘Buried in Woollen’ act, with the seals of both witnesses found upon each one. Until 1710 almost all affidavits in Oxfordshire had the signatures and seals of two witnesses, after 1710, “seals are rarely found”, and after 1740 “it is rare to find any witnesses recorded”. Though the acts were repealed in 1814, adherence had already waned hugely during the latter half of the 18th century and the law was rarely enforced. The authority of the parliamentary act is inscribed into these manuscripts, which wield the aesthetics of bureaucracy through their formalised and standardised text, red wax seals and, sometimes, illustrations. The participants are then co-opted into this process by being required to sign as witnesses. However, as the authority of the Buried in Woollen acts declined, so too did the production quality of their associated documents. The hallmarks of the inscription of authority, in the form of wax seals and witnesses, were rarely found on the page after the mid-18th century. These nine affidavits, which extend over two decades, offer material evidence of literacy and social structures in a small area of rural England. They illustrate how the application of authority through bureaucratic means finds expression in its paperwork, and how that bureaucracy was used to impose authority upon an often-unwilling population. The documents are an illuminating illustration of the controversial acts which, though intended to stimulate the domestic economy, did so to the cost of the ordinary citizen."

272517