The Charter Rolls
Government Records
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Charter Rolls
Medieval charter rolls were official government records created by the English Chancery
starting in 1199 under King John. They consist of long strips of parchment sewn
together to record official copies (enrolments) of royal charters—the
most formal legal documents used to grant lands, privileges, and market rights.
They wrre
the official administrative records created by the English royal writing
office, the Chancery, to keep copies of all royal charters issued between 1199
and 1516. They served as a permanent government ledger to track royal grants
and the sealing fees collected for them.
Established in 1199 by King John under Chancellor Hubert Walter,
the rolls originally acted as a financial auditing tool (the Fee Book) to
ensure the Crown received proper payment for affixing the Great Seal to
official documents. Individual sheets of parchment (animal skin)
were stitched together end-to-end to create continuous, yearly rolls rather
than bound books.
A strict royal charter was the highest form of royal instrument,
used for perpetual grants of land, titles, monopolies, liberties, and specific
rights, such as holding local markets or fairs. They were distinguished from
ordinary letters by a formal greeting and an extensive witness list of nobles
and officials who verified the king’s act.
No charter rolls exist for the early years of Henry III's reign.
Because a king could not make perpetual, legally binding property grants while a
minor, the system was suspended until 1227 when he reached maturity.
By the reign of Henry VIII, the use of formal charters dwindled.
The Charter Rolls were discontinued entirely in 1517, and any subsequent grants
of titles or major rights were instead recorded on the Patent Rolls.
Index of Charter Rolls
Calendar of Rotuli Chartarum, Volume 1.
Calendar
of Charter Rolls, Volume 1, Henry III, 1226 to 1257.
Calendar of
Charter Rolls, Volume 2, Henry III to Edward I, 1257 to 1300.
Calendar of Charter Rolls, Volume 3, Edward I and Edward II, 1300 to
1326.
Calendar of Charter Rolls, Volume 4, Edward III, 1327 to 1341.
Calendar of Charter Rolls, Volume 5, Edward III to Henry V, 1341 to
1417.
Calendar
of Charter Rolls, Volume 6, Henry VI to Henry VIII, 1427 to 1516.