Passport signed by Louis XVI - 1776

This passport was issued by Louis XVI at Versailles on 17 July 1776, to Count Horace St. Paul and his family, so they could travel from France to England. Louis XVI was King of France until 1792 when he was suspended, arrested and executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793. Count Horace St. Paul lived a fascinating life. Whilst training at Gray’s Inn, he was involved in a duel and escaped to France. Travelling to the Austrian Empire, he fought in the Seven Years War, and was made a Count of the Holy Roman Empire because of his loyal service. Receiving a royal pardon in 1765 for his involvement in the duel, he retired from Austrian service, and was appointed British Secretary of Embassy in Paris, where he conducted the affairs of the Ambassador, Viscount Stormont.

The passport marks the moment when the Count left his post in Paris to return home to England with his wife and infant son. Ten years later, they were living in their newly renovated country house, Ewart Park, near Wooler, Northumberland. The St Paul family were significant landowners in Northumberland but this document highlights their influence further afield and the role they played in European politics in the 18th century.