ROLL A 34
Rolls of Memoranda of the time of John Fressh, mayor
of the city of London, A
o
18 Ric. II.
Membr. 1
4 Nov. 1394
Memorandum that Christopher Tyldeslegh complained
that though he had served a ten years' apprenticeship, his
master John Grenefeld, goldsmith, refused to have him admitted to the freedom of the city. On the master failing to
appear, the said Christopher was received into the freedom
on the testimony of John Forster, John Bolstrode, John
Standelf and William Donn, wardens of the mistery of Goldsmiths, and others.
4 Jan. 1395
Quitclaim from Matthew Cheyne, merchant of Florence,
to Zanobius Ser Benozii, merchant of Florence. Dated at
London 2 Jan. 1395.
Membr. 1 b
26 Jan. 1395
William, Lord la Sowche, knight, brings a plaint of intrusion against Margaret, widow of Nicholas Sharnesfeld,
knight, Lewis Clyfford, knight, Richard Stury, knight, Baldewyn Radyngton, knight, and John Cheyne, knight, touching
his free tenement in the parish of St Andrew in Lyme Street
Ward.
26 Feb. 1395
Letter of attorney from William Waterman of Southwark
to Alice Mockyng of Southwark to receive the sum of £13 18s
due on a bond from Thomas Ponyngges, knight, lord of
St John (fn. 1) .
1 Feb. 1395
Letter of attorney from William atte Bourne, merchant of
Almaine, to Hildebrand van Brekefeld, merchant of Almaine,
and Philip Rykhall, clerk.
Membr. 2
Examination of two men charged with immorality, of
whom one implicated several persons, male and female, in
religious orders.
6 Feb. 1395
Inquest taken before John Fressh, Mayor, and the Aldermen in the Chamber of the Guildhall, by oath of Thomas
Coton, John Jeweler, Thomas Prentys, John Hay, John Hendelee and William Colyn of the parish of St Martin Ludgate,
Walter Wynter, Nicholas Spe... and Henry Broun of the
parish of St Faith, Richard Frenches and William Asshe of
the parish of St Audoen. The jurors said on oath that on
29 Jan., when the mayor was outside Ludgate on the business
of the city, John Walpole, tailor (fn. 2) , followed him from the
gate to St Paul's Church and took him by the sleeve, shouting
arid saying derisively,'' Oh mayor, do justice to me,'' to whom
the mayor said: "show it by bill and justice will be done to
you," and thereupon John Walpole said noisily: "What use
is it to make you a bill when all the magnates of England
have made my plea and acknowledge my action?" and he
said further to those passing by: "it is a fine thing to make
a bill for him"; and when the mayor arrived in the churchyard and there met Sir John Busheye and Sir William Bagot,
knights, the said John Walpole wrangled with the mayor and
called John Botesham, serjeant and official of the city, "a false
ribald and harlot (fn. 3) ," and said that if he was not a false harlot,
he would make him one, and then the said John Walpole
said to the mayor: "it is a great honour for you, the mayor
and judge of London, to play at tables with Richard Clare
your serjeant, such a harlot as he is," and after this he followed the mayor from the churchyard through the church,
every now and then taking him by the sleeve and shouting
and arguing with him, until they reached Paternosterrowe,
where the said John shouted angrily: "mayor, do me justice,
or I will bring such a mob about you that you will be glad to do
justice"; for which dangerous words the mayor committed
him to Newgate prison, and then the said John Walpole,
while going from the mayor's presence towards the prison,
raised the hue and cry with a loud voice, saying: "the mayor
of London wants to have me falsely imprisoned because I
sue for justice"; and when he arrived at Newgate the said
John publicly told the men there that Adam Bamme, John
Hende, William Staundon and John Hadlee, late mayors of
London, were false in exercising their mayoralties, and that
of all the mayors John Hadlee was outwardly the finest talker
but inwardly the falsest. The jury said further that a great
part of the uproar and rancour in the city from the time of
Nicholas Twyford to the present day was made and spread
by the ill-will of John Walpole, who was a great disseminator
of discord.
30 March 1397
The aforesaid John Walpole was mainprised by Robert
Croukerh, Richard Plymmouth, William Whyteby and
Geoffrey Asshwell, tailors, Simon Ede, baker, and Robert de
Eye, weaver, for his good behaviour towards the king and
people and especially towards the officers and citizens of the
city under several penalties of £100.
Membr. 2 b
18 Oct. 1395
Thomas Duk, citizen and skinner, demands an Assize of
Nuisance against William Sleford, clerk, dean, and the college
of the king's free chapel of St Stephen within the king's
palace of Westminster, touching his free tenement in the
parish of St Dunstan in the West.
19 Oct. 1395
Henry Parmystede, draper, brought a bill of complaint
against John Pountfreyt, saddler, for a debt of 7 marks owed
by him as surety for John Mountacu, who had purchased
cloth from the plaintiff to the value of £9. [French]
The defendant denied the debt and offered to make his
law incontinently as a freeman of the city according to the
custom. Thereupon the plaintiff granted that if the said John
would swear alone that his defence was true he should be
precluded from his action. The defendant swore on the
Gospels that he owed the plaintiff nothing. Therefore it was
considered that the plaintiff take nothing by his bill and be
in mercy and that the defendant be quit thereof.
Membr. 3
17 April 1395
Robert Guppey, mercer, was summoned as administrator
of the goods and chattels of John Chiveley, intestate, to
answer John Cholsey, merchant, in a plea of debt of £200,
which sum the said John Cholsey had bound himself to pay
as surety for the intestate in a bond to Thomas Neuton and
Henry. Burton, merchants of London. On the death of the
intestate by shipwreck, the plaintiff has been forced to pay
this sum at Middelburgh by the law of the Staple of Middelburgh, and he now claimed it from the administrator.
The defendant denied that he was general administrator
of the intestate's goods and chattels, and pleaded that the
intestate owed him £100 and that he had sued the real
administrator, Thomas atte More of co. Cambridge, for payment in the Sheriffs' Court. He produced the record of the
action, which showed that on Thomas atte More's making
default, he had been awarded the right of collecting a number
of debts owed to the intestate and also, as a foreign attachment, a quantity of goods belonging to the intestate, which
were then in his (the present defendant's) custody. These
goods were valued in the Sheriffs' Court by John Cosham
and Thomas Merton, mercer, as follows:
82 lbs. of brasile
(fn. 4) at 3s. the lb.; 9 pieces of red bukeram at
3s the piece; 20 groos of gold of Lucca (fn. 5) , 10s; 33,000 chestnuts
(castons) at 16d the thousand; 7000 small white plates (fn. 6) at
8s the thousand; 211 lbs. of coperwire at 4d the lb.; one long
sword, 6s 8d; one cappe of bevere, 2s 6d; one box of cipres,
8d; an old basynett with visere, 4s; 4 pieces of bokasyns of
barbarie
(fn. 7) at 18s the piece.
The plaintiff then pleaded that the goods and chattels and
debts received by the defendant were greater in value than
the £100 due to him.
The parties submitted to the arbitration of William Brampton, Thomas Aleyn, John Shaddeworth, Hugh Clerk, William
Parker, John More, William Marchesforth and William
Sonnyngwell, who awarded that, as the goods and debts
exceeded the debt of £100 by 100 marks, the defendant should
pay the plaintiff the latter sum and also supply him with a
list of the names of certain persons who owed money to the
intestate, and that both parties should quitclaim to each other
all actions; which was done. The names of the debtors were
William Mordon, £22; Katherine Swyft, £4 4d; John Brook,
16s 8d; Adam Chapman, £22; William Geffrey of Colchestre,
13s 4d; John Balsham of Calais, £3; John Ware, 46s 8d;
William Greyston, 40s; Thomas Philipp, £7 13s; John
Westby, 6s 6d; John Canynges of Bristol, 40s.
Membr. 3 b
4 May 1395
John Hotot of Newmarket co. Cambridge, who had served
a seven years' apprenticeship to Andrew de Preston, vintner,
complained that his master refused to make him free of the
city. The said Andrew declared that the apprentice had
caused him losses and had behaved badly, which he would
complain of by bill at the next court. As he failed to do so,
the apprentice was admitted to the freedom on the testimony
of John Walworth, Simon Bodham and Robert Aston, masters
of the Vintners.
4 July 1395
An inquest of office was taken at the Guildhall before the
Mayor and Aldermen by oath of William Bacon and others,
who said that a certain bond by which John Thorpe, clerk,
was alleged to be bound to Richard Norhampton in £500
and 10 marks, was a forgery made by Robert Morton, chaplain, and Robert Bulby on 6 May 1388 in the parish of
St Andrew Holborn, as they understood, and that it was not
the deed of John Thorpe.