The People of Medieval Scotland database uses a new system of numbering charters, letters, and other administrative documents in medieval Scotland, developed by Matthew Hammond for a forthcoming calendar of Scottish charters. Each document in the database has a unique three-part number known as a 'calendar number' or 'H-number', following the model of identifying Anglo-Saxon charters by their Sawyer number or 'S-number'.
The first part of the three-part 'H-number' identifies the volume number of the calendar. The volumes categorise the documents according to the grantor, addressor, or principal parties. Volume 1/ documents are royal, 2/ documents are ecclesiastical, 3/ are documents in the names of aristocracy, gentry, burgesses and other private individuals, and volume 4/ includes two-sided documents such as agreements, as well as documents relating to legal cases, such as sentences, settlements, and inquests.
For the new 1286-1314 expansion of the database, two new volume numbers were created: 5/ describes documents entered under the 'English royal administration' status in the database, and 6/ includes post-1286 homages and fealties, most notably the 1296 Ragman Roll fealties.
The second part of the three-part 'H-number' is the series within that volume, such as the documents of the bishops of Glasgow or the earls of Fife. The third number is the unique number of a document within that series. For a more detailed breakdown of the series within each volume number, please click on the volume numbers on the left.
Please note that changes to H-numbers may occur on rare occasions, and any changes are noted in the document page. Substantial changes have been made to the numbering system for the charters of King Alexander II, in order to reflect the imminent arrival of Keith Stringer's Regesta Regum Scottorum, vol. III.