The Original Charter - Charter granted to Salford by Ranulf, Earl of Chester about 1230AD
The parchment upon which, over seven hundred and fifty years ago, were written the words that made Salford a free borough, is the most cherished among the archives of the City Council. It measures 38cms by 17cms and contains forty lines of contracted Latin, similar to the writing of the Magna Carta, and written about fifteen years later than that great document. It was granted to the Burgesses of Salford by the famous Ranulf or Randolf de Blundeville, last of the great Palatine Earls of Chester.
The period if which it was granted was one of considerable interest. Richard Coeur de Lion had died only thirty two years earlier; and it is believed that during his reign the famous and romantic outlaw Robin Hood lived. It is of interest also to remember that the Charter was written fifty years before the foundation of the great old Norman castle at Caernarvon.
Manchester, in the days of Edward the Confessor, formed part of the Royal Manor of Salford, the centre of the Great Hundred of Salford, often called Salfordshire; and since Henry of Lancaster became Henry IV (1399), the borough has been held by sovereigns as part of the demesne of the Duchy of Lancaster, our present sovereign being, therefore, Lord of the Manor of Salford.
Salford, indeed, never owed obedience to a superior beneath the rank of an earl, while her larger neighbour belonged to simple barons, and even for a brief season to a cloth worker of London.
Among the witnesses to the signing of the Charter was the famous Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who in 1264 led the barons in arms and defeated Henry III at Lewes. As a result the first Parliament to which representatives for cities and boroughs were summoned met early in the following year, thirty four years after the granting of Salford’s first Charter.
The original seal of the Earl Ranulf, somewhat damaged, is still attached to the Charter. A translation is given overleaf. The Mayor of Salford, it is interesting to note, holds his Office in direct descent from the Borough Reeve mentioned in the Charter. (See paragraph xi of the translation).
Ranulf Earl of Chester and of Lincoln, to all now present, and to those who shall hereafter inspect or hear of this present Charter, give salutations:
- BE IT KNOWN that I have given, granted, and by this present Charter have confirmed that the Town of Salford may be a Free Borough; and that the Burgesses dwelling therein may have and hold all these liberties underwritten:
- First, that every Burgess may hold One Acre of Land with his Burgage, and shall pay for each Burgage Twelve Pence per year, for all rents pertaining to said Burgage
- If the reeve of the town challenge any Burgess concerning any plea, and the party challenged shall not appear at the day appointed, nor any other for him, in the Laghemoot, he shall forfeit to me Twelve Pence.
- If any Burgess shall sue another Burgess for any debt, and he has Acknowledged the debt, the Reeve may appoint a day for him to appear (in court), viz, the Eighth; and if he comes not, he shall pay me Twelve pence for forfeiture of the day, and pay the debt, and the Reeve Four pence.
- If any Burgess shall in anger strike any other Burgess within the Borough shedding blood, he may make peace for himself in view of the Burgesses, saving my right, viz, Twelve Pence.
- And if one shall be used within the Borough concerning any plea, he shall not answer, if a Burgess to a bondsman, or to any other, save in his own Portmannemoot, that is, concerning a Plea which pertains to the Borough.
- If any Burgess or other person accuse another Burgess of Theft, the Prefect shall summon him to answer and to stand in Judgement in Portmannemoot saving my right.
- If any one shall be sued by his neighbour, or by any other person concerning any matter which appertains to the Borough, and the complainant makes no appearance for three days, if the defendant shall have the testimony of the Reeve and his Neighbours that his adversary has failed to appear during those three days, he need to give no answer to the plea, and the other shall be at the mercy (of the Lord of the Borough)
- Also no Burgess ought to bake Bread which is for sale, except at my Bake House, according to the reasonable Customs (of the Borough).
- If I shall have a Mill there, the Burgesses may grind at such Mill to the twentieth bushel; and if I shall have no mill there, they may grind wheresoever they wish.
- Likewise the said Burgesses can choose the Reeve from themselves, whom they wish, and remove him at the end of the year.
- Also when any Burgess shall wish to grant mortgage, or sell his Burgage, he may do so to any one, unless the Heirs wish to buy it, and then the nearest shall have preference, saving my service, and so that it be not sold to the Religion.
- Moreover, the Burgesses may arrest their debtors for debts contracted in the Borough, if the debtor acknowledge that debt, unless they hold a Tenement in the Borough.
- The Chattels of the Burgesses may not be detained for any other debts than their own.
- The aforesaid Burgessses also and all theirs, of whomsoever they may buy or sell, and wheresoever they may be within the lordships, whether at Fairs or Markets, shall be free from Toll, except Salt Toll.
- Whosoever shall break the Assize, whether of bread or of Beer, shall suffer a forfeiture of Twelve Pence three times; and on the fourth time he shall perform the assize of the town.
- Also the said Burgesses shall have Common Free Pasture in the Wood, in the Plain, and in all the Pastures belonging to the town of Salford; and shall be free from pannage in the same Wood of the Town of Salford.
- The same Burgesses may take reasonably in the aforesaid Wood, all necessaries for building and burning.
- Any one may also implead for his wife and for his family, and the wife of any reason can pay his fine, to be made to the Reeve as he ought and to follow the Plea for her husband, if he himself chances to be elsewhere.
- A Burgess, if he have no Heir, can leave his Burgage and his Chattels, whensoever he dies, to whom he pleases, saving my right, viz, Four Pence, and saving the service pertaining to said Burgage; so however that the Burgage be not alienated in Religion.
- When a Burgess dies his Widow shall remain in the House with the Heir and there have the necessaries so long as she remains without a husband and from the time she may wish to be married again, she may depart freely, without dower, and the Heir as lord shall remain in the house.
- Also when a Burgess dies, his Heirs shall give no other Relief to me, except Arms, viz, of this kind a Sword, a Bow, or a Lance.
- No one within the Wapentake of Salford, as a Shoemaker, Currier, Fuller, or any such, may exercise his calling, except in the borough; saving the liberties of the Barony.
- The aforesaid Burgesses, moreover, shall pay my Rent, for the Burgages at four periods of the year, viz, The Nativity of Our Lord, Three Pence ; Midlent, Three Pence; the Feast of the Blessed John the Baptist, Three Pence; and the Feast of the Blessed Michael, Three Pence.
- All the above Pleas shall be decided before the Bailiffs of the lord the Earl, upon the view of Burgesses.
- Whoever may wish to sell his Burgage, except to Religion, and to leave the Town, shall pay me Four Pence, and go freely wheresoever he wishes, with all his Chattels.
I RANULPH and my heirs will guarantee all aforesaid Liberties and Customs to the said Burgesses and their heirs against all men for ever, saving to me and my heirs reasonable Tallage, except when the lord King impose a Tallage on his Boroughs throughout England.
In memory whereof to this present page I have affixed my Seal: Before these Witnesses:
- Sir William, Justiciar of Chester
- Simon de Montfort
- Pagan de Chauworth
- Fulc, Son of Warren
- Gilbert de Segrave
- Walkel de Arderne
- Richard de Vernon
- Roger Gernet
- Roger de Derby
- Geiffrey de Bury
- Hugh de Biron
- Simon, and
- John Scribes
And many others