Phillip V of Spain. Despacho de titulo de Castilla con la nominacion de marques de la Cañada concedido por el Rey Nro Seor D. Phelipe. V. que Dios Gude en atencion a la notoria calidad meritos y servicios de el Señor Dn Guillermo Tirri cavallero del orden de Santiago relevado de el derecho de Las Lanzas perpetuamente. Año 1729. J.F.F.M.
Seville, September 28 and October 3, 1729
£ 18,000
Patent of Nobility, illuminated manuscript on vellum. 303 x 208 mm, 17 leaves with the original silk guards, all framed by red and yellow ruling. Seven full-page illuminations in vivid colours elevated on gold grounds and rich borders, 6 leaves elegantly calligraphed, on both sides, in brown, blue, red, and gold ink with eight historiated initials in elaborate Baroque borders, and the remaining 4 leaves (‘Releva al marques de la Cañada par su Persona y Casa perpetuamente de la paga el Servicio de Lanzas de el referido Titulo’) in less ornate but very elegant borders, on both sides as well. Signed twice by the King “Yo el Re” and his secretary Francesco de Castellón in Seville on 28 September, and by Marcos Montoto, Secretary of the Council of Finance on 6 October 1729. Contemporary crimson velvet binding, each cover with four ornate silver corner pieces and a central piece bearing the arms of the Marquis of Cañada; each piece decorated with fleur-de-lis and foliate compositions with the hallmark of the master silversmith Domenico Franz and dated 1729, in Madrid; preserved original silver clasps, undecorated spine with raised bands, gilt endpapers embossed with botanical, grape and arabesque motifs. In pristine condition.
On August 12, 1729, Philip V of Spain granted the title of Marquis of La Cañada to William Terry in recognition of his merit and loyal service.
Illuminations:
1r: Title page; 2r: Coat of arms of the Marquis of Cañada; 3r: Our Lady of Miracles of Puerto de Santa Maria; 4r: Saint William; 5r: Saint Patrick; 6r: Portraits of Ferdinand and Maria Barbara, Prince and Princess of Asturias; 7r: Portraits of the Spanish sovereigns Philip V and Elisabeth.
William Terry (1663-1745), named in this document as Guillermo Tirri, was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was part of a noble Irish family, supporters of James II and prosecuted for being Catholic. After the Glorious Revolution of 1689, William went into exile with his three brothers, settling in Cádiz and becoming a naturalised citizen in 1718. William was a powerful merchant, the owner of ships used in trading routes with the Americas, and also employed in the War of the Austrian Succession against Britain, in the battle of Toulon (21 and 22 February 1744). William and his three brothers were granted the privilege of nobility by King James II, signed and sealed in Saint-Germain on 8 May 1694, as well as the knighthood of Santiago by King Philip V. The present document elevated William to the title of Marquis of La Cañada, who had previously been styled Viscount of Torrebrevas. The king granted the use of two lions rampant in his coat of arms, exempted William from the lance tax, and granted him the role of Alferez Mayor in Cadiz, one of the highest positions granted to the most important citizens.
Enriquez Macias, Guillermo Terry, armador en Cádiz y su navío “Soberbio”: Guerra y comercio en la primera mitad del siglo XVIII.
Kevin Terry, Terrys in Latin America of Cork origin.
Beatriz Garcia-Alvarez de la Villa et Kevin Terry, Terrys in Spain and Latin-America: Exile and Rise of an Irish Merchant Family, Estudios Irlandeses, n° 11, 2016, p. 69-81.