The Gatehouse website record of a grant of exemption for murage for

merchants of Almain was granted an exemption from murage dated 7/12/1317.

Wording

Whereas King Henry III by letters patent granted to the merchants of the realm of Almain, who have a house in the city of London commonly called the Guildhall of the Teutons, that he would maintain all and each of them throughout his realm in all the same liberties and free customs, which they had enjoyed in his time and in that of his progenitors; and whereas King Edward I repeated the same grant by his letters patent; and whereas the king afterwards, for that the letters of Edward I made no mention of 'heirs' _(heredibus),_ whereby the king was not bound to observe them, of his special grace granted for himself and his heirs to the said merchants that they and their successors holding the said house in the said city should be maintained in all the liberties and free customs which they had enjoyed in the times of the present king and in the time of his father and progenitors;
the king now, of further grace, and for a fine, has granted, for himself and his heirs, that the said merchants and their successors holding the said house within the king's realm and power shall have the following liberties, that is that they and their goods and merchandise shall not be arrested within the king's realm or power for any debt whereof they are not sureties or principal debtors nor for any trespass committed by others, and that the king and his heirs will not place any new undue custom on their goods and merchandise, saving to the king and his heirs their old prises; and that the said merchants and their successors shall be quit throughout the realm touching their goods and merchandise of pontage, pavage and murage, provided that they do not avow in any way to be of their gild any one who is not of their said gild hall or his goods and merchandise.
By K. on the information of J. bishop of Ely the treasurer and W. de Monte Acuto, steward of the King's household, and by a fine of 1000l.
----
March 30. 1324. Westminster. 17 Edward II
Grant for life to Conrad de Brok, merchant of Almain, of the liberty of trading as a king's merchant specially attendant upon the king's affairs, and as a denizen of the realm, and that he be quit of toll, pontage, passage, payage, picage, pavage, quayage, murage and stallage, and that his merchandise be not arrested for the trespasses of others or for debts whereof he is not the principal debtor or surety. By K.
----
June 17. 1324. Tower of London. 17 Edward II
Grant during pleasure to Hildebrand Suderman, merchant of Almain, of the following liberties, viz. that he may trade in the realm as a king's merchant specially attending to the king's affairs, and as a denizen of the realm ; that he be quit of toll, pontage, passage, payage, picage, pavage, quayage, murage and stallage ; and that his goods be exempt from arrest for the trespasses of others, or for any debts whereof he is not principal debtor or surety. By p.s.
The like for Ludekin le Long, merchant of Almain.
----
July 1. 1325. Westminster. 18 Edward II
Grant for life to Hildebrand Suderman, merchant of Almain, that he be as one of the king's merchants specially attendant upon his affairs and a denizen of the realm, and in his merchandise be quit of toll, pontage, &c. and that his goods be not arrested for the trespass of others or for any debts whereof he is not a principal debtor or surety. By K.
The like to Ludekin le Longe, merchant of Almain. By K.
----
Dec. 2. 1325. Westminster. 19 Edward II
Grant to John Suderman and Ertmar Long, merchants of Almain, for their lives, of the following liberties, to wit, that in all places of the king's realm and power they shall trade as the king's merchants specially attendant upon his affairs, and as denizens of the realm, and shall be quit of toll, pontage, passage, payage, picage, pavage, quayage, murage and stallage on their merchandise, and that such merchandise shall not be arrested for the trespasses of others, or for debts whereof they are not principal debtors or sureties. By K.
----
Dec. 17. 1329. Dunstable. 3 Edward III
Confirmation of letters patent, dated 1 July, 18 Edward II, granting to Hildebrand Suderman, merchant of Almain, for life, the right to follow his trade within the realm and power of the king like an indigenous merchant, exempt from toll, pontage, passage, paiage, picage, pavage, quayage, murage and stallage, and that his merchandise shall not be arrested for the trespasses of others or for debts whereof he is not the principal debtor or surety.
----
Dec. 27 1335. Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 9 Edward III
Grant to Hildebrand Suderman, merchant of Almain, reciting the grant by letters patent of 1 July, 18 Edward II. that for his life he should have these liberties, to wit, that lie might trade as a native merchant Within the realm and that his goods should be quit of toll, pontage, passage, paage, piccage, pavage, quayage murage, and stallage, and should not be liable to arrest for debts whereof he was not the principal debtor or surety, and the subsequent confirmation of these liberties by letters patent of the present king, reciting also that ho has made supplication to the king showing that, by virtue of the said letters patent and by reason of the long stay he has made in the city of London, there acquiring in fee a domicile, marrying a wife, and in scot and lot in all charges pertaining to the city or emergent therein being with the other citizens as a native and contributing with them by paying such customs as native merchants pay, he has hitherto been quit of the customs paid by merchant strangers, but now some collectors on the ground that in the said letters patent there is no express mention of the customs which he should pay compel him to the payment of those customs and grievously molest him herein to his great loss and contrary to the tenor of his letters patent, that in his trading within the realm he is to pay customs as if he were a native merchant and is to be quit of customs paid by merchant strangers.
By p.s.

Granted by Edward II. (Regnal year 11). Granted at Windsor. Grant by By K. and by a fine of £1000..

Primary Sources

Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1908, Calendar of Charter Rolls Edward I, Edward II 1300-1326 Vol. 3. (HMSO) p. 371 online
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1904, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward II (1321-24) Vol. 4 p. 402 view online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1904, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward II (1321-24) Vol. 4 p. 434 view online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1904, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward II (1324-27) Vol. 5 p. 128 view online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1904, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward II (1324-27) Vol. 5 p. 194 view online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1891, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1327-30) Vol. 1 p. 448 view online copy
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1895, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1334-38) Vol. 3 p. 192 view online copy

Comments

Despite an enormous initial fine some merchants of Almain still felt a need to repeatedly get further grants. As large scale traders they must surely have been pressed for murage (and other improvement taxes) and, as foreigners, the suggestion of royal support that patent letters with royal seals gave must have been both a protection from xenophobia and a symbol of the trustworthiness so vital for trade.

	Murage Home

	Grants
	Exemptions
	Petitions
	Other