The ''Tropenell Cartulary'' is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

compiled for

Thomas Tropenell Thomas Tropenell, sometimes Tropenelle and Tropnell ( 1405 – 1488), was an English lawyer and landowner in Wiltshire in the west of England. He acquired large estates, built Great Chalfield Manor, and compiled the '' Tropenell Cartulary''. ...

(''c.'' 1405 – 1488), a

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

landowner, in the 15th century.

History

is a medieval manuscript, usually taking the form of a bound book or a roll, in which original documents have been copied out or summarized. The Tropenell Cartulary was compiled during the reign of

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and records Tropenell's steady progress as a landowner seeking to enlarge his estates, not without battles along the way. The document consists of a single large bound volume, written on

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...

, and its principal purpose is to establish Tropenell's title to his manors and other estates, copying out a large number of

deed A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

s, and other documents, most of which would otherwise have been lost to posterity. Unusually, the volume is still kept at

Great Chalfield Manor Great Chalfield Manor is an English country house at Great Chalfield, about northeast of the town of Bradford on Avon in the west of the county of Wiltshire. History Nikolaus Pevsner describes Great Chalfield as "one of the most perfect exa ...

, where it was created, its ownership having descended with the house through the centuries.

Editions

*John Silvester Davies, ed., ''The Tropenell cartulary: being the contents of an old Wiltshire muniment chest'', 2 vols. (

Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society was founded in 1853, and is one of the largest county-based archaeological societies in the United Kingdom. It runs the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, Wiltshire which has the best Bronze Age ...

, 1908)

Notes

{{reflist Medieval charters and cartularies of England History of Wiltshire