Chancery: Fine Rolls of Henry III
We hope you enjoyed watching our Education Service video with collections expert Paul Dryburgh. This video focusses a chancery record from the reign of Henry III and explores the role and function of chancery within royal government.
Now try and answer the following questions:
- What was the medieval chancery?
- Who worked there?
- The three types of Chancery roll are: Letters close; letter patent; fine rolls. Can you explain the difference between them?
- How is information kept together in a roll?
- How did the scribes solve the problem of not having an index?
- What type of document is the Henry III document featured in the video? [Look at the image and transcript of the video]
- Can you describe the appearance of the document?
- What is the date?
- Who has produced it?
- Who is it for?
- What is the purpose of this particular document? [Use the transcript to help]
- How is this document useful for understanding society during the reign of Henry III?
- What is the value of chancery records?
- Why does the National Archives have these records?
Download Chancery Resource Pack
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