Libourne petitioned for a grant of murage in {? 1320}.
Wording
Petitioners: Mayor, Jurats and community of Libourne.
Addressees: King.
Places mentioned: Libourne, {Guyenne, France}; Gascony, {France}; the French March; Amiens, {Picardy, France}; St Emilion, {Guyenne, France}; Puynormand, {Guyenne, France}.
Other people mentioned: {John Salmon}, Bishop of Norwich; {John de Bretagne}, Earl of Richmond.
Nature of request: The Mayor, Jurats and community of Libourne state that their town was burnt down by the French during the last Gascon war, because it had no wall. They are therefore anxious to build one, and have started work, but cannot finish it without the king's aid. They petitioned the king's grace on this, and it was answered by the council that the Bishop of Norwich and the Earl of Richmond had already given them grace when they were in those parts - which they had not. They ask the king to give them certain issues from the town, as well as the issues from the Provost of St Emilion or the Castellan of Puynormand, in aid of the wall.
Endorsement: The Bishop of Norwich, the Chancellor, and the Earl of Richmond are to be questioned about the aid previously granted to the good people of Libourne, in aid of their enclosure of the same town, and they are to inform the king of this, so that he might be able to do further what pleases him.
Primary Sources
National Archive SC 8/86/4272 Former Reference - Parliamentary Petition 5208
Secondary Sources
Beresford, M., 1967, New Towns of the Middle Ages (London) p. 597
Trabut-Cussac, J.-P., 1954, 'La Construction des Remparts de Libourne' Revue historique de Bordeaux Vol. 3 (n.s.) p. 179-99
Comments
A note inserted into this file, written by R. L. Atkinson on 3 May 1932, reads, 'Nos. 4270-4300 are copied in R.C. Transcripts I 156, and apparently from part of an original file of petitions to the parliament of Michaelmas 1320. Cf. Parl. Proc. (Chancery) 5/4'. C 49/5/4 is merely a label, 'The petitions of William de Herlaston from the King's parliament held at Westminster at the octave of Michaelmas in his fourteenth year, which were answered by the auditors of petitions, delivered into Chancery to be expedited': nevertheless, this petition is tentatively dated to 1320, as many of those in the file that can be dated seem to come from that year. (National Archive note)
Beresford writes 'The town petitioned for stronger works in 1305 and again in 1311, but without much help from the king.' His source seems to be Trabut-Cussac. Does this refer this petition.
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 23/02/2009. Last updated on 22/03/2012. First published online 6/01/2013.
