Legal Definitions - clause rolls

Clause rolls (also known as close rolls) refer to a specific type of historical record maintained by monarchs, primarily in medieval England. These were sealed documents containing royal commands (known as "close writs") and other sensitive papers that the sovereign wished to keep private and not make available for public inspection. Unlike "patent rolls," which were open to the public, clause rolls were used for matters considered confidential or secret, such as private instructions to officials, delicate diplomatic communications, or internal state affairs that required discretion.

Here are some examples illustrating the use of clause rolls:

• Imagine a medieval king secretly negotiating a peace treaty with a rival kingdom. The detailed terms of the agreement, including territorial concessions, prisoner exchanges, and financial reparations, would be highly sensitive. The king would issue instructions to his envoys and record the progress of these negotiations on clause rolls to ensure that rival powers or even his own nobility were unaware of the delicate discussions until an agreement was finalized. This illustrates the term because these documents were royal, sealed, and intentionally kept from public knowledge due to their strategic importance.

• Consider a situation where a monarch suspected a powerful duke of disloyalty and ordered a discreet investigation into his activities. The royal commands to loyal sheriffs, the reports from spies, and any warrants for secret arrests would all be recorded on clause rolls. Keeping these documents confidential was crucial to prevent the duke from learning of the investigation and taking countermeasures, thereby protecting the state's security and ensuring the success of the inquiry. This demonstrates the use of clause rolls for sensitive internal matters requiring secrecy.

• A queen might have private financial dealings, such as instructing her treasurer to discreetly purchase a specific manor for a personal estate or to provide a secret pension to a loyal but impoverished knight. The specific commands and financial details related to these personal but official transactions would be recorded on clause rolls. This ensured that the queen's private financial arrangements, which were not intended for public scrutiny, remained confidential while still being officially documented within the royal administration.