Henry III’s Fine Rolls

Henry III’s Fine Rolls record, for each of the 56 years of his reign (1216-1262), the money owed to the king in return for a specified concession or favour. Several of the rolls contain more than 35,000 words and measure up to three metres in length. As a whole, they contain two million words in 40,000 separate entries and are the earliest surviving rolls compiled by the royal chancery. Some also provide additional information on the taxation of towns, for example, and the seizure of lands into the King’s hands because of rebellion. Henry III’s Fine Rolls represent the first systematic recording of what people and institutions across society wanted from the king and what he was prepared to give.

They are preserved in the National Archives at Kew, but the completion of a three-year joint project between King’s College London (KCL), The National Archives and Canterbury Christ Church University, last week, has now made them freely available online. The project is formally known as ‘From Magna Carta to the Parliamentary State: The Fine Rolls of King Henry 1216-1272’ and was partly funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. Originally written on parchment in Latin, the rolls have now been translated and digitalised. Indexes and search facilities have also been added and it is possible to view images of the original manuscripts on the KCL website.

The website also includes a ‘Fine of the Month’ section, which offers regular comment on discoveries in the rolls. This month, for example, features an essay by David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London, which explores Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton’s contribution to the creation of Magna Carta and argues that personal self-interest played as great a role as ideology.

For further information visit www.finerollshenry3.org.uk