Publisher's Synopsis
The two parts of this work, first published in 1808-1809, supplement Hall's Studies in English Official Historical Documents. They give examples of a wide range of English official, ministerial and judicial documents from the seventh to the nineteenth centuries. These are arranged according to type and purpose, the majority in Latin, but others in French or English. The intention is to assist the user of such archival materials, by familiarising them with the format and language used in each kind of document, and explaining why and how they were written. The 300 transcriptions were made by palaeography students at the London School of Economics, and classified and edited with extensive notes by Mr Hall. They are not literal transcriptions, as contractions have been expanded, and the punctuation and capitalisation modernised. Despite the lack of any illustrations of originals, the book filled a need long felt by students of history.
