Dorset History Centre (DHC) has announced that, thanks to charitable support, it has acquired a rare royal charter dating from 1313 which will now join the county’s archives held in Dorchester.
The charter, relating to Forde Abbey, was issued by Edward II and is written on parchment with the royal seal attached below. Written in Latin, the charter is known as an ‘inspeximus’ which means it re-states and confirms the grants made in an earlier charter – in this case one issued by King John in 1204.
The charter clarified the legal status of the abbey and gave it special privileges due to the patronage of the crown. Forde Abbey in the far west of the county formed part of Devon until 1836 when the parish of Thorncombe in which it sits transferred into Dorset due to boundary changes.
Forde Abbey was founded in 1136 and was religious house until the Dissolution when in 1539 the property was surrendered to Henry VIII. The charter lists the rights and privileges granted by the crown to the abbot and monks of Forde Abbey, including immunity from paying certain taxes including ‘Danegeld’ and ‘castle and bridge works’ The Abbey was also able to try and punish thieves – a process known as ‘infangthief’.
The granting of the charter was one year before the hugely significant Battle of Bannockburn and 35 years before the cataclysmic arrival of the Black Death at Melcombe Regis.
The history of this 700-year-old document and where it resided is not fully recorded although it was last known to have been framed and mounted on the wall of a Kent manor house prior to its sale at auction.
The purchase was made available thanks to generous financial aid from the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries and Dorset Archives Trust which met the full cost of £8,843 and for whose support DHC is hugely grateful.
Christine Fowler, Chair of Dorset Archives Trust said: “We are very happy to support the purchase of this rare charter. The document is in an excellent condition, and it is great that it has come back to Dorset, where it will continue to be conserved and curated by the experts at Dorset History Centre for the benefit of everyone.”
The charter has been digitised and is available to view at DHC in Dorchester
Councillor Richard Biggs, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Growth and Strategic Assets said: “This document is an important part of Dorset’s history and helps to inform our understanding of our shared past and how it has shaped the present. I’m really pleased that this has been brought into public ownership at DHC where it can be accessed by all.”
