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The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries in the Sutherland Papers

The Seventeenth Century Love Letters of Katherine Duddeley (later Leveson) to Richard Leveson
By Katie Wright

Katie Wright is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham specialising in religious identity and material culture in post-Reformation England. She has recently submitted her thesis The Performance of Piety: Exploring Godly Culture and Identity in England c.1580-1640 which examines aspects of Puritan identity and culture in Banbury and Nottingham during this period.

Katie has examined and transcribed letters written by Katherine Duddeley, later Leveson, to Sir Richard Leveson during the couple’s courtship and following their marriage. These fascinating letters provide an insight into courtship and marriage rituals during the early seventeenth century.

Click here to read Katie’s article The Seventeenth Century Love Letters of Katherine Duddeley (later Leveson) to Richard Leveson

Click here to see Katherine Duddeley’s letters and to read Katie’s transcriptions of these fascinating documents

Sir Walter Leveson of Lilleshall, Pirate
By Richard Totty

Formerly a forensic scientist specialising in the examination of documents, Richard Totty now researches family history and has an interest in the investigation of crimes in the past. For the past two years he has worked with the team of volunteers transcribing and indexing material from the Sutherland Papers Project. He is currently chairman of the Friends of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archives (FoSSA ), organising and taking part in activities to support the work of the Archive Service. Whilst transcribing documents for the Sutherland Papers Project Richard became interested in researching the life of Sir Walter Leveson. Follow the link below to learn more about Richard’s research and the life of Sir Walter Leveson of Lilleshall.

Click here to read Richard Totty’s Article Sir Walter Leveson of Lilleshall, Pirate

The Correspondence of William Lambarde and John Leveson
By Dr. Neil Younger

Neil Younger completed a PhD in Modern History at the University of Birmingham in 2006, with a thesis entitled War and the Counties: The Elizabethan Lord Lieutenancy, 1585-1603. During his doctoral research he worked extensively on the archive of Sir John Leveson (1555-1615), Deputy-Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace in Kent during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, now part of the Sutherland Papers. Neil is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Reformation and Early Modern Studies, University of Birmingham.

Neil has examined the correspondence of the famous Elizabethan writer William Lambarde and Sir John Leveson between 1585 and1601. These fascinating letters provide an insight into politics, government and family life in England during the late sixteenth century.

Click here to read Neil’s article The Correspondence of William Lambarde and John Leveson

Click here to see the correspondence of William Lambarde and John Leveson and to read Neil’s interpretation and transcriptions of these letters

Francis Coppinger’s Secret Marriage
By Mary Partridge

Mary Partridge is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham, specialising in Elizabethan Court culture. Mary has examined and transcribed documents in the Sutherland Papers relating to the clandestine marriage of Francis Coppinger, a ward of William Lord Cobham, and his cousin Elizabeth Randolph in 1596. These fascinating documents, including interrogations and petitions against imprisonment, tell us about the politics of marriage in sixteenth century England.

Click here to read Mary’s article Francis Coppinger’s Secret Marriage

Click here to see documents relating to the secret marriage of Francis Coppinger and read Mary’s transcriptions

Mary has also examined bills and accounts in the Sutherland Papers relating to Francis Coppinger’s life and education in Elizabethan England.

Click here to see documents relating to clothing and schooling in the late sixteenth century and read Mary’s transcriptions

Researching the Battle of Hopton Heath
By John Sutton

John Sutton lectured in history for thirty years at Anglia Ruskin University (1972-2002). Specialising in the history of the Civil War, in 1983-1984 John wrote and presented a series of six television programmes on the Civil War in Eastern England. John is currently writing a book Brothers of the Blade about the infantry regiment raised by William, fifth Baron Paget, in Staffordshire in August 1642. In his research into the Civil War John has worked with the Sutherland Papers which contain a fascinating contemporary account of the battle of Hopton Heath in Staffordshire. Based on his work with the collection, John has produced an article exploring resources for researching this famous military encounter.

Click here to read John’s article Researching the Battle of Hopton Heath
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