Worcester City Charters and their importance down the ages

NEXT year marks 400 years since Worcester received the Charter that created the Mayor of the city.

However the city has much earlier Charters which gave it important rights and privileges back in the Middle Ages.

Antiquarians from the Victorian era said Worcester had received Charters before there was a unified monarchy in England. This was before the Battle of Hastings and the conquest by William I.

Several local books written in the 19th and early 20th centuries describe how the city had received Anglo-Saxon Charters, created by the Kings of Mercia. Sadly these early documents did not survive into modern times.

The Charters given to Worcester by the Mercian Kings would have created the ditch and palisade fortifications that ran around the town. They would have allowed for the Borough Court to be established and even lead to the thriving market place being set up.

In the 9th century Worcester was slowly growing as a wool manufacturing centre on the banks of the Severn. Trade was important to the city then as it is today.

Medieval kings of England also granted Charters. These were usually linked to trade and given in return for financial payments to the crown.

King Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, spent very little time in England and when he became king in the summer of 1189, he enthusiastically planned to leave England on a Crusade to the Holy Land. To raise a large army and keep it in the field for a long period of time required a great deal of money. One of the quickest ways to raise funds was to gift towns and cities – Charters.

In 1989 the City celebrated its oldest Charter with events and new street furniture

Hereford, Shrewsbury and Northampton are just three Charters of many that were signed and sealed in the first few months of King Richard’s reign.

On November 12 1189, Richard added his signature to a small sheet of parchment measuring just 170mm by 135mm. The writing was penned using a feather quill and ink created from oak galls and gum Arabic.

Hanging below this document was the great seal of the king. This was attached by plaited red and green silk cords. The wax was also dyed green indicating the Charter would be granted in perpetuity – or forever.

This document says: “Know ye that we have granted and by our present charter have confirmed to our burgesses of Worcester that they and their successors may hold to us and to our heirs the town of Worcester for a rent of twenty-four pounds.”

The Charter allowed freedoms to the burgesses upon payment of an annual fee of £24. The Charter gave some independence from the direct authority of the king.

Today the 1189 Charter for Worcester is stored at the Hive in a temperature-controlled environment.

The seal is not as complete as it was originally but this small piece of animal skin is one of the most important documents held by the Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service. It’s the earliest Charter to survive for Worcester.

• The Discover History group has a new video showing on its YouTube channel which relates the story of the Battle of Powick Bridge.

Battlefield guide Paul said: “Due to the popularity of our Battle of Worcester broadcasts on September 3, the channel will once again follow the events that took place over 350 years ago.

“During the anniversary of the Battle of Worcester the award-winning education company uploaded videos to allow people to follow the events that ended the wars.

“Now they have done the same to follow the events that started the wars.

“We were overwhelmed by the success of our online Battle of Worcester so we decided the Battle of Powick Bridge must be marked in the same way”

You can find Discover History on YouTube and subscribe for free. Alternatively book on a Battlefield Tour and see the sites in real life.