Colchester petitioned for a grant of murage in {c. 1422}.
Wording
Petitioners: Burgesses of Colchester.
Addressees: Lords of Parliament.
Places mentioned: Colchester, {Essex}.
Other people mentioned: Henry IV, King of England.
Nature of request: The petitioners seek twenty years relief from the need to elect one of their fellows to parliament, because of their poor estate and for the fortification of their town. They show that King Henry IV, taking into account the great damages incurred by the petitioners in those parts through the closure of the same ... granted that they should be quit and discharged of the election of any of their fellow burgesses to any {parliament} ... next following according to the letters patent, which term has now ended ...
Endorsement: {None}
Endorsement
{None}
Primary Sources
National Archive SC 8/101/5013 Former Reference - Parliamentary Petition 1877
Comments
Datable by reference to the original grant of immunity for twelve years, made by Henry IV in 1410: CPR 1408-13, p.199. This petition presumably dates from after the expiry of that grant. (National Archive note)
I don't know if the National Archive has excluded the possibility this petition dates to 1410 and the 12 years grant was the result. Henry IV had granted 6 years exemption in 1404. If the mention to Henry IV is in the past sense then this petition will have to date to after August 1422.
It should be noted that despite having such exemptions for 1383-1397 and 1404-1422 there are records of parliamentary burgesses for Colchester for most of these years. [view online > http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/mapp1_2f.html
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 23/02/2009. Last updated on 22/03/2012. First published online 6/01/2013.
