A 700-YEAR-OLD royal charter confirming the status of Forde Abbey will stay in the south west.

The Dorset History Centre (DHC) has acquired the rare charter, which dates from 1313, which will now join the county’s archives held in Dorchester.

Relating to Forde Abbey, near Chard in Somerset but in Dorset, was issued by Edward II and is written on parchment with the royal seal attached below.

Written in Latin, the charter is known as an ‘inspeximus’, which means it re-states and confirms the grants made in an earlier charter – in this case one issued by King John in 1204.

The charter clarified the legal status of the abbey and gave it special privileges due to the patronage of the crown.

Forde Abbey formed part of Devon until 1836 when the parish of Thorncombe transferred into Dorset due to boundary changes.

The abbey was founded in 1136 and was a religious house until the Dissolution, when in 1539 the property was surrendered to Henry VIII.

The charter lists the rights and privileges granted by the crown to the abbot and monks, including immunity from paying certain taxes including ‘Danegeld’ and ‘castle and bridge works’.

The Abbey was also able to try and punish thieves – a process known as ‘infangthief’.

The charter, for Forde Abbey, was issued by Edward II some 700 years ago. Pictures: Dorset Council

Granting of the charter came a year before the Battle of Bannockburn and 35 years before the of the Black Death at Melcombe Regis.

The history of this 700-year-old document and where it resided is not fully recorded although it was last known to have been framed and mounted on the wall of a Kent manor house prior to its sale at auction.

The purchase was made thanks to financial aid from the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries and the Dorset Archives Trust which met the full cost of £8,843.

Christine Fowler, chair of Dorset Archives Trust, said: “We are very happy to support the purchase of this rare charter. The document is in an excellent condition, and it is great that it has come back to Dorset, where it will continue to be conserved and curated by the experts at Dorset History Centre for the benefit of everyone.”

The charter has been digitised and is available to view at DHC in Dorchester.

Councillor Richard Biggs, cabinet member for regeneration, economic growth and strategic assets at Dorset Council, said: “This document is an important part of Dorset’s history and helps to inform our understanding of our shared past and how it has shaped the present.

“I’m really pleased that this has been brought into public ownership at DHC where it can be accessed by all.”

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