The ''Tropenell Cartulary'' is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

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 Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

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 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. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...

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

deed In common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions, sealed. It is commonly associated with transferring ...

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 rec ...

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 Pevsner describes Great Chalfield as "one of the most perfect examples of t ...

, 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 Ag ...

, 1908)

Notes

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