Sources 1310-1319

Early records of Wells cathedral, in Somerset (1001-1500)

Three early registers of the dean and chapter of Wells - the Liber Albus I (White Book; R I), Liber Albus II (R III), and Liber Ruber (Red Book; R II, section i) - were edited by W. H. B. Bird for the Historical Manuscripts Commissioners and published in 1907. These three books comprise, with some repetition, a cartulary of possessions of the cathedral, with grants of land dating back as early as the 8th century, well before the development of hereditary surnames in England; acts of the dean and chapter; and surveys of their estates, mostly in Somerset.
>> Search this source

Charter Rolls (1050-1326)

This abstract of the surviving charter rolls for 1300 to 1326, in the reigns of kings Edward I and II, was prepared by C. G. Crump and A. E. Stamp and published in 1908. The charter rolls not only recorded royal grants of lands, liberties and offices, but also enabled landowners to have their existing charters, their deeds of title, registered by the process of inspeximus and confirmation. After the Statute of Mortmain of 1279, this was of particular importance to religious houses, now greatly restricted in their ability to receive new donations of land, and anxious to prove title to their ancient property. Consequently, many charters of great age were copied onto the charter rolls.
>> Search this source

Hastings family deeds (1100-1600)

John Harley of the Historical Manuscripts Commission was invited by Reginald Rawdon Hastings to examine his family's extensive archives at the Manor House, Ashby de la Zouche, in Leicestershire. Harley produced a detailed calendar, of which is the first volume, published in 1928, Hastings himself having since died, and Harley having been killed at Gallipoli. This volume covers four categories of the records: the Ancient Deeds; Manorial and other Documents; Accounts and Inventories; and Miscellaneous Papers. Most, but not all, of the material is mediaeval. About half of the deeds relate to the family property in Leicestershire; then there are sections for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, London, Wiltshire, Somersetshire, Devonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, &c. The manorial section includes a partitions of the estates of the Earls of Leicester and Wilton about 1204 and 1277; manor court rolls are mentioned, but not extracted. Choicer items from the family accounts and inventories are copied in extenso for 1596 and 1607, and thereafter summarised. Most of the later material is merely dipped into for curiosities.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of Leicester (1103-1327)

The Corporation of Leicester commissioned the publication (in 1899) of extracts from the earliest borough archives, edited by Mary Bateson. This volume brings together several important sources: the borough charters; the merchant gild rolls (from 1196 onwards); tax returns; court rolls (from about 1260 onwards); mayoral accounts, &c. All the Latin and French texts are accompanied by English translations. Membership of the merchant gild was by right of inheritance (s. p. = sede patris, in his father's seat), or by payment of a fee called a 'bull' (taurus). The sample scan shows part of a gild entrance roll; those marked * paid their bull, and were thus, by implication, not natives, or at least not belonging to gild merchant families. By 1400 membership of the gild merchant had become the equivalent of gaining freedom of the borough (being a free burgess): but at this period the two were not necessarily the same, and some of the merchant gild members were not resident in the borough, merely traded there. Not all the tax rolls surviving for this period are printed: but full lists of names are given for a loan for redemption of pontage and gavelpence of 1252-3 (pp. 44-46); five tallages of 1269 to 1271 brought together in a single table (128-145); and tallages of 1286 (208-211), 1307 (255-257), 1311 (272-274) and 1318 (310-313). The portmanmoot (or portmote) was the borough court dealing with minor infractions and civil suits. Finally, there is a calendar of charters (from c.1232 onwards, 381-400), and a list of mayors, bailiffs (reeves), receivers and serjeants (401-407).
>> Search this source

Douglas family charters (1150-1400)

The register of the more ancient writs of the Douglases of Dalkeith, Midlothian, Earls of Morton is probably the oldest chartulary of lay possessions in Scotland, and contains about 300 charters. It was edited by C. Innes and published by the Bannatyne Club in 1853 as part II of the Registrum Honoris de Morton. The names that occur are principally those of grantors, grantees and witnesses, mostly from Midlothian.
>> Search this source

Penshurst Manuscripts (1150-1580)

C. L. Kingsford prepared a calendar of the papers of Lord de L'Isle and Dudley at Penshurst Place in Kent for the Historical Manuscripts Commission, of which this first volume was published in 1925. The material is presented in eleven sections: I. 39 deeds relating to the Sydney family's Surrey and Sussex estates from about 1150 to 1502; II. Summary notes on deeds from these and other English counties (mainly Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire) and from Wales and Ireland; III. Documents relating to Robertsbridge Abbey in Sussex (charters and deeds; rentals; court rolls; reeve's accounts at Footland; and bursar's accounts) from 1160 onwards; IV. Deeds and documents relating to the church and college of Tattershall in Lincolnshire (deeds; statutes and ordinances; miscellaneous papers; court rolls; and accounts (warden's, steward's, precentor's and impositor's, receiver's, bailiffs', and building and post-dissolution accounts); V. Family papers and estates accounts of the Cromwells of Tattershall (general accounts and wills; accounts of stewards of the household; building accounts of Tattershall castle; estate accounts); VI. Summary lists of various rolls, rentals, surveys and accounts, from various counties (mainly Kent and Lincolnshire); VII. Documents relating to Penshurst and its owners; VIII. Sydney family papers; IX. Accounts of the ironworks at Robertsbridge and in Glamorgan; X. Papers relating to the Council of Wales, 1526 to 1580; and XI. Irish Accounts, from sir Henry Sydney's terms as Vice-Treasurer and Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1556 to 1578.
>> Search this source

Lancashire and Cheshire tenants, patrons and friends of Whalley abbey (1178-1350)

About to leave for the Holy Land in 1178, John, constable of Chester, founded an abbey at Stanlawe (Stanlow) in Cheshire, endowing it with the townships of Staneye (Stanney) and Aston. Inundated by the sea at Stanlow, the monastery was removed to Whalley in Lancashire in 1294, and this foundation of Cistercians (grey monks) became one of the wealthiest in northern England. It received grants of lands in Ince, Garston, Childewall, Aykebergh, Little Woolton and Warrington in southwest Lancashire; Eccles, Barton, Maunton, Swynton, Pendleton, Worsley, Hulton, Westhalghton, Rumworth, Pendlebury, Cadishead and Denton in the south; Spotland, Chadwick, Castleton, Marland, Todmorden, Rochdale, Whitworth, Heley, Falenge, Chaderton, Wardle, Howarth and Saddleworth in the east; Wytton, Derwent, Plesyngton, Balderston, Salebury, Read, Downham, Clithero, Ribchester, Withnall, Wheelton and Stanworth in Blackburn hundred; and Warton, Carleton, Steyninges, Elswick and Preston in Amounderness hundred; as well as further property in Cheshire, in Chester, Nantwich, Northwich, Aston, Backford, Walton and Wynlaton. A careful copy of all these grants was compiled in the 14th century in what is called the Coucher Book or C(h)artulary of Whalley Abbey. The evidence had been carefully sorted and collated in twenty chapters or titles, each containing a transcript of the grants and evidences relating to a separate parish or township. The people that appear in these deeds are the donors, the witnesses, and occasionally tenants or occupiers of adjoining plots of land. The Coucher Book was edited for the Chetham Society by W. A. Hulton, and published in four volumes, starting in 1847.
>> Search this source

Clerks, clergy, benefactors and tenants of Ripon, Yorkshire (1178-1474)

The Ingilby Manuscript, containing part of a chapter act book, and a considerable fragment of a 14th-century cartulary, bound together some valuable early records surviving from the mediaeval collegiate church of St Peter and St Wilfrid at Ripon in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The manuscript was edited by Canon J. T. Fowler and published by the Surtees Society in 1908. The church had the patronage of many local advowsons, and the act book includes presentations and institutions to these, as well as other matters of internal administration. The cartulary is a compilation of copies of deeds by which local benefactors granted land to the college: most of the earlier ones are undated. The names that appear are those of the donors, of occasional tenants or occupiers of adjoining land, and also the witnesses to the charters. Most of the land granted was in the immediate vicinity of Ripon.
>> Search this source

London and Middlesex Feet of Fines (1198-1485)

Pedes Finium - law suits, or pretended suits, putting on record the ownership of land in London and Middlesex.
>> Search this source

Norman Rolls (1200-1417)

The dukedom of Normandy is one of the appendages of the English crown, but actual possession of the dukedom was actively contested by the kings of France. During the periods of English power records were kept for Normandy similar to those of the royal administration in England, with enrolment of letters and grants of liberties and privileges and confirmations of previous enjoyed rights. The rolls for 1200 to 1205 and during the reassertion of English rule under Henry V in 1417, were edited by Thomas Duffus Hardy for the Commissioners of the Public Records, and published in 1835. Most of the persons mentioned are French inhabitants of Normandy or Englishmen in France, but there is also a long section (from page 122 onwards) of valuation of lands of Normans in England, where English jurors, county by English county, attest to acreage, numbers of cattle &c.
>> Search this source

Berkshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Cheshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Derbyshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Essex Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Huntingdonshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Kent Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Lincolnshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

English Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later. Sometimes the county to which a document is related was not readily identifiable, so we have grouped these as merely 'English Charters'.
>> Search this source

Norfolk Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Northamptonshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Oxfordshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Shropshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Somerset Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Suffolk Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Surrey Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Sussex Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Welsh Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Warwickshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Westmorland Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Wiltshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Worcestershire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Yorkshire Charters (1200-1500)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. Some such as these remain undated; they are mostly from 1200 to 1500, but may be earlier or later.
>> Search this source

Clerks, clergy, benefactors and tenants of the Hospital of St Nicholas, Salisbury (1214-1439)

Christopher Wordsworth, Master of the Hospital of St Nicholas in Salisbury, Wiltshire, published an edition of the 15th-century cartulary of that foundation in 1902. While transcribing the text, he interspersed it with notes and lists from his own researches so as to provide a general history of the hospital, and some of the material dates from much later than 1500, and relates to those institutions which he regarded as daughter institutions or offshoots of the hospital. There are later additions to the cartulary through to 1639, and records of the Chapel of St John Baptist on the Isle, the Scotist College of St Nicholas de Vaux (Valle Scholarium), and the collegiate church of St Edmund, Salisbury. There is also a calendar of records belonging to the hospital. The cartulary itself is a quarto codex of 80 leaves, copying charters of bequests to the hospital, and in these the main persons to appear are the benefactors, the witnesses, and occasionally the names of tenants, occupiers of adjoining tenements, and members of the hospital clergy. The cartulary is in six geographical sections: I, Box, Wyvelesford and Manningford Bohun; II, Broad Hinton; III, Fyssherton (Fisherton Aucher or Anger); IV, East and West Harnham; V, Salisbury; and VI, Gerardeston (Gurston in Broadchalke).
>> Search this source

Chancery Warrants (1244-1326)

Warrants were issued by the kings of England to the royal chancery: most of these warrants led to further proceedings which are recorded on the Charter Rolls, Patent Rolls, Fine Rolls, Close Rolls or the Inquisitions: but archivists have identified a large number of warrants for which there are no such equivalent records, and those for the reigns of Edward I and Edward II are gathered here. Most of the entries relate to England and Wales, but with occasional items referring to Ireland and the English possessions in France.
>> Search this source

Clergy and benefactors of the bishopric of Moray (1250-1540)

The mediaeval diocese of Moray comprised the shire of Elgin and Forres (or Moray), Nairnshire, and a large part of the shires of Inverness and Banff, in the sheriffdom of Elgin and Forres (Moray). The cathedral was attacked and burned by the Wolf of Badenoch (Alexander earl of Buchan and lord of Badenoch): but about 1400 an attempt was made to piece together surviving archives into a bishop's register. The Liber Episcopi contains the canons and constitution of the church, and charters relating to episcopal privileges and properties; the Liber Decani is the dean and chapter register. A fair copy of these records, plus later charters and writs, was made in 1540 and is called the Red Book of the Church of Moray. These manuscripts, together with other material to as late as 1623, were collated for the Bannatyne Club and printed in 1837.
>> Search this source

Testators and legatees in London (1258-1358)

The mediaeval Court of Husting of the city of London sat (usually on a Monday) each week: among its functions was the enrolment of deeds and wills relating to citizens of London. In their strictest technical sense the terms 'will' and 'devise' are appropriate to real estate, and the terms 'testament', 'bequest' and 'legacy' to personal estate, but this distinction is lost sight of in ordinary usage. This calendar of wills proved and enrolled in the Court of Husting was edited by Reginald R. Sharpe, records clerk in the office of the Town Clerk of the City of London, and printed by order of the corporation in 1889. The date of the court is given in italics, with the year in bold in the margin. The testator's name is given in capitals (surname first, in bold), and then a brief listing of substantial bequests, with the names of legatees, and then the date of making of the will, and reference. Sometimes there were further proceedings in the court relating to the will, such as 'It was found by a jury that the testator was of full age when he made the above testament', a statement as to where the testament had been proved, or proceedings on a challenge to the testament &c. - such additional material is added in a smaller typeface in this edition.
>> Search this source

Tradesmen of York (1272-1558)

No man or woman could trade in the city of York without having obtained 'freedom' of the city.Their names were recorded on the 'Freemen's Roll', or Register of the Freemen of the City of York, which contains about 19,900 names for this period. A list of names was prepared for each year, the year being here reckoned as starting at Michaelmas (29 September) until 1373, and thence at Candlemas (2 February). Each annual list starts with the name of the mayor and the camerarii or chamberlains. The chamberlains were freemen charged with the duty of receiving the fees of the new freemen; of seeing that only freemen traded in the city; and of preparing this roll, which was compiled from the names on their own account books from the receipts for the fees. There are three groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; and those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase or gift from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen.
>> Search this source

Wiltshire Feet of Fines (1273-1326)

Pedes Finium - law suits, or pretended suits, putting on record the ownership of land in Wiltshire. These abstracts were prepared by R. B. Pugh for the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society Records Branch and published in 1939, under the title 'Abstracts of Feet of Fines relating to Wiltshire for the Reigns of Edward I and Edward II'. Pugh made abstracts not only of the Wiltshire feet of fines for the two reigns but also of the Wiltshire content of those feet of fines covering two or more counties, which are archived separately under 'Divers Counties'. Each entry starts with a sequential number within the regnal year. The date then given is the date on which the original writ was returnable in court, rather than the date on which proceedings were completed. The dates do not fall on the quarter days themselves (Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter and Trinity) but on the octave (oct., 7 days after), quindene (quin., 14 days after), or three weeks later, &c. Then there is the name of the party initiating the action (X: pl., plaintiff, or dem., demandant), and then that of the defendant (def.) or impedient (imp.) (Y). Then there is a summary description of the land involved; and then a code indicating the precise nature of the action. Seven of these (A. to G.) are variants on the theme of X having acknowledged the premises to be the right of Y; but H. indicates a simple complete grant from X to Y, complete with actual transfer of possession. In cases B., C., E. and G. it is X, not Y, on whom the property is settled. If there is a warranty clause, or a more involved settlement, the details are given.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of London (1275-1312)

Letter Book B of the City of London contains enrolments of recognizances between inhabitants, particularly citizens, for sums of money lent or due; grants of pieces of land or property; and various records relating to the city administration.
>> Search this source

Clerks and Clergy in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire (1283-1317)

The register of bishop Richard de Swinfield of Hereford, containing general diocesan business. Hereford diocese covered almost all Herefordshire, southern rural Shropshire, a westward arm of Worcestershire, and a northwestern slice of Gloucestershire. The register also includes ordinations from the diocese of Salisbury (then covering Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire) for 1284-1291.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of Norwich (1288-1391)

Among the documents preserved in the record room of the Guildhall in the city of Norwich were 13 rolls connected with the leet courts in the city during the 13th and 14th centuries while the frankpledge system on which they were based was still in full operation. William Hudson, vicar of St Peter Permountergate in the city, prepared a copy of the earliest of these, from 1288, and extracts from the leet rolls of 1289, 1290, 1291, 1293, 1296, 1300, c1307, 1313, 1375 and 1391, and from an account of amercements in 1364, a tithing roll of Mancroft leet of 1311, and inquisitions before the bailiffs in 1350, and these were published by the Selden Society in 1892, with an English translation facing the extended Latin text. In 1288 there were four leets in the city - Conesford (North Conesford, South Conesford and Berstrete subleets), Manecroft (St Stephen, St Peter de Manecroft), Wymer or Westwyk (St Giles, St Gregory, St Andrew and St George), and Over the Water (St Michael and St Clement. Each leet had separate courts and separate records within the rolls. Hudson lists the main categories of items recorded as: murder, violent death, nuisances, weights, unwholesome food, larceny, assaults, hue and cry, being out of tithing, non-attendance at leet, purprestures, forestalling, unlawful trading, craft gilds, fraudulent work, and impleading in the Court Christian.
>> Search this source

Tradesmen of Lynn in Norfolk (1292-1836)

Lists of admissions of freemen of Lynn from the earliest surviving records to 1836 were published by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society in 1913. These lists were extracted from the tallage rolls of 1291 to 1306; the Red Register of Lynn from 1342 to 1395; from the assembly rolls for the reigns of Henry IV and V [1399 to 1422]; from the hall books from 1423; and from a list of freemen starting in 1443 in the Book of Oaths (but itself abstracted from entries in the hall books). Freedom of the borough, necessary to practise a trade there, could be obtained by birth (in which case the father's name and occupation are usually given); by apprenticeship to a freeman (the master's name and occupation being given); by gratuity; or by purchase. Both the freemen and the masters listed are indexed here. The main abbreviations used are: B., freedom taken up by right of birth; A., freedom taken up by right of apprenticeship; G., freedom granted by order of assembly (gratuity); and P., freedom acquired by purchase.
>> Search this source

Court rolls of manors held by Durham priory (1296-1384)

The cathedral priory of Benedictines (black monks) of St Cuthbert at Durham possessed many manors in the county. These were administered by halmotes, or manor courts, held in three sessions (tourns or turns) each year (here marked I., II. and III.), before the terrar (obedientiary), steward, bursar, and/or the prior himself. The court rolls recording proceedings in these courts survive from 1296, 1300, 1309, and from 1333, but with years missing, until becoming fairly continuous from 1365 onwards. Extracts from the rolls from 1296 to 1384 were edited by John Booth and published by the Surtees Society in 1886. The manors under this jurisdiction were Aycliffe, Bellasis, (Newton) Bewley, Billingham, Burdun, Chilton, Coupon, Dalton, Edmondbyers, Ferry (Hill, or Ferrycliffe), Fulwell, Harton, Hebburn, Hedworth, Hesledon, Heworth, Jarrow, Kirk Merrington, East Merrington, West Merrington and Mid Merrington, Monkton, Moorsley, Newton Ketton, Nunstanton, North and South Pittington, East and West Rainton, Ravensflat, Shields, Southwick, Spen, Usworth, Wallsend, Wardley, Wearmouth, Westoe, Willington and Wolviston. The main contents of the records are demises of land held by the bond tenants, neifs, cotmen and others, and of the demesne lands; and bye-laws and pains (penalties) for breach of these; and other minor delinquencies. Normally, when a farm, cottage or piece of land was let to a new tenant, the name of the last tenant is also given, as well as the amount of the rent, and the amount of the gersum (fine on entry). These court rolls contain some of the only surviving evidence for the inhabitants of these townships in this period: but this publication was of extracts, and was not comprehensive. It should also be noted that the third tourn each year (III.) usually took place in January to March, and so by modern dating in the following year. Thus, the third tourn of 1296 was held on 4 March 1297.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of Cambridge (1298-1389)

'Cambridge Gild Records' was edited by Mary Bateson for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, and printed in 1903. Several important records for the town are brought together: minutes of the Gild of St Mary in the church of St Mary in the Market Place, 1298-1319 (pages 1-13); bede rolls of the same of around 1349 (14-25); minutes of the Gild of Corpus Christi in the church of St Bene't (26-62); returns for all the Cambridge gilds in 1389 (63-128); a calendar of deeds connected with the gilds of St Mary and Corpus Christi (129-150); and also a subsidy roll for the borough, listing householders in the 8th year of king Edward II (1314-1315) (151-157). The gild minutes include lists of persons entering the gild, usually paying a certain amount for alms and for wax for lights (candles). The bede rolls list prayers for the souls of the deceased, using the formula 'pro anima ..... (et ..... uxoris ejus)', 'for the soul of ..... (and of ..... his wife)'. Dates are not generally given, but most of the entries in these bede rolls are from 1349 to 1352.
>> Search this source

Clergy, the religious and the faithful in Britain and Ireland (1305-1342)

These are abstracts of the entries relating to Great Britain and Ireland from the Regesta of popes Clement V, John XXII and Benedict XII. Many of these entries relate to clerical appointments and disputes, but there are also indults to devout laymen and women for portable altars, remission of sins, &c. This source is particularly valuable for Ireland, for which many of the key government records of this period are lost. Clement V was consecrated and crowned 14 November 1305 (the day from which his pontificate is dated); John XXII was crowned 5 September 1316; Benedict XII 8 January 1335 and died 25 April 1342. From 1309 onwards the papacy was in exile at Avignon. The extracts were made by W. H. Bliss from Regesta lii to cxxxvi, and published in 1895. Bliss remarked that 'although the writing of the Papal Registers of the 14th century is clearer than that of many contemporary English MSS., the entries in them were for the most part founded upon petitions or letters from different countries, and the scribes in the Papal Chancery must have experienced even greater difficulty in copying English proper names than English students experience nowadays in reading the early Chancery Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Not having local or personal knowledge, they constantly misread doubtful letters.'
>> Search this source

Clerks and Clergy in Cornwall and Devon (1307-1326)

The register of bishop Walter de Stapeldon of Exeter, containing general diocesan business, but in particular including ordination lists for monks and clergy. Only a small proportion of the clerks went on to acquire benefices and remained celibate. Latin
>> Search this source

Staffordshire entries on the Assize, De Banco and Fine Rolls (1307-1327)

Extracts of Staffordshire entries from these three series of records for the reign of king Edward II were made by Major-General the Hon. G. Wrottesley, and published by the William Salt Society in 1888. The justices in eyre (itinerant) holding assizes not only tried all civil actions outstanding on their advent, pleas of the crown and common pleas, but also interrogated the juries of each hundred and borough as to the Articles of the Eyre, inquiring into the king's proprietary rights, escheats, wardships, and questions of maladministration. The court of King's Bench (de Banco) sat in Westminster, similarly dealing with court cases brought in from throughout the country. The fine rolls record part of the government administration in England, with orders sent out day by day to individual officers, and commitment of particular responsibilities and duties. Wrottesley's extracts are far from exhaustive, as he confined his attention to those landed gentry families that he considered of importance.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of Norwich (1307-1341)

This calendar of the deeds enrolled from 1307 to 1341 was compiled for the corporation by Edith Crosse (MacKinnon), indexed by Walter Rye, and published by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society in 1915. They are set out chronologically, translated from the original Latin into English, giving the name and occupation of grantor and grantee, and naming the parish in which the property lay. Precise dates are not given, just the regnal year.
>> Search this source

Norfolk Feet of Fines (1307-1485)

Pedes Finium - law suits, or pretended suits, putting on record the ownership of land in Norfolk. These abstracts were prepared by Walter Rye.
>> Search this source

Clerks and Clergy in Somerset (1309-1329)

The register of bishop John de Drokenesford of Bath and Wells, edited by Bishop Hobhouse and published by the Somerset Record Society in 1887. It contains general diocesan business, mostly relating to clergy, but with some parochial affairs and disputes with names of parishioners. There are no ordination lists. The diocese of Bath and Wells at this period was almost exactly coextensive with the county of Somerset.
>> Search this source

Deeds from Bath in Somerset (1310-1319)

More than 500 mediaeval deeds survived in the muniment chest of Bath in Somerset, almost all dealing with the transfers of small plots of land in the city. Each names the grantor and grantee, describes the land, and is witnessed by other citizens. This printed edition was prepared by the Reverend C. W. Shickle, Master of St John's Hospital in Bath. Where (as in many cases) the earliest deeds were undated, he was able to assign periods to each on the basis of style and content, particularly the names of witnesses.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of Cheshire and North Wales (1310-1319)

The county of Cheshire had palatine status, being in some measure independent of the rest of England: moreover, from the Statute of Wales of 1284, after king Edward's subjugation of North Wales, until the union of England and Wales in 1536 to 1543, much of the administration of North Wales (county Flint in particular) was directed from Chester. When the Chester Recognizance Rolls were moved from Chester to the Public Record Office, they were placed among the Welsh Records. These rolls, so called because they do include recognizances (of debts &c.) among their contents, are in fact the Chancery Rolls of the palatinate, containing enrolments of charters, letters patent, commissions and other documents issued under the seal of the palatinate. Deeds and other evidences of a private nature were also enrolled on them. A calendar of the Recognizance Rolls from their commencement to the end of the reign of Henry IV was prepared by Peter Turner and included in the 36th Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in 1875. We have now indexed this, dividing the enrolments into decades. This is the period from the 3rd to the 13th years of the reign of king Edward II.
>> Search this source

Berkshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. He identified a few as forgeries, and these have been omitted from our indexes. The documents relate in the main to England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Yorkshire being particularly well represented, but there are some items from elsewhere in the British Isles and abroad.
>> Search this source

Buckinghamshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Cumberland Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Essex Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Kent Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Lincolnshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Middlesex Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

English Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list. Sometimes the county to which a document is related was not readily identifiable, so we have grouped these as merely 'English Charters'.
>> Search this source

Norfolk Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Northamptonshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Nottinghamshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Oxfordshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Shropshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Staffordshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Suffolk Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Surrey Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Sussex Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Wiltshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Worcestershire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Yorkshire Charters (1310-1319)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
>> Search this source

Lancashire landowners and their tenants (1310-1333)

This compilation of abstracts of Lancashire inquisitions, extents (surveys) and feudal aids (taxes) was prepared for the Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society and printed in 1907, from originals in the national archives of the Public Record Office. Almost all the material has been translated from the original abbreviated Latin: where surnames have been Anglicized, the original is shown in italics, as with the word 'faber' in the sample scan.
>> Search this source

Close Rolls (1313-1318)

The close rolls of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th years of the reign of king Edward II record the main artery of government administration in England, the orders sent out day by day to individual officers, especially sheriffs of shires: they are an exceptionally rich source for so early a period. In amongst this official material, the rolls were also used as a way of recording many acknowledgments of private debts and contracts between individuals. Most of the contents relate to England, but there are also entries concerning Wales, Scotland, Ireland and the English possessions in France.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of London (1314-1337)

Letter Book E of the City of London contains enrolments of recognizances between inhabitants, particularly citizens, for sums of money lent or due; grants of pieces of land or property; and various records relating to the city administration, minor infractions, &c.
>> Search this source

Freemen and citizens of London (1314-1337)

Letter Book D, or the Liber Rubeus (Red Book) of the City of London contains enrolments of recognizances between inhabitants, particularly citizens, for sums of money lent or due; grants of pieces of land or property; and various records relating to the city administration, minor infractions, &c. In addition, this volume includes the record of admissions to the freedom of the city by redemption (payment of a sum of money), and the binding and discharge of apprenticeships for the same period. Without freedom of the city - which could only be gained by birth (patrimony), apprenticeship or servitude, or by redemption - no man could open a shop, sell goods retail, or even reside within the city walls (except for a limited time, and then only in the houses of freemen and under frankpledge). The text was edited by Reginald R. Sharpe and printed by order of the Corporation of the City of London in 1902.
>> Search this source

Grantees of offices, commissions and pardons (1317-1321)

The Patent Rolls are the Chancery enrolments of royal letters patent. Those for the 11th to the 14th years of the reign of king Edward II (8 July 1317 to 7 July 1321) were edited for the Public Record Office by G. F. Handcock, and published in 1903. The main contents are royal commissions and grants; ratifications of ecclesiastical estates; writs of aid to royal servants and purveyors; and pardons. Most extensive are the commissions of oyer and terminer to justices to investigate complaints about specific crimes and wrongs in particular counties.
>> Search this source

Clerks and Clergy in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire (1317-1327)

The register of bishop Adam de Orleton of Hereford, containing general diocesan business. Hereford diocese covered almost all Herefordshire, southern rural Shropshire, a westward arm of Worcestershire, and a northwestern slice of Gloucestershire.
>> Search this source