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Royal Charters |
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Charters were the tools that made municipal life free from Royal control and gave the citizens the right to self-government. They were the main way of recording the granting of permissions and rights. A seal authenticated documents, since the persons concerned invariably could not write. The seal became an essential and important part of any Charter, deed or merchant's mark.
The City of Bath has been granted 27 Royal Charters. Twenty-six Charters are held in glass frames in the City Archives where they can be viewed by appointment. Charter No.21 is held in the Archive of King Edward's School, Bath.
The two most notable Charters are No.1 (Richard I) and No.22 (Elizabeth I), both of which were instrumental in gaining rights and freedoms for the City of Bath.
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Charter 1
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On Richard the First's accession to the throne in 1189 he set about obtaining monies to
pay for his Crusades abroad. The selling of Charters was an easy way of
extracting money from the wealthy burghers of towns and cities. This Charter was
signed and dated just four days before the King sailed to Normandy. It started
the process of self-government for the City. |
