Great Yarmouth was given a grant of murage dated 14/11/1321.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Grant for one year to the bailiffs and good men of the town of Great Yarmouth, for the repair of their town, that the goods of merchants or aliens shall not be arrested for any debt of which they are not principal debtors, or pledges, or for the trespass of other persons in that town. By p.s.
Granted by Edward II. (Regnal year 15). Granted at Westminster. Granted by p.s..
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1904,
Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward II (1321-24) Vol. 4 p. 34
online copy
Secondary Sources
Coulson, Charles, 2009, Murage Grants (Handwritten list and notes)
Comments
Does this refer to town walls? Granted same day as murage so distinct possibility. Coulson notes 'such grants are not unusual but this link with the repair of the town (from profits of the right?) is very unusual'. However I would also suggest that this was about encouraging merchants to reside and trade in the town and repair (replace) lost merchants (we hear from chroniclers that 2,000 inhabitants died during floods in 1286 - Alsford, Stephen, 1998,
History of medieval Yarmouth online copy).
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 17/03/2009. Last updated on 03/05/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
