Footnotes

Norris had been promoted admiral on 20 February, promoted to be admiral and commander-in-chief, and that summer commanded the large fleet which was mustered in the Downs, or at Spithead, with the union flag at the main. This letter could well belong to a series by Norris to Wager, most of which are in the Library of Congress (see Worthington Chauncey Ford, List of the Vernon-Wager Manuscripts, 1904), with at least one from the series in the National Archives at Kew (a letter of 4 April 1734, SP 36/31/127, folio 127). Among the Washington MSS is a letter dated 11 April 1734 reporting on movements of French ships, a subject which is taken up in our letter (see extract quoted above).

Included in the lot is a long duplicate letter by Norris, in a secretarial hand (and bearing, possibly, a secretarial signature), to Lord Townshend, British minister at The Hague, from the Ranelagh, 18 October 1710, written as commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean fleet, blockading the French coast and assisting the military operations in Spain ("...the Cattham brought Into this place two Genoaese ships from Cadiz that have on board them a Million of pieces of Eight, a Considerable part of which there is great reason to believe is ffrench Money..."), 3 pages, marked "Duplicate" at head and foot (which a later owner has attempted to obscure), ink slightly faded, guard, folio; a warrant and contract issued by Admiral Richard Haddock as Comptroller of the Navy, also signed by Admiral Sir John Berry, close ally of Pepys and Comptroller of Victualling Accounts, and James Sotherne, Clerk of the Acts, authorising receipt of forty loads of elm timber from Joseph Batt for the Woolwich stores, 16th April 1689; and an autograph letter by Admiral Sir Charles Wager, written from the Torbay, off Lagos, following the blockade of Cadiz, referring to Byng, 8 January 1727/8; the Haddock warrant with address leaf, guards etc., top trimmed, the Wager letter worm-damaged and repaired, 1689-1728.