pipe rolls

views updated May 23 2018

pipe rolls. The great rolls of the Exchequer are preserved in the Public Record Office from the reign of Henry II to that of William IV. Their nickname is taken from their tubular appearance. Since they include the accounts of the sheriffs and deal with crown revenue and crown lands, they are a very valuable historical source. A society for the publication of pipe rolls was founded in 1883 and has published nearly 100 volumes. A useful survey of the system of the Exchequer is to be found in volume 1 of the society's new series (1925).

J. A. Cannon

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