18 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Export barred on roundel manuscript gifted to Queen Elizabeth I by Archbishop

A rare presentation manuscript that Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker gave to Queen Elizabeth I in 1573 has been sold at auction and is in danger of leaving the country unless a buyer is found to keep it there.

The UK’s Art Minister has imposed a temporary export ban on the rare artifact in the hope that a museum or institution will raise the purchase price in order to keep it in the country.

The manuscript, made of nine circular roundels, was part of a gift from Archbishop Matthew Parker to the Queen in the early 1550s. The roundels were likely folded and integrated into a now-lost gold salt cellar. The use of shell gold around the miniatures is believed to indicate that the manuscript was given with the intention of impressing Elizabeth.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) has said the manuscript has a recommended price of £9,450 (plus VAT of £390 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution).

The intricate manuscript the Archbishop gave to Queen Elizabeth 1 Photo: DCMS/PA

The manuscript is unusually shaped with three rows of nine roundels connected by thin vellum strips. The motto of the Knights of the Garter (“Honi soit qui mal y pense”) surrounds an oval blue and gold illumination of St. George and the Dragon in the center of the roundel.  A Latin inscription around the edge of the roundel refers to Archbishop Matthew Parker’s gift of agate to Queen Elizabeth I.

A blue profile of Queen Elizabeth is depicted in miniature in the bottom row’s center roundel. The portrait is surrounded by three concentric rings of three Latin proverbs. Only inscriptions are found on the remaining roundels. In French, the top row inscriptions define agate. The rest are Latin texts about agate and its properties. Different calligraphic scripts are used to write the various languages, an elegant touch also seen in other manuscripts given to Elizabeth.

The presentation manuscript accompanied a gift, described by Matthew Parker as “a salt cellar made of gold, into the cover of which was inset a jewel, an agate, containing St George killing the dragon, along with verses in French upon the customary royal insignia; in the curved section or hollow of this was enclosed another agate, incised into which was a true likeness of the Queen on white agate. On the top of its cover, a small golden boat held a rectangular diamond.”

Experts believe the “verses in French” he mentions are the actual manuscript, and that all nine roundels were folded up to form a single 1.5-inch-diameter paper circle. That disc was then inserted into the precious salt cellar’s cover.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker. Photo: Wikipedia

The manuscript is an extremely rare surviving artifact directly related to the Tudor monarchs’ practice of packing up the court and traveling across the country with a massive baggage train, crashing at the luxury pads of various nobles and clergy entirely on their dime.

The presentation manuscript fell out of view, after the queen’s passing but reappeared in John Sharp, the Archbishop of York, collection a century later. It stayed in that family for 300 years up until December 7, 2021, when it was sold at auction.

The decision on the manuscript’s export license application will be postponed until December 1, 2022. The second deferral period will begin three months after the option agreement is signed and will last three months. Where appropriate, the minister may also consider offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price via private treaty sale arrangements. Such purchases frequently provide a significant financial benefit to the public institution that wishes to acquire the item.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson said: “Archbishop Parker is a figure of great historical and theological consequence, and this beautiful manuscript is a significant example of Elizabethan gift exchange.

“I hope a buyer comes forward for this piece so it can be used to learn more about both the Archbishop and Queen Elizabeth I.”

Cover Photo: Portrait commemorating the defeat of the Spanish Armada, depicted in the background. Elizabeth’s hand rests on the globe, symbolising her international power. One of three known versions of the “Armada Portrait”. George Gower

Related Articles

Rare 400-year-old Bronze Trumpets Discovered on a shipwreck in Croatia

12 July 2024

12 July 2024

Croatian underwater archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery off the southern coast of Istria near Cape Kamenjak. They have unearthed...

Hungarian Archaeology Student Discovers Rare Bronze Figurines at Roman-Era Brigetio Site

31 July 2025

31 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery emerged this July at the ancient Roman site of Brigetio in Komárom, Hungary. First-year archaeology student...

Countless Votive Offerings Discovered at Ancient Sanctuary on Greek Island Kythnos

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Archaeologists excavating a hilltop temple complex on the Cycladic island of Kythnos (commonly called Thermia) Greece have unearthed more than...

An Egyptian Tomb Decorated with Magic Snake Spells Discovered

9 November 2023

9 November 2023

During excavations at Abusir, between Giza and Saqqara, archaeologists at the Czech Institute of Egyptology (CIE) found an ancient tomb...

Archaeologists unearth 3,500-Year-Old Gold Jewelry in Egypt

14 December 2022

14 December 2022

Archaeologists discovered a collection of ornate jewelry at the Tell El-Amarna necropolis on the Nile River’s eastern bank in modern-day...

Was the mystery of Noceto Vasca Votiva the water ritual?

13 June 2021

13 June 2021

The Noceto Vasca Votiva is a one-of-a-kind wood building discovered in 2005 on a tiny hill in northern Italy. The...

A Scientific Surprise: Bering Land Bridge formed surprisingly late during last ice age

1 January 2023

1 January 2023

A new study shows that the Bering Land Bridge, the strip of land that once connected Asia to Alaska, emerged...

Archaeologists Discovered Submerged Stoa Complex in Ancient Salamis, Greece

27 October 2023

27 October 2023

Archaeologists exploring the east coast of Salamis, the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, discovered a large, long, and...

Ancient rubbish dump under Hatshepsut temple reveals hundreds of artifacts

24 November 2021

24 November 2021

Polish archaeologists uncovered a 3,500-year-old dump while working on the reconstruction of the Hathor Goddess Chapel, which is part of...

Ancient Roman coin thought to be fake -certainly authentic and proves the existence of ‘forgotten’ leader Sponsian, study claims

26 November 2022

26 November 2022

History is littered with artifacts that were later discovered to be forgeries, but the opposite can also occur. A new...

New study reveals the Milky Way’s hidden role in ancient Egyptian mythology

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

The ancient Egyptians were keen observers of the night sky. They incorporated their astronomical observations into their religion, mythology, and...

Ancient Elegance Revealed: Exquisite Jewelry and Amulets from the 26th Dynasty Discovered at Karnak

4 March 2025

4 March 2025

In a remarkable revelation that sheds light on ancient Egyptian craftsmanship, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, alongside the...

6,000-Year-Old Temple with Blood Channel and Altar Unearthed in Eastern Türkiye

15 July 2025

15 July 2025

Archaeologists have discovered a 6,000-year-old temple site during ongoing excavations in the village of Tadım, located in Elazığ Province, eastern...

UK’s Oldest Hospice Discovered: Anglo-Saxon Monastery Unearthed in Cookham Reveals Early Medical Care

11 August 2025

11 August 2025

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Cookham, Berkshire, is rewriting our understanding of healthcare in early medieval England. Unearthed behind the...

1400-Year-Old Folding Chair Found in a Woman’s Grave in Germany

30 August 2022

30 August 2022

In Steinsfeld, in the German state of Ansbach, archaeologists have unearthed a 1,400-year-old folding chair from an early medieval woman’s...