Catalogue description Signet Office: Warrants for King's Bills and Signet Bills, Series II

In addition to the usual king's bills, this series includes warrants for ecclesiastical presentations and warrants for congés d'élire, assent and restitution of temporalities, which, because they passed directly to the clerks of the signet without the need for an intervening king's bill, are known as signet bills.

The series also contains a considerable number of warrants for king's bills authorising expenditure and appointing almsmen to royal foundations. These warrants are addressed to the clerk of the signet attending.

A large number of the king's bills relate to patents for inventions. It is unclear why such warrants should be included in the records of the Signet Office after 1800 when SO 8, which contains records from before that date, appears to have none at all. It seems probable, however, that the warrants were forwarded from the Patent Bill Office at the same time as were the king's bills.

Signet Office, 1444-1851