Sub-fonds DCN 40-46 - Documents of Title

The earliest surviving records of Norwich Cathedral are royal, episcopal and private grants to the Priory from the time of its establishment in Norwich in c 1095, with one royal charter addressed to the Bishop of Thetford predating the move. The medieval arrangement of these documents is shown in the inventory of muniments [DCN 40/12] and by pressmarks on the documents themselves:
A-B Royal grants issued to the Priory
C Royal grants pertaining to the Bishopric
D-F Episcopal charters.
G Final concords.
J-Z Private grants arranged topographically and by Official.

The possessions of the Infirmarer, Pitancer and Hostilar are included under the villages in which they also had estates. The inventory does not include records of the possessions of the Almoner, Chamberlain or Refectorer nor of the Dependent Cells. Papal Bulls and the Acta of Archbishops are also omitted, although Papal Mandates for particular churches are included as title for those churches.
A large number of grants are transcribed into cartularies (known usually as registers), normally without witness or dating clauses. There is no overall cartulary for the Priory, but there are cartularies for the larger departments: Master of the Cellar, Almoner, Cellarer, Chamberlain and Sacrist.

Listed as follows:

DCN 40 Registers, Cartularies, Inventories of Muniments (including St Benet's Cartulary)
DCN 41 Royal Charters
DCN 42/1 Archiepiscopal
DCN 42/2 Papal
DCN 43 Episcopal
DCN 44 Private Grants, etc.: Norfolk And Out County
DCN 45 Private Grants, etc.: Norwich City
DCN 46 East Anglian Religious Houses