Winchester was given a grant of murage dated 1/6/1369.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Grant, for five years from Michaelmas last, to the mayor and bailiffs of Winchester of the subsidy of cloths for sale lately granted to the king in return for the remission by him of the forfeiture of the alnage, in the county of Southampton, as John Mottesfunt, who took that subsidy by the king's commission, took it, with a moiety of the forfeitures due to the king from the said cloths according to the form of the statute, which moiety the king grants to them for the diligence and labour which they will do about the search of the said forfeitures; to be laid out, by the supervision and testimony of the prior of St. Swithun's, Winchester, the abbot of Hyde, Walter de Haywode and the sheriff of Southampton, on the repair and amendment of the city walls which are in ruins in some places and likely to fall in others.
By K.
Mandate to the said John Mottesfunt, late farmer of the subsidy, to deliver to the mayor and bailiffs all the king's seals for the collection of the subsidy in the county which were delivered to him out of the receipt of the Exchequer for the discharge of the office, and all moneys thereof received from Michaelmas, and such forfeitures; and to meddle no more in that office.
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June 2. 1369. Westminster
To the sheriff of Suthampton. Order on sight of these presents to cause proclamation to be made, that no foreigner or privy person shall under pain of forfeiture thereof expose any cloths for sale until the subsidy thereon be paid and the cloths sealed with the seal appointed for the purpose, that no drapers or clothmakers shall deliver any cloths out of their keeping, nor suffer the same to pass out of their hands until the subsidy be paid and the cloths sealed as aforesaid, and that all and singular the mayors and bailiffs, the king's ministers and others of that county within liberties and without shall under pain of forfeiture be herein obedient and intendant to the mayor and bailiffs of Winchester and to their deputies in all things to them pertaining, and himself to take by indenture of the said mayor and bailiffs or their deputies and of every one of them all cloths which they shall take as forfeit and deliver to him, handing again one moiety thereof to them, and making answer at the exchequer for the other moiety of such forfeitures; as lately in aid of enclosing the city of Winchester with walls, these being in part ruinous and in divers places threatening to fall it is said, the king by letters patent granted to the mayor and bailiffs and to the commonalty of the said city all the subsidy upon cloths for sale in that county within liberties and without to him lately granted for the remission by him made at the request of his people of the forfeiture of the alnage of cloth, to be taken and collected by those whom they should depute from Michaelmas last for five years according to the statute and as collected by John Mottesfunt who had the same by commission of the king, together with a moiety of all forfeitures to the king pertaining according to the statute, which the king {has given} them by the hands of the sheriff for their pains in searching for forfeitures, willing that the same shall be delivered by indenture to the sheriff, and that answer be by him made to the king for the other moiety, without rendering aught to the king for the subsidy or for the moiety of the forfeitures; and now on behalf of the said mayor and bailiffs the king is informed that great number of merchants and others have heretofore caused and do daily cause their cloths to be sealed with false seals and counterfeit and not with the seal appointed, to the king's great loss; and whereas in the grant of the said subsidy it is contained that all cloths exposed for sale before being sealed with the seal of the collection thereof shall be forfeit to the king, it is his will that all cloths sealed with the true seals of the collectors shall be held for cloths lawfully customed and sealed, and nought shall henceforward be demanded or paid upon them for such subsidy, and that all other sealed with false seals and counterfeit shall when exposed for sale be forfeited and by the collectors or by their deputies taken into the king's hand. By K.
{Fædera.}
Granted by Edward III. (Regnal year 43). Granted at Westminster.
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1913,
Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1367-70) Vol. 14 p. 250-1
online copyMaxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1911,
Calendar of Close Rolls Edward III Vol. 13 p. 87
online copy
Secondary Sources
Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 183
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 29/01/2009. Last updated on 03/05/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
