Paper in Seventeenth Century Ireland: A survey of watermarks in a heraldic manuscript at the National Library of Ireland’

A unique collection of heraldic paper manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries survive at the National Library of Ireland (NLI). Thanks to major conservation project (2014-2017), it was possible to closely study, document and photograph watermarks present in these manuscripts. Watermarks provide important material evidencewhich can contribute to our knowledge of historical paper use in Ireland. To date there has been limited research into watermarks and paper use in Ireland  and across Europe in the 17th century. While the Irish print and book trade of this period has undergone extensive research by historians there are only fleeting references to watermarks found in paper artefacts. Historians had noted that paper was ‘probably’ imported from French or Italian origins but there is a gap in substantial historical and material evidence . This case-study documents watermarks present in an Irish heraldic manuscript (1619-1727) and compares this evidence to Ireland’s historical paper trade records.