A rotulus (plural rotuli ) or rotula (pl. rotulae ), often referred to as a "vertical roll," is a long and narrow strip of writing material , historically papyrus or parchment , that is wound around a wooden axle or rod. Rotuli are unwound vertically so that the writing runs parallel to the rod, unlike the other kind of roll, called a scroll , whose writing runs perpendicular to the rod in multiple columns.
7-644: Rotuli were used to house legal records in Europe (from which is still derived the title of the judicial functionary denominated the " Master of the Rolls ") and in the Byzantine Empire . Papyrus 136 (𝔓) is a rare example of a rotulus used, front and back, as a manuscript for a portion of the New Testament . Rotuli also have been used as liturgical manuscripts, e.g., those used for chanting
14-773: A judicial one as the Court of Chancery did; the first reference to judicial duties dates from 1520. With the Judicature Act 1873 , which merged the Court of Chancery with the other major courts, the Master of the Rolls joined the Chancery Division of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, but left the Chancery Division by the terms of the Judicature Act 1881. The Master of the Rolls had also been warden of
21-615: Is believed that the office probably existed earlier than that. The Master of the Rolls was initially a clerk responsible for keeping the "Rolls" or records of the Court of Chancery , and was known as the Keeper of the Rolls of Chancery. The Keeper was the most senior of the dozen Chancery clerks, and as such occasionally acted as keeper of the Great Seal of the Realm . The post evolved into
28-577: Is the fact that the Master of the Rolls of the day continues to serve, ex officio , as President of the British Records Association . The Master of the Rolls was also previously responsible for registering solicitors, the officers of the Senior Courts. One of the most prominent people to hold the position was Thomas Cromwell , a highly influential figure during the reign of Henry VIII ; more recently, Lord Denning held
35-582: The Exultet . Additionally, mortuary rolls , i.e., documents memorializing the names of all the deceased members of a monastery or other institution, which were banded together and circulated so that they could mutually pray for the repose of each other's decedents. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). " Rotuli ". Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company. The entry cites: Master of
42-825: The Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England , known as the Master of the Rolls , is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of the Rolls is second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice . The position dates from at least 1286, although it
49-687: The little-used Domus Conversorum for housing Jewish converts, which led to the house and chapel being used to store legal documents and later becoming the location of the Public Record Office . He retained his clerical functions as the nominal head of the Public Record Office until the Public Records Act 1958 transferred responsibility for it to the Lord Chancellor . One residual reminder of this role
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