ABSTRACT
The king’s writs were usually short letters of instruction composed in the vernacular sent to royal officials or subjects with an address written on the reverse side or on a tag attached to foot of the document. A royal messenger service was needed and was controlled by an official named the Usher who was compensated by a grant of fees and lands. Details of times and expenses allowed for royal messengers are given in The Red Book of the Exchequer, a thirteenth-century remembrance book referring to events back to about 1135, full of information about royal Household and of feudal services. The royal letters and documents produced during the Middle Ages are often attractively written, sometimes even elegant in appearance if addressed to an important person. Most royal mail was taken to the sheriffs for their messengers to deliver but use was made of messengers from bishops, nobles and mayors who had brought letters and waited until replies were ready.
