abbot of Fécamp, his proctors, his men and tenants of his land, manors and hundreds was granted an exemption from murage dated 15/5/1247.
Wording
Whereas the consideration of the safety of the realm has shown that the towns of Winchelsea and Rye, which are called the nobler members of the Cinque Ports, cannot be held by the abbot and monks of Fécamp, who are not able to fortify them, without danger to the realm in time of war, the king now revokes, by the counsel of the great men of the realm and with the good will of the said abbot and monks, the gift of the said towns with their ports and advowsons and the fourth part of the marsh of Northmareys and the rent of 8s. 9d. receivable therefrom, as expressed by the following bounds : —
For Winchelsea, as the sea and port surround the town up to the fee of Gestlinges and by the bounds; and for Rye as the sea goes from the entrance of the mill-race (molendini fluctus) to the fee of James de Northye so that all the water on either side belongs to the said town of La Rye and thence as the king's highway runs to the steps (scalariam) on the fee of Brice Palmar, and thence along a path to … Bartholomew and thence westward along the land of the hospital to Dodeswell, and thence {along} all Blikeshulde to the cross of H … and thence to Fingerline where there is a gutter (guttera) along the middle of the dike (waullam), and from that gutter along the middle of Colemershe as an old … runs up to the fee of William de Echyngeham and along that fee down to the sea. And in exchange for the land so resumed, the king gives to the said abbot and monks the manor of Chilteham, co. Gloucester, with the hundred and the manor of Slochtre with the hundred of Salemanesbury in the same county and the manor of Navenby, co. Lincoln, to be held of the king as they held the aforesaid towns by the gift of St. Edward and the subsequent confirmations of King William and King Henry of the land of Staninges with all its appurtenances, among which were included Rye and Winchelsea.
And the said charter of King William included the following liberties, that the said abbot and monks of Fécamp should have the land of Staninges with all its appurtenances and with all laws, liberties, free customs, quittances, pleas, plaints, and causes without any disturbance or denial of any secular or judiciary power, as things pertaining to the royal treasury (ad fiscum dominicum), and the said land should be quit from all custom of service by land, and from all domination of or subjection to barons and princes and all others; and the said abbot and monks of Fécamp and their ministers shall have all royal liberties, custom and justice of all matters arising in their land, nor shall anyone intermeddle except by their authority, seeing that this is a royal fief (quia hoc totum regale beneficium est) and quit of all service; and if anyone shall presume to act against this grant, he shall forfeit 100l. of gold to the royal treasury.
Mandate, in pursuance, to the tenants of of Chilteham, Sloutre and Navenby and of the hundreds of Chilteham and Salemannebir.
Mandate, in pursuance, to the sheriffs of Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire.
Mandate, in pursuance, to the barons of the Exchequer.
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July 8. 1364. Westminster. 38 Edward III
To all and singular the king's justices, sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, ministers and lieges. Order to suffer the abbot of Fécamp, his proctors, his men and tenants of his land, manors and hundreds to use and enjoy the liberties and quittances granted them by charter of the king's forefathers, as they ought to do and used to do before the war with France; as among other liberties and quittances it was granted them to have the land of Stanynges with its dependencies, the manor of Chiltenham with its hundred, and the manor of Sloughtre with the hundred of Salemanbury, and all laws, liberties, free customs, quittances, pleas, plaints and causes without disturbance or diminution of any secular or judicial power as matters pertaining to the lord's treasure, that the premises with their possessions, possessors and appurtenances should be free and quit of all custom of earthly servitude and of all domination and subjection to barons, princes and others, that the said abbot, the monks and their ministers should have royal liberty and custom and all their justice of all matters and business which should or might arise in the premises, and none should meddle therein but by them, and that any man contravening this grant should pay 100l. of gold to the lords' treasure; and now on behalf of the abbot the king has learned that though he and his predecessors and their proctors in England, from the time of that grant to the time when the lands of the abbey in England were taken into the king's hand by reason of the said war, were quit of amercements in whatsoever courts of England, and had all amercements of their men and tenants aforesaid in whatsoever court they were amerced, and they and the said men and tenants used to be quit of toll, passage, pontage, murage, picage, stallage and all other customs throughout the realm, the said abbot and his proctors are now hindered from having these liberties and quittances contrary to the said charters and not as before the said war.
Et erat patens.
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Jan. 23. 1379. Westminster. 2 Richard II
To the justices of assize, the justices for gaol delivery, and the justices of oyer and terminer in Lincolnshire for the time being, and every of them. Order to suffer as well the abbot and monks of Fecamp as the dean and chapter of the church of St. Mary Lincoln to use and enjoy all liberties hereinafter mentioned, as they and their predecessors used to do; as in exchange for the towns of Wynchelse and le Rye King H{enry III} gave by charter to the said abbot and monks the manor of Chiltenham co. Gloucester with the hundred etc., the manor of Sloghtre with the hundred of Salemanbury, and the manor of Navenby co. Lincoln, to hold as freely as they held the said towns by gift of St. Edward and by later grants of King William and King Henry of the land of Stanynges with the appurtenances, and all laws, liberties etc., that the said land should be quit of servitude and of the lordship of princes, barons and others, that they and their ministers should therein have the king's liberty and custom and their justice concerning matters and business arising in their land, that no man should meddle therein because it is a king's fief, and that if any man should act contrary to that grant he should be haled to the treasury and pay 100l.; and in the time of King Edward I the said abbot and monks gave the manor of Navenby with all liberties in the said charter contained to the said dean and chapter and their successors, and that king by charter confirmed the gift and the liberties aforesaid; and the late king confirmed the said charter and gift with the clause licet, and on 16 July last the king by charter with the like clause also confirmed the same; and now on behalf of the dean and chapter the king has learned that, although the said abbot and monks had such liberties in the manor of Navenby and the manor and hundred of Chiltenham, and although the dean and chapter have and ought to have the same since the said manor came to their hands, and they and their predecessors used to have the same, namely view of frankpledge of all dwelling therein as well their own tenants as tenants of others, cognisance of pleas whatsoever as well of the crown as other, their own gaols of manslayers, thieves and other evildoers therein taken, to be delivered by their commissions and by their own bailiffs, the return and execution by such bailiffs of all the king's writs, the fines, amercements, issues forfeit and all other forfeitures arising within those lordships, the king's stewards and marshals not entering therein to do aught that concerns their offices, but the said abbot and monks within the manor and hundred of Chiltenham and the dean and chapter within the manor of Navenby by their bailiffs correcting and reforming all trespasses and evildoings therein committed and doing justice thereupon, and they and their men being quit throughout the realm of toll, passage, pontage, murage, picage, stallage, and all other customs, the said justices are now newly hindering as well the said abbot and monks as the said dean and chapter from having those liberties for themselves and their men within the said lordships, wherefore they have prayed the king for remedy.
To the sheriff of Lincoln for the time being. Like order, mutatis mutandis, to suffer the said abbot and monks and the said dean and chapter to enjoy those liberties throughout the realm in the districts and places of the said sheriff.
Granted by Henry III. (Regnal year 31). Granted at Windsor.
Primary Sources
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1903,
Calendar of Charter Rolls Henry III 1226-1257 Vol. 1 (HMSO) p. 321-22
onlineMaxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1910,
Calendar of Close Rolls Edward III (1364-69) Vol. 12 p. 21
onlineMaxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1914,
Calendar of Close Rolls Richard II (1377-81) Vol. 1 p. 154-155
online
Record created by Philip Davis. This record created 17/02/2009. Last updated on 19/01/2013. First published online 6/01/2013.
