List of Records in the Tower of London

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 133 Eng MS 406
  • Dates of Creation
      17th Century
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      311 x 193 mm. 1 volume (101 folios); Binding: original stiff parchment covers.

Scope and Content

The volume is entitled A Table to all the Records in the Tower of London. It comprises a list of rolls of Parliament, arranged by regnal year, from 5 Edward II [1311/12] to 22 Edward IV [1506]. For each session of Parliament, the acts, petitions etc. are listed by short title.

Administrative / Biographical History

One of the functions of the Tower of London prior to 1860 was as a repository of public records. From the 14th century the Wakefield Tower within the Tower of London complex was used as storage for records and was referred to as the Records Tower. Keepers were employed to catalogue and look after the records kept in the Tower under the nominal supervision of the Master of the Rolls. Although the Public Record Office was established in 1838 it was not until 1858, when a purpose built repository was finally finished on Chancery Lane, that the widely dispersed public records began to be collected together. In 1860 the records kept at the Tower were finally moved to the Chancery Lane repository.

Access Information

The manuscript is available for consultation by any accredited reader.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by the John Rylands Library from the bookseller J.E. Cornish in June 1926.

Note

Description compiled by Henry Sullivan, project archivist.

Other Finding Aids

Catalogued in the Hand-List of the Collection of English Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, 1928 (English MS 406).