burgesses of Ipswich was granted an exemption from murage dated 30/5/1317.
Wording
Inspeximus and confirmation of a charter dated at Berwick upon Tweed, 28 June, 19 Edward I {Calendar, Vol. II, p. 402, No. 30}, inspecting and confirming with additions the following charters in favour of the burgesses of Ipswich :
1. A charter, dated at Roche d'Orival, 25 May, 1 John. {Rotuli Chartarum, p. 65.}
2. A charter, dated at Westminster 15 April, 40 Henry III. {Calendar, Vol. II, p. 402, No. 80.}
with further grant that the said burgesses shall not be impeded in their enjoyment of the aforesaid liberties by reason of any non-user in the past; and that they shall have the following liberties.
Whereas in the said charter of King John it is contained that none of the said burgesses shall plead without the borough of Ipswich any plea except pleas of foreign tenures saving the ministers of the said king, and that right shall be done them of their tenures and lands within the borough according to the custom of the borough of Ipswich and the free boroughs of the said king, for the fuller declaration hereof the king grants that none of them shall plead or be impleaded without the said borough of any pleas, assizes or plaints, nor of lands and tenures within the said borough or its suburb, nor of any trespasses committed or contracts made within the liberty of the said town, and that as often as assizes, juries or inquisitions shall be taken touching internal _(intrinsecis)_ holdings or trespasses, contracts or felonies committed within the said town or liberty, the said assizes, juries or inquisitions shall nowise be made by foreigners but by burgesses of the said town, unless the matter or deed touch the king or the community of the town.
Again, whereas in the same charter it is contained that the burgesses of the said borough by common counsel of the township shall choose two of the lawful and discreet men of the town and present them to the chief justice of the king at the Exchequer, which two men are to keep the office of reeve _(preposituram)_ of the said town, by virtue whereof the said burgesses are bound to present two men so chosen by themselves at the king's Exchequer, the king now grants that they shall be discharged of the making of such presentation and not be bound thereto.
And whereas in the said charter it is contained that in the said borough by the common council of the burgesses there shall be chosen four of the lawful and discreet men of the borough to keep the pleas of the crown and other things belonging to the crown in the said borough and to see that the reeves of the borough deal rightly and lawfully with both the poor and the rich, the king wills that henceforth the burgesses shall be bound to choose two such men only.
And whereas in the charter of King Henry III it is contained that the burgesses may choose from themselves coroners to make the attachments of the pleas of the crown arising within the said city and liberty, and that they shall answer before the king's justices in eyre in those parts of such attachments and of other things pertaining to the office of coroner as other coroners answer, and the said burgesses have in pursuance chosen four coroners, the king wills that henceforth they shall only elect two coroners of themselves in succession _(successive)_ as need shall be, and that those two shall be admitted to do all the aforesaid things.
And whereas the said burgesses have hitherto had the keeping of the prisoners indicted or arrested in the said borough and suburb and have answered for the escape of such prisoners, when it has occurred, the king wills that no one indicted in the said borough or in the liberty thereof or there taken or arrested there for any reason shall be imprisoned elsewhere than in the king's prison of the liberty of the borough, but such persons shall be kept there by the bailiffs of the city until they shall be thence delivered according to the law and custom of the realm, unless they be removed thence on reasonable cause by the king's special precept or by that of the keeper of the forest for the time being, if they are charged with any trespass of the forest.
And the said burgesses shall be quit of murage, pavage, picage, anchorage, strandage and _'seyeagio'_ of all their goods and merchandise through all the king's realm and power and through all sea ports.
And none shall go to meet merchants or others coming to the same town with goods and merchandise by land or sea to give earnest _(arrandum)_ or buy, until the said goods and merchandise shall have been brought to a place within the town appointed for their sale, there to be exposed for sale; nor shall any forestalling of such goods be made under heavy penalty to the king. By fine of 40l.
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8 May. 1332. Woodstock. 6 Edward III.
Writ to the Mayor that he permit burgesses of Ipswich to be quit of murage according to the terms of the charter granted to them by King Edward II. (fn. 16) Witness the King at Wodestoke, 8 May, 6 Edward III. {A.D. 1332}.
Allocacio facta Burg' Gippewyci de muragio.
The above writ and charter having been read in the Husting for Pleas of Land held on Monday after the Feast of St. John ante portam Latinam {6 May}, the year aforesaid, it was granted that the said burgesses should thenceforth be quit of murage in the City.
Granted by Edward II. (Regnal year 10). Granted at Westminster. Grant by By fine of £40.
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1908,
Calendar of Charter Rolls Edward I, Edward II 1300-1326 Vol. 3. (HMSO) p. 344-5
onlineSharpe, R.R. (ed), 1903,
Calendar of letter-books of the city of London E: 1314-1337 - Folio ccxxxv b.
online
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 27/01/2009. Last updated on 19/01/2013. First published online 6/01/2013.