EDWARD III AND PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT

EDWARD III AND PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT
THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT BETWEEN EDWARD III AND PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT, by which Prince Edward [the future Edward III], as Duke of Aquitaine and eldest son of the King of England ("Nous Edwars Dux de Guyane, Ainsnels filz de tresexcellent Prince monseigneur Edward par la grasce de dieu Roy dengletere"), undertakes to marry Philippa, daughter of Count William of Hainault, within two years of the contract being drawn up ("nous avons promis et prometrons sollempnelment par nostre foi loyaltei et sairement fait et prestei sour les saintes ewangiles, que nous prenderons a femme et a espeuse demiselle Phelippe, fille monsigneur Guillaume Conte de Haynau, de Hollande de Zéelande et signeur de frize, dedens deus ans, de le date de ches presentes lettres"): he promises that he will assign dower; that he will obtain papal dispensation for the marriage; that he will not engage himself to marry any other, unless Philippa dies within the term; and that he will pay Count William £10,000 if the terms of the contract are broken, and empowering him to make constraint on English goods by sea or by land to recover the sum; with, attached by a vellum tongue, a large fragment in white wax of the central portion of the Seal of Prince Edward, as eldest son of the King, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Chester, Ponthieu and Montreuil, showing on the obverse side his mounted, armoured and heraldically-surcoated figure facing to the left, and on the reverse the central part of his heraldic shield; in an elaborate green morocco modern fitted case, twenty-seven lines written in a clear hand on one skin of vellum, with flourished first initial, early nineteenth century dockets on the reverse and inscribed by Sir Thomas Phillipps as being MS 27724, slight dust-staining where folded and exposed on verso (as is usual) but overall in unusually fine, fresh and attractive condition, 238 x 242mm., "Che fu fait et acordeit a Mons en Haynau le merquedy apries le fieste saint Barthelmieu apostle, lan de grace Mil. ccc. vint et sis", Mons, Hainault, 27 August 1326