Pipe rolls now in the Cotton Library at the British Museum. Exactly when the Pipe rolls began to be produced is debated amongst historians. Some hold that they date from Henry I's reign, whether early or late in the reign, but others feel that they were introduced by King William I (reigned 1066–1087). The precursors of the records probably date to the Anglo-Saxon period, as the historian Pauline Stafford argues that financial records must have been kept in some form during the reigns of Cnut (reigned 1016–1035), Æthelred II (reigned 978–1016), and Edgar the Peaceable (reigned 959–975). There is a reference to
Henry III of England and began to issue royal orders independently of the barons. Henry finally returned to retake power in England in April 1260, where conflict was brewing between de Clare's forces and those of de Montfort and Edward. Henry's brother Richard mediated between the parties and averted a military confrontation; Edward was reconciled with his father and de Montfort was put on trial for his actions against the King. Henry was unable to maintain his grip on power, and in October a coalition headed by de Montfort, de Clare and Edward briefly seized back control; within months their baronial council had collapsed