Letters close
Encyclopedia
Letters close are a type of legal document which is a closed letter issued by a monarch or government granting a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as a corporation. These letters are personal in nature and were delivered folded sealed so that only the recipient can read the contents of the letter. This type of letter contrasts with the better known letters patent
.
In this type of letter, the attached seal has a rather different function to play - as it will be destroyed when the letter is opened and so shows that the letter has not been tampered with. However, in being destroyed the seal can no longer ratify the authenticity of the document. The original charter
s of Edward the Confessor
can be considered to be a form of letters close, as they were delivered wrapped, with the seal hanging down.
This type of letter later developed into the formal business letters that we are familiar with today.
It is thought that the earliest surviving example of an English Royal letters close remaining unopened dates to the reign of Henry VIII
. In England these letters are typical of those generated by the developing state bureaucracy. From 1204, copies of English letters close transcribed on to the Close Roll
s are extant. However, examples of actual letters close, instead of the recorded copies in the Close Rolls, are extremely rare, and most of those exist because King Henry II
required the return of some to the government.
Another example of a letters close is a Papal Letters close. These often had the leaden papal bull
a attached to the letter by way of a hemp cord and this contrasts with the fine silk cords which were used for higher grades of document. The cords were often threaded through the letter to keep it folded, with the address written on the dorso of the document allowing it to be read when folded.
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
.
In this type of letter, the attached seal has a rather different function to play - as it will be destroyed when the letter is opened and so shows that the letter has not been tampered with. However, in being destroyed the seal can no longer ratify the authenticity of the document. The original charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
can be considered to be a form of letters close, as they were delivered wrapped, with the seal hanging down.
This type of letter later developed into the formal business letters that we are familiar with today.
It is thought that the earliest surviving example of an English Royal letters close remaining unopened dates to the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. In England these letters are typical of those generated by the developing state bureaucracy. From 1204, copies of English letters close transcribed on to the Close Roll
Close Roll
The Close Roll is the administrative record created by the medieval office of the chancery that recorded all the letters close issued by the chancery. In the medieval Kingdom of England, the first Close Roll was started in 1204 under the Chancellorship of Hubert Walter...
s are extant. However, examples of actual letters close, instead of the recorded copies in the Close Rolls, are extremely rare, and most of those exist because King Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
required the return of some to the government.
Another example of a letters close is a Papal Letters close. These often had the leaden papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
a attached to the letter by way of a hemp cord and this contrasts with the fine silk cords which were used for higher grades of document. The cords were often threaded through the letter to keep it folded, with the address written on the dorso of the document allowing it to be read when folded.
See also
- Lettre de cachetLettre de cachetLettres de cachet were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal, or cachet...
- PatentPatentA patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
- Commission (document)
- Letters patentLetters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
- Secrecy of letters