Edward III: January 1327, C 49/6/1 | British History Online

Parliament Rolls of Medieval England. Originally published by Boydell, Woodbridge, 2005.

'Edward III: January 1327, C 49/6/1', in Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, (Woodbridge, 2005) pp. . British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/parliament-rolls-medieval/january-1327-c-49-6-1 [accessed 20 April 2024]

C 49/6/1

Text and translation



[memb. 1]
[p. ix-110]
[p. ix-114]
[IN PARL] IAMENTO APUD WESTM' IN CRASTINO EPIPHANIE DOMINI ANNO REGNI REGIS EDWARDI FILII REGIS EDWARDI FILII REGIS EDWARDI [p. ix-111] PRIMO CONVOCATO QUEDAM PETICIO EX PARTE LUDOWICI [DUNOLMENSIS] EPISCOPI PORRECTA FUIT IN HEC VERBA:	IN THE PARLIAMENT SUMMONED AT WESTMINSTER THE DAY AFTER EPIPHANY IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE REIGN OF KING EDWARD SON OF KING EDWARD [II] SON OF KING EDWARD [I] [7 JANUARY 1327] [p. ix-111] A CERTAIN PETITION WAS PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF LOUIS, BISHOP OF DURHAM, IN THESE WORDS:
[A nostre seigneur le roi] et a son conseil moustre Lewis evesqe de Duresme: qe come de droit de sa eglise il ad et doit avoir fraunchise roiale dedeinz les [eaus de] Tyn et de [These et en Norham] shire et en Bedlington' shire et y ad son chauncellier, ses justiz, viscontes, corouners et autres ministres de servir au poeple et droit faire, si qe nul ministre nostre seigneur le roi ne doit entrer sa dite fraunchise par son comandement ne par son bref de nul comandement [ne de] office faire, si le dit evesqe ne soit atteint devant le roi ou ses justices, son lieu tenant, q'il eit failli de droit as gentz de ses dites fraunchise; et forfaiture de guerre appent al dit evesqe dedeinz sa dite fraunchise come du droit de sa eglise avantdite. Et come sire Antoigne nadgaires evesqe de Duresme, predecessour l'evesqe q'ore est, fist seiser en sa mein le chastel et le manoir de Chastel Bernard et ses manoirs de [Gaynesford] et Midleton' ove les appurtinances dedeinz sa dite fraunchise roiale par forfaiture [sire Johan de Baillof', jadis] roi d'Escoce, qi les forfit de guerre, et autres terres et appurtinances a dites manoirs, et auxi fist seiser et prendre en sa meyn le manoir de [Hert' et] de Herternesse dedeinz la dite fraunchise par la forfaiture sire Robert de Brus, q'il forfit de guerre, et plusours autres terres dedeinz [la] dite fraunchise. Et des queles terres le dit sire Antoyn fust seisi aunz et jours tauncome il plust a sire Edward fiutz a roi Henri, par ascuns resons, qi furent surmys al dit sire Antoyn, de prendre la dite fraunchise en sa meyn et la retint pur un temps; et la dite fraunchise issi esteaunt en sa meyn, la quele il rendit apres au dit sire Antoyn auxi enterment et pleinement come il la fist seiser. Dedeinz quiel temps la dite fraunchise en sa meyn esteant il oste le dit evesqe de totes les terres et tenementz avandites saunz juggement ou estre appelle en court, entendant forfaiture de guerre estre son droit et a lui apartener dedeinz cele fraunchise reale de Duresme auxi come aillours dedeinz son roialme dount le contrair [fut altre] foitz ajugge en temps le roi Henry sicome piert par la chartre le dit roi Henry en les paroles qi s'ensuent:	To our lord the king and to his council Louis, bishop of Durham, explains: whereas by right of his church he has and ought to have royal franchise between the rivers Tyne and Tees and in Norhamshire and in Bedlingtonshire, and he has his chancellor, his justices, sheriffs, coroners and other officials there to serve the people and to deliver justice, so that no official of our lord the king might enter his said franchise by his command or by his writ make any order or perform any office unless the said bishop is attainted before the king or his justices, in his [the king's] place, on the grounds that he has failed to give justice to the people of his said franchise; and forfeiture of war belongs to the said bishop within his said franchise as of right of his aforesaid church. And whereas Sir Anthony late bishop of Durham, the predecessor of the present bishop, caused to be seized into his hand the castle and manor of Barnard Castle and its manors of Gainford and Middleton with their appurtenances within his said royal franchise by the forfeiture of Sir John de Balliol, late king of Scotland, who forfeited them on account of war, and other lands and appurtenances belonging to the said manors, and he also caused to be seized and taken into his hand the manor of Hart and of Hartness within the said franchise by the forfeiture of Sir Robert de Brus, who forfeited it on account of war, and many other lands within the said franchise. And of which lands the said Sir Anthony was seised for years and days until it pleased Lord Edward, son of King Henry, on account of certain reasons which were put to the said Sir Anthony, to take the said franchise into his hand, and he retained it for a period of time; and the said franchise was thus in his hand, which he afterwards returned to the said Lord Anthony as completely and fully as he was seised of it. Within which period, the said franchise being in his hands, he removed the said bishop from all the aforesaid lands and tenements without judgment or being appealed in court, understanding forfeiture of war to be his right and to pertain to him within this royal franchise of Durham as elsewhere within his realm, although the opposite was adjudged on another occasion in the time of King Henry, as is clear by the charter of the said King Henry in the words which follow here:
Henricus Dei gracia rex Anglie, dominus [Hibernie et] dux Aquitanie, [p. ix-112] omnibus ad quos presentes littere pervenerint, salutem. Cum nuper post conflictum habitum apud Evesham, de consilio magnatum et fidelium [nostrorum, quedam] terre et tenementa inimicorum et rebellium nostrorum, in turbacione habita in regno nostro per fideles nostros predictos occupata et seisita, in parliamento nostro Wynton' ut nobis [forisfactura in] manum nostram reddita fuissent, et nos postmodum manerium de Gretham quod fuit Petri de Monte Forti inimico nostro et quod [est in libertate] episcopi Dunolmensis de Aliwarthfolk' contulissemus dilecto et fideli nostro Thome de Clare, credentes hujusmodi collacionem nos infra libertatem predictam [sicut alibi] in regno nostro facere posse, ac ad insinuacionem predicti episcopi et aliorum [fidelium nostrorum] et eciam per consilium nostrum intellexerimus quod predictam collacionem [facere] non possemus sine predicti episcopi [et ecclesie sue] prejudicio [et libertatis predicte] lesione, in qua quidem libertate jura regalia habet, nos unicuique justiciam [facere et] jus suum tribuere volentes, [ut] tenemur, predictam collacionem nostram per nos factam pro nobis et heredibus nostris penitus revocamus, volentes [et] concedentes pro nobis et heredibus nostris quod predictus episcopus de manerio predicto et aliis terris et tenementis infra regale suum < predictum > forisfactis et sibi escaetis faciat voluntatem suam sicut nos de hujusmodi terris nobis forisfacturis [alibi facimus] in regno nostro, ita quod collacio predicta a nobis de pre dicto manerio facta, sicut predictum est, futuris temporibus in consequenciam non trahatur nec predicto episcopo vel successoribus suis aut eciam libertati sue predicte in aliquo prejudicet in futuro. In cujus rei testimonium has litteras nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste me ipso apud Stratford' .xxiij. die Maii anno regni nostri .l. primo.	Henry by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland and duke of Aquitaine [p. ix-112] to all to whom the present letters shall come, greeting. Whereas recently after the conflict which took place at Evesham, with the counsel of our great and faithful men, certain lands and tenements of our enemies and rebels, having been occupied and seized during the disturbance in our realm by our aforesaid faithful men, were surrendered to us in our parliament at Winchester as forfeited into our hand, and afterwards we granted the manor of Greatham which belonged to Peter de Montfort, our enemy, and which is in the liberty of the bishop of Durham at Aliwarthfolk , to our dear and faithful Thomas of Clare, understanding this our collation within the aforesaid liberty might be made as elsewhere in our realm, and at the insinuation of the aforesaid bishop and of our other faithful men, and also by our council we are given to understand that we were unable to make the aforesaid collation without prejudicing the aforesaid bishop and his church and harming the aforesaid liberty, in which liberty he has royal privileges, and we, wishing to give justice to all and to assign his right, as we ought, completely revoke on behalf of us and our heirs our aforesaid collation made by us, willing and granting for us and our heirs that the aforesaid bishop should do his will concerning the aforesaid manor and the other lands and tenements forfeited and escheated to him within his aforesaid regality, just as we do with such lands forfeited to us elsewhere in our realm, on condition that the aforesaid collation of the said manor made by us, as is aforesaid, will not be considered a precedent in future times nor be prejudicial to the aforesaid bishop or his successors or his aforesaid liberty in future. In witness of which matter we have caused these our letters patent to be made. Witnessed by myself at Stratford, 24 May, in the fifty-first year of our reign.[1267]
Les quiels tenementz le dit sire Edward dona par sa chartre a monsire Guy adonc counte de Warr' [atenir a lui] et a ses heires, [et le] manoir de Hert' ove les appurtenaunces a monsire Robert de Clifford atenir a lui et a ses heires, [sauve le dreit] del eglise de Seint Cutbert de Duresme [et l'evesqe de] meisme le lieu et ses successours, par qoi le dit Lewis [evesqe prie a nostre seigneur le] roi et a son conseil qe des terres et tenementz forfaites [a guerre] qi sont en sa meyn voillez la mein oster, et oster ses ministres [ministrantz] en la dite fraunchise, et seuffrer le dit evesqe avoir totes les forfaitures de guerre illoeqes sicome [a autre] foitz feust ajugge a son predecessour, et qe mes ne soit delaie de son droit, [p. ix-113] le quel [il a suee] tout son temps de parlement en autre et ne poeit unqes estre respondue ne droit avoir.	Which tenements the said Lord Edward granted by his charter to Sir Guy, then earl of Warwick, to be held to him and to his heirs, and the manor of Hart with its appurtenances to Sir Robert of Clifford to be held to him and to his heirs, saving the right of the church of St Cuthbert of Durham and the bishop of the same place and his successors, whereupon the said Bishop Louis prays our lord the king and his council that he be willing to remove his hand from the lands and tenements forfeited by war which are in his hand, and remove his officials administering in the said franchise, and to allow the said bishop to have all the forfeitures of war there just as was adjudged previously by his predecessor, and that he be no longer delayed of his right, [p. ix-113] which matter he sued throughout his time from one parliament to another and was never able to have an answer or justice.
Et quia per predictam cartam ipsius Henrici proavi regis nunc coram ipso rege et consilio suo in eodem parliamento per prefatum episcopum exhibitam, transcripto in peticione illa contento [de verbo] ad verbum in omnibus concordantem, compertum est quod prefatus proavus regis < nunc > collacionem suam quam prius credidit ipsum de predicto manerio sic forisfacto [infra libertatem] illam sicut alibi in regno suo posse fecisse, postea intelligens per consilium suum ipsam collacionem illam infra dictam libertatem in qua [episcopus loci jura habet regalia] sine lesione ejusdem facere non posse, pro se et heredibus suis, ut premittitur, revocavit, volens et concedens pro se et heredibus suis quod predictus episcopus sicut supra, [necnon inspectis] et examinatis reponsionibus ad alias peticiones ipsius episcopi consimiles [in aliis] parliamentis domini [Edwardi regis patris regis] nunc inde exhibitas pro informacione juris ejusdem patris, si quod ei in hac parte compeciit, per thesaurarium et barones de scaccario et camerarios [ac custodem rotulorum] cancellarie sue et capitalem justiciarium ipsius patris regis nunc ad placita coram eo tenenda assignatum ad [mandata sua factis, quas quidem responsiones idem nunc rex] coram consilio suo in predicto parliamento, simul cum aliis memorandis [in thesaurario et cancellaria repertis negocium] illud tangentibus, venire fecit, [et nichil invenitur per] quod predictus episcopus a peticione sua in premissis excludi debet concordatum est per ipsum regem et consilium [suum in] eodem parliamento [quod predictus episcopus] habeat libertatem suam de hujusmodi forisfacturis, prout predicta carta plenius testatur et prout alias [concessum] fuit [per] consilium ipsius proavi regis nunc supradicti, et quod rex ammoveat manum de omnibus terris et tenementis infra libertatem predictam per [forisfacturas] guerre in [manu sua existentibus, et quod non] est intencionis regis et consilii quod aliqui, qui terras seu tenementa de hujusmodi forisfacturis ex concessione [progenitorum] ipsius regis [jam tenent] , inde virtute consideracionis predicte absque responsione amoveantur. (fn. ix-110-10-1)	And because it was found by the aforesaid charter of Henry, the grandfather of the present king, presented by the aforesaid bishop before the king and his council in the same parliament, with the transcript contained in that petition agreeing word for word in all respects, that the aforesaid grandfather of the present king considered his collation, which he previously made of the aforesaid manor thus forfeited within that liberty, to have been made as elsewhere in his realm, later being given to understand by his council that the collation within the said liberty in which the bishop of the place has royal privileges could not be made without the harm of the same, revoked it for himself and his heirs, willing and granting for himself and his heirs that the aforesaid bishop, as above, and also with the answers given to other, similar petitions of the bishop presented thereupon in other parliaments of the Lord Edward, the father of the present king, having been inspected and examined for information of the right of the same father, if he had any in this matter, by the treasurer and barons of the exchequer, and chamberlains, and the keeper of the rolls of his chancery, and the chief justice of the father of the present king assigned to hear pleas before him at his command, which answers the same present king caused to come before his council in the aforesaid parliament, together with other records found in the treasury and chancery concerning that business, and nothing was found by which the aforesaid bishop ought to be excluded from his petition on the foregoing, it was agreed by the king himself and his council in the same parliament that the aforesaid bishop should have his liberty of such forfeitures, just as the aforesaid charter more fully testifies and just as was previously granted by the council of the abovesaid grandfather of the present king, and that the king should remove [his] hand from all the lands and tenements within the aforesaid liberty at present in his hand by forfeiture of war, and that it is not the intention of the king and council that anyone who now holds lands or tenements by such forfeiture from the grant of the progenitors of the king himself should be removed therefrom by virtue of the aforesaid decision without right of reply. (fn. ix-110-10-1)
Item, in eodem parliamento quedam alia peticio ex parte ejusdem episcopi porrecta fuit in hec verba:	Likewise, in the same parliament another petition on behalf of the same bishop was presented in these words:
A nostre seigneur le roi et a son conseil moustre Lewis evesqe de Duresme: qe la ou sire Johan de Baillof', nadgaires roi d'Escoce, par sa chartre dona a Dieu et Seint Cutbert et sire Antoyn, nadgaires evesqe de Duresme, et ses successours, la quele le roi Edward fuitz le roi Henry conferma par sa chartre, cinkaunt livre de terre ove les appurtinances en Tyndale et l'avoweson del eglise de Simoundburn', de la quele terre le dit evesqe fuist seisi en Grendon' et en Belingham et en autres villes en Tindale, et feust seisi de la dite avoweson del eglise de Simoundburn' e le dona cum ordenier du lieu a un son clerk Thomas de Braytoffe [par nom] et lui fist institucion, et apres par son purchace se tient en propre oeps, et puis apres [ceo don] le dit roi d'Escoce par sa chartre dona au dit evesqe Antoyn le manoir de Werk' en Tyndale ove les appurtinaunces a lui et a ses [successours atenir en pure et en] perpetuele aumoynge a toutz jours, la quele chartre le dit roi Edward fiutz le roi Henry conferma par sa chartre, et des dites manoirs, terres et avoweson le dit sire Antoyn evesqe fust seisi come de droit de sa eglise de Duresme. Et apres le dit sire Edward manda son brief de scire facias a son viscount de Northumberland' de garnir le dit evesqe d'estre a son parliament a Cardoill as oytaves [de Seint] Hillary [l'an] de son regne .xxxv. a moustrer s'il ust rien pur lui en dire savoir par quoi le dit roi le manoir de Werk en Tyndale et l'avoweson del eglise de Symondburn' avanditz, qi feurent au ditz sire Johan de Baillof, ne devoient en sa main prendre [et] tenir et outre affaire ceo qe la court le roi agarderait, le quel viscount returna qe le dit evesqe feust garni selonc la tenur du [brief] [...] seisee faite a tiel temps, outre ceo [...] [saunt regard avoir q'il ne avoit mye bref eus de sa chauncellerie] [...] [seit sui] de mesmes les tenementz devant justicz en nul place, ne chose enroule ne record par fyn ne par jugement [due] nul part, et a la commune lei de la terre et a la grante chartre et a la secunde estatut de Westm'. Sur le quele processe avantdit sur le dit brief de [scire facias] , issu saunz garant et encontre lei de terre, agarde fust qe le dit roi recovereit sa seisin de manoir et de l'avoweson [avantditz] , et par colur de ceo juggement fust il oste par le dit roi de les cinkant livere de terre avanditz. Et [soit qe le dit sire Antoyn] en son temps [p. ix-115] suyt devers le roi qi a d'onqes fust, et sire Richard evesqe de Duresme sun [successour suit en son temps, et] l'evesqe q'ore est ad suy de parlement tout son temps et unqes ne poiet estre [respondu par quey il prie a nostre seigneur le roi] pur Dieux et pur l'onur de corpseint Seint Cuthbert de Duresme et pur les almes des ses auncestres, qe droit lui soit fait en les choses susdit qi mes ne [soit delaie] .	To our lord the king and to his council Louis, bishop of Durham, explains: whereas Sir John Balliol, late king of Scotland, granted by his charter to God and St Cuthbert and Sir Anthony, late bishop of Durham, and his successors, which King Edward the son of King Henry confirmed by his charter, £50 of land with its appurtenances in Tynedale and the advowson of Simonburn church, of which land the said bishop was seised in Grendon and in Bellingham and in other places in Tynedale, and he was seised of the said advowson of Simonburn church and granted it, as ordinary of the place, to one Thomas of Braytoffe , his clerk, and instituted him in person, and he held it afterwards by his purchase for his own use, and then after this gift the said king of Scotland granted by his charter to the said Bishop Anthony the manor of Wark in Tynedale with its appurtenances to be held to him and to his successors in pure and in everlasting almoign forever, which charter the said King Edward, son of King Henry, confirmed by his charter, and the said Lord Bishop Anthony was seised of the said manors, lands and advowson as of right of his church of Durham. And afterwards the said Lord Edward commanded by his writ of scire facias to his sheriff of Northumberland to summon the said bishop to be present at his parliament at Carlisle on the octave of St Hilary in the thirty-fifth year of his reign [20 January 1307] to explain if he had anything to say for himself whereby the said king ought not to seize and hold in his hand the aforesaid manor of Wark in Tynedale and the advowson of Simonburn church which belonged to the said Lord John de Balliol, and in addition to do what the king's court might award, which sheriff returned that the said bishop was summoned according to the tenor of the writ [...] was seised at such a time, besides this [...] without having regard that he never had a writ from his chancery [...] that he be sued for the same tenements before justices in any place, or anything enrolled or record by fine or by judgment due in any part, and by the common law of the land and by the great charter and by the second statute of Westminster. Upon which aforesaid process on the said writ of scire facias, issued without warrant and contrary to the law of the land, it was awarded that the said king should recover his seisin of the aforesaid manor and advowson, and by pretext of this judgment he was deprived of the aforesaid £50 of land by the king. And it is that the said Sir Anthony in his time [p. ix-115] sued towards the then king, and Sir Richard, bishop of Durham, his successor, sued in his time, and the present bishop has sued to parliament throughout his time and could never have an answer, whereupon he prays to our lord the king for God and for the honour of the holy remains of St Cuthbert of Durham and for the souls of his ancestors, that right be done to him on the aforesaid matters without delay.
Et quia, inspecta peticione predicta scrutatisque rotulis et memorandis cancellarie et thesaurarie, nichil invenitur [quod dicta manerium] et advocacionem contingit, nisi tantum quod thesaurarius et camerarii patris regis nunc ad mandatum suum retornaverunt ad quoddam parliamentum ipsius patris regis nunc quod, scrutatis rotulis et memorandis scaccarii quoad predictam terram de Tyndale que fuit Johannis de Balliolo quondam regis Scocie, compertum est quod Johannes de Kirkeby nuper vicecomes Norhumbrie tenuit in manum domini regis manerium de Werk' in Tyndale cum pertinenciis et alia terras et tenementa que fuerunt Johannis de Balliolo, et respondit in compoto suo de exitibus predictorum manerii et terre a decimo die Maii anno regni Edwardi filii regis Henrici .xxiiij. usque .xx. die Decembris eodem anno .xxiiij., per quod dominus rex et consilium suum intendunt quod predictus Johannes de Balliolo, tempore quo forisfecit versus predictum dominum Edwardum filium Henrici avum [domini regis nunc] sive de fide sua recessit, fuit seisitus de predictis manerio et terra et tenementis et advocacione in predicta peticione contentis [in dominico ut] de feodo, per quod forisfactura eorumdem ad ipsum dominum [regem pertinebat] et ad ipsum regem nunc ea de causa pertinere debent, et ea racione intendunt [quod peticio Ludowici] episcopi non est justa. Ad quod idem episcopus presens in parliamento respondit et dixit quod predictus Johannes de Balliolo per cartam suam predictam feoffavit predictum Antonium episcopum de predictis manerio et advocacione antequam idem Johannes forisfecit sive a fide recessit, et sic fuit idem Antonius tempore quo predictus Johannes de Balliolo forisfecit sive a fide regis recessit, in predictis manerio terra et advocacione ut de jure ecclesie sue seisitus, et hoc paratus est verificare. Ideo jurata et assignentur per cancellarium sufficientes et discreti ad inquirendum etc., et retornata inquisicione ulterius certioretur etc.	And the aforesaid petition having been inspected and the rolls and records of the chancery and treasury scrutinized, because nothing was found that concerned the said manor and advowson, except merely that the treasurer and chamberlains of the father of the present king had returned at his command at a certain parliament of the father of the present king that, having scrutinized the rolls and records of the exchequer as regards the aforesaid land in Tynedale which belonged to John de Balliol, sometime king of Scotland, it was found that John of Kirkby, late sheriff of Northumberland, held in the hand of the lord king the manor of Wark in Tynedale with its appurtenences and other lands and tenements which belonged to John de Balliol, and answered in his account for the issues of the aforesaid manor and land from 10 May in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of [King] Edward, son of King Henry [1296] until 20 December in the same twenty-fourth year, whereby the lord king and his council understood that the aforesaid John de Balliol, at the time when he incurred forfeiture towards the Lord Edward, son of Henry the grandfather of the present lord king, or withdrew from his fealty, was seised of the aforesaid manor and land and tenements and advowson specified in the aforesaid petition in demesne as of fee, whereby the forfeiture of the same pertained to the lord king himself and ought to pertain to the present king himself for that reason, and for that reason they consider thet the petition of Bishop Louis is unjust. To which the same bishop, being present in parliament, answered and said that the aforesaid John de Balliol by his aforesaid charter enfeoffed the aforesaid Bishop Anthony of the aforesaid manor and advowson before the same John incurred forfeiture or withdrew from fealty, and thus the same Anthony, at the time when the aforesaid John de Balliol incurred forfeiture or withdrew from the king's fealty, was seised of the aforesaid manor, land and advowson as of the right of his church, and this he is prepared to verify. Therefore let sufficient and discreet men be sworn and assigned by the chancellor to inquire etc., and with the above inquest having been returned, let it be shown etc.
Memorandum quod recordum et processus predicta, in pleno parliamento predicto coram consilio lecta et intellecta, liberata fuerunt decimo nono die Februarii Michaeli de Wath', clerico magistri [p. ix-116] Henrici de Cliff' custodis rotulorum cancellarie; execucioni de mandando, anno supradicto.	Be it remembered that the aforesaid record and process, having been read and understood before the council in the aforesaid full parliament, were delivered on 29 February to Michael of Wath, clerk of Master [p. ix-116] Henry of Cliff, keeper of the rolls of chancery, for the execution of the mandate. (fn. ix-110-17-1)