The oldest document
in the archive of the City of London, a charter of King
William I to the City of London given in 1067 soon after the
battle of Hastings, has been inscribed to the recently
launched UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register. The UNESCO UK
Memory of the World Register is an online catalogue created to
help promote the UK’s documentary heritage across the UK and
the world.
The register is part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) programme to support and raise
awareness of archives. The ten winning items and collections are
the first inscriptions and come from across the country, span
nearly 1000 years of history, and embody the pivotal moments and
periods that have shaped the UK. Harry Reeves OBE, Secretary
General, said “These are some of the UK’s exceptional, but
lesser-known documentary riches. We hope that awarding them UNESCO
Memory of the World status will help give them the recognition they
deserve in this country and around the world.”
The City’s charter, written in Old English (and so significantly
not in William’s native Norman French) and in the form of an
administrative letter, a style commonly used by the English Kings,
has been in the City’s keeping continuously since 1067. Its
significance is based on its survival as the earliest royal or
imperial document which guarantees the collective rights of the
inhabitants of any town i.e. it is not directed to specific groups,
such as merchants, or to institutions such as major churches. It
also reflects London’s already established international character
in addressing both the French and English residents and in treating
them with equal status. It was a key means whereby William won the
support of the City and its Londoners.
The charter is vellum and approximately 6 inches by 1.5 inches
with two slits, the larger one used as a seal-tongue and the other
as a tie. The seal impression, which is detached and imperfect, is
the earliest surviving example from William’s reign.
It says, in modern English:
"William
the king, friendly salutes William the bishop and Godfrey the
portreeve and all the burgesses within London both French and
English. And I declare that I grant you to be all law-worthy,
as you were in the days of King Edward; And I grant that every
child shall be his father’s heir, after his father’s days; And
I will not suffer any person to do you wrong; God keep
you"
The winners were chosen by the expert committee of the UK Memory
of the World programme following a nomination and review process
which began in 2009. David Dawson, Chair of the UK Memory of the
World Committee said “We were incredibly impressed by the diversity
and richness of the first nominations to the register. Given the
UK’s rich documentary history, I’m sure these winners are just the
tip of the iceberg. We hope this will encourage more people to get
involved with their local archives and museums.” The official
launch of the UK Memory of the World Register took place at the
House of Lords on 14 July 2010 at an event hosted by the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Archives.
To find out more about the UK memory of the World Register and
the winners, go to
http://www.unesco.org.uk/uk_memory_of_the_world_register.
Owing to its iconic status, the William I charter (reference
COL/CH/01/001/A) is available for consultation at LMA only with
advance notice and at the discretion of the Assistant Director
(Heritage Services).