They are some of the oldest documents in existence about Bermuda and now the public has a rare opportunity to view them and delve into the Island's history.

The Somer Islands Company Charter of 1615 lays out the grant of the islands by King James I to a group of London investors for £2,000. It granted the Somer Islands Company all proprietary rights to rule and develop the Island as a commercial enterprise.

Now as part of Bermuda's 400th anniversary celebrations, the Bermuda Archives has put the original documents on display in an exhibition running until February 25.

Bermuda Archives director Karla Hayward said: "Bermuda's brief association with the Virginia Company, which it had joined under the 3rd Virginia Charter of 1612, lasted until 1614.

"The Somer Islands Company and its Charter were dissolved in 1684 because of disputes between Bermuda and the Company in London over Bermudian ships' rights to engage in free trade.

"The civil records of the Somer Islands Company, where the 1615 Charter is found, were kept in the offices of the Colonial Secretary and largely forgotten until restored and transcribed by Governor Lefroy, beginning in 1872.

"The Governor, one of the great, 'gentleman amateurs' of his era, published volumes in his 'Memorials of the Discovery and Early Settlement of the Bermudas or Somer Islands, 1515-1968' in 1877 and 1879.

"Publication of the Memorials was a milestone in the retrieval of original works as source material for the Island's early history. Lefroy may in the broadest sense be considered the Island's first archivist.

"It is believed that the nine folios of the 1615 Charter, which form the exhibit, were copied sometime in the 17th Century, either from the original of James 1 Letters Patent, which would most likely have been written on parchment and engrossed with the Royal seal, or from the other entry book copy of the Charter now at the National Archives in England. James I original has yet to be discovered if it has indeed survived."

The Bermuda Archives restored the Charter in 1991 and it is believed to be the first time it has been on public display.

"At the end of the month, the Charter will travel to the Jamestown Settlement Museum where it will go on display until October," added Ms Hayward.

The Charter established the Island as separate from the troubled Virginia settlement, which it had joined under the 3rd Virginia Charter of 1612.

"Nathaniel Rich lead the Committee that spearheaded formation of the separate Somer Islands Company," said Ms Hayward.

"Rallying around Mr. Rich were peers such as Lord Cavendish, the Earl of Pembroke, Sir Edwin Sandys and others, including a large group of merchant shareholders from the City of London, who purchased rights to the Island from the Crown. A full list of the 117 investors is seen on the last panel of this exhibition."

The Charter reminds us that the Island's development occurred in a commercial context and not in the spirit of religious dissent often associated with the New England colonies.

Ms Hayward added: "James I granted the Company a monopoly on all trade including exemptions from customs duty for seven years and exemptions from British taxes, except a five percent import duty for 21 years.

"A quarter of the Island's land was allocated to maintain the Company and the remainder divided into eight tribes of 50 shares.

"Shareholders were allowed to vote in Company business. A governor, deputy and 24 assistants were appointed to establish a government for the Island. This body was to meet once a month and at four general courts or assemblies per year.

"Laws were to be enacted in accordance with English law. All citizens were declared free, but required to take the oath of allegiance to the Crown.

"Furthermore, '...no person addicted to the Superstition of the Church of Rome' was permitted onto the Island. Thus the ground was laid for the introduction of a social, political and economic order that evolved over the next 400 years within boundaries set by local circumstances and legal and administrative parameters set by the Crown."

Following disputes between Bermuda and the Company in London over Bermudian ships' right to engage in free trade, the Somer Islands Company and its Charter were dissolved in 1684.

"In the end the Crown supported abandonment of proprietary companies in all the New World settlements. Afterwards, civil and military administration reverted to the Crown in both Bermuda and North America," explained Ms Hayward.

The exhibit is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is in the Reading Room of the Bermuda Archives, lower level, Government Administration Building, 30 Parliament Street in Hamilton.

Are you doing something to celebrate Bermuda's 400th anniversary? Email news@royalgazette.bm to let us know.