Trim (Trym) was given a grant of murage dated 4/10/1393.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Custumarum pro muragio villae de Trym concessio.
Ricardus Dei gracia Rex Angl' & Franc' & Dominus Hibern omnibus ad quos presentes litere pervenerint salutem sciatis quod ad instantem supplicacionem dilecti & fidelis consanguinei nostri Rogeri De Mortuo Mari Comitis Marchie & Ulton' concessimus & licenciam dedimus eidem Comiti quod ipse pro fortificacione ville sue de Trym ubi communis concursus omnium fidelium nostrorum Com' Mid' existit muro lapideo claundend' ac pavimento ejusdem ville de novo construend' reparand' & emendand' ad emendacionem dicte ville & maliciam rebellium & inimicorum nostrorum parcium adjacencium refrenand' per sufficientes coll'cores per ministros ipsius comitis infra libertatem suam Mid' de tempere in tempus eligend' & literis patentibus sigillo ipsius comitis libertatis praedicte constituend' & assignand' & dat' presencium usque ad finem viginti annorum extunc proximo sequen' plenar' complendorum capere possit habere & levar' de quibuscumque rebus venalibus tam ad villam de Trym praedictam quam ad villas de Athboy, Scryn, & Novan venientibus quam ab eisdem villis causa vendendi transeuntibus sive per easdem villas per unam leucam circumquaquetam in crosea Com' Mid' quam infra libertatem praedictam venientibus consuetudines & custumas aubscriptas videlicet
de qolibet austurco vel falcone venal { } unum denar'
de quolibet tercello aut tercelletto ven' unum obolum
de quolibet crannoco cujuscumque generis bladi brasei farine & salis ven' unum obolum
&c-sicut in quarto articulo paginae 79, pro villa de Kilkenny, usque ad verba in pagina 80-
et de quolibet mercimonio valoris duorum solidorum unde hic non fit mencio ven' unum quadr'
et de quolibet mercimonio superius non expersato valoris decem solidorum ven' unum obolum ac eciam
de quolibet mercimonio valoris viginti solidorum de quo superius similiter nulla fit mencio unum denar'
Et ideo vobus & cuilibet vestrum firmiter injungendo mandamus quad ipsem Comitem per collc'ores praedictos in forma praedicta constituend' & assignandos consuetudines & custumas praedictas & earum quamlibet in villis praedictis & per unam leucam circumquaque earumdem usque ad finem termini praedicti libere levar' colligere recipere habere permittatis absque contradicione alliquali completto autem termino illo consuetudines praedicte penitus cessent & deleantur Ita semper quod denarii inder provenientes circa muragium ville de Trym praedicte & non alibi fideliter expendantur Volentes enim quod compotus inde coram Roberto { } clico aut eorum altero seu coram aliis per commissionem praedicti comitis sub sigillo suo praedicto ad hoc assignand' & non ad scaccarium nostram Hibern de tempere in tempus & de anno in annum per collectores praedictos consuetudinum & custumarum qui pro tempere fuerint reddatur In cujus rei testimonium has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes T' Jacobo le Botiller Comite Ormon' Justic' nostro Hibern apud Kylkenn' quarto dis Octob'r anno regni nostri decimo septimo.
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4 Oct. 1393
At the plea of the K.'s beloved and faithful cousin Roger Mortimer, e. March and Ulster, GRANT and LICENCE to the earl that, from the date of these presents for a term of 20 years, he may take, have and levy the following customs from all articles for sale coming both to the town of Trim and the towns of Athboy, Skreen and Navan, and also passing within a league of those towns on all side with the purpose of selling, both in the crosslands of Meath and within the liberty, in aid of the fortification of the earl's town of Trim (which is the common concourse of all the K.'s faithful people of co. Meath), the enclosure of that town with a stone wall and the reconstruction, repair and improvement of the pavements of that town, so as to improve that town and repel the malice of the K.'s rebels and enemies of the neighbouring parts, viz.:
from each goshawk or falcon for sale, 1d;
from each tercel or tercelet, 1/2d;
from each crannock of any kind of grain, malt, flour and salt for sale, 1/2d; .{Thereafter the list of customs is as given in the Kilkenny murage of 5 Ric. II.}
and from all merchandise for sale worth 2s of which mention has not been made, 1/4d;
and from all merchandise worth 10s not displayed for sale, 1/2d; and from all merchandise for sale worth 20s of which mention has not been made above, 1d.
ORDER to permit the collectors appointed and assigned by the earl in the said form to levy, collect receive and have those customs, without any contradiction. And at the end of the term those customs shall cease and be removed entirely. Such that the money derived from this shall be faithfully expended upon the murage of the town of Trim, and not otherwise. And an account of this is to be rendered before Robert clk or either of them, or before others appointed to this by the earl's commission under his seal, from time to time and year to year, and not at the K.'s Ex. of Ire.
Granted by Richard II. (Regnal year 17). Granted at Kilkenny. Granted by Jacobo le Botiller Comite Ormon' Justic' nostro Hibern.
Primary Sources
Commissioners on the Public Records of Ireland, 1889 (prepared 1829-30),
Chartae Privilegia et Immunitates, being transcripts of charters and privileges to cities, towns, abbeys and other bodies corporated, 18 Henry II. to 18 Richard II., 1171 to 1395 (Dublin; Irish Record Commission) p. 89 (Ref. E. Rot. Mem. 8 Hen. IV. m. 11. d.)
A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters, c. 1244-1509, PR 17 Ric. II
View CIRCLE record
Secondary Sources
Thomas, A., 1992,
The Walled Towns of Ireland Vol. 2 (Irish Academic Press) p. 196-99
Fleming, J.S., 1914,
The Town-wall Fortifications of Ireland (Paisley) p. 74
online copy1835,
Reports from Commissioners: Municipal Corporations in Ireland Vol. 27 p. 265
Comments
A charter of Richard II., October 4, 1393, concedes the town-customs for re-erection, where necessary, of stone fortifications sufficing to check the neighbouring rebellious and malicious enemies. (Fleming)
the next known murage charter was much later-1393 for 20 years with a stone wall specified (CPI 89). This required that the tolls should also be collected in Athboy, Scryne and Navan because 'all the fideles of Meath conregate in the town of Trim' (MCI 265). (Thomas)
King Richard II., by Charter bearing date the 4th of October, in the seventeenth year of his reign, and in the year of our Lord 1393, at the solicitation of Roger de Mortimer, Earl of March, granted towards the fortification of the town of of Trim, where all the "fideles" of the county of Meath congregated, certain tolls therein specified, for a term of 20 years, on all saleable articles going in or coming out of the towns of Trim, Athboy, Scryn, and Navan, to be collected by collectors appointed by De Mortimer, by letters patent under the seal of the libery, for the purpose of walling, repairing, and amending the pavement, and improving the town of Trim. (MCI)
This murage became vested. The provost was called to account for murage in 1453. (see MI351)
Even if Trim was a central point for Meath how did the users, traders and leaders of the markets in nearby towns feel about additional taxes not for their own town improvements?
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 27/03/2009. Last updated on 04/06/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
