England's 'oldest paper archive' book recognised

A register believed to be one of the earliest surviving archival paper books in England has been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The Red Register, written in "medieval abbreviated" Latin and dating from the 1300s, contains records of King's Lynn, including wills from the Black Death, lists of men sent to fight in the Hundred Years' War and freemen of the borough.

The book is one of five items added to the Memory of the World National Register.

Archivist Luke Shackell said: "You can see how the town has evolved, has changed and how the governance was done 700 years ago. It's a wonderful little insight into the world then."

At the time the book was created, the council was said to have bought 200 pages of paper, showing it "embraced this new cutting-edge technology", said Shackell.

"It's fantastic to have the recognition. It's a unique and irreplaceable item," he added.

While it has been preserved, Shackell said it has suffered water damage around some edges.

The Red Register will be among other items in the Unesco archive, including the Magna Carta and the Domesday Book.

Deputy leader of the council, Simon Ring, believed the book could be among the oldest in the world and said it highlighted the wealth of King's Lynn at the time.

He said the recognition from Unesco was "enormous".

"It was called Bishop's Lynn at the time, before the Reformation, but to have something like this being created at that time shows the worth and the assets of that time," he added.

St George's Guildhall, also in the town, is the UK's oldest working theatre and dates to about 1445.

In 2023, during renovation works, timber floorboards dating back to the 15th century, when playwright William Shakespeare performed at the venue, were uncovered.

Speaking of the register, Ring said: "In a way, it's just another one of our amazing artefacts we've got in King's Lynn.

"At a time when we are trying to remind ourselves here in King's Lynn and West Norfolk and remind the country and the world that this is a significant place you really need to visit, and for the boost to the economy, it's phenomenal," he said.

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