A charter is a document bestowing certain rights on a town, city, university or institution. The term derives from a root word meaning "paper". Piece of paper Paper is a thin, flat material produced by the compression of fibres. ...

As John Fiske described in his 1890 treatise on the Origin of Civil Government in the United States: John Fiske (1842–1901), born Edmund Fisk Green, was an American philosopher and historian. ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The word "charter" originally meant simply a paper or written document, and it was often applied to deeds for the transfer of real estate. In contracts of such importance papers or parchment documents were drawn up and carefully preserved as irrefragable evidences of the transaction. And so, in quite significant phrase the towns zealously guarded their charters as the "title-deeds of their liberties."

After a while the word charter was applied in England to a particular document which specified certain important concessions forcibly wrung by the people from a most unwilling sovereign. This document was called Magna Charta, or the "Great Charter," signed at Runnymede, June 15, 1215, by John, king of England.

Charters were issued in medieval times by Royal decree, perhaps giving a particular town the right to hold a weekly market, or to levy a toll on a road or bridge. This article is about the historic water meadow where Magna Carta was signed; for the district council named after that place, see Runnymede (district). ... Events June 15 - King John of England forced to put his seal to Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning men (nobles and knights) and restricts the kings power. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. ... A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ... Chichicastenango, Guatemala traditional market Market stall in internally displaced persons camp in Kitgum, northern Uganda Mercado dos Lavradores, Funchal (Madeira Islands) A market is a mechanism which allows people to trade, normally governed by the theory of supply and demand. ... The word toll can mean more than one thing: In the context of roads, see toll road and toll bridge In the context of New Zealand transport, see Toll NZ In the context of Australian transport, see Toll Holdings In the context of genetics, see toll (gene) In the context... This page is related to transport; you may be looking for the 2002 Bollywood movie Road. ... This article is about the edifice. ...

A charter is a legally binding document incorporating an organization or institution and specifying its purpose, remit or bylaws. Organisations such as the Institution of Civil Engineers in the UK is chartered to maintain and advance the science and practice of civil engineering in the UK, and by this charter has the right to regulate the business of civil engineering in the UK; this gives rise to a status of a chartered engineer - one who satisfies the requirements of the charter holding organisation. A corporation is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a Civil law systems may refer to corporations as moral persons; they may also go by the name AS (anonymous society) or something similar, depending on language (see below). ... A Bylaw (sometimes also seen as By-Law or ByLaw) is a rule governing the internal management of an organization, such as a business corporation. ... The Institutions headquarters Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (the ICE) is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineers. ...

In education, charter schools are becoming quite common. In the United States, a charter school is a school that is created via a legal charter. ...

The term charter member refers to a person or group who was among those participating in the creation of any chartered organisation.

See also: Royal Charter, Fueros (Spanish version). In the United Kingdom and Canada a Royal Charter is a charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, which creates or gives special status to an incorporated body. ... Fueros is a Spanish legal term and concept; there is a similar Portuguese term, Forals. ...

External links

• The Royal Charter for the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (http://www.pparc.ac.uk/Ap/Mc/Charter.asp)