Liverpool's Charters since 1207

[Kev]

King John 1207 Charter:

The attached images contain the actual charter and various seals.

John, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, to all his faithful people who have desired to have Burgages in the township of Liverpool, greeting. Know ye that we have granted to all our faithful people who have taken Burgages in Liverpool that they may have all the liberties and free customs in the township of Liverpool which any Free Borough on the sea has in our land. And therefore we command you that securely and in our peace you come there to receive and inhabit our Burgages. And in witness hereof we transmit to you these our Letters Patent. Witness Simon dePateshill at Winchester on the twenty-eighth day of August in the ninth year of our reign.

All Image and information acknowledgments: Ian Wileman and Liverpool's Records Office

Ian has requested that any one wishing to use a Charter image must seek his permission first, PM me and I will supply you with his contact details.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi Kev

Nice to see these full colour images of the charter given to the town of Liverpool in 1207. I am quite used to black and white images of the charter and also enjoyed going to the Public Record Office in the 1960's and seeing some of the Liverpool charters which were then in glass cases. Each succeeding monarch I believe had to renew the charter. You had to pull on a cord to open up curtains to see the charter as I recall since the light would fade them. In 1957, at the time of the 750th celebration, I was given a softback book published on Liverpool history -- I was age nine then. Not sure if I still have the book. I was coming back to the United States on a Cunard liner (I believe the Media or Britannic) with my grandparents and I remember an American lady passenger named Miss Wright borrowed the book and spilled coffee on it! It wasn't irrepairably damaged but had the coffee stain on the edges of some pages.

Chris

[Kev]

Chris, I've got images of all the Charters and will be adding them soon....

[ChrisGeorge]

Thanks, Kev, I will look foward to seeing them. Some of the calligraphy on those old charters are a work of art in themselves, and the heraldry and pageantry of the seals is interesting as well.

Chris

[Kev]

The traders in Liverpool soon wanted greater freedom. It happened in 1229 that King Henry III was in great financial difficulty and he was therefore very willing to sell further privileges. The inhabitants of Liverpool raised ten marks (around £6.50 at prices of that time) to buy a new charter of a very extensive kind.

This charter was of the greatest importance in the history of the borough for it effectively remained the governing charter until the 17th century. It was much more elaborate and detailed than King John's grant. The rights entailed almost the highest degree of borough privileges. It included:

· a formal grant to the burgesses (inhabitants of the borough with full municipal rights) of the privileges of a Free Borough for ever - this was a more formal and definite grant of powers than before to an existing body of burgesses

· establishment of a borough independent of the shire or county especially for judicial purposes

· increased trading privileges - not only exemption from tolls within the borough but also from all such tolls throughout the kingdom

· formal empowerment to establish an association or guild merchant with privileges confirmed to members of the guild

The Crown still had numerous rights and considerable property within the Borough, such as burgage rents, ferry dues and dues paid by 'foreign' merchants. These were substituted for a fixed payment to the King in a document signed the day after the charter, but this was not a permanent arrangement.

[Kev]

ROBERT DE FERRERS 1266 CHARTER

This charter basically states confirmations or clarifications of rights and privileges. (See attached images)

[Paul D]

I'm amazed we've still got them,I'm sure they're going on display in February keep your eye out for that one.

[Kev]

King John in 1207 basically set the foundations for Liverpool to prosper more than most places at the time (we were lucky). The rights and privileges given to Liverpool enabled people to come here in their small groups first, then hundreds, thousands and thousands all adding to Liverpool's unique mix of cultures we know today.

[Kev]

EDWARD III 1333 CHARTER:

[Kev]

RICHARD II 1382 CHARTER:

Richard by the grace of god King of England and France and Lord of Ireland to the archbishops, bishops abbots priors dukes earls barons knights justices sheriffs reeves bailiffs and others his faithful subjects greeting. We have inspected the charters of confirmation of the Lord Edward late King of our grandfather to our beloved Burgesses of the town of Liverpool made in these words (then follows Edwards Charter) And we holding firm and pleasing the aforesaid grants and confirmations of our said grandfather and of our others the ancestors (that clause above expressed that no one who is not of that guild shall transact any business in that borough except by the consent of the same Burgesses being entirely excepted) do for us and our heirs as far as in us lies according to the tenor of the aforesaid charter of our special grace accept approve ratify and to the aforenamed Burgesses and their heirs and successors being Burgesses of the aforesaid borough we do by the tenor of the presents grant and confirm them as the aforesaid charter reasonably testifies. Moreover, wishing to do more abundant grace for the same Burgesses we have granted them for us and our heirs and we have confirmed it by this our charter that although they or their predecessors being Burgesses of the aforesaid Borough shall not in any case hitherto have fully used one or more of the liberties or acquittances contained in the said charter yet the Burgesses themselves their heirs and successors being Burgesses of the said borough shall henceforth forever fully enjoy and use the aforesaid liberties and acquittances, and each of the except the aforesaid clause without hindrance or impediment of us of our heirs, of our justices, escheators, sheriffs, or other bailiffs or ministers whomsoever. Witnesses the venerable fathers W. the confirmed elect of Canterbury. R. Bishop of London and W. Bishop of Winchester, John King of Castile and Leon Duke of Lancaster, Thomas Earl of Buckingham our dearest uncles Richard earl of Arundel, Thomas Earl of Warwick, Richard Le Scrope our Chancellor, Hugh of Segrave our treasurer, John de Montacute Seneschal of our Household and others. Given by our hand at Westminster on the eleventh day of June.

[Kev]

HENRY V 1413 CHARTER

[Kev]

PHILIP & MARY 1556 CHARTER

[Kev]

CHARLES I 1626 CHARTER

Liverpool was beginning to be increasingly prosperous. However, the rights of the burgesses were somewhat uncertain and open to challenge, being based on vague medieval formulae which were increasingly open to debate. Various applications for a new charter were made and eventually in 1626 Charles I granted one.

It was the most important since that of Henry III because:

· it authorised in more modern terms the powers of the borough

· it decided the vexed question of incorporation, removing all doubts - Liverpool was made a 'body corporate and politic' with perpetual succession and whatever it had done previously as a body corporate held good

· it secured all property which had been annexed

· it settled the constitution of the borough with a mayor, bailiffs and the burgesses as the supreme authority

· it brought the legal system of the town into order

· it set up a commercial court for the recovery of mercantile debts

TIMELINE - CHARLES I CHARTER

Liverpool

· population estimated at 1,000
· ancient deer-park of Toxteth disafforested by Sir Richard Molyneux and divided into about 20 farms 1604.
· Jeremiah Horrox, astronomer, born in Liverpool, becomes the first to observe the transit of Venus across the sun in 1639

National

· William Shakespeare dies 1616

International

· Thirty Years War begins in Europe 1618
· Pilgrim Fathers arrive at Cape Cod on 'Mayflower' 1620

[Kev]

JAMES II 1685 CHARTER:

[Kev]

WILLIAM & MARY 1691 CHARTER: