Exchequer: Treasury of Receipt: Scottish Documents

This series consists of documents relating to Anglo-Scottish relations which were housed in the Exchequer, Treasury of Receipt.

The series holds material relating to the disputed succession to the Scottish throne on the death of Margaret of Norway in 1290 and the claims of Edward I as superior lord in dealing with the contest between John Balliol and Robert Bruce for the Scottish Crown, 1290-1292, and the ensuing Anglo-Scottish wars. There is also material relating to treaties and truces between the two kingdoms into the sixteenth century.

Of particular note are versions of the 'Great Roll of Scotland', detailing the events at Norham and Berwick in 1291-1292; extracts of chronicles sent by English religious houses used by Edward I as evidence of the history of Anglo-Scottish relations in 1291; the original oaths of fealty given to Edward I by the Scottish nobility in 1296-1297; versions of the 'Barons' Letter' and that of Edward I of 1301 in reply to the bull of Pope Boniface VIII claiming papal superiority over Scotland; records relating to the ransom of David Bruce, David II of Scotland in 1357; and fifteenth century forgeries relating to English rights in Scotland made by the chronicler John Hardyng.

The documents were arranged and listed by William Illingworth in 1806-1807, and were then found to be badly decayed. Illingworth's list was privately printed by Sir Thomas Phillipps in 1840. Another inventory was made in 1844 by J T Jowett, the series then comprising 470 pieces. The arrangement then made, with some small alterations, still exists. When the documents were transferred to the Public Record Office in 1859, they were packed in 101 portfolios and boxes. Another box has since been added, containing some documents previously in E 39/95, and about 20 documents were added about 1890 from other series of records in the Treasury of Receipt or the King's Remembrancer's Office. Some more fragments of chronicles were identified and added to box E 39/100

Chancery series of 'Scotch rolls' C 71

A number of the documents formerly in this series have been transferred to the National Archives of Scotland, where they form part of the series RH 5 (copies are in

PRO 22/21

Topics

Religions

Treaties and alliances

Europe and Russia

Conflict

Operations, battles and campaigns

John Caen was Edward I's notary and this series holds rare examples of notarial attestation of instruments during the 1290's showing the need for the King to justify his actions in Scotland in terms of internationally respected Roman law rather than English common law (see M T Clanchy, From memory to written record, p 241).