Folios 9r–11r contain copies of royal charters; they have titles in red ink at the top of each page, on each verso “Carte” and on each recto “Regie”.

First Charter of the Goldsmiths’ Mistery [13 March 1327]

Edward by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine, to all those whom these present letters may reach – Greetings. Our well-beloved goldsmiths of our city of London have demonstrated to us by their petition placed before us and our Council in our Parliament held at Westminster after the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady just gone by, that whereas in previous times no merchant whether native or alien was accustomed to bring into this country any coined money, but only plate of silver to be exchanged in our mint; and it was also ordained that all those who were of the mistery of goldsmiths used to sit in their shops in the high street of Cheap, and that no silver in plate and no vessel of gold or silver should be sold in the city of London except at our Exchange or in Cheap in the Goldsmiths’ quarter, and this in the open, so that those of the mistery were able to judge of the vendor whether he had come by such a vessel legally or not; now recently the said merchants both native and alien have been bringing from foreign countries into this country counterfeit sterling of which the pound is worth only sixteen shillings of the rightful sterling, and one cannot recognise this money except by fire; and also many who claim to be of the said mistery of goldsmiths keep their shops in dark alleyways and in streets outside the City’s jurisdiction, and they buy gold and silver vessels in secret and without enquiring whether the vessel may be stolen or whether it has been legally acquired, and they at once melt it down and make it into plate and sell it to itinerant merchants to take out of this country; and they also make false works of gold and silver such as coronals, ring-brooches, rings and other jewellery in which they set glass-stones of various colours counterfeiting precious stones, and they put more alloy in the silver than they should, and they sell these pieces to mercers and others who are ignorant of these matters;