This collection includes two contemporary copies of the Royal Charter issued to the College of William and Mary by King William III and Queen Mary II in 1693.

One copy was probably made for the personal reference of Sir Edmund Andros. It is uncertain for whom the second copy, known as the Harvard copy, was created. It is referred to as the Harvard copy because it was found in an attic at Harvard and subsequently given to the College of William and Mary in 1937. The Harvard copy suffered severe water damage at some point prior to coming to William and Mary.

The collection also includes other documents related to the Royal Charter: a certified copy of the Patent Roll Charter of the College of William and Mary in Latin obtained by the Hon. James Barbour in 1829; a copy of the Warrant from the King to the Attorney General authorizing him to draw up the Charter of the College of William and Mary made in 1828 from the original in the Rolls Chapel, London also at the request of Barbour; and correspondence from Herbert L. Ganter, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts to the Deputy Keeper of Records in London concerning the purchase of a photostatic copy of the Charter in 1950-1951.

Additional information about the Royal Charter is available at the SCRC Wiki: Royal Charter