The Close Roll is the administrative record created by the medieval office of the chancery

Chancery (medieval office)

Chancery is a general term for a medieval writing office, responsible for the production of official documents. The title of chancellor, for the head of the office, came to be held by important ministers in a number of states, and remains the title of the heads of government in modern Germany,...

 that recorded all the letters close

Letters close

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...

 issued by the chancery. In the medieval Kingdom of England

Kingdom of England

The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...

, the first Close Roll was started in 1204 under the Chancellorship of Hubert Walter

Hubert Walter

Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...

. This was during the reign of King John of England

John of England

John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...

, and the Close Roll was started in order to keep track of letters that had been issued by the government. Instead of keeping the records in a register or book form, they were written on sheets which were stitched together into long rolls to form a roll for each year. Examples of letters in England that were entered into the Close Rolls included summons of barons to Parliament

Parliament

A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...

.