Close Roll

The Close Rolls are an administrative record created in medieval England by the royal chancery, in order to preserve a central record of all letters close issued by the chancery in the name of the Crown. The first Close Roll was started in 1204 (in the reign of King John), under the Chancellorship of Hubert Walter. Copies of the texts of the letters were written on sheets of parchment, which were stitched together into long rolls to form a roll for each year. Examples of letters in England that were entered into the Close Rolls included summons of barons to Parliament.