Northampton (Norhamtonie) was given a grant of murage dated 24/12/1224.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
De auxilio ad villam Norhamtonie firmandam. Rex vicecomiti Norhamtonie et omnibus de eodem comitatu, salutem. Sciatis quod concessinius burgensibus nostris Norhamtonie, in auxilium ville Norhamtonie claudende, ad securitatem et tuitionem ejusdem ville simul et partium adjacentium, quod capiant singulis septimanis semel usque in tres annos a die Natalis Domini, anno regni nostri nono,
de qualibet carretta sive carro ejusdem cornitatus Norhamtonie, ferente res venales in eandem villam Norhamtonie ibidem vendendas, unum obolum;
et de qualibet carretta sive carro alterius comitatus ferente res venales in eandem villam ibidem vendendas, j denarium:
et de quolibet summagio rerum venalium ibidem vendendarum preterquam de summagiis busche, j quadrantem;
et de quolibet equo et equa et bove et vacca venali illuc ductis ad vendendum, j obolum;
et de x ovibus vel capris vel porcis venalibus illuc ductis ad vendendum, j denarium;
et de v ovibus vel capris vel porcis, unum obolum.
Ita tamen quod occasione illius concessionis nostre de hujusmodi carettis, carris, summagiis, equis, equabus, bobus, vaccis, ovibus, capris vel porcis nichil capiatur post prediction terminum completum; et statim conipleto termino illo, cadat consuetudo ilia et penitus aboleatur. Et ideo tibi vicecomiti precipimus quod hanc concessionem nostram clamari facias per totam bailliam tuam et firmiter observari usque ad terminum predictium, sicut predictium est.
Teste me ipso, apud Brackele, xxiiij die Decembris, anno eodem coram justiciario.
Granted by Henry III. (Regnal year 9). Granted at Brackley.
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1901,
Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry III (1216-25) Vol. 1 p. 499
online copy
Secondary Sources
Coulson, Charles, 2009,
Murage Grants (Handwritten list and notes)
Turner, H.L., 1971,
Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 33n27, 120
Page, Wm (ed), 1930,
VCH Northampton Vol. 3 p. 1-32
online copyBallard, A. and Tait, J. (eds), 1923,
British borough charters, 1216-1307 p. 348
online copy
Comments
murage could be levied once a week (Turner)
Presumably on market day.
NORTHAMPTON 4753 2605. Borough 1066 (BF, p. 141). Mint 970-1154. 1334 Subsidy £270. A royal and ecclesiastical centre of some importance from the eighth century. A Danish military centre and probably fortified from the late ninth or early tenth century. Subsequently a shire town. Described as a port in 1010 (J.H. Williams,
St Peter’s Street Northampton: excavations 1973-76 (Northampton, 1979), pp. 4-5). The ch of All Saints, just outside the early enclosure, was the focus of commercial activity from the twelfth century onwards. Market town c.1600 (Everitt, p. 475). Fair 1587, Lady day in Lent (25 Mar) (Harrison, pp. 393, 395). See also
VCH Northamptonshire iii, pp. 23-4. (Letters, S., 2003,
Gazetter of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516 (Centre for Metropolitan History)
online copy)
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 04/01/2009. Last updated on 04/06/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
