Medieval source material on the internet: Public records

1. Land taxes and feudal surveys
2. Inquisitions post mortem
3. Pipe rolls
4. Taxation and other lists
5. Common law records
6. Feet of fines
7. Chancery and other equity suits
8. Chancery rolls
9. Miscellaneous public records

Public records

For a brief guide to public records, click here

See the searchable online Public Record Office catalogue, which already includes a number of important classes. Some details of coverage, with links, are given in the sections on inquisitions post mortem, chancery and other equity suits, charters and inquisitions ad quod damnum.

Many published editions of medieval public records are included in this online database:

• The Original Record
  An extensive database of hand-indexed records, including many published medieval sources. There is a free search facility for occurrences of a surname within a specified range of dates, and wildcards can be used to allow for spelling variations. The lists of results identify the sources, so that the database can be used as a finding aid by those with access to good reference libraries (real or virtual). For others, scans of the published records can be viewed online for a fee (typically between 2 and 6 pounds per volume).

(1) Land taxes and feudal surveys

For a brief guide to land taxes and feudal surveys, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• Domesday Book (National Archives, DocumentsOnline)
  Images of the manuscript with English translations, from the Alecto editions of Great and Little Domesday, available as pay-per-view, with a freely searchable index.
• Inquisitions and assessments relating to feudal aids; with other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office. A.D. 1284-1431. Volume 1. (1899) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Bedfordshire-Devon.
• Inquisitions and assessments relating to feudal aids; with other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office. A.D. 1284-1431. Volume 2. (1900) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Dorset-Huntingdonshire.
• Inquisitions and assessments relating to feudal aids; with other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office. A.D. 1284-1431. Volume 3. (1904) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Kent-Norfolk.
• Inquisitions and assessments relating to feudal aids; with other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office. A.D. 1284-1431. Volume 4. (1906) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Northamptonshire-Somerset.
• Inquisitions and assessments relating to feudal aids; with other analogous documents preserved in the Public Record Office. A.D. 1284-1431. Volume 6. (1920) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Yorkshire, with miscellaneous additions for other counties, including transcripts of knights' fees for the duchy of Lancaster.
• The 'Herefordshire Domesday' (Early Manuscripts at Oxford University)
  Images of Balliol College, Oxford, manuscript 350 - a copy of the Domesday text for Herefordshire, made in the 1160s, with annotations, including more recent land holders
• Hundred Roll: Alwalton Manor [Huntingdonshire], 1279 (Internet Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University)
  English translation, from J.H. Robinson, ed., Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European history [1897].
• Hundred Roll: The verdict of those of greater standing of the town of Stamford in Kesteven ... [1275] (David Roffe, Sheffield Hundred Rolls Project)
  English translation, from the forthcoming publication
• The survey of the county of York taken by John de Kirkby, commonly called Kirkby's inquest; also inquisitions of knights' fees, the Nomina villarum for Yorkshire, and an appendix of illustrative documents (Making of America, University of Michigan)
  Choice of images, PDF files or text, with a search facility (but beware of sometimes inaccurate text conversion); from the edition of R. H. Skaife (Surtees Society, vol. 49, 1867)
• William Farrer, ed., Lancashire inquests, extents, and feudal aids. Part 2. A.D. 1307-A..D. 1333. (1907) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society, volume 54. English transcripts.
• William Farrer, ed., Lancashire inquests, extents, and feudal aids. Part 3. A.D. 1313-A..D. 1355. (1915) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society, volume 70. English transcripts.
• The Leicestershire Survey (1124-1129) (Guy Etchells)
  Latin text from J.H. Round, Feudal England (1909)

(2) Inquisitions post mortem

For a brief guide to inquisitions post mortem, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• Edw. Alexander Fry, ed., Abstracts of Gloucestershire Inquisitiones Post Mortem returned into the court of Chancery in the reign of King Charles I. Miscellaneous Series. (1899) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  British Record Society, volume 21. Covers 1625-1642.
• William Langton, ed., Abstracts of inquisitions post mortem made by Christopher Towneley and Roger Dodsworth. Volume 2. (1876) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Chetham Society, volume 99. Latin abstracts of Lancashire inquisitions, covering 1423-1637.
• J. Paul Rylands, ed., Lancashire inquisitions returned into the chancery of the duchy of Lancaster ... Stuart period, part 3. 20-23 James I. (1888) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society, volume 17. English abstracts.
• F. W. T. Attree, ed., Notes of post mortem inquisitions taken in Sussex. 1 Henry VII to 1649 and after. (1912) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Sussex Record Society, volume 14.
• L. F. Salzmann, ed., A calendar of post mortem inquisitions relating to the county of Sussex, 1 to 25 Elizabeth. (1904) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Sussex Record Society, volume 3.
• George S. Fry and Edw. Alex. Fry, eds, Abstracts of Wiltshire Inquisitiones Post Mortem returned into the court of Chancery in the reign of King Charles I (1901) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  British Record Society, volume 23. English abstracts, covering 1625-1649.

(3) Pipe rolls

For a brief guide to pipe rolls, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• Joseph Hunter, ed., The Great Rolls of the Pipe for the Second, Third, and Fourth Years of the Reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1155, 1156, 1157, 1158 (1844) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
• The great roll of the pipe for the twenty-second year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1175-1176. (1904) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Pipe Roll Society, vol. 25. Latin transcript.
• The great roll of the pipe for the twenty-third year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1176-1177. (1905) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Pipe Roll Society, vol. 26. Latin transcript.
• The great roll of the pipe for the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1177-1178. (1906) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Pipe Roll Society, vol. 27. Latin transcript.
• The great roll of the pipe for the twenty-fifth year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1178-1179. (1907) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Pipe Roll Society, volume 28. Latin transcript.
• The great roll of the pipe for the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Henry the Second, A.D. 1179-1180. (1908) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Pipe Roll Society, vol. 29. Latin transcript.

(4) Taxation and other lists

For a brief guide to taxation and other lists, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• Barkby, Leicestershire, 13th-16th centuries (David Postles, Leicester University)
  Searchable database, from manuscript sources
• [Derbyshire:] A Muster Roll of 21 Edward III (Rosemary Lockie/David Blackwell, GENUKI)
  Text from John Pym Yeatman, The Feudal History of the County of Derby
• The Kent Lay Subsidy Roll of 1334/5 (Kent Archaeological Society)
  Images of text edited by H.A. Hanley and C.W. Chalklin, published in Kent Records, vol. 18 (1964). With an index of names.
• Soldiers in Kent: The Trained Band under Captain Kempe in 1595 (Peter Stuart, Kent Genealogy)
  Alphabetical list of names of "footmen raised in Wye, Chart & Longbridge, the townshipp of Ashford, the Upper Half Hundred of Calehill and Felborough"
• Kibworth Harcourt, Leicestershire, 13th-14th centuries (David Postles, Leicester University
  Searchable database, from manuscript sources
• John A. C. Vincent Lancashire Lay Subsidies, being an Examination of the Lay Subsidy Rolls Remaining in the Public Record Office London from Henry III. to Charles II. Volume 1. Henry III. to Edward I. (1216-1307) (1893) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society, volume 27.
• Lincolnshire Lay Subsidy, 1332 (David Postles, Leicester University)
  Latin list of names, from P.R.O. E179/133/14-16
• Eilbert Ekwall, ed., Two Early London Subsidy Rolls (1951) (British History Online)
  Lists of names with detailed notes, from the lay subsidies for the City of London for 1292 and 1319, from P.R.O. E179/144/2 and E179/144/3
• London:
  • Two Tudor subsidy rolls for the city of London 1541 and 1582 (British History Online)
    Text from the edition of R. G. Lang, London Record Society, vol. 29 (1993); Transcript of the National Archives documents E.179/144/120 and E.179/251/16, and the 1541 Orphans' Books of London
    Indexes to Lang's transcript of the 1582 subsidy (excluding aliens and strangers) are also available at Lay Subsidy Returns for 1582 (Alan H. Nelson, University of Berkeley).
  • Lay Subsidy Returns for 1576 (Alan H. Nelson, University of Berkeley)
    Transcripts and indexes of unpublished subsidy rolls, in progress.
  • Lay Subsidy Returns for London, Middlesex, Surrey (north) 1593-1600 (Alan H. Nelson, University of Berkeley)
    Transcripts and indexes of unpublished subsidy rolls, in progress. Aliens and strangers are not included; the indexes current contain more than 20,000 names.
• Loughborough, Leicestershire, 14th-16th centuries (David Postles, Leicester University)
  Searchable database, from manuscript sources
• Middlesex: See under London
• Subsidies for parts of Norfolk in 1522,1524 and 1597, as well as a muster roll of 1522, are included in doun.org's searchable Transcription Archive
• Northamptonshire: Alice Dryden, ed., Memorials of Old Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire by Postcards and Books; if the direct link doesn't work, go to the main page, click "Books", and then choose the link "Memorials of old northampton" on the left-hand side)
  Includes the texts of various 16th-century muster rolls. [not available, 16 December 2007; see the Internet Archive's copy of this page, from May 2007]
• Rutland Lay Subsidy, 1296/7 (David Postles, Leicester University)
  Latin list of names, from P.R.O. E179/165/1
• Rutland Poll Tax 1377 (David Postles, Leicester University)
  Searchable database, from manuscript sources
• St Ive Parish [Cornwall] 1544 Subsidy and Cornwall Military Survey 1522 (St Ive Parish History Site)
• Subsidies - St. Keverne [Cornwall] 1524 and 1543 (St Keverne Local History Society)
• Muster Rolls - St. Keverne [Cornwall] 1569 (St Keverne Local History Society)
  Also includes the parish of Manaccan
• 1569 Sennen [Cornwall] Muster Roll (Sennen OPC - on line parish clerk)
• South Hill Parish [Cornwall] Cornwall Military Survey 1522, 1544/1545 Subsidies and 1569 Muster Returns (South Hill Parish History Site
• Surrey: See under London
• Residents of Trunch who paid taxes to Edward III (about 1340) (Trunch Norfolk Notebook) [formerly at http://www.trunchnorfolk.cwc.net/residents.htm; not available, 30 July 2005; see the Internet Archive's copy of this page, from October 2004]
• Three Elizabethan Musters for Wirksworth Hundred [Derbyshire], 1587-1600 (John Palmer, Wirksworth Parish Records)
  From Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, Vol.17, 1895, pp.1-48
• J. W. Willis Bund and John Amphlett, eds, Lay subsidy roll for the county of Worcester, circ. 1280. (1893) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Worcestershire Historical Society. Latin transcript.
• F. J. Eld, ed., Lay subsidy roll for the county of Worcester, 1 Edward I [III]. (1895) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Worcestershire Historical Society. Latin transcript.
• John Amphlett, ed., Lay subsidy roll, A.D. 1332-3, and nonarum inquisitiones, 1340, for the county of Worcester. (1899) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Worcestershire Historical Society. Latin transcripts.
• John Amphlett, ed., Lay subsidy rolls, A.D. 1346, and A.D. 1358, for the county of Worcester. (1900) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Worcestershire Historical Society. Latin transcripts.
• The Ainsty Wapentake: Subsidy Rolls ... Subsidy Roll for York and Ainsty (Colin Hinson/Peter Nelson)
  Text from the The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journal, vol.4 (1877)
• Yorkshire:
  • William Brown, ed., Yorkshire Lay Subsidy being a fifteenth, collected 30 Edward I. (1301). (1897) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    Yorkshire Archaeological Society, Record Series, volume 21.
  • Yorkshire Poll Tax (David Postles, Leicester University)
    Searchable database, from the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal edition
  • Yorkshire: Some of the Subsidy Rolls (Poll Tax) for the year 1379 (Peter Nelson/Colin Hinson, GENUKI)
    Transcribed lists of names from The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Journals, mainly from the West Riding, the Ainsty and Howdenshire in the East Riding.

(5) Common law records

For a brief guide to common law records, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• The Anglo-American Legal Tradition (Robert Palmer, University of Houston Law Center)
  A huge project to digitise medieval and early-modern English legal records, and to make the images freely available through the Internet. The records covered are from the period 1217-1650, and include plea rolls (CP 40, KB 26, KB 27 and E 13), Exchequer memoranda rolls (E 159 and E 368), feet of fines (CP 25 [to 1509]) and other series (C 33, JUST 1 [to 1350], E 124, E 126, REQ 1, DL 5 and CHES 14). Images are already available for the reigns of Edward I, Edward III and Henry VIII-Charles I, and more material is being added at the rate of 400,000 images per year. The site also includes some transcribed examples.
• Tales of Justice and Vengeance (Paul Hyams, Cornell University)
  Online Appendix to the author's book-in-progress, Rancor and Reconciliation in Medieval England - description and discussion of about 30 legal disputes, from the 11th, 12th and early 13th centuries. Many of the descriptions reflect the violent nature of medieval life in graphic terms
• Alehouses in Derbyshire. 1577 (Eric Youle)
  Lists returned by the Justices of the Peace for the County
• The Anglo-Saxon Dooms, 560-975 (Internet Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University)
  From Oliver J. Thatcher, ed., The Library of Original Sources (1901)
• Betley [Staffordshire]: Betley Legal Records - Introduction (Patrick Corness, Sources for Betley history)
  Includes abstracts of a number of medieval legal records concerning Betley, including assize rolls, plea rolls and final concords.
• Coram Rege Roll: Extracts from Inquisitions taken at the trial of John Northampton (R. Allen Shoaf, University of Rochester)
  Latin text from Edgar Powell and G. M. Trevelyan, eds, The Peasants' Rising and the Lollards (1899), (from P.R.O. Hil. 11 Ric. II 507, Rex 39)
• Emmison's Elizabethan Life [Essex]: Disorder and Home, Work and Land (Mike Foster, GENUKI)
  Indexes to names from F.G. Emmison's Elizabethan life series, from Disorder: mainly from Essex Sessions and Assize records (1970) and Home, work & land: from Essex wills and sessions and manorial records (1976)
• Eyres (Internet Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University)
  • Pleas at Bedford in the Fourth Year of the Reign of King John [1202]
  • Pleas at Launceston [Cornwall] in the Third Year of the Reign of King John (A.D.1201)
  • Pleas at Lincoln in the Fourth Year of the Reign of King John [1202]
  • Pleas at Northampton in the Fourth Year of the Reign of King John [1202]
  • Pleas at Shrewsbury in the Fifth Year of the Reign of King John [1203]
  • Pleas at Lichfield [Staffordshire] in the Fifth Year of the Reign of King John [1203]
  Extracts from F.W. Maitland, ed., Select Pleas of the Crown: Volume 1 - A.D. 1200-1225 (1888)
• Earls Colne [Essex]: Common Law Courts and Commission of the Peace and Quarter Sessions (The Records of Earls Colne; Cambridge University)
  Transcripts of records relating to Earls Colne, 16th century and later
• List Of Executions - England 1606 Onward (Jeff Alvey) [not available, 3 February 2008; see the Internet Archive's copy of this page, from June 2007]
  from Haydn's Dictionary of Dates (1895); with a tasteful "waterfall of blood" animation
• Extracts from a plea roll of the Court of Common Pleas dated 1308, relating to the county of Kent (Historical Manuscripts, Kenneth Jacob)
  English abstracts, from CP 40/169.
• Laws of Alfred and Ine (original - untranslated - text) (The Labyrinth Library, Georgetown University)
  From Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, MS 173
• London:
  • The London eyre of 1244 (British History Online)
    Text from the edition of Helena M. Chew and Martin Weinbaum, London Record Society, vol. 6 (1970); Latin text with English translations; crown pleas for years 10 Henry III to 27 Henry III [1225-1243], plus appeals, articles, constitutions and related material
  • The London eyre of 1276 (British History Online)
    Text from the edition of Martin Weinbaum, London Record Society, vol. 12 (1976); English translations (with some Latin); crown pleas for years 36 Henry III to 4 Edward I [1251-1276], plus civil pleas, assizes, and related material
  • A. H. Thomas, ed., Calendar of early mayor's court rolls: 1298-1307 (British History Online)
    English abstracts of proceedings in the court of the mayor of London
• [Index of names in] Chronicles of Newgate [Prison] (Jeff Alvey) [not available, 3 February 2008; see the Internet Archive's copy of this page, from June 2007]
  From Arthur Griffiths' book (1896); with a charming "gouged-out eyeballs" animation
• Charles E. H. Chadwyck Healey, ed., Somersetshire Pleas (civil and criminal), from the rolls of the itinerant justices (close of 12th century - 41 Henry III [1257]) (1897) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Somerset Record Society, volume 11.
• Legal History: The Year Books (David J. Seipp, Boston University School of Law)
  An index and paraphrase of printed Year Book reports, 1268-1535. Currently, more than 4,000 reports from 1399 onwards have been indexed and paraphrased. The same pages include listings of manuscripts and early printed editions of the Year Books, and a bibliography of modern scholarly works.
  Many of the printed texts referred to in this index, are available on the gallica website - see the following entries.
• Year books of the reign of king Edward the First (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N050212-N050214, N050216)
  PDF format; texts and English translations (incomplete) from the edition of Alfred J. Horwood (Rolls Series 31A, vols 1-3 and 5; 1866-1879)
• Year books of the reign of king Edward the Third (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N050217-N050222, N050224-N050231)
  PDF format; texts and English translations (incomplete) from the edition of Alfred J. Horwood and Luke Owen Pike (Rolls Series 31B, vols 1-6 and 8-15; 1883-1911)

(6) Feet of fines

For a brief guide to feet of fines, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• Abstracts of Feet of Fines (this site)
  English abstracts, in progress, of records not published elsewhere, initially for the period 1360-1509.
• For other feet of fines available in print and online, see the Feet of Fines: County List

(7) Chancery and other equity suits

For a brief guide to chancery and other equity suits, click here

For some medieval records in Ancestry's UK and Ireland Collection, click here

• The Anglo-American Legal Tradition (Robert Palmer, University of Houston Law Center)
  A huge project to digitise medieval and early-modern English legal records, and to make the images freely available through the Internet. The records covered are from the period 1217-1650, and include plea rolls (CP 40, KB 26, KB 27 and E 13), Exchequer memoranda rolls (E 159 and E 368), feet of fines (CP 25 [to 1509]) and other series (C 33, JUST 1 [to 1350], E 124, E 126, REQ 1, DL 5 and CHES 14). Images are already available for the reigns of Edward I, Edward III and Henry VIII-Charles I, and more material is being added at the rate of 400,000 images per year. The site also includes some transcribed examples.
• Equity Pleadings Database (Public Record Office)
  Searchable database in progress, currently covering over 30,000 records from series C6 ("Court of Chancery, Six Clerks Office: Pleadings before 1714, Collins"), which mainly come from dates between 1648 and 1722. The search form allows queries for names, places, subjects, case details or a combination of these
• Inheritance Dispute Index 1574-1714 (British Origins)
  Index compiled by Peter Coldham, searchable on a pay-per-view basis, to over 26,000 Chancery suits relating to inheritance of money or real estate.
• I. S. Leadam, ed., Select cases in the court of requests, A.D. 1497-1569 (1898) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Selden Society, volume 12. English transcripts, with an introduction including a list of judges.

(8) Chancery rolls

For a brief guide to chancery rolls, click here

• Charter Rolls:
  • Calendar of the charter rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 5. 15 Edward III - 5 Henry V, A.D. 1341-1417 (1916) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
• Close Rolls:
  • Calendar of the close rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Edward I. Vol. 4. A.D. 1296-1302 (1906) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    English abstracts.
  • Calendar of the close rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Edward I. Vol 5. A.D. 1302-1307 (1908) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    English abstracts.
  • Calendar of the close rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Edward II. A.D. 1313-1318 (1893) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    English abstracts.
  • Calendar of the Close Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Edward III. A.D. 1333-1337 (1898) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    English abstracts.
  • Calendar of the close rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Edward III. Vol 6. A.D. 1341-1343 (1902) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    English abstracts.
• Fine Rolls:
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 2. 1307-1319. (1912) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 3. 1319-1327. (1912) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 4. 1327-1337. (1913) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 7. 1356-1368. (1913) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 10. 1383-1391. (1929) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 11. 1391-1399. (1929) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 12. 1399-1405. (1931) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 13. 1405-1413. (1933) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 14. 1413-1422. (1934) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 15. 1422-1430. (1935) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 16. 1430-1437. (1936) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 17. 1437-1445. (1937) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 18. 1445-1452. (1939) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of the fine rolls preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume 19. 1452-1461. (1939) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
• Patent Rolls:
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls Search (G. R. Boynton, University of Iowa)
    PDF images of the published Calendar of the Patent Rolls, covering 1216-1452. There is a keyword search facility, or the option of selecting a particular volume and page.
  • Calendar of the Patent Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office ... Edward III. A.D. 1330-1334. (1893) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
    English abstracts.

(9) Miscellaneous public records

For a brief guide to miscellaneous public records, click here

• The Anglo-American Legal Tradition (Robert Palmer, University of Houston Law Center)
  A huge project to digitise medieval and early-modern English legal records, and to make the images freely available through the Internet. The records covered are from the period 1217-1650, and include plea rolls (CP 40, KB 26, KB 27 and E 13), Exchequer memoranda rolls (E 159 and E 368), feet of fines (CP 25 [to 1509]) and other series (C 33, JUST 1 [to 1350], E 124, E 126, REQ 1, DL 5 and CHES 14). Images are already available for the reigns of Edward I, Edward III and Henry VIII-Charles I, and more material is being added at the rate of 400,000 images per year. The site also includes some transcribed examples.
• State Records (The Records of Earls Colne; Cambridge University)
  Transcripts of public records - including chancery, exchequer, equity and conciliar - relating to Earls Colne, Essex, 13th century and later
• Admiralty: The black book of the admiralty (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N050289-N050291, N093662)
  PDF format; French and Latin texts from the edition of Sir Travers Twiss (Rolls Series 55, vols 1-4; 1871-1876)
• The Agincourt Honor Roll (Family Chronicle)
  Short article on the battle, and alphabetical list of about 1200 participants; presumably from Sir N.H. Nicolas, The History of the Battle of Agincourt; and of the expedition of Henry the Fifth into France: to which is added, the Roll of the Men at Arms in the English Army (2nd edn, 1832; facsimile reprint, 1970)
• Ancient Petitions, Henry III - James I (National Archives, DocumentsOnline/University of York)
  Monochrome images, in PDF format, of documents in the series SC 8. The images are accompanied by abstracts of the documents, which are searchable through the National Archives online catalogue. Note that, although these images are free to view, it's necessary to follow the usual "shopping cart" procedure to download them. This includes opting to pay by credit card, but the only information required is a valid email address.
• An anthology of Chancery English (Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia)
  Electronic version of a published collection of miscellaneous records in English, mainly from the first half of the 15th century, edited by John H. Fisher, Malcolm Richardson and Jane L. Fisher (1984)
• Calendar of state papers, colonial series:
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, [America and West Indies] 1574-1660. Volume 1. (1860) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, East Indies, China and Japan, 1513-1616, ... Volume 2. (1862) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1661-1668, ... Volume 5. (1880) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, East Indies, China and Persia, 1625-1629. Volume 6. (1884) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1669-1674. Volume 7. (1889) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, East Indies and Persia, 1630-1634. Volume 8. (1892) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1574-1674. Volume 9. (1893) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • W. N. Sainsbury and J. W. Fortescue, eds, Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1677-1680. Volume 10. (1896) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. W. Fortescue, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1681-1685. Volume 11. (1898) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. W. Fortescue, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1685-1688. Volume 12. (1899) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. W. Fortescue, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1689-1692. Volume 13. (1901) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. W. Fortescue, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1693-1696]. Volume 14. (1903) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. W. Fortescue, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1696-1697]. Volume 15. (1904) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. W. Fortescue, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1697-1698]. Volume 16. (1906) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1699, also addenda, 1621-1698. Volume 17. (1908) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1700. Volume 18. (1910) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1701. Volume 19. (1910) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1702]. Volume 20. (1912) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1702-1703]. Volume 21. (1913) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1704-1705. Volume 22. (1916) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1706-1708]. Volume 23. (1916) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1708-1709]. Volume 24. (1922) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1711-1712]. Volume 26. (1925) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1712-1714]. Volume 27. (1926) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1714-1715]. Volume 28. (1928) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1716-1717]. Volume 29. (1930) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, [1717-1718]. Volume 30. (1930) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1724-1725. Volume 34. (1936) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1726-1727. Volume 35. (1936) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1728-1729. Volume 36. (1937) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1730. Volume 37. (1937) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam and Arthur Percival Newton, eds, Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1731. Volume 38. (1938) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Cecil Headlam and Arthur Percival Newton, eds, Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1732. Volume 39. (1939) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1734-1735. Volume 41. (1953) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1735-1736. Volume 42. (1953) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • K. G. Davies, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1737. Volume 43. (1963) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • K. G. Davies, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1738. Volume 44. (1969) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • K. G. Davies, ed., Calendar of state papers, colonial series, America and West Indies, 1739. Volume 45. (1994) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
• Richard Welford Records of the committees for compounding, etc. with delinquent royalists in Durham and Northumberland during the civil war, etc. 1643-1660 (1905) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Surtees Society, volume 111.
• John Brownbill, ed., The royalist composition papers; being the proceedings of the committee for compounding, A.D. 1643-1660, so far as they relate to the county of Lancaster ... Volume 5. P-R. (1917) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society, volume 72.
• The register of Richard de Kellawe, lord palatine and bishop of Durham, 1311-1316 (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N050309-N050312)
  PDF format; Latin text (incomplete) from the edition of Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy (Rolls Series 62, vols 1-3 and 6; 1873-1878)
• Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reigns of Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth [etc]:
  • Robert Lemon, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reigns of Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth. Volume 1. 1547-1580. (1856) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Mary Anne Everett Green, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 3. 1591-1594. (1867) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Mary Anne Everett Green, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 4. 1595-1597. (1869) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Mary Anne Everett Green, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, Elizabeth, Addenda. Volume 7. 1566-1579. (1871) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Mary Anne Everett Green, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reign of James I. Volume 9. 1611-1618. (1858) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Mary Anne Everett Green, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reign of James I. Volume 10. 1619-1623. (1858) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Mary Anne Everett Green, ed., Calendar of state papers, domestic series, of the reign of James I. Volume 11. 1623-1625, with additions. (1859) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
• Frederick Devon Issues of the Exchequer; being payments made out of His Majesty's revenue during the reign of King James I. Extracted from the original records belonging to the ancient pell office ... (1836) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Record Commission. Extracts, in English.
• Exchequer: The Appeal of Thomas Usk against John Northampton (1384) (R. Allen Shoaf, University of Rochester)
  Text from R. W. Chambers and Marjorie Daunt, A Book of London English 1384-1425 (1931), (from P.R.O. Miscellanea of the Exchequer 5/26)
• Minor officials of the Crown (Historical Manuscripts, Kenneth Jacob)
  Transcripts of lists of minor household officials, from accounts of the King's Remembrancer (E101). PDF format.
• Payments to mariners 1298-1299 (Historical Manuscripts, Kenneth Jacob)
  Transcript from accounts of the King's Remembrancer (E101/355/19). PDF format.
• J. M. Rigg, ed., Select pleas, starrs, and other records from the rolls of the exchequer of the Jews, A.D. 1220-1284 (1902) (Google Book Search [Hints and tips])
  Latin transcripts with English translations. Financial and judicial records relating to the Jews.
• Henry II: Léopold Delisle, Recueil des actes de Henri II, roi d'Angleterre et duc de Normandie, concernant les provinces françaises et les affaires de France (3 vols; 1909-1927) (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N005897, N005899, N005900)
  PDF format
• Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII:
  • J. S. Brewer, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 1. (1862) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • [R. H. Brodie, ed.] Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 1, part 2 (second edition). (1932) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. S. Brewer, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 2, part 2. (1864) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. S. Brewer, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 3, part 1. (1867) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. S. Brewer, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 4, part 1. (1870) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • J. S. Brewer, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 4, part 2. (1872) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 10. (1887) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 12, part 1. (1890) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 14, part 2. (1895) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 17. (1900) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 18, part 1. (1901) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 18, part 2. (1902) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 19, part 1. (1903) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 19, part 2. (1905) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 20, part 1. (1905) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie, eds, Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 21, part 1. (1908) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
• House of Commons: Journal of the House of Commons: volume 1 (British History Online)
  The official minute book of the House of Commons, covering 1547-1629. Later volumes of the same series are also available on the same site
• House of Lords: Journal of the House of Lords (British History Online)
  
  • Volume 1 (1510-1577)
  • Volume 2 (1578-1614)
  Later volumes of the same series are also available on the same site
• Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth:
  • Hans Claude Hamilton, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth. Volume 1. 1509-1573. (1860) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Hans Claude Hamilton, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 2. 1574-1585. (1867) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Hans Claude Hamilton, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 3. 1586-1588. (1877) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Hans Claude Hamilton, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 4. 1588-1592. (1885) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Hans Claude Hamilton, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 5. 1592-1596. (1890) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Ernest George Atkinson, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 6. 1596-1597. (1893) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Ernest George Atkinson, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 7. 1598-1599. (1895) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Ernest George Atkinson, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 8. 1599-1600. (1899) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Ernest George Atkinson, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 9. 1600. (1903) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Ernest George Atkinson, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland, of the reign of Elizabeth. Volume 10. 1600-1601. (1905) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Robert Pentland Mahaffy, ed., Calendar of the state papers relating to Ireland. Volume 11. 1601-1603, with additions. (1912) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
• Ireland: A roll of the proceedings of the King's council in Ireland, for a portion of the sixteenth year of the reign of Richard the Second, A.D. 1392-93 (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; number for "Recherche libre" field: N050327)
  PDF format; French text and English translation from the edition of the Rev. James Graves (Rolls Series 69; 1877)
• Ireland: The Spenser Letters (Hap Hazard, Cambridge University) [temporarily unavailable, 4 November 2007]
  Online edition - in progress - of the letters of Edmund Spenser, in his capacity as secretary to Lord Grey, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1580-1582, from PRO class SP63 and other sources. Images of the letters are to be added
• A Letter from Llywelyn ab Iorwerth Prince of Wales, to Stephen de Segrave co-regent for King Henry III of England, during the summer of 1230 (Jon Crump, University of Washington)
  Images and Latin transcript of PRO SC1/11/58, a document which long went unrecognised because of its poor condition
• Royal and historical letters during the reign of Henry the Fourth, king of England and of France, and lord of Ireland (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N050170, N050171)
  PDF format; texts, and parallel English translations, from the edition of the Rev. F.C. Hingeston (Rolls Series 18, vols 1 and 2; 1860, 1865)
• Letters and papers illustrative of the reigns of Richard III and Henry VII (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N050188, N050189)
  PDF format; texts from the edition of James Gairdner (Rolls Series 24, vols 1 and 2; 1861, 1863)
• Magna Carta. Among many versions available on the internet:
  • Magna Carta (British Library)
    Image, introduction and English translation
  • Magna Carta (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
    Frames presentation of English translation, glossary and index
  (N.B. Magna Carta is, if anything, more highly revered today in North America than in England. In some quarters, the ability to trace a descent from one of the 25 barons chosen as "sureties" for the charter is viewed as a great distinction, and a National Society exists for those able to do so. The Society's web site includes biographical notes on these barons, and a listing of others who took the barons' side against King John.)
• Parliament:
  • Sir Simonds d'Ewes The Journals of all the Parliaments during the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1682) (British History Online)
    Accounts of debates in both houses of Parliament, 1559-1601.
  • Heywood Townshend, Historical Collections: or, An exact Account of the Proceedings of the Four last Parliaments of Q. Elizabeth (1680) (British History Online)
    Account of debates in both houses of Parliament, 1589-1601.
• Chiddingstone Early Poor Law Accounts (Kent Archaeological Society)
  Text of an article by June Gibbons, published as Archaeologia Cantiana, vol. 73, pp. 193-195 (1959), on 16th-century accounts of the collectors for the poor
• Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council, 1443-1461 (David Blackwell, United States Internet Genealogical Society)
  TIFF images and text from the edition of Sir N.H. Nicholas (1837); in progress
• Privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York: Wardrobe accounts of Edward IV (Richard III Society)
  Text from the edition of Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1830)
• Thomas Rymer, Foedera, conventiones, literae, et cujuscunque generis acta publica ...("Rymer's foedera")
  • Volumes 6-14, 16 (2nd edn, 1727-9) (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N093485-N093493, N093495)
    Latin (and some French) transcripts of a variety of records; PDF format
  • Volume 1 (French-language documents AD 1256-1307), Volume 2 (French-language documents AD 1307-1343), Volume 3 (French-language documents AD 1344-1377) and Volume 4 (French-language documents AD1377-1383) (The Anglo-Norman On-line Hub)
    French-language documents only, extracted from the edition of 1816-1869
• Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy, Syllabus (in english) of the documents relating to England and other kingdoms contained in the collection known as 'Rymer's foedera' (3 vols; 1869-1885) (gallica; Bibliothèque Nationale de France; numbers for "Recherche libre" field: N095994, N096033, N096034)
  PDF format
• State Papers Project (University of Hull)
  Transcripts of selected records from the series SP 12 (State Papers Domestic, Elizabeth I), and associated documents from the Lansdowne Manuscripts, the Cecil Papers at Hatfield House and Hull City Archives.
• Privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York: Wardrobe accounts of Edward IV (Richard III Society)
  Text from the edition of Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1830)