An AHRC-funded project to translate and digitise documents drawn up for Henry III to record money and favours owed to him, has been officially launched. The ‘Fine Rolls’ of Henry III are written in Latin on parchment, with one for every year of his 56 year reign, some containing more than 35,000 words, and measuring up to three metres in length. With the majority of entries now on the website it went live at the end of November.
This three-year project has brought to life remarkable material which is now freely available to everyone. The rolls, containing two million words in 40,000 separate entries, have been translated into English and encoded electronically, creating indexes and search facilities.
The website (www.finerollshenry3.org.uk) has digitized images of all the rolls and it is possible to look through them membrane by membrane and zoom in on a particular entry.
With funding of £1 million from the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the project has been a joint venture between scholars at three institutions – King’s College London, The National Archives and Canterbury Christ Church University. The pioneering technical work has been carried out by the Centre for the Computing in the Humanities Department at King’s.
Leading this project is David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London, who comments: ‘The project is a perfect example of a collaborative enterprise that develops and exploits the latest technology in order to open up a major a historical source to a wide community of users, public as well as academic.’
The Fine Rolls of Henry III (1216-1272) are preserved in the National Archives at Kew, and, as well as recording ‘fines’ - which are essentially an agreement to pay money for a concession - they contain a wealth of other material. Examples include the taxation of towns, the seizure of lands into the King’s hands because of rebellion, and even Henry III’s sense of humour.
Dr Louise Wilkinson, a Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Canterbury Christ Church University, who is one of the project’s co-directors and has been closely involved in managing the project since its inception in 2005, says: ‘One of the most rewarding things about working on this project is the way in which it has not only greatly enriched our understanding of thirteenth-century politics and society, but also yielded valuable information for local communities who are interested in uncovering information about their past.’
Notes to Editors
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Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, AHRC Communications Manager; T: 01793 41 6021,
E: j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk
AHRC-
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) supports world-class research that furthers our understanding of human culture and creativity. Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
King’s College London-
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2010 QS international world rankings), The Sunday Times ‘University of the Year 2010/11’ and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has nearly 23,000 students (of whom more than 8,600 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 5,500 employees. King’s is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.
Canterbury Christ Church University-
Canterbury Christ Church University has, since its foundation by the Church of England as a teacher training college in 1962, developed a wide range of taught programmes, research and educational services.
National Archives at Kew-
The National Archives is the UK government's official archive, containing over 1,000 years of history. They give detailed guidance to government departments and the public sector on information management and advise others about the care of historical archives.