BS/1/15/7
Reference code
BS/1/15/7
Level of description
File
Title
Patent of Assistance
Original Title
Bishop of Salisbury Patent of Assistance
Date
22 May 1854
Quantity & Format
1 sheet
Description
Letters Patent of Queen Victoria acknowledging the election of Walter Kerr Hamilton as Bishop of Salisbury, restoring to him the Temporalities of the Bishopric and commanding the Dean and Chapter that "to the said Elect as your Bishop . . . ye be obedient responsible aiding and assisting as it becomes ye".
A large and elaborate doccument with the royal crest at the head, flanked by images of Britannia, Justice and (?) Plenty; the right and left margins decorated with scrolled designs of flowers, leaves, cherubs and heraldic figures.
The document and the seal (in its lacquered tin box) are stored in the red leather-covered box embossed with the royal crest (with the legend "Wickwar Manufacturer Poland Street London") in which it, together with the related Writs of Restitution (BS/1/15/8), was presented to the Cathedral Archives in 1995. The box may or may not be original to the document. The Writs are now stored separately.
Language
English
Physical Characteristics
Material: parchment, thread, wax.