A notebook written for James II and VII recording the births of ten of his children



This small notebook records the dates and exact times of the births of seven of the eight children of James, Duke of York (later James II and VII) and Anne Hyde, including the future queens Mary and Anne. Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660-1661), James and Anne Hyde's first child, is not recorded. However, the dates and times of the births of the first three children of James and his second wife, Mary of Modena, are noted.

The early deaths of most of James's children are also recorded in the notebook, as is the death of Anne Hyde at the end of March 1671. Alongside this is a note of James's second marriage: 'The Duke was Mar[ried] & Bedded at Dover to ye Princes[s] Mary of Modena on Fryday ye 21st of Nov[ember] 1673'. Opposite, a lock of hair is sewn on to the page. It is possible that this hair was Anne Hyde's. Another lock of hair, perhaps belonging to one of the children, can also be found in the book.

The uniformity of the handwriting in the notebook indicates that it was probably written in one sitting. The date is likely to have been in late 1677 or early 1678, as the death of a second Charles, Duke of Cambridge in December 1677 is recorded, but not the birth of James and Mary's next child, Elizabeth, in 1678.

The notebook was designed for the Duke of York, whose 'JD' monogram appears in gold tooling on the elaborate binding, as well as on the clasp. However, the notebook is not in his handwriting. The compiler is unknown, but the presence of locks of hair implies he or she was very close to the royal ducal family. It may have been compiled for James's use; clearly it is a highly personal item.

A similar notebook was recorded in the nineteenth century. Known as 'Mrs Dawson's Diary', a transcription was published in Hearne, Thomas and Bliss, Philip (ed.), Reliquiae Hearnianae: the remains of Thomas Hearne...; v.1 (Oxford: Philip Bliss, 1857) pp. 274-6. It varies from the Royal Library notebook in several ways, and one is clearly not a copy of the other.

The notebook was given to Queen Mary, consort of King George V, in 1931. The queen was known to be an enthusiastic collector of items with royal history, particularly those with links to the Stuart court. The previous history of the notebook is not known.


Binding information

Contemporary red goatskin with extensive gold tooling including 'JD' monogram with ducal coronet for James, Duke of York, surrounded by palm fronds; white metal clasp with the same monogram; binding attributed to Samuel Mearne (1624-83).


Bibliographic description

12mo. [74] p. : ms with 2 locks of hair