Letters close
(
Latin
:
litterae clausae
) are a type of obsolete legal document once used by the
Pope
, the
British monarchy
and by certain officers of government, which is a sealed letter granting a right, monopoly, title, or status to an individual or to some entity such as a corporation. These letters were personal in nature, and were delivered folded and
sealed
, so that only the recipient could read their contents.
[1]
This type of letter contrasts with the better-known
letters patent
.
It was necessary to break the seal to open and read the letter, and so its arrival with the seal intact showed that it had not been intercepted or tampered with. However, once the seal was broken, it could no longer confirm the authenticity of the document.
Litterae clausae
of the Pope
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]
Another example of letters close is papal letters close. These often had the
leaden
papal bulla
attached to the letter with a
hemp
cord that was a sign that the letter contains an order or the fine silk cord which meant a "gift" or a "grace" being announced to the addressee. The cords were often threaded through the letter to keep it folded, with the address written on the
dorse
(back) of the document (endorsed) for the entrusted deliverers to read.
In the Kingdom of England
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]
In this realm the letters could be issued by the monarch or government. The original
charters
of
Edward the Confessor
can be considered to be a form of letters close, as they were delivered wrapped, with the seal hanging down.
This type of letter later developed into the formal business letters that we are familiar with today.
[
citation needed
]
It is thought that the earliest surviving English instance remaining unopened dates to the reign of
Henry VIII
.
[1]
In
England
, these letters are typical of those generated by the developing state bureaucracy.
[
citation needed
]
From
1204
, copies of
English
letters close transcribed onto the
Close Rolls
are extant.
[2]
However, examples of actual letters close, as opposed to the recorded copies in the Close Rolls, are extremely rare, and most of those exist because King
Henry II
required the return of some to the government.
[1]
Over time, however, as new document series emerged, the scope of the Close Rolls narrowed; and after
1533
their contents consisted solely of copies of private deeds and awards of enclosure, and the like.
[3]
Lordship / Kingdom of Ireland
[
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]
In English-ruled
Ireland
, letters close were used for a wider variety of grants, as the Irish chancery only produced two series of enrolments: patent and close rolls.
[4]
Many, but not all, of the letters close issued by the Irish chancery were recorded on the
Close Rolls
.
[
citation needed
]
See also
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]
References
[
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]
Medieval English legal and administrative document