Charter Stone

The stones were sometimes engraved or were instead distinctive in terms of colour, composition or shape. The use of these stones may relate to the common practice of using boundary stones to establish precise limits to areas of land ownership but differ in that the proof of the land ownership was invested in them. Being stone they had a permanence that gave them an advantage over charters written on vellum, etc. An essential element was that the stone in question had once belonged to the donor and was next held by the grantee. The size, weight and individuality of charter stones helped to ensure that they were not easily stolen or moved any significant distance.