Other Office Treasures

Below are some previous occupants of the "Raiders of the Lost Archives" page - bringing to light a few of the unknown, neglected or forgotten treasures that may be seen at the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland. All are well worth a look...

This offering shows indeed what “tall oaks from little acorns grow”. These two pages from an engineer’s order book, grimy still from the oil and grease of the workshop, record the very first collaboration between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. Although Royce Ltd was principally a manufacturer and repairer of cranes, they had also produced by 1904 a highly regarded, 10 horse power, motor car. This had impressed C S Rolls, whose resulting order for Rolls adaptations to a Royce chassis (or ‘chasses’ as the order book records) on 18 August 1904, was the beginning of one of the world’s most famous partnerships.

Although based in Manchester, Royce Ltd was acquired shortly after the founder’s death in 1933 by the Loughborough crane makers Herbert Morris. We are fortunate and delighted therefore to have so important a piece of history in our care. This document can be found at the Record Office under the reference 28D69/144.

The following document is a timely reminder (as the hundredth British soldier loses his life there) that Afghanistan is by no means a new field of battle for the British army.  This photograph shows men of the 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment, with Generals Tytler and Browne, as well as soldiers of the 45th Sikhs and 4th Gurkhas, awaiting the arrival of Afghan peace envoys at Safed Sung, in May 1879 [reference : DE 5834/13].

Visitors often ask “What is the Record Office’s oldest document?” Well, here it is! Although it’s a slightly later copy of the original charter which no longer survives, this is still our earliest record. It may be found among the Leicester Borough archives in a volume known as the ‘Vellum Book’.

The charter is written in Latin and bears no date, but it is likely that Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, granted it on his creation as first Earl of Leicester in 1107. He confirmed the customs which the Gild of merchants had held since the time of William the Conqueror - so the Gild existed in the town by the time of the Domesday Book or perhaps even before the Conquest. The ‘Brethren’ of the Merchant Gild, later known as Freemen, were free to trade in Leicester with freedom from tolls and gradually evolved into the town’s governing body.

Translation from Latin:

......Robert Count of Meulan to Ralph the Butler and all his men, French as well as English, of all his land of England greeting. Know ye that I have granted to my merchants of Leicester the gild of their merchants with all the customs by which they held in the time of King William and of King William his son and now in the time of King Henry. The Witness being R. Alcitel’s son.

The ‘Vellum Book’ is a Borough customary and cartulary, including transcripts of the earliest of the town charters not now surviving. The volume dates from the early 12th century to the late 15th century. [ref. BRII/3/2, available in the searchroom on microfilm MF145]

Please click on the links below to view the charter and the ‘Vellum Book’, open at the page on which it appears.

A photograph of the Lord Mayor’s Fund for Leicester and Leicestershire Disabled Warriors Bazaar. Taken on the opening day, 24 May 1917, the photograph shows the Leicester Mercury” stand; one of 60 in the Junior Training Hall, Leicester. Although the event was not as popular as was hoped, the event still raised over £18,000. The first and last days proved the most popular, the final day raising over £3,000 in large part due to the presence of the stage favourite, Vesta Tilley. Although dominated by ladies, careful study of the photograph will reveal the presence of two men in uniform: the late Earl Kitchener and a very lively Boy Scout.

Added at a time of Remembrance, ninety years after the Armistice, is this Realistic Travels Publishers stereographic photograph of a platoon of the Leicestershire Regiment (either regulars or territorials) 'parading before proceeding to the front line trenches'. The mixture of headgear, including the Cap, winter, service dress, known because of its unmilitary appearance as the 'Gor Blimey' cap, dates the image to the spring or summer of 1915.