The Gatehouse website record of associated evidence for murage concerning Geoffrey de Morton and Matilda his wife dated 20/3/1312

There is associated evidence for murage, dated 20/3/1312, concerning Geoffrey de Morton and Matilda his wife.

Wording

To John Wogan, justiciary of Ireland. Whereas the king learns by inquisition taken by the said justiciary that Geoffrey de Morton and Matilda his wife, who hold the tower of the bridge of the city of Dublin, are bound to repair the same tower when necessary; and that Ralph le Hore, sometime a citizen of Dublin, who acquired the tower from his fellow-citizens to have and to hold to him and his heirs by the service of 2s. yearly to be paid to the citizens, and all others who afterwards held the tower were wont to repair the same when necessary according to the agreement between the citizens and the aforesaid Ralph; and that the said Geoffrey, suggesting to the king that the tower was burnt by chance and that the city wall near the tower was thrown down, fraudulently and surreptitiously obtained letters patent in the second year of the king's reign to take custom for seven years from goods for sale coming to the city for the repair of the tower and wall, as though the said tower ought to be repaired at the cost of the community of the city and not at his own charge, and as if the said wall had been thrown down, and that he has hitherto collected the said customs otherwise than he ought to have done and still collects the same, and that he greatly exceeds the powers contained in the letters patent, and that the wall was not thrown down when he obtained the letters patent, as he alleged to the king, but was ruinous in some part, and that he obtained such murage within the two last years of the seven years for which the late king had granted murage to the citizens in that city, to the defrauding of the said citizens and against the late king's grant and in deceit of the king's court, and on account of the murage so granted to the said Geoffrey both the city quay and a tower there called Isolda's tower (turris Isolde) are ruinous, and that the city is damaged yearly by the unjust extortions that he makes under colour of the said letters patent to the amount of 40l. at least: the king orders him to revoke the murage granted to the said Geoffrey, and to audit his account, in the presence of some of the citizens to be deputed by the mayor and community, of everything heretofore received by him under colour of murage, and to cause him to satisfy the citizens for the money so received, because he surreptitiously obtained the said murage two years before the end of the term granted to them to collect murage, during the said two years, and to satisfy the king for what he collected after the said two years. He is also to proclaim that any persons wishing to complain of the said Geoffrey's extortions by reason of the said murage shall appear before him on a day to be assigned by him to prosecute their plaints against the said Geoffrey; and he is to do them speedy justice. He is ordered to compel the said Geoffrey to repair the said tower at his own cost.
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Rex dilecto et fideli suo, Johanni Wogan, justiciario suo Hibernie, salutem.
Quia per inquisicionem quam per vos, prefate justiciarie, fieri fecimus, et quam coram nobis in cancellaria nostra Anglie, retornastis, accepimus, inter alia, quod Galfridus de Morton et Matillda, uxor ejus, qui tenent turrim pontis civitatis Dublin, turrim illam sumptibus suis quociens opus fuerit reparare et emendare tenentur.
Et quod Radulfus Le Hore, quondam civis Dublin, qui turrim predictam a concivibus suis perquisivit habendam et tenendam, sibi et heredibus suis, imperpetuum, per servicium duorum solidorum annuatim eisdem civibus solvendorum; et omnes alii qui turrim illam postmodum tenuerunt ipsam quociens emendacione indiguit juxta convencionem inter cives predictos et prefatum Radulfum primitus inde factam reparare et emendare consueverunt.
Et quod predictus Galfridus suggerendo nuper nobis turrim predictam casualiter combustam, et murum civitatis predicte juxta turrim illam prostratum fuisse, anno regni nostri secundo, literas nostras patentes, de quibusdam certis consuetudinibus de rebus venalibus ad civitatem predictam venientibus, pro reparacione et emendacione turns et muri predictorum per ipsum in eadem civitate per septennium capiendas; ac si turris predicta sumptibus communitatis civitatis predicte, et non sumptibus ipsius Galfridi reparari deberet, et murus predictus prostratus fuisset fraudulenter et surepticie impetravit consuetudines que predictas aliter quam facere deberet hactenus collegit, et adhuc colligit, atque capit, formam in dictis literis nostris contentam multipliciter excedendo; et quod murus predictus tempore quo predictus Galfridus predictas litteras nostras impetravit non erat prostratus ut idem Galfridus nobis suggesserat, sed in aliqua sui parte ruinosus et quod idem Galfridus hujusmodi muragium infra duos annos ulterios de illis septem annis per quos dominus Edwardus, quondam rex Anglie, pater noster, concesserat muragium in civitate predicta civibus antedictis, in fraudem ipsorum civium, et contra concessionem dicti patris nostri, ac in decepcionem curie nostre, impetravit et quod occasione muragii illi, sic prefato Galfrido concessi, tarn kaya civitatis ejusdem quam queddam turris ibidem, que vocatur turris Isolde, sunt ruinose, et quod civitas predicta deteriorata est, quolibet anno, per injustas extorsiones quas predictus Galfridus facit ibidem, sub colore litterarum nostrarum predictarum, usque ad summam quadraginta librarum, ad minus.
Nos, considerantes non esse consonum equitati, quod predictus Galfridus, ex fraude et malicia predictis, commodum debeat reportare, vobis mandamus quod muragium predictum, prefato Galfrido, sic concessum, pro eo quod illud per falsam suggestionem et tacita veritate, ut premittitur, impetravit sine dilacione qualibet penitus revocetis.
Et audito postmodum compoto predicti Galfridi, per vos, vel aliquos fideles nostros, ad hoc per literas nostras, sub sigillo quo utimur in Hibernia, assignandos, in presencia aliquorum civium civitatis predicte, ad hoc, per maiorem et communitatem ejusdem, deputatorum, si interesse voluerint, de omnibus que predictus Galfridus in villa predicta, sub colore muragii predicti, hucusque recepit, pro eo quod muragium illud per se per biennium antequam terminum dictis civibus de muragio in dicta civitate colligendo per dictum patrem nostrum, ut premittitur, concessus elapsus fuit surrepticie impetravit ad satisfaciendum civibus civitatis predicte de tota ilia pecunie summa quam ipsum in eadem civitate dicta occasione per predictos duos annos inveniri contigerit racionabiliter recepisse, pro muro civitatis predicte inde reparando et emendando, et similiter ad satisfaciendum nobis de toto residuo quod post dictos duos annos hucusque idem Galfridus pretextu dicti muragii sibi concessi ibidem racionabiliter recepit, prout inde per compotum predictum liquere poterit compellatis. Ita quod nobis inde ad scaccarium nostrum Dublin respondeatur et nichilominus in civitate predicta faciatis, ex parte nostra, proclamari, quod si aliqui de predicto Galfrido de injustis exaccionibus, seu extorsionibus, ipsis per eundem Galfridum, pretextu muragii predicti sibi concessi, factis conqueri voluerint veniant coram vobis, certo die, ad hoc per vos assignando, querelas suas contra ipsum proposituri et prosecuturi si sibi vidcrint expedire.
Quibus super querelas hujusmodi auditis parcium racionibus plenam et celerem justiciam faciatis secundum legem et consuetudinem parcium predictarum.
Mandamus eciam vobis, firmiter injungentes, quod predictum Galfridum ad turrim predictam, suis sumptibus propriis, reparandam et emendandam, prout ea reparare et emendare tenetur, et alii tenentes eandem turrim ipsam hucusque reparare et emendare consueverunt, prout justum fuerit compellatis.
Teste, rege, apud Eboracum, vicesimo die Marcii {1311-12}.
Per consilium.

Granted by Edward II. (Regnal year 4). Granted at York. Grant by By C..

The appointed commissoners or auditors were John Wogan, justiciary of Ireland

Primary Sources

Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1892, Calendar of Close Rolls, Edward II Vol. 1 p. 455 online copy
Gilbert, J.T. (ed), 1870, Historical and Municipal Documents of Ireland, From the Archives of the City of Dublin &c. 1172-1320 (Rerum Britannicarum Medii Aevi Scriptores - Rolls Series) p. 274-77 {Full latin transcription}

Secondary Sources

Thomas, A., 1992, The Walled Towns of Ireland Vol. 2 (Irish Academic Press) p. 79-93

Comments

1311-12. Edward II. to John Wogan justiciary for Ireland : We learn by inquisition that Geffrey de Morton and his wife Maud hold the tower of the bridge at Dublin under covenant to keep it in repair. Geffrey, on the representation that the tower had been accidentally burned and adjacent city wall prostrate, obtained from us for their repair a grant of tolls. It is alleged that by his proceedings the citizens are de-frauded, the quay as well as Isold's tower left in ruins, and the city from year to year deteriorated. Revoke our grant to Geffrey, audit his account of receipts, which you are to compel him to furnish, and call before you by proclamation any who may wish to complain of his exactions, (HMD p. lxiv-lxv)

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