While reading A. Compton Reeves article on the 15th century indentures of Humphrey Stafford Earl of Buckingham, I looked through the footnotes and found that some of his references to historical events were drawn from the "Calendar Patent Rolls." A couple of days ago I had asked a question about legal cases involving scholas of formal weapons training--this is where such
cases would be.

A simple web search for "Calendar Patent Rolls" turned up this website:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/patentrolls/

When you go to the website, you are given search options by keyword and page, and the option to search however many of the volumes you wish from 1348 to 1452. Want to know if a name was used in England in the 14th or 15th century? Well, go and search! Want to know about rape? Go and search!

There are other rolls. The kinds of rolls that are available to be found by researchers are like this (from the Richard III society webpage):

CPR: Calendar of Patent Rolls. The Patent Rolls contain enrolments of letters patent, of grants of offices, lands, etc., pardons and so on. They were issued open with the Great Seal pendant.

CCR: Calendar of Close Rolls. The Close Rolls contain enrolments of letters close (i.e. issued folded and closed by the Great Seal) of royal orders and instructions and of private deeds such as land transfers.

CFR: Calendar of Fine Rolls. The Fine Rolls record payment to the king for lands an offices, also the patents of appointments of sheriffs and escheators, and of offices in the gift of the Treasurer such as customs posts, also various writs dealing with lands.

CChR: Calendar of Charter Rolls. The Charter Rolls recorded original grants of privileges, lands and possessions and of peerages and confirmations of previous grants. Their use was slowly being discontinued by 1483.

CInqPM: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem. These documents record inquests held on the death of any tenant thought to hold land directly from the king (a tenant in chief) inquiring into lands held, rents and services related to them and name and age of the heir. The printed calendars to 1485 are simple lists of manors held by the deceased, from 1485 onwards they are full calendars.

Anyway, good meat and drink for the doughty historian. Enjoy!