15/9/2009 - TV's Tudor expert invited to view rare document in Cumbrian archive collection

Broadcaster and historian David Starkey will be back on home territory on Monday, September 21st, when he will get the chance to view one of Cumbria's rarest and most interesting old documents.

Dr Starkey’s talk and Q&A session earlier in the day, at Kendal library, has been sold out for several weeks, as has his appearance in Kendal Town Hall in the evening.

Between the two talks the TV historian, an expert on the life and times of Henry VIII, will visit the County Records Office in Kendal (at around 4pm) to study a recent acquisition of a Royal Letters Patent relating to the grant of land to the Westmorland Crackenthorpe family dating from 1543.

The document is Cumbria's 'missing link' in a series of documents from the 1300s to the 1600s. It had been sold separately and Peter Eyre, assistant county archivist, said: "We were very fortunate to acquire it as opportunities of this nature come extremely rarely."

The document is unusual because it is decorated and has a portrait of Henry in the top left hand corner. It comes as one large parchment document with a seal attached.

"It came up for auction in London and we raised money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and local sources to acquire it," said Mr Eyre. "We have a collection of grants and other documents relating to the Crackenthorpe family archive and this effectively was the missing link so we were very pleased to get it. It is one of our most prized possessions."

The records office now boasts an archive containing 500 years' worth of papers and Dr Starkey, a native of Kendal who has written books and done a television programme about Henry VIII, will be invited to view the latest acquisition.

Mr Eyre said: "Henry granted Christopher Crackenthorpe, Lord of the Manor, land at Holm Cultram Abbey in Cumberland, and Byland Abbey in Yorkshire and the document helps to shed light on an important period of our history."

He said: "There could not be a better opportunity for us to invite Dr Starkey, with his local connections, to come along and view one of our treasures."

The document is in Latin handwriting and the next task for experts was to prepare a translation into English.

Dr Starkey has been a key figure in the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne. The man variously described as 'TV's most irascible historian' and 'the nation's favourite Tudor expert' was brought up on Kendal's Sandylands estate and attended the town's Grammar School before winning a scholarship to Cambridge. His visit co-incides with the library’s centenary.

The presenter of the Channel 4 series about Henry VIII and author of the book Henry: Virtuous Prince, will be at the library between 2 and 4pm on September 21st prior to his visit to the Records Office and an evening lecture in Kendal Town Hall.

ENDS

Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332