Description These documents provide tangible evidence of the feudal system of property law prevalent in medieval and early modern Britain and Europe. They date from the end of the reign of Edward I, who was revered by later generations as the English Justinian, after the statutes of Quia Emptores (1290) and De Donis (1285) had made land freely alienable for the first time since the Norman Conquest. The first grant is for lands to be held by full copyhold tenure – basically an inheritable...

Note Sine Datum [circa 1285]; 16 lines; green wax seal depicting a flower with five petals and the legend: "S[igillum Johannis F]il[ii] Gilberti Wigge", endorsed on verso, seal damaged slightly at edge, affecting legend, folds, browned, 125mm by 242mm: Grant for a sum of money, John son of Gilbert Wygg of Great Sampford to Robert Wygg, clerk, for his service, an acre of his land in the field called Merefeld (between the land of Roger de Watevil on both sides, heading on to the land of Richard...