Libourne was given a grant of murage dated 22/6/1341.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
22 June 1341. Tower of London . For the mayor, jurats and community of the town of Libourne.
Grant to the mayor, jurats and community of Libourne , their heirs and successors, for their fidelity to the crown and their magnificent defence against the king's enemies, of all stones and sand thrown out by ship or other vessels coming to the Dordogne and landing at the port of Libourne or elsewhere from Bourg to Libourne, and taking the same for the repair of the walls of the town in perpetuity.1 And for the ease of access to the walls for the defence of the town if the enemy are attacking, the king grants that no burgess of the town, nor anyone of whatsoever status or condition should build anything in the road ways or places adjoining the walls and towers of the town by which access to them is impeded, and all the roads and their environs are not to be obstructed by the depositing of excrement or other rubbish, and nothing is to be piled up, to ensure that all armed men, both mounted and on foot, can defend the town at the beginning of an attack without impediment. And the king further grants that all men who are not of the the king's obedience who bring salt or other merchandise by the river should be bound to land with their ships or vessels at Libourne and discharge their salt or merchandise within the walls of the town, on condition that if the men of the town cannot agree a reasonable price for the purchase of the things then they should be put back in the ships and allowed to go on their way. And because the king is given to understand that the burgesses of the town are put to great expenses around the construction of their walls, and wishes to gratefully repay them for this, he grants to the mayor, jurats and community that they are able to dig a ditch and fore-ditch (profossata) around the town2, holding the same to them and their successors for the fortification, enclosure and utility of the town together with all other liberties granted to them by the king forever.
By petition of C.
Granted by Edward III. (Regnal year 15). Granted at Tower of London. Granted by By petition of C..
Primary Sources
Gascon Roll for the 15th year of the reign of Edward III in England, and the 2nd of France C 61/53
online copy
Comments
1. This is presumably a reference to ballast being jettisoned from the ships as they are loaded with cargo.
2. The exact sense of what the king is granting here is not quite clear. It seems likely that there is a double ditched defence to be dug before the walls to improve the defences. (Gascon Rolls Project footnotes)
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 29/01/2013. Last updated on 29/01/2013. First published online 5/01/2013.
