Cork (Corke) was given a grant of murage dated 12/8/1465.
This was in the form of:-
Surtax:- grant of custom and cocket
Tax Remission:- pardon of fee farm of 80 marks Starting 12/8/1465 running to 31/1/1524.
Wording
{2} 5 Edward IV {1465} {From memoranda roll 7 Edward IV m. 3 (RC 8/42 pp 21-5).} {Pardon of fee farm and grant of custom and cocket of the city of Cork to the mayor and commons there}
Recites letters patent which the king in his parliament held at Trim on the Monday nest after the feast of St Laurence the martyr in the fifth year of his reign {12 August 1465} before his beloved and faithful cousin Thomas Desmond, earl of Desmond, deputy of the well-beloved brother of the said lord the king, George, duke of Clarence, lieutenant of the said lord king of his land of Ireland, by authority of the said parliament accepted, ratified, adjudged and confirmed, the tenor of which act follows in these words:
Also, at the prayer of the mayor and commons of the city Cork that, by authority of the said parliament, the letters patent, the tenor of which hereafter follows, {and every} matter and article contained in them, be accepted, approved, ratified and confirmed good and effectual in law in every point, notwithstanding any default in the said letters patent:
Edward, by the grace of God king of England {and} France and lord of Ireland, to all to whom the present letters may come, greeting. Know that we, understanding how the mayor and commons of our city of Cork in our land of Ireland have had eleven parochial churches belonging to our city of the space and length of one mile on either part of the said city for which the said mayor {and commons} yearly paid eighty marks of fee farm to our crown of England as long as the said suburbs were preserved undestroyed, but now, as we are informed, the churches and suburbs by reason of war stirred up by the Irish enemies and English rebels are altogether laid waste, thrown down and destroyed and {have remained} so for the term of fifty years, by reason whereof the said mayor and commonalty at no time within that term have ever {been able to pay} the said fee farm or any parcel thereof but {were acquitted} of the said fee farm by our most beloved lord and father when he was last in those parts {…}. We therefore, having consideration and respect both to the premisses and the insufficiency {and} poverty which our aforesaid city in these days sustained by reasons of the said enemies {and rebels as} we have understood, and to the fidelity of hearts towards our aforesaid {father and to ourselves born and} to be born by them, of our special grace have pardoned the aforesaid mayor and commons the said fee farm in future {and} also have given and granted to the said mayor and commons the cocket of the aforesaid city for {the security and} safe {keeping} of the same and for the assistance, succour and relief of the said mayor and commons, to have, occupy and enjoy the said cocket until thay are enabled to go outside the walls of the said city for one mile {…}. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters patent to be made. {Witness {myself} at Bustella the first day of December in the second year of out reign {1462}.
And further it is ordained by the said authority that the mayor and commons that now are and for the time to come shall be, may recieve the cocket of the said city {and the} custom of the same for repairing the walls of the said city until the said mayor {and commons} or any of them may peaceably from day to day go and do their business duly in any road outside the walls of the said city without the protection of any person or persons; and that by the said authority it is ordained and established that the myor and commons shall be entirely discharged of any account to be returned into the exchequer of our sovereign lord the king in Ireland for the receipt of the said custom and cocket or for any issues or profits pertaining to the same during the time aforesaid, {and} shall not be molested, vexed or grieved; provided that they shall not have custom of any man inhabiting in any city ot town outside the franchise of the said city of Cork.
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Jan. 31. 1524. 15 Henry VIII
"Remembrances for Ireland."
5. That the King's ancestors granted to the cities of Waterford, Cork, and Limerick, and the towns of Youghal, Kinsale, and Galway, their fee farms and customs for murage and pavage. As the walls are now well built and repaired, be it enacted that such grants be resumed.
Granted by Edward IV. (Regnal year 5). Granted at Trim.
Primary Sources
Connolly, Philomena (ed), 2002,
Statue Rolls of the Parliament of Ireland Vol. 5 p. 310-12
Brewer, J.S. (ed), 1875, 'Henry VIII: January 1524, 16-31',
Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII Vol. 4: 1524-1530 p. 15-34. No. 80.
online copy
Secondary Sources
Thomas, A., 1992, The Walled Towns of Ireland Vol. 2 (Irish Academic Press) p. 60-67
Comments
the partial granting of cocket and remission of the fee-farm in 1423 (O'Sullivan, 51), for an indefinite period 'for the construction of the walls', which was followed by a full grant in 1463. (Thomas)
Edward IV., dated 1st Dec., 1462. Confirmed all the former charters, and after reciting that the Mayor and Commonalty had eleven parish churches in the city belonging, together with suburbs, to the said City amlexed, of the space and length of one mile, "exutraque parte civitatis", for which they paid a rent of 80 marks annually to the Crown, so long as the suburbs remained undestroyed and reciting further that the suburbs were destroyed by Irish enemies and English rebels, had been so for fifty years then past, whereby the Mayor and Commonalty were unable to pay the rent remitted the arrear, and granted them the cocket of the City for the construction of the walls, to hold until they should be able to go peaceably one mile outside the same. (
http://www.cork.ie/citycouncil/charters/)
The City of Cork Act 1465, still retained on the Irish Statue Book, was a 'Pardon of fee farm and grant of custom and cocket of the City of Cork to the mayor and commons there' (
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2007/en/act/pub/0028/id1173712768.92.html).
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 16/02/2010. Last updated on 30/04/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
