Physical evidence for dating: watermarks are obscured by rebinding. ‘Anns on orginal cover of this volume: Thomas, Lord Fairfax, who married Anne da: of Horace Lord Vere’
Internal evidence for date: dedication by Daniel King, who claims authorship, to Mary Fairfex, daughter of Thomas Fairfax, b. 1638, married Duke of Buckingham, 1657. Hardie (Norgate 1919, xix) concludes the manuscript was written between 1653 when Mary was fifteen, and 1657 when she married.
Later owners: Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725), antiquary and topographer at Leeds. ‘I lent the Hon: Horace Walpole this Ms. & I suppose he got it copied’.