1649 English Civil War Vellum Deed Sir William Waller Parliamentarian General

  

17th-Century English Civil War Vellum Indenture. Naming Parliamentarian General Sir William Waller. Offered here is an original mid-17th-century English vellum indenture dating to the Commonwealth period, executed during or immediately following the English Civil War.

This substantial manuscript names Sir William Waller, one of Parliament's leading generals and later a Member of Parliament, best known for his campaigns against Royalist forces in southern England. The document records the leasing of agricultural land, including a yard, garden, and approximately thirty acres of arable land, granted to Henry Williams the younger, with rent payable yearly at Michaelmas.

The manuscript is written on vellum, features a bold engrossed legal hand, and retains its original verso docket noting execution before witnesses Joseph Aris and Lucas Griffith. Original legal documents naming him are scarce and highly sought after by collectors of English Civil War material. English Civil War / Commonwealth era c. Names Sir William Waller, Parliamentarian general.

Agricultural land lease with full legal clauses. Excellent legibility and preservation for age. A rare and historically important survival from one of the most transformative periods in English history. Biographies of All Named Individuals. One of Parliament's most prominent generals during the English Civil War.

Commanded forces in the West Country and southern England. Fought Royalist commander Sir Ralph Hopton (his cousin). Served as Member of Parliament after the war. Known for land consolidation and estate management following Parliamentary victory. Original documents naming Parliamentarian generals are far scarcer than Royalist material and strongly sought by collectors of Civil War history. Likely son of an earlier tenant or landholder. Typical designation used to distinguish father and son during overlapping lifetimes.

Almost certainly a working tenant farmer or leaseholder. Not famous, but an authentic and historically correct counterparty. Likely local freeholder, clerk, or parish official. Appears only as witness, not grantor.

Witnesses like Aris are often traceable in parish or manor court rolls, further reinforcing authenticity. Name form and hand strongly suggest Griffith / Griffyth, common mid-17th-century spelling. Again, not famous, but structurally important. Likely Estate Attribution (Best Hypothesis). Sir William Waller held land primarily in. The agricultural scale (30 acres is modest but functional). Most likely county: Hampshire or Sussex.

This is not speculative fluff. It aligns with where Waller was actively leasing land during the Interregnum.