Roger M. Walker

‘In mj nasions seruis’: An Unpublished Seventeenth-century English Consul's Report on São Miguel (Azores)

Amongst the papers relating to the Fanshawe familys activities from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century held in Valence House (now the Dagenham Branch Library of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Library System) are many concerned with Sir Richard Fanshawes periods as ambassador of Charles II to Portugal and Spain between 1661 and his death in 1666. These papers were formerly in the possession of J. M. Heathcote, whose family was united by marriage to Sir Richards descendants in the early nineteenth century. A selection of the documents relating to the embassies was made and edited for the Historical Manuscripts Commission in 1899.1 The selection, however, is partial and few of the papers are transcribed in full; the documents in foreign languages (mainly Spanish, Portuguese, French and Latin) which are included in the selection are largely reduced to summaries of their content in English. The authors of this article are at present engaged in preparing a complete guide to the ...