Winchester was given a grant of murage dated 12/2/1440.
This was in the form of:-
Wording
Licence for the mayor and citizens of Winchester to acquire in mortmain hinds and rents, not held in chief, to the value of 40l. a year, they having shewn that the said city, which in ancient times was chosen out for the coronations and burials of kings, through pestilence and loss of trade, has had eleven streets, seventeen parish churches and nine hundred and eighty seven messuages in ruins during the last fifty years, and is so impoverished as to be unable to support the payment, of its fee farm of 100 marks, the 60s. due to the hospital of St. Mary Magdalene by the said city, by grant of the king's progenitors, divers rents payable to the king by the sheriff of the county of Southampton, the 51l. 10s. 4d., due to the king for each tenth to him, and the repair of its walls and gates. By p.s.
Granted by Henry VI. (Regnal year 18). Granted at Reading Abbey. Granted by p.s..
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1907,
Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry VI (1436-41) Vol. 3 p. 400
online copy
Secondary Sources
Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 43, 183
Comments
Given the considerable back taxes owed the licence to obtain some investment property (the payback time of which would be fairly long) could hardly have provided much towards the maintenance of the walls and the mention of these in the original petition may well be for effect, although such mention does show the symbolic importance placed on town walls by both town and king.
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 29/01/2009. Last updated on 03/05/2012. First published online 5/01/2013.
