The most important historical documents relating to the origins and development of British educational institutions are collected in an accessible way in this volume. From the earliest cathedral schools, through the universities, to the foundation of the late Victorian Schools Trusts, these charters reveal the intentions of the founders and allow comparisons to be made across the centuries. The documents are edited down to the essentials and those originally in Latin are translated. Arthur Francis Leach (1851-1915) was best known for his study The Schools of Medieval England (1915), the first connected history of English schools to the time of the accession of Edward VI. In the field of educational history, Leach was a controversial figure whose sweeping conclusions failed to convince his colleagues, while they admired his research. This volume shows him a careful and sensitive editor of the historical documents central to his work.