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

Southwold was granted an exemption from murage dated time out of mind.

Wording

----
Oct. 20. 1398. Westminster. 22 Richard II.
To all sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, ministers and lieges to whom etc. Order to suffer the men and tenants of Southwold, which is of the honour of Gloucester it is said, to be quit of payment of toll, pontage, passage, picage, pavage and murage, as they ought to be, and as they and other the men and tenants thereof used heretofore to be throughout the realm time out of mind.
Et erat patens.
----
Feb. 5. 1401. Westminster. 2 Henry IV
To all sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, ministers and lieges to whom etc. Order to suffer the men and tenants of Suthwolde, which is of the honour of Gloucestre it is said, to be quit of payment of toll, pontage, passage, picage, pavage and murage, as they ought to be, and they and other the men and tenants of that town used heretofore to be throughout the realm time out of mind.
----
June 24. 1410. Westminster. 10 Henry IV
Exemplification, at the request of the tenants of the town of Southewold, of the tenour of letters patent- dated 28 October, 17 Henry III, being an exemplification, at the request of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester and Hertford, and Hugh Creissi, lords of the towns of Southewold and Blitheburgh, co. Suffolk, of the tenours of the following letter's, writs, record and process:
Letters patent dated at Hertford, 21 April, 15 Henry III, ordering Herbert Dalyzoun, sheriff of Suffolk, in consideration of the finding of an inquisition (see below). to summon the mayor and burgesses of Dunwich to appear before the king in Chancery in the octaves of Holy Trinity next. On that day the parties came into Chancerv and a day was given them on the morrow of Midsummer, on which day the mayor and burgesses appearing by John Walton, their attorney, pleaded that they hold the town of Dunwich of the king at fee-farm of the grant of King John and on that account could not answer without the king, which was granted. A day was given the parties in Chancery in the octaves of Michaelmas next, and Henry Goday, attorney of the said Gilbert and Hugh, was told that in the mean time they should sue the king for licence to proceed in the plea. The parties came on that day and a day was given them before the king in the octaves of St. Hilary next.
Writ of privy seal (French) dated at Winchester, 8 January, 16 Henry III, to Richard, bishop of Chichester, the chancellor, directing that the plea shall proceed.
At the octaves of St. Hilary the parties came before the king at York by their attorneys, and Richard,bishop of Chichester the chancellor, delivered an inquisition taken by virtue of the king's commission as follows:-
Letters patent dated at Westminster, 24 January, 15 Henry III, directing Robert de Brewes and Nicholas de Haulee to survey the places and enquire into the matters mentioned below and certify thereon to the king in Chancery in the quinzaine of Easter next.
Inquisition taken before them accordingly at Westleton, co. Suffolk,on Thursday before the Annunciation, 15 Henry III, in the presence of the mayor, burgesses and others of the town of Dunwich and the attorneys of the said Gilbert and Hugh, by oath of Peter de Mellez, John de Bisclee, knights, Roger de Wymples Adam de Cove, Thomas Lenebaud, Alexander de Uggehale, Walter de Valencz, Theobald de Leyston, John Bomond, Richard de Sibbeton, John de Risyng and Elias de Middelton. The earl holds his town of Southewold as parcel of the earldom of Gloucester, and Hugh Cressi the elder holds his town of Blithburgh of the king in chief by the service of one knight's fee of the grant of Henry II to William de Norwico his ancestor, and they are merchant towns time out of mind. There is there a port, and has been time out of mind, dividing the town of Dunwich to the south and the town of Walbereswyk,which is a hamlet of the town of Blitheburgh, to the north, and it forks on the land of the town of Westleton to the west and from the entrance, of the port to the said fork and so to the town of Dunwich, it pertains to the town of Dunwich, by what warrant they know not. All merchant strangers and others wishing to put in with ships and boats and anchor in the port, viz. from the entrance to the said fork and so to the said town of Dunwich must pay 4d. to the fee-farm of the town of Dunwich for each anchor anchored in the port or anchored or fixed in the land of the town and 4d. to the said Hugh and his heirs for each anchor anchored or fixed on the north of the port or elsewhere on the land and soil of Walbereswyk, and need pay no other anchorage. From the fork of the port to the said town of Blitheburgh is and always has been time out of mind a general hithe of the said Hugh pertaining to his manor of Blitheburgh, and on it the burgesses and men of Dunwich should not make attachments or distraints from the said merchants or their goods or ships, because the hithe is within the town and soil of Blitheburgh and not within the port and liberty of the town of Dunwich. From the time of the Conquest all merchant strangers and others used to come to the said port and hithe and the said towns of Southewold and Blitheburgh and the said town of Dunwich with ships and boats and unload and sell divers merchandise or victuals and afterwards load them again and return, until the burgesses and men of Dunwich maliciously hindered them from coming to the said towns of Southewold and Blitheburgh; and the mayor and burgesses showed no evidences except the charter of King John granting certain liberties within the town, which does not give them power to do so.
On this a day was giyen them before the king in Chancery on the morrow of the Purification, and they came and a day was given them in the quinzaine of Master next.
Writ of privy seal (French) dated at St. Albans, 4 March, 16 Henry III, directing R. bishop of Chichester, the chancellor, to allow the plea to proceed to judgement.
Judgement for Gilbert and Hugh.
----
July 5. 1440. Westminster. 18 Henry VI.
To all sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, ministers and other the lieges to whom etc. Order to suffer the men and tenants of the town of Suthwolde co. Suffolk to be quit of toll, pontage, passage, picage, pavage and murage, as they ought to be, and as other the men and tenants of that town used heretofore to be; as the same was held by Gilbert de Clare earl of Gloucester and Herforde as parcel of the earldom of Gloucestre, as appears by an inquisition taken before Robert de Brewes and Nicholas de Haulee by virtue of a commission of King Henry III, which among other things was exemplified by letters patent of King Henry IV, and the men and tenants thereof ought to be, and were used time out of mind to be quit of payment of toll etc. throughout the realm.
----
Feb. 5. 1457. Westminster. 35 Henry VI.
To all sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, ministers and other lieges of the king to whom etc. Order to suffer the men and tenants of the town of Southwold co. Suffolk to be quit of payment of toll, portage, passage, picage, pavage and murage, as they ought to be, and as they and all other men and tenants thereof have heretofore been used to be time out of mind; as the men and tenants of that town, which Gilbert de Clare earl of Gloucester and Hertford held as parcel of his earldom of Gloucester, as appears by an inquisition taken before Robert de Brewes and Nicholas de Haulee by virtue of a commission of King Henry III and exemplified among other things by letters patent of King Henry IV, ought to be and have been used to be quit of the same throughout the realm time out of mind.
----
July 5. 1461. Westminster. 1 Edward IV.
Mandate to all sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs and others to permit the men and tenants of the town of Southwold, co. Suffolk, which Gilbert de Clare, late earl of Gloucester and Hertford, held as parcel of the earldom of Gloucester, to be quit of payment of toll, pontage, passage, pickage, pavage and murage throughout the realm as from time immemorial, as appears by an inquisition before Robert de Brewes and Nicholas de Hanlee by commission of Henry III., exemplified by letters patent of Henry IV.

Primary Sources

Stamp, A.E. (ed), 1927, Calendar of Close Rolls Richard II (1396-99) Vol. 6 p. 340 online
Stamp, A.E. (ed), 1929, Calendar of Close Rolls Henry IV (1399-1402) Vol. 1 p. 244 Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1907, Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry IV (1405-08) Vol. 3 p. 105-7 Stamp, A.E. (ed), 1937, Calendar of Close Rolls Henry VI (1435-41) Vol. 3 p. 318 [online > http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=109734
Flower, C.T. (ed), 1947, Calendar of Close Rolls Henry VI (1454-61) Vol. 6 p. 158 [online > http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=110480
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1897, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward IV (1461-67) p. 128 [view online copy > http://www.archive.org/stream/calendarpatentr14offigoog#page/n141/mode/1up>view online copy

	Murage Home

	Grants
	Exemptions
	Petitions
	Other