130. The “William Charter” 1067

The year 2017 marks the 950th anniversary of the oldest document in the City of London’s archive – the “William Charter” given by William the Conqueror (King William I) to the City of London in 1067, just a few months after the Battle of Hastings.

The Charter, written in English and confirming the legal rights of the citizens of London, is on display in the Guildhall Art Gallery until the end of April. It is a very small document (written on animal skin parchment) measuring not much more than 125mm x 30mm and contains just 63 words.

Earlier this week I attended a panel presentation in the Guildhall Old Library, given by three distinguished academics – Professor Nicholas Vincent (University of East Anglia), Professor Caroline Barron (University of London) and Dr Nick Holder (University of Exeter). It was a fascinating presentation which explained some details of day to day life in London in the 11th century, how the Charter came to be written and how it has survived for 950 years.

Many thanks to the City of London Events Team for organizing this excellent event and for inviting me.

Photographs show the beautiful stained glass windows in the Guildhall Old Library and a copy of the Charter (together with an explanatory note from the London Metropolitan Archives).