The Patent Rolls

 

Open, public letters issued by the English Crown

 

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The Patent Rolls

Rotuli litterarum patentium (Latin, the patent rolls) are administrative records issued openly or patent (in contrast to the Close Rolls) as they related to matters of public interest. They were sealed with the sovereign's great seal pendent. They cover a diverse range of subjects including revenue, justice, treaties, and foreign correspondence. They also record grants, confirmations of liberties, offices, land and wardship. They include charters of incorporation.

The Patent Rolls started around 1201 during the reign of King John under Lord Chancellor Hubert Walter. Scribes copied texts onto sheepskin or goatskin sheets called membranes, which they stitched together head-to-tail to form long rolls (one or more rolls per regnal year). Unlike confidential letters close, letters patent were left open with the royal Great Seal hanging pendant at the bottom so anyone could read them. The original text was written mostly in Latin during the medieval period, though occasional entries appeared in French or English.

They are arranged into Calendars of Patent Rolls.

They cover the period 1201 to 2012

They can be found at the National Archives, Kew (C 66) - Chancery and Supreme Court of Judicature: Patent Rolls. They can also be found online through Medieval Genealogy.

Patent Rolls record judicial steps relative to Farndale history including records of poaching, outlawing, fines, excommunication etc.

 

Index to Patent Rolls

Patent Rolls, 1201 to 1216.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry III, 1216 to 1225.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry III, 1225 to 1232.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry III, 1232 to 1247.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry III, 1247 to 1258.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry III, 1258 to 1266.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry III, 1266 to 1272.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward I, 1272 to 1281.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward I, 1281 to 1292.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward I, 1292 to 1301.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward I, 1301 to 1307.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward II, 1307 to 1313.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward II, 1313 to 1317.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward II, 1317 to 1321.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward II, 1321 to 1324.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward II, 1324 to 1327.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1327 to 1330.

 

 Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1330 to 1334.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1334 to 1338.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1338 to 1340.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1340 to 1343.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1343 to 1345.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1345 to 1348.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1348 to 1350.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1350 to 1354.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1354 to 1358.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1358 to 1361.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1361 to 1364.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1364 to 1367.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1367 to 1370.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1370 to 1374.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward III, 1374 to 1377.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Richard II, 1377 to 1381.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Richard II, 1381 to 1385.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Richard II, 1385 to 1389. 

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Richard II, 1388 to 1392.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Richard II, 1391 to 1396.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Richard II, 1396 to 1399.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry IV, 1399 to 1401.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry IV, 1401 to 1405.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry IV, 1405 to 1408.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry IV, 1408 to 1413.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry V, 1413 to 1416.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry V, 1416 to 1422.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VI, 1422 to 1429.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VI, 1429 to 1436.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VI, 1436 to 1441.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VI, 1441 to 1446.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VI, 1446 to 1452.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VI, 1452 to 1461.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward IV, 1461 to 1467.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward IV and Henry IV, 1467 to 1477.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III, 1476 to 1485.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VII, 1485 to 1494.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Henry VII, 1494 to 1509.

 

There is no Calendar of Patent for the reign of Henry VIII but Letters and Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII. These are indexed in the Miscellaneous Public Records section on the Medieval Genealogy website.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 1, Parts 1, 2 and 3 (index in Part 3).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 2, Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 3, Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 4 – Parts 1, 2 and 3 (index in Part 3).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 5.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 6.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 7.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 8.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 9.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 10.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 11.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 12 – Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 13 – Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 14 - Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 15.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 16.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 17.

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 18 – Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 19 – Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 20 – Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Public Records of the reign of Henry VIII, Volume 21 - Parts 1 and 2 (index in Part 2).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward VI, Volume 1, 1547 to 1548.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward VI, Volume 2, 1548 to 1549.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward VI, Volume 3, 1549 to 1551.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward VI, Volume 4, 1550 to 1553.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Edward VI, Volume 5, 1547 to 1553.

 

Index for Edward VI.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Philip and Mary, Volume 1, 1553 to 1554.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Philip and Mary, Volume 2, 1554 to 1555.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Philip and Mary, Volume 3, 1555 to 1557.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Philip and Mary, Volume 4, 1557 to 1558.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 1, 1558 to 1560.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 2, 1560 to 1563.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 3, 1563 to 1566.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 4, 1566 to 1569.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 5, 1569 to 1572.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 6, 1572 to 1575.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 7, 1575 to 1578.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 8, 1578 to 1580.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, Volume 9, 1580 to 1582.

 

While older volumes of the Calendar of Patent Rolls (up to 1582) were published by the state and have been widely digitized on platforms like the Internet Archive and HathiTrust, the records spanning 1582 to 1603 are handled differently. This following section of the National Archives C 66 series has not yet been systematically scanned and posted online for free viewing. Searches using the National Archives Discovery Catalogue (which will bring up all relevant National Archives references) are the best starting point.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 25 Elizabeth I, 1582 to 1583 (C 66/1223–1236).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 26 Elizabeth I, 1583 to 1584 (C 66/1237–1253).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 27 Elizabeth I, 1584 to 1585 (C 66/1254–1270).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 28 Elizabeth I, 1585 to 1586 (C 66/1271–1285).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 29 Elizabeth I, 1586 to 1587 (C 66/1286–1303).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 30 Elizabeth I, 1587 to 1588 (C 66/1304–1321).

 

Calendar of Patent Rolls, Elizabeth I, 1582–1594, snippet view only (1582 to 1583).

 

Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1581–1590, British History Online, see search option.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 31 Elizabeth I, 1588 to 1589 (C 66/1322–1336).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 32 Elizabeth I, 1589 to 1590 (C 66/1337–1357).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 33 Elizabeth I, 1590 to 1591 (C 66/1358–1378).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 34 Elizabeth I, 1591 to 1592 (C 66/1379–1394).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 35 Elizabeth I, 1592 to 1593 (C 66/1395–1404).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 36 Elizabeth I, 1593 to 1594 (C 66/1405–1424).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 37 Elizabeth I, 1594 to 1595 (C 66/1425–1442).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 38 Elizabeth I, 1595 to 1596 (C 66/1443–1457).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 39 Elizabeth I, 1596 to 1597 (C 66/1458–1470).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Land Elizabeth I, 40 Elizabeth I, 1597 to 1598 (C 66/1471–1492).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 41 Elizabeth I, 1598 to 1599 (C 66/1493–1516).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 42 Elizabeth I, 1599 to 1600 (C 66/1517–1547).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 43 Elizabeth I, 1600 to 1601 (C 66/1548–1569).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 44 Elizabeth I, 1601 to 1602 (C 66/1570–1595).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Elizabeth I, 45 Elizabeth I, 1602 to 1603 (C 66/1596–1606).

 

The contemporary Original Calendars and Indexes to the Patent Rolls are kept year-by-year in handwritten docquet books, acting as the primary master key for the post-1603 rolls.

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of James I, 1 to 22 James I, 1603 to 1625 (C 66/1607–2345). (Note: For this entire reign, researchers primarily use the 4-volume Calendar of Patent Rolls, James I, which provides a complete chronological registry of land grants, official appointments, and corporate charters).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Charles I, 1 to 24 Charles I, 1625 to 1649 (C 66/2346–3017). (Note: Full text calendars are heavily supplemented by the Docquets of Letters Patent, which detail the 18,900 grants passed under the Great Seal during this politically turbulent era).

 

Patent Rolls of the Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649 to 1660 (C 66/3018–3052). (Note: The regular administration of the Great Seal was abolished in 1649. Records from this era are thin, broken up, and catalogued as Commonwealth rolls, tracking the governance of Oliver and Richard Cromwell until the Restoration).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Charles II, 12 to 36 Charles II, 1660 to 1685 (C 66/3053–3267). (Note: Following the Restoration, the regnal years for Charles II were backdated to start at year 12, treating the years of the Commonwealth as non-existent to maintain legal continuity).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of James II, 1 to 4 James II, 1685 to 1689 (C 66/3268–3314). (Note: This brief sequence abruptly concludes with the King's flight from England during the Glorious Revolution).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of William and Mary, 1 to 6 William & Mary, 1689 to 1694 (C 66/3315–3377).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of William III, 7 to 12 William III, 1694 to 1700 (C 66/3378–3420).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of William III (Continued), 12 to 14 William III, 1700 to 1702 (C 66/3421–3438).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Queen Anne, 1 to 13 Anne, 1702 to 1714 (C 66/3439–3501).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of King George I, 1 to 13 George I, 1714 to 1727 (C 66/3502–3568).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of King George II, 1 to 34 George II, 1727 to 1760 (C 66/3569–3665).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of King George III, 1 to 60 George III, 1760 to 1820 (C 66/3666–4179).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of King George IV, 1 to 11 George IV, 1820 to 1830 (C 66/4180–4361).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of King William IV, 1 to 7 William IV, 1830 to 1837 (C 66/4362–4503).

 

Patent Rolls of the reign of Queen Victoria, 1 to 64 Victoria, 1837 to 1901 (C 66/4504–5273).

 

The Patent Law Amendment Act of 1852 stripped commercial inventions out of the C 66 sequence, redirecting industrial patents into a distinct registry managed by the specialised Patent Office.

 

Patent Rolls of the 20th and 21st Centuries, 1901 to 2012+ (C 66/5274–5790+). (Note: This final tranche continues to accrue over time, containing modern records such as the appointments of High Court judges and the formal establishment of contemporary constitutional frameworks).