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Signature of George III

George III of Great Britain

The king's own signature, 'George R', used to authenticate official documents throughout his reign.

This is George III's own handwritten signature, used to authenticate royal documents.

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Black ink line drawing of a cursive signature on white background, with large looping capital G and the word 'George' written in flowing script with a stylized final flourish.
Signature of George III.

About this source

What it is

This is a reproduction of George III's sign manual, the signature he used to approve warrants, commissions and other official papers as king.

Why it matters

A royal signature was a legal requirement for many acts of government, so this simple mark represents the formal exercise of royal power across George III's 60-year reign, during a period of major events including the American Revolution.

Look closer

  • What does the style of the signature suggest about how kings were taught to write and present themselves?
  • Why would a government need written proof of the king's personal approval?
  • How many official documents do you think a king might have signed in one year?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of George III on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Printed broadside titled 'By the KING, A PROCLAMATION' under a royal coat of arms, dated 1763 in London, with 'GEORGE R.' and dense columns of small printed text in two columns.Document

Primary source

Royal Proclamation of 1763

7 October 1763

Sepia etching of an elderly bearded man with long flowing hair, shown in profile facing right. Below him is the inscription 'When we forget him may God forget us', 'Drawn by M.C. Wyatt and Engraved by Wilson Lowry', and 'Nov 6 1817'.Painting

Primary source

King George III, Etching by Wilson Lowry after M. C. Wyatt

Matthew Coates Wyatt · 6 November 1817

Black and white mezzotint portrait of a man in an embroidered coat with ribbon bows and medallion chains on the shoulders, wearing a powdered wig. Below is an inscription reading 'His most Sacred Majesty George the III, King of Great Britain, &c.' and 'Printed for Carington Bowles in St Paul's Church Yard', with 'Frye pinx' at lower left.Painting

Primary source

King George III, Mezzotint after Thomas Frye

Thomas Frye · not later than 1762

Scan of the printed 1775 royal proclamation headed 'By the KING, A PROCLAMATION, For suppressing Rebellion and Sedition', with a crown and lion coat of arms above, the text 'GEORGE R.' and a dense block of legal text, dated at St. James's on the twenty-third day of August 1775, signed 'God save the King', and printed in London by Charles Eyre and William Strahan.Document

Primary source

Proclamation of Rebellion

George III of Great Britain · 23 August 1775

Scan of the engrossed Declaration of Independence on aged parchment. Heading reads 'In Congress, July 4, 1776' with the title 'The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America' below. Dense handwritten text fills the page; signatures appear at the bottom.Document

Primary source

Declaration of Independence

Continental Congress (drafted by Thomas Jefferson) · 1776

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