In 1208, King John granted a charter to Great Yarmouth. The charter gave his burgesses of Yarmouth general liberties according to the customs of Oxford, a gild merchant and weekly hustings, amplified by several later charters asserting the rights of the borough against Little Yarmouth and Gorleston. The town is bound to send to the sheriffs of Norwich every year one hundred herrings, baked in twenty four pasties, which the sheriffs are to deliver to the lord of the manor of East Carlton who is then to convey them to the King.
Yarmouth
King John Charter
1208 - 2008
Quod burgus ille sit liber burgus imperpetum
et habeat socam et sacam, thol et theam et
infangenthief et outfangenthief
That the said borough should be a free
borough for ever and should have soc and sac
toll and team and infangentheof and
outfangentheof
This stone marks the 800th anniversary of
the signing of the King John chartcr.
The first royal charter was granted to the
borough by King John in 1208. The king
leased to the town, in return for an annual
fee of £55, its first powers of self-
administration. These included: the status
of 'a free borough forever'; the
administration of justice, in certain matters
of common law and local custom; right to
establish a merchant guild; exemption of
paying tolls on goods brought into other
English towns (except London); the right to
appoint bailiffs to govern the town. The
charter allowed the town to be self-
governing and by granting responsibilities as
well as privileges, it broueht a sense of unity
to the town.
This stone was unveiled
by HRH The Princess Royal
on 9th June 2008