Rolls of Parliament facts for kids
The Rolls of Parliament were very important official records. They kept track of everything that happened in the English Parliament and later the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Think of them like a super old, super long diary of laws and decisions!
These rolls recorded meetings of Parliament and the laws themselves, called Acts of Parliament. They show us how laws were made and changed over hundreds of years.
Contents
What Was Inside the Rolls?
The content of the Rolls of Parliament changed a lot over time:
- Before 1483: The rolls mainly recorded the discussions and requests (called petitions and bills) that led to new laws. They didn't usually include the final laws themselves.
- From 1483 to 1534: Both public laws (for everyone) and private laws (for specific people or groups) were written down in the rolls.
- After 1535: Only private laws that paid a special fee were added.
- From 1593: Only the titles of private laws were mentioned.
- By 1629: All the discussions and requests disappeared. Only the laws themselves were recorded.
- From 1759: Even the titles of private laws were no longer included.
How Long Were They?
Public laws continued to be written on long parchment rolls until 1850. Parchment is a special material made from animal skin, used for writing.
One of the longest laws ever recorded this way was about taxes, passed in 1821. It's almost a quarter of a mile long (about 348 meters)! Imagine how big that is. It used to take two people a whole day just to roll it up and unroll it!
How Laws Were Recorded
Until 1850, here's how a new law was recorded:
- First, a paper draft of the proposed law (called a Bill) was brought into the House of Parliament where it started.
- After it was discussed and changed, the Bill was carefully written onto a long parchment roll.
- This parchment roll was then sent to the other House of Parliament. They could suggest more changes.
- The original Bill was never rewritten completely. If changes were needed, people would carefully scrape away the old words from the parchment with knives and then write in the new text.
Modern Records
Since 1850, things have been much easier! Instead of long parchment rolls, two copies of each new law are printed on vellum. Vellum is similar to parchment but often finer.
- One copy is kept safe in the Parliamentary Archives, which is part of the House of Lords.
- The other copy goes to The National Archives, which is a big collection of important historical documents.
Studying the Rolls Today
The Rolls of Parliament from 1272 to 1503 were first published as books in the 1700s. The full title was Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento.
Today, you can even find a modern CD-ROM version called The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England. This makes it much easier for historians and students to study these amazing old records.
When you see "Rot. Parl." in a history book, it's a short way of saying "Rolls of Parliament."
See also
