Patent Rolls
Preserved but no longer current.
Letters patent collected to- fether on parchment rolls. They extend from 1210, and each roll contains a vear, though in some cases the roll is subdivided into two or more parts. Each sheet of parchment is num- bered, and called a membrane; for example, the 8th sheet, say, of the 10th year of Henry III is cited thus: "Pat 10 Hen. Ill, nu 8." If the document is on the back of the roll it is called dorso, and "d" is added to the citation. Co.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Patent Rolls” mean?
Letters patent collected to- fether on parchment rolls. They extend from 1210, and each roll contains a vear, though in some cases the roll is subdivided into two or more parts. Each sheet of parchment is num- bered, and called a membrane; for example, the 8th sheet, say, of the 10th year of Henry III is cited thus: "Pat 10 Hen. Ill, nu 8." If the document is on the back of the roll it is called dorso, and "d" is added to the citation. Co.
Is “Patent Rolls” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.