PREFACE

The volume here presented is an edition of several of the most interesting and important records and letters of the French Protestant Church of London. Part I contains the Old and the New Church papers, dating from 1550 to 1563, which were discovered in the archives of the French Protestant Church, Soho Square, London, in 1934. Part II contains the papers of the French Church at Canterbury, dating from 1563 to 1642, and Part III contains the papers of the French Church at Norwich. The collection is completed by a series of letters and documents relating to the period from 1563 to 1642. The collection was commenced in 1934, when a selection of these was first published, but since that time several more documents have been discovered and added to the collection. The present volume completes the series. The texts are transcribed from the original manuscripts in the Archives of the French Protestant Church, Soho Square, London. In transcription the spelling and punctuation of the original have been preserved as far as possible, although abbreviations have been expanded and capital letters used where appropriate. The notes are intended to provide information on the persons and events mentioned in the text.

In editorial matters, the text has been transcribed as far as possible in accordance with the recommendations of the a historical professional standard for transcribing manuscripts Anglo-American Committee on Editing Historical Documents. Abbreviations have been expanded, and capitals have been used in accordance with modern usage. The notes to the text are intended to provide information on the persons and events mentioned, and for this reason, names have been checked against the registers of the various churches. Many of the documents are in French, but a few are in Latin or Dutch. These have been translated into English for the benefit of the reader. The editor wishes to thank the staff of the archives for their assistance in the preparation of this volume, and to acknowledge the help of many friends who have read the proofs and made many helpful suggestions.

Finally, I should like to express my thanks to the staff of the archives for their help in the preparation of this volume. Most of the research for this volume was conducted in the library of the French Protestant Church, and I am grateful to the Trustees for their permission to publish these documents. I am also grateful to the staff of the British Museum and the Public Record Office for their help in searching for additional documents. Finally, I should like to thank my wife for her help in the preparation of the index and for her constant encouragement during the long years of research.

June, 1949.
W. R. L.?