charter

Open letter recording that a grant of land or privileges had been made on a specific date, as in the Magna Carta. Witnesses either signed, made their mark, or affixed their seal. Based on the Roman diploma, the charter was reintroduced into Britain after the departure of the Romans to record donations of land to the Christian Church. These early charters were written in Latin, but from the 9th century charters were written in the vernacular; Latin again came into use after the Norman Conquest.