The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, 1275

The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of the lords, and, somewhat later, the commons. This volume covers the first nine years of the minority of Henry VI, which saw seven parliaments. This high frequency is linked to the fact that Henry was only nine months old when he became king in 1422. The rolls of this period have much of interest on how government functioned during a minority. Parliament became a crucial cog in the wheel of collective and conciliar rule, and also had to deal with disputes between Henry's advisers. Also interesting is the transition from the regime of Henry V to that of his son. The roll for the 1423 assembly includes the inventory of Henry V's moveable goods as dealt with by his executors. That for the 1429 meeting, during which the coronation occurred and a royal visit to France was planned, saw many significant common petitions, including that concerning the electorate of the 40s freeholder. The rolls from the period are reproduced in their entirely, complented by a full translation of all the texts from the three languages used by the medieval clerks (Latin, Anglo-Norman and Middle English). Anne Curry is Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Southampton