Howard, Thomas, 1st Earl of Suffolk (1561-1626) Vellum indenture, signed by Thomas, 1st Earl of dated 1609, in his capacity as Lord Chamberlain to James I concerning a property transaction, in English, in a legible hand on a single leaf of vellum, signature clearly legible to base with a complete pendant wax seal suspended by original vellum tag, evidence of rodent damage affecting a few words but otherwise the text remains bright and clear, 48 x 61cm. Footnote: Note: Thomas 1st Earl of Suffolk, played a leading role fighting the Spanish Armada and was knighted on the deck of the Ark Royal by the Commander in Chief Lord Howard of Effingham. He was a major figure in the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts. He was one of the commissioners who tried and condemned to death the Earl of Essex for his plot against Elizabeth I and in 1605 discovered the gunpowder concealed in the cellar below Parliament placed there by Guy Fawkes and his fellow Gunpowder Plotters. He was subsequently one of the judges who tried Fawkes and condemned him to death. A rare Tudor signature. [Purchased Mullock's Auctions, 28/05/09, lot 273]