The Gatehouse website record of a grant of murage for Norwich granted 8/5/1410

Norwich was given a grant of murage dated 8/5/1410.

This was in the form of:-

Grant of money:- for 7 years of ulnage Starting 8/5/1410 running to 7/5/1417.

This is a grant which may have been used for walls but could have been used for other civic improvements.

Wording

Whereas before this time cloths of 'worstedes' were well made in the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk and used to have their due measures and assizes, viz. cloths of 'worstedes' called 'boltes' or 'thretty elnes' of two assizes, one 30 ells in length and 2 quarters of an ell in breadth called 'thretty elnes streytes' and the other 30 ells in length and 3 quarters in breadth called 'thretty elries brodes,' and 'worstedes' called 'mantiles,' 'sengles,' 'demy doubles' and 'doubles,' both 'motles,' 'pavles,' 'chekerees,' 'raves,' 'flores,' 'pleynes,' 'monkes clothes' and other mantles, in length 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 ells and in breadth an ell and a quarter, cloths of 'worstedes' called 'chanonesclothes,' viz. 'senglys,' 'demydoubles' and 'doubles,' 5 ells in length and an ell and 3 quarters in breadth, and other cloths of 'worstedes' called 'worstede beddes,' 'doubles' and 'sengles,' of three assizes, one 14 ells in length and 4 ells in breadth called 'an hole worstede bedde of the most assise,' another 12 ells in length and 3 ells in breadth called 'an hole worstede bedde of the medyl assise' and the third 101/2 ells in length and 21/2 ells in breadth called 'an hole worstede bedde of the lest assise'; and these cloths are now fraudulently made by certain workmen to the scandal of the merchants of the city and the surrounding country and the loss of the lords, gentry and others who used to buy them and the merchants who used to cross with them to Flanders, Seland and divers other places beyond the seas; the king, because the workers of these cloths used to go to a place called 'le worstede selde' within the city to sell them, with the assent of the lords spiritual and temporal and at the request of the commons of the realm, grants to the mayor, sheriffs and commonalty of the city for seven years after the next half year that the mayor shall have full power of search and ulnage of all such cloths in the city and county before they are exposed for sale and all which are sufficiently made and have the said measures shall be sealed with his seal and all cloths or 'worstedes' sold or exposed for sale before sealing shall be forfeited to the king and the mayor shall have a moiety of the forfeitures and shall answer to the king for the value of the other moiety at the Exchequer, and also grants to them 1/4d. from each piece of cloth called 'boltes' and 1/2d. from each piece of other cloths of 'worstedes,' to have with the said moiety for the maintenance and repair of the walls of the city and the emendation of a water there called Wensom, which is almost destroyed. {cf. Rolls of Parliament, III, 637.} By pet. of commons in Parl.
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VIII. \Mayor et communialltee de Norwicez./
48. Item priount les communes pur les mair, viscountz, et communalte de la citee de Norwicz, qe come devaunt ces heurs les draps de worstedes, qe soloient en la dit citee, sibien come en le countee de Norff', estre bien et covenablement faitz, et soloient tener lour duez mesures et assises en toutz pointz: c'estassavoir, les draps de worstedes appellez boltes, autrement appellez Thretty Elnys, de deux assises; c'est assavoir, l'un assise doit contenir .xxx. alnes en longure, et .ij. quarters d'un alne en laeure, les queles sount appellez Thretty Elnys streites; et l'autre assise doit contenir .xxx. alnes en longure, et .iij. quarters d'un alne en laeure, les queles sont apellez Thretty Elnys brodes; et les worstedes appellez mantelles sengles, demy doubles, et doubles, sibien les motles, paules, chekeres, raies, flores, pleynes, monkesclothes, et autres queconqes mantelles, doient tenir en longure .vi. alnes, ou .vij. alnes, ou .viij. alnes, ou .ix. alnes, ou .x. alnes plenerement, et en laeure un alne et .i. quarter d'alne; et les worstedes appellez chanonclothes, c'estassaver, sengles, demy doubles, et doubles, doient tenir .v. alnes en longure, et un alne et .iij. quarters d'un alne en laeure; et les worstedes appellez worsted beddes, doubles, et sengles, de trois assises, d'ont un assise doit contenir en longure .xiiij. alnes, et en laeure .iiij. alnes, les queles sount appellez an holeworstedbed of tho most assise; un autre assise doit tenir .xij. alnes en longure, et en laeure .iij. alnes, les quelles sount appellez an holworstedbed of the mydle assise; et le tierce assise doit tenir .x. alnes et dimy en longure, et en laeure .ij. alnes et dimy, les quelles sount appellez an holworstedbed of le lest assise. Les quelles worstedes avaunt nommez sount ore de novelle si disseyvablement faitz par les overours d'icelle, sibien en fesure come en mesure suisditz, en graund esclaundre et arerisment sibien de les loialx merchauntz de la dit citee et de la paiis envyroun, come a grand damage des seignurs, gentielx, et autres gentz queconqes de la roiaulme, qe soloient achatier worstedes pur lour oeps, et en overt destruccioun des merchantz qe passent ovec les worstedes suisditz devers Flaundres, Selond, et autres diverses lieux pardela. Si qe les merchauntz aliens sount en purpos defaire serchier et alner toutz les worstedes venantz depar dela, et celles qe sount trovez defectyfs deforfaire; et outrement ordeigner horribles et esclaundreus peyns as vendours des ditz worstedes, qe serroit graund esclaundre et reprof a la roiaume, sibien come a la dite citee et a la countee de Norff', et final destruccioun des merchauntz, come a la dite citee, qe ne usent autres merchandise en substance, forsqe soulement les ditz worstedes, si ent ne soit competent remede purveu.
Que please a nostre dit seignur le roy considerer, coment les overours des ditz worstedes ount repairez, et repairont continuelment, a la dite citee, et communement a un lieu appelle le worstede selde deins la dite citee, d'auncien temps ordeigne et use pur les ditz draps de worstede illoeqes vendre, et delors sont outrez et venduz sibien par les ditz merchauntz de la dite citee, come par autres gentz en diverses lieux sibien deins la roiaume come dehors. Et par l'assent de seignurs de cest parlement grauntier as mair et viscountz, et le communaltee du dite citee, et a lour successours as toutz jours, qe le mair du dit citee qe soit pur le temps, et ses deputees, eient plein poair de serchier et alner toutz maners worstedes avauntditz, et autres queconqes, en la dite citee de Norwycz, et en la countee de Norff', sibien deinz fraunchise come dehors, avaunt q'ils serrount mys a vendre, et ceux quelles serrount trovez sufficeauntment faitz, et teignont lours mesures avaunt ditz, q'ils serront enseales par le dit mair ou ses deputees ovec un seal a icelle par le dit mair a ordiner; et qe toutz les suisditz draps de worstede qe soient mys a vendre, ou venduz, devaunt q'ils soient enseales dessouthe le seal suisdit, soient a nostre dit seignur le roy forfaitz; et qe les ditz mair et ses successours eient la moite des ditz forfaitures, de done et graunt nostre dit seignur le roy: et qe le dit mair respoundra a mesme nostre seignur le roy del value del autre moite d'icelles draps de worstede issint forfaitz, par accompt ent affaire chescun an en l'escheqer nostre seignur le roy, par soun attourne, affaire southe le commune seal du dite citee, mesme le jour qe les viscountz de mesme la citee en averont d'an en an en le dit escheqer; et auxint grauntier as mair, viscountz, et communalte de citee avaunt dit, et a lour successours, pur le serchie et alnage de chescun pece de worstede appelle boltes, et altrement appelle Thretty Elnys, streites, ou brodes, un quart; et de chescun pece de toutz maners des autres draps de worstede desuis nommez, un obole; a avoir et prendre les ditz obole et quart, ensemblement ove le dit moite, as ditz mair, viscountz, et communalte, et a lour successours a toutz jours, de done nostre dit seignur le roy, en sustenance et reparacioun des mures du dite citee, et amendement del haute ryver illoeqes appelle Wensom', q'est en poynt d'estre destruitz, en final anientisement del citee avauntdit; pur Dieu, et en oevere du charitee.
Responsio.
Le roy \le voet/ , adurer pur les .vii. ans proscheins ensuantz le demy an apres la proclamacioun de cest ordinance.

VIII. \{Petition from the mayor and community of Norwich concerning cloth}./
48. Also, the request of the commons on behalf of the mayor, sheriffs and community of the city of Norwich: whereas previously worsted cloths used to be well and properly made in the said city, as in the county of Norfolk, and used to keep their proper measures and sizes in all points: - that is, worsted cloths called bolts, otherwise called Thretty Elnys, of two sizes (that is, one size should be thirty ells long and half an ell wide, and they are called narrow Thretty Elnys, and the other size should be thirty ells long and three quarters of an ell wide, and they are called broad Thretty Elnys); and the worsteds called single, half double and double mantels, as well as motley, striped, checked, hooped, flowered, plain, monkscloth and other mantels of any kind, should be six ells long, or seven ells, eight ells, nine ells, or ten ells maximum, and in breadth one and a quarter ells; and the worsteds called canoncloths, that is, singles, half-doubles and doubles, should be five ells long and one and three quarter ells broad; and the worsteds called worsted beds, double and singles of three sizes, of which one size should be fourteen ells long and four ells wide, and they are called a whole worsted bed of the largest size; another size should be twelve ells long and three ells wide, and they are called a whole worsted bed of the middle size; and the third size should be ten and a half ells long and two and a half ells wide, and they are called a whole worsted bed of the smallest size - these worsteds named above have recently been very deceitfully made by the workers in that trade, both in their quality and in their aforesaid size, to the great disgrace and detriment both of the loyal merchants of the said city and of the countryside around, and to the great injury of the lords, gentlemen and all other people of the realm who used to buy worsteds for their use; and to the manifest ruin of the merchants who cross with the aforesaid worsteds to Flanders, Zeeland, and various other places overseas. With the result that the alien merchants intend to have all the worsteds which are taken overseas examined and measured, and those which are defective forfeited, or alternatively to ordain dreadful and shameful penalties for the sellers of the said worsteds, which would be a great disgrace and reproach to the realm, as well as to the said city and to the county of Norfolk, and would result in the total destruction of the merchants and of the said city, who do not produce any other merchandise in quantity, but only the said worsteds, if a suitable remedy is not provided for this.
May it please our said lord the king to bear in mind that the makers of the said worsteds have repaired, and still repair, to the said city, usually to a place called the worsted stall in the said city, which has been ordained and used from ancient times to sell the said worsted cloths there, whereupon they are taken away and sold either by the said merchants of the said city or by other people in various places both within the realm and outside it. And, by the assent of the lords of this present parliament, to grant to the mayor and sheriffs and to the community of the said city, and to their successors forever, that the mayor of the said city at the time and his deputies should have full power to examine and measure all the aforesaid worsteds of any kind, and all others, in the said city of Norwich, and in the county of Norfolk, whether within a franchise or outside, before they are put up for sale; and those which are found to be adequately made, and keep to the aforesaid measurements, should be sealed by the said mayor or his deputies with a seal to be provided for this by the said mayor; but that any of the aforesaid worsted cloths which are put up for sale, or sold, before they are sealed under the aforesaid seal, should be forfeited to our said lord the king; and that the said mayor and his successors should have half the said forfeitures as a gift and grant from our said lord the king; and that the said mayor will answer to our same lord the king for the value of the other half of those worsted cloths thus forfeited, through an account to be presented on this each year in our lord the king's exchequer, through his attorney, to be sealed under the common seal of the said city, on the same day that the sheriffs of the same city take it each year to the said exchequer; and also to grant to the mayor, sheriffs and community of the aforesaid city, and to their successors, in return for examining and measuring each piece of the worsteds called bolts, and otherwise called Thretty Elnys, narrow or broad, a farthing; and for each piece of all other kinds of worsted cloths mentioned above, a halfpenny; the said farthing and halfpenny, together with the said half, to be had and taken by the said mayor, sheriffs and community, and by their successors forever, as a gift of our said lord the king, for the upkeep and repair of the walls of the said city and the repair of the high river there called the Wensum, which is on the point of destruction, to the complete ruin of the aforesaid city; for God, and by way of charity.
Answer.
The king wills it, to last for the next seven years, starting half a year after the proclamation of this ordinance.

Granted by Henry IV. (Regnal year 11). Granted at Westminster. Granted by pet. of commons in Parl..

Details of the petition which resulted in this grant can be seen at this link.

Primary Sources

Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1909, Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry IV (1408-13) Vol. 4 p. 194-5 online copy
Given-Wilson, C. (ed), 2005, 'Henry IV, 1410 January Text/Translation', in The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England ed. C. Given-Wilson et al., item 48. Internet version, accessed on 23/04/2009. (Scholarly Digital Editions, Leicester)

Secondary Sources

Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 137

Comments

in 1410 they were granted the proceedings of the ulnage for seven years for the same purpose. (Turner who references Rot. Parl. not CPR)

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