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Auction: 17020 - Autographs, Historical Documents, Ephemera and Postal History
Lot: 837

Autographs
Lighthouses at Winterton and Orfordness
1695 (9 May) a folio petition on laid paper of Sir Edward Turnor "To the Kings most Excellent Majesty ... That your petr is Lessee under Crowne of Five Light houses at Wintertonness and Orfordness in Norfolke and Suffolke at twenty pounds p ann rent under Letters patents past to your petrs Father late Chief Baron - of the Excheqr, for a terme of about 25 years to come." This goes on to state the petitioner's grandfather, Gerald Gore, built and maintained these lighthouses and how the land was inherited by his son and new lighthouses built. They now request a new lease and repayment of £9,200 due to them from King Charles II. The petition concludes, "Your Petr therefore humbly prays the said Grant may not pass to the said Mr Gray but that your petr. may be admitted to have further grant of the premifses for such time and upon such terms as your Majesty in your princely wisdome shall judge fitt.". There are footnotes and margin notes firstly indicating the the King referred the petition to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, reason for delay for this petition to be presented and other references to Gray. Minor edge wear and folding creases. A fascinating document for these iconic landmarks. Photo

In the seventeenth century, and even as late as the nineteenth century, it was usual for lighthouses to be provided by persons hoping to make a profit on them. This was usually done by obtaining a lease from the Crown which included the right to take tolls from all ships passing the light. Sir Edward Tumour, the Speaker of the House of Commons, obtained such a lease of the three lighthouses at Winterton Ness near Caistor in Norfolk and the two at Orford Ness on 15 October 1661 Later his son claimed that Charles II made the lease to his father as a reward for his services to the Crown and there seems no reason to doubt this although it is not mentioned in the letters patent. They first indicate a lease made by Charles I on 13 April 1637 to Gerard Gore for fifty years. This gave Gore the right to charge one penny per ton on all traffic passing along the East Coast with the reservation that fishermen and the Newcastle colliers were only to pay once for the journey inwards and outwards. In return Gore was to pay an annual rent of £20 to the Crown. The letters patent then go on to grant the same privileges to Sir Edward Tumour for sixty years if the previous lease is void and determined, but only for thirty-three years otherwise. From Sir Edward Turnour's Lighthouses at Orford. By C. E. Welch

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