The Liberate Rolls
State and household expenditure
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Liberate Rolls
The medieval Liberate Rolls were financial and administrative
records created by the Royal Chancery, serving as a primary record of state and
royal household expenditure. They started during the reign of King John in
1199. They were a distinct, central Chancery series under King Henry III
(1216–1272).
The rolls primarily recorded copies of royal financial orders,
known as writs, sent from the Chancery to the Treasurer and Barons of
the Exchequer. These orders authorised the release and accounting of funds for
several purposes. Writs of Liberate ordered direct payments out of the royal
treasury for state expenses, royal household upkeep, pensions, stipends, and
salaries. Writs of Allocate instructed the Exchequer to give allowances to
royal officials for costs they had already paid out of pocket while acting on
behalf of the Crown. Writs of Computate and Computabitur ordered the formal calculation and reimbursement
of expenditures incurred by officials, particularly for infrastructure (royal
works) and the royal household.
The Liberate Rolls are considered exceptionally valuable for the
reign of Henry III (1216 to 1272), providing meticulous, day-to-day granular
details of the king’s financial business, including extensive details of royal
gifts and alms. During the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, over time, the
entries became heavily abbreviated and shortened. There was then a transition
to the Close Rolls.
Regular records of liberate writs disappeared from the Liberate
Rolls after the thirteenth century; these directives were instead recorded on
the Close Rolls (The National Archive C 54). Later Liberate Rolls only tracked
a minimal number of annual fees paid out of the Exchequer.
Liberate Rolls at National Archives, Kew, C62.
Index of Liberate Rolls
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of King John.
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of Henry III, Volume 1
(1226 to 1240).
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of Henry III, Volume 2
(1240 to 1245).
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of Henry III, Volume 3
(1245 to 1251).
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of Henry III, Volume 4
(1251 to 1260).
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of Henry III, Volume 5
(1260 to 1267), access restricted.
Liberate
Rolls in the reign of Henry III, Volume 6
(1267 to 1272), access restricted.