City Account Roll

• Lancastria, -ie n f Lancashire

Record title: City Account Roll
Repository: HRO
Shelfmark: W/E1/6
Repository location: Winchester

The city account rolls record all of the city's income and expenditures. Income comes primarily from annual rents and rates, as well as special levies. Expenditures include the whole range of civic responsibilities, including construction and maintenance of civic structures, annual payments to civic officials, and rewards given to local nobility and gentry (and to their performers). The account rolls up to 1420 incorporate the accounts of several officials (including the mayor, bagmen, aldermen, and clerk of the market), as the chamberlains had not yet been recognized as responsible for all civic finances. The accounting period runs from Michaelmas to Michaelmas.

1377–80; Latin; parchment; 6 membranes attached at the top; 265–640mm x 120–270mm; unnumbered; mbs [1–3] and [4–5] written on both sides, mbs [4] and [6] written on one side only; modern wrapper with names of mayors and list of contents.