Top Ten Treasures from the Archives: Henry II charter

Our collections richer than most people would imagine and cover a wide variety of subjects and historical periods. To give you an idea of what’s there, University Archivist Guy Baxter will be introducing his ‘Top Ten Treasures’ over the coming weeks, picking highlights from the archive collections here at Reading. Enjoy!

Treasure No. 1:

Guy writes, ‘My first choice is in fact the oldest archival document held by the University: a charter of Henry II to the Abbey of St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte, issued at Westminster sometime between 1155 and 1158. This manuscript is complemented by a comprehensive collection of photocopies of images and transcripts of the charters and other acts of the Angevin Kings of England, including Henry’s sons Richard the Lion-Heart and King John.’

For those interested in medieval history, our archives contain other relevant items such as examples of 12th- and 13th-century York charters (MS 1148/13/4), the Stenton Coin Collection and a 15th century Book of Hours (MS 2087).