The charters which follow are printed in full, with the precise spelling and punctuation of the manuscript, but without any attempt to reproduce its employment of capital letters. Forms of words which certainly or probably are mistakes of the exchequer transcriber are indicated by the addition of [sic] to such words. Contractions are extended. Where the proper extension is uncertain, it is printed in italic except in the few cases where no plausible extension presents itself, when a mark of compendium is added to the word. The translation is intended to be a literal representation of the Latin. It is sometimes difficult to find appropriate equivalents for the tautological phrases of late thirteenth century charters, but it is hoped that a rendering of the Latin word for word may be useful to those who wish to become acquainted with the formulas of medieval documents. The charters are numbered in the transcript from which they are here printed, and these numbers are followed in this text.
My especial thanks are due to two people who have helped me to prepare this volume. My wife has advised me throughout the writing of the Introduction, much of the translation in the text is her work, and the book could not have assumed its present form without her assistance. Canon Foster has prepared the Index, which means that his unique knowledge of medieval Lincolnshire topography is at the service of those who use this volume. For myself, I would express the hope that this book of charters may be only the first of a series. No county has a more interesting social history than Lincolnshire, and in regard to no county is social history illustrated by a greater number of early, and as yet unpublished, documents.
