Rye was given a grant of murage dated 28/3/1382.
This was in the form of:-
Grant of money:- all profits of balliwick for 3 years and profits less £20 for 10 years more. Starting 28/3/1382 running to 27/3/1385.
Wording
{From Holloway}
A Charter for building the Walles of Rye.
Ricardus, Dei gratia, Rex Angliae et Franciae, et Dominus Hiberniae; omnibus ad quos presentes haec pervenirint salutem: Sciatis quod nos pro eo quod dilecti Barones nostri, maior, et communitas villae de la Rye manuceperunt coram nobis in Cancellaria nostra villam praedictam muro de petrâ et calce infra triennium a datâ presentium in locis necessariis sufficienter claudere et firmare sub poena centum librarum quas concessimus de terris et catallis suis ad opus nostrum levari si ipsos villam praedictam in formâ praedictâ cessanti impedimento rationabili claudere non contingat advertentes clausuram et fortificationem villae praedictae super litus maris in fronterâ inimicorum nostrorum situatae fore securitatem maximam quae in partibus illis propter defensionem et salvationem regni nostri fieri potuerint aut commode ordinari. Et volentes eo praetextu clausurae et fortificationis praedictis manus apponere adjutrices de avisamento consilii nostri commissimus et concessimus eisdem maiori et communitati dictam ballivam et custodiam ejusdem cum pertinentibus excepta quadam custurna in eadem villa vocata shares tenendam a Festo Paschae proximo futuro usque ad finem tresdecim annorum tune persequentium plenarie completorum absque aliquo inde nobis aut heredibus nostris pro tribus primis annis dictorum tresdecim annorum reddendo vel eolvendo et reddendo nobis et heredibus nostris pro quolibet residuorum decem annorum decem et octo libras sicut prius reddere consuevit et quadraginta solidos de incremento ad scac- carium nostrum ad terminos sancti Michaelis et Paschse per sequales portiones. Et supportando omnia onera eidem ballivae incumbentia quamdiu custodiam habuerint supradictam. Literis nostris patentibus Edwardo de Tettesworth servienti nostro ad arma de dicta balliva sive custodia ejusdem ad vitam suam pro decem et octo libris nobis annuatim reddendis nuper factis quas tenore praesentium revocamus non obstitantibus. In cujus rei testimonio has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste me ipso apud Westmonasterium vicesimo octo die Marcii, anno regni nostri quinto.
P. consilium. "Scarle."
Translation.
Richard, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Know ye that we, by reason that our well-beloved Barons, the mayor and commonalty of the town of Rye, have undertaken, before us, in our court of Chancery, sufficiently to inclose and strengthen our said town with a wall of stone and lime, in all necessary places, within three years from the date of these presents, under a penalty of one hundred pounds, which they have consented to have levied upon their lands and chattels to our use, if they shall not inclose the said town, in manner aforesaid, without reasonable impediment. Considering the inclosure and fortification of the town aforesaid, situate on the seashore, in front of our enemies, to be the greatest security which in these parts could be made for the defence and safety of our kingdom or for the public benefit; and being willing, for this purpose, to appoint judges of the said inclosure and fortification with the advice of our council, we have committed and granted unto the said mayor and commonalty, the said bailiwick and custody thereof, with the appurtenances (excepting certain customs in the said town, called shares) to hold from the Feast of Easter then next ensuing, unto the end of thirteen years then next ensuing, to be fully complete, without anything being rendered or paid to us or our heirs for the first three years of the said thirteen years; but rendering to us and to our heirs, for each of the remaining ten years, the sum of eighteen pounds, as was formerly accustomed to be rendered, and forty shillings by way of increase, at our Exchequer, at the terms of Michaelmas and Easter, in equal portions; and supporting all burdens incumbent on the said bailiwick, so long as they shall have the custody above mentioned; notwithstanding our letters patent lately granted to Edward de Tettesworth, our sergeant-at-arms of the said bailiwick, or the custody thereof, for his life, for eighteen pounds, to be annually rendered to us, which, by the tenor of these presents, we revoke. In testimony whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness ourself, at Westminster, the 28th day of March, in the fifth year of our reign.
By the council. Scarle.
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March 18. 1382
In consideration that the barons, mayor and commonalty of Rye have bound themselves in £100 to inclose and strengthen the town with a wall of stone and lime within 3 years, they are granted the bailiwick and custody of the town excepting the custom called Shares, for 13 years, rendering nothing for the first 3 years, and thereafter £18 as formerly rendered and 40s. increase; notwithstanding the grant of the bailiwick to Edward of Tettesworth, sergeant-at-arms, for life for £18 per annum, hereby revoked.
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April 22. 1382. Westminster
The mayor and commonalty of la Rye to the king. Recognisance for 100l., to be levied etc. in Sussex.
Memorandum of defeasance, upon condition that within three years, failing reasonable hindrance, the mayor and commonalty shall enclose the town where needful with a wall of stone and lime.
Note that this recognisance was taken by Edward Dalyngrigge knight by a dedimus potestatem.
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Petitioners: Esmond (Edmund) de Tettesworth (Tetsworth).
Name(s): de Tettesworth (Tetsworth), Esmond (Edmund)
Addressees: King and council.
Nature of request: Tettesworth recounts that the King granted him for life the bailiwick of the town of Rye for £17 yearly, and granted Restwold a patent of the farm of the bailiwick for 8 years, for which term the petitioner agreed to pay Restwold £4 yearly, whereon he made a statute of the staple of £60 to Restwold. Afterwards, at the petition of the good men of Rye in aid of the murage and enclosing of the town, the lords of the council took the town out of the petitioner's hand, promising he would owe nothing to Restwold, and yet Restwold has sued writs in the Chancery on the statute. The petitioner requests that he be granted a writ of supersedeas of the said writs until the day of their return, and if the council then judges that the amount of the statute, or any part of it, is due, the petitioner will pay it.
Nature of endorsement: {On face} This bill was granted by the council.
Places mentioned: Rye, {Sussex}.
People mentioned: Thomas Restwold; Richard de Scrop (Scrope), chancellor; Hugh de Segrave, treasurer.
Date derivation: Dated on the guard to c. 1382 since Tettesworth was appointed for life to the bailiwick of Rye in 1381 (CPR 1381-5, p. 16) and the letters patent granting him the same bailiwick were revoked in 1382 (CFR 1377-83, p. 290).
Granted by Richard II. (Regnal year 5). Granted at Westminster. Granted by C..
Details of the petition which resulted in this grant can be seen
at this link. 
Primary Sources
Hist. Mss. Comm. 5th Rep. p. 497a
online copyNational Archive RYE/45/1 (held at East Sussex Record Office is the original patent letter)
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1920,
Calendar of Close Rolls, Richard II Vol. 2 p. 123
online copyNational Archive SC 8/215/10748 (the petition)
online reference
Secondary Sources
Turner, H.L., 1971,
Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 162
Holloway, Wm, 1847,
The History and Antiquities of the Ancient Town and Port of Rye, in the County of Sussex: With Incidental Notices of the Cinque Ports p. 274-6
online copy (under the impression that it was granted by Richard I)
Comments
In 1382 the mayor and commonalty were were granted the profits of the bailiwick of Rye towards the fortification of the town, and it was laid down that the town was to be walled within three years, on pain of a fine of £100. Later, this fine had to be remitted, even though the wall had not been finished (Turner).
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 28/01/2009. Last updated on 09/05/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
