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Charters: what survives?

Charters are our main source for twelh- and thirteenth-century Scotland. Most surviving charters were written for monasteries, which had many properties and privileges and gained considerable expertise in preserving their charters. However, many collections were lost when monasteries declined aer the Reformation (1560) and their lands passed to lay lords. Only 27% of Scottish charters from 1100–1250 survive as original single sheets of parchment; even fewer still have their seal attached. e remaining 73% exist only as later copies.

Survival of charter collectionS (relating to 1100–1250) GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD from inStitutionS founded by 1250 Our picture of documents in this period is geographically distorted. Some regions have no institutions with surviving charter collections, even as copies (like Galloway). Others had few if any monasteries, and so lacked large charter collections in the first place (like Caithness). Others are relatively well represented (like Fife).

Survives Lost or unknown

number of Surviving charterS CHRONOLOGICAL SPREAD (by earliest possible decade of creation) 400 Despite losses, the surviving documents point to a gradual increase Copies

Originals in their use in the twelh century. 300

200

100

0 109 0s 110 0s 111 0s 112 0s 113 0s 114 0s 115 0s 116 0s 1170s 118 0s 119 0s 120 0s 121 0s 122 0s 123 0s 124 0s

TYPES OF DONOR typeS of donor – Example of Melrose Abbey’s Charters It was common for monasteries to seek charters from those in Lay Lords Kings positions of authority in the kingdom: lay lords, kings and bishops. Bishops Burgesses Other Churchmen Royal Family

number of Surviving royal documentS ROYAL DOCUMENTS 600 Copies e most common royal documents were written instructions. Originals However, only a tiny proportion of these were kept or copied. Most 400 royal documents that survive are charters in which kings gave and 200

confirmed property and privileges. 0 Duncan II Edgar Alexander I David I Malcolm IV William the Lion Alexander II 1094 1097-1107 1107-1124 1124-1153 1153-1165 1165-1214 1214-1249 3 6 5

. h C

c the earliest surviving example of a royal instruction written s i M

D C

D in Scotland is a message from King alexander i (1107–1124)

A C D to the prior of durham cathedral. many more one-off documents like this would have been produced, but were not kept by the recipients or have been lost.