Patent Rolls
Encyclopedia
The Patent Rolls are primary sources for English history, a record of the King of England's correspondence, starting in 1202.
They record the letters patent
, or royal letters issued unsealed, and were started under the Chancellorship of Hubert Walter
. This was during the reign of King John of England
, and the patent roll was started in order to keep track of letters that had been issued by the government. Instead of keeping the records in a register or book form, they were written on sheets which were stitched together into long rolls to form a roll for each year.
The series stored in the Tower of London
started in 1202, and ran to the late fifteenth century.
They record the letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
, or royal letters issued unsealed, and were started under the Chancellorship of Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...
. This was during the reign of King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, and the patent roll was started in order to keep track of letters that had been issued by the government. Instead of keeping the records in a register or book form, they were written on sheets which were stitched together into long rolls to form a roll for each year.
The series stored in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
started in 1202, and ran to the late fifteenth century.
External links
- Extracts from Calendar of Patent Rolls
- Searchable Patent Rolls Courtesy of Prof. G.R. Boynton and the University of IowaUniversity of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Libraries. - Itinerary of King John Project Timeline and Map interface to the scanned full text of the Rotuli Litterarum Patentium and the Itinerary of King John Published by Thomas Duffus HardyThomas Duffus HardySir Thomas Duffus Hardy was an English archivist and antiquary.-Life:He was the third son of Major Thomas Bartholomew Price Hardy, and belonged to a family several members of which had distinguished themselves in the British navy. Born at Port Royal in Jamaica, he crossed over to England and in...
in 1835.