New VRTI Gold Seam: Fiants of Tudor Monarchs

Our newest Gold Seam is live — The ‘Fiants of Tudor Monarchs, c.1522–1603’ Gold Seam provides digital access to a key series from the Irish chancery destroyed in 1922. Over 8,000 documents in this collection, provided here in English summary form, come from the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Originally Calendared by the Public Record Office of Ireland Between 1875 and 1886.

Fiants were warrants [orders] to the Court of Chancery, for the authorisation of letters patent under the Great Seal. The name derives from “Fiant literae patentes” which translates to “let letters patent be made”. All the original Fiant manuscripts were destroyed in 1922. The principal primary source for the reconstruction of the Tudor Fiants are a series of Latin calendars published by the Public Record Office of Ireland between 1875 and 1886 within the Deputy Keepers Reports, ed. James Mills.

This incredible resource was curated by Sadhbh Dunne, Dr Peter Crooks and Dr Eamonn Kenny.