Medieval source material on the internet: 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]), early Chancery proceedings (C 1) and other series (C 33, JUST 1 [to 1350], E 124, E 126, KB 29, 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 Books [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 Books [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)
• A list of minor officials in the service of King (time of Edward I) and Another list of minor officials (Historical Manuscripts, Kenneth Jacob)
  Transcripts of lists of minor household officials, from accounts of the King's Remembrancer (E101). PDF format.
• Payments made to mariners of the Cinque Ports (17 Edward I) [1288-1289] (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 Books [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)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips]; 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)
  • Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 4. Introduction and Appendix. (1875) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips]; 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)
  • Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 9. (1886) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips].]
  • James Gairdner, ed., Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 10. (1887) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 11. (1888) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips]; 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)
  • Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, of the reign of Henry VIII. Volume 15. (1896) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips].]
  • 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)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips]; 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)
    [Other copies at: 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)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips]; 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)
    [Other copies at: Google Books [Hints and tips]; 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)
    [Other copies at: 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)
• State Papers Project (University of Hull)
  Images of the original documents from series SP 12 (State Papers Domestic, Elizabeth I), with abstracts from the Calendar of State Papers Domestic and selected transcripts. Also transcripts of associated documents from the Lansdowne Manuscripts, the Cecil Papers at Hatfield House and Hull City Archives.
• 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)
    Images and English translation - the full image viewer requires the Shockwave plugin.
  • 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
• Sir Harris Nicolas, ed., Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England. Volume 2. [1410-1422] (1834) (Google Books [Hints and tips])
  French transcripts.
• Sir Harris Nicolas, ed., Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council of England. Volume 7. [1540-1542] (1837) (Google Books [Hints and tips])
• Privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York: Wardrobe accounts of Edward IV (Richard III Society)
  Text from the edition of Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1830)
• H. W. C. Davis, ed. (with R. J. Whitwell), Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum. Volume 1. Regesta Willelmi Conquestoris et Willelmi Rufi 1066-1100 (1913) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  English abstracts of royal acts.
• 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 3, parts 1 and 2 (3rd edn, 1740) (Internet Archive - Text Archive)
  • 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
• Privy purse expenses of Elizabeth of York: Wardrobe accounts of Edward IV (Richard III Society)
  Text from the edition of Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1830)