The medieval cartulary usually gives the impression of a long series of donations made by pious benefactors. There can be no doubt that the religious wished it to have this appearance, for, in writing up their charters within the volume, unimportant business items were omitted. That this is far from being the whole story has long been common knowledge and we are frequently being reminded of it. Many a deed of grant covers a money loan that could not be repaid, or a purchase of some kind, and, even if the charter makes this clear, calendars of deeds too frequently fail to indicate that a grant is in fact a purchase.