Passport for Dr. Valentine Dale, signed by Elizabeth I on December 27, 1563. Photo April 2016.
I wanted something Elizabeth-related today since yesterday was her 491st birthday. (Note to self: prepare to go to England again in 9 years for all of the 500th birthday special exhibits that are bound to be coming…)
This was on display at the exhibit for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death at the Harry Ransom Center on my university’s campus. From the exhibit’s info card on the letter:
“The passport provided Dr. Valentine Dale (d. 1589) safe passage to the Low Countries where he attempted to convince Margaret, duchess of Parma, to lift an embargo on English cloth. Elizabeth’s seal on the letter communicated her authority to the recipient, but also kept the contents from being read in the pre-envelope sixthteenth century.”
