This document is a charter from 9 February 1267. It was from King Henry III to Matilda Passelewe. A charter is a document that the king uses to give rights to someone, so it is a record of an agreement between the king and someone else. Catalogue ref: C53/56 m. 8
Transcript
You should know that we have granted [given] and confirmed by this our charter to our beloved Matilda Passelewe that she and her heirs in perpetuity should have their market every seven days on a Saturday at their manor of Barewe in the county of Suffolk. And that the same should have a fair every year for three days on the day before, the day of and the day after the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist. And we confirm to the same Matilda that her and her heirs in perpetuity have free warren in all of their demesne lands in her aforementioned manor so only the same lands be not within the metes of our Forest so that no one enter the same lands to chase in them or to take anything which to Warren pertains without the licence and will of the same Matilda and her heirs under forfeiture to us of £10…
Simplified transcript
The king grants Matilda Passelewe, and her heirs the right to hold a weekly market every Saturday on her manor at Barewe in Suffolk. She can also hold a fair on the day before, the day of and the day after the holiday for the birth of St John the Baptist. She is also allowed the right of ‘free warren’ [to hunt small game like hares, rabbits, pheasants or partridges] on her land, in return for paying the king £10.
« Return to Medieval agreements and arguments- Can you find Matilda’s name in the document? [Clue: look in the margin.]
- What does this document grant to Matilda Passelewe?
- What do you think a ‘free warren’ means? Can you find the Latin [‘liberam warrenam’] in the document?
- This document is a record of the charter that the King gave to Matilda, in a roll with a lot of other charters granted by the king. Why do you think the king needed to keep a record of the charters he granted?