Royal Charter Issued by William the Lion (1165-1214) (Front)

Royal Charter Issued by William the Lion (1165-1214) (Front)

ID: GB1796_2002_165_01 DESCRIPTION: This royal charter was issued by William the Lion sometime prior to 1180. Although it was not specific to Inverness, it granted powers to the burgesses throughout the province of Moray and was recognised by James III in 1464 as having had special application to the burgh of Inverness. The image shows the front of the document. It is the first surviving indication of Inverness as a self governing community. With its passing, the burgesses of Inverness were enabled to provide for themselves cheap, fast, effective justice. Any disputes regarding trade and debts were to be settled in the burgh's own court, and not by the king's sheriffs. It marked an important stage in the development of not just Inverness, but all Scotland's burghs as self governing entities. Traditionally, the feudal system comprised the king at the top who owned all land and who granted it downwards to his nobles and churchmen, with the peasants underneath. The burgesses were also the king's men, but towns or burghs were different in that they did not fit into the land based system in the same way. Their success was based on trading rights, markets and businesses which meant that they required their own set of laws and privileges to make clear their rights in a society where everything was based around land ownership. In Charles Fraser-Mackintosh's 1875 publication, 'Invernessiana: Contributions Toward a History of the Town and Parish of Inverness, from 1160 to 1599' (p 2), the document is translated from the original Latin thus: [For a glossary of some of the terms used in the Inverness burgh documents please follow the link towards the foot of this page] 'William, by the grace of God, King of Scots, to all Sheriffs and Bailies of his whole land, Greeting - Know ye that I have granted this liberty to my Burgesses of Moray, that none whatever in my realm shall take a poinding for the debt of any one, unless for their own proper debt; Wherefore, I strictly forbid any one in my realm to take a poinding otherwise, upon my plenary prohibition. Witnesses - William de Hay, Philip de Valoniis, Richard my Clerk of the Prebend, at Bonkhill.' Accession Number: INVMG 2002.165 PLACENAME: Inverness OLD COUNTY/PARISH: INVERNESS: Inverness and Bona PERIOD: 1160s; 1170s SOURCE: Inverness Museum and Art Gallery COLLECTION: Inverness Burgh Documents (2) Asset ID: 942 KEYWORDS: