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

burgesses of Stafford was granted an exemption from murage dated 4/7/1314.

Wording

Inspeximus and confirmation of the following charters in favour of the burgesses of Stafford: —
1. A charter dated at Reading, 11 April, 12 Henry III, inspecting and confirming a charter dated at Windsor, 1 May, 7 John. {Calendar, Vol. I. p. 71.}
2. A charter dated at Winchester, 1 June, 45 Henry III. {Calendar, Vol. II. p. 86.}
with further grant that the burgesses shall not be impeded in their enjoyment of the aforesaid liberties by reason of any non-user in the past; and to the end that they may apply themselves more quietly to their business, while they abide in the said town, the said burgesses shall not be put with foreigners upon assizes, juries or any inquisitions, to be taken before any of the king's justices or ministers by reason of any tenements, trespasses or foreign matters, and no foreigners shall be put with the said burgesses upon assizes, juries or inquisitions to be taken by reason of any tenement in the said borough or suburb or of any trespasses, contracts or other matters arising within the borough, but all such shall be taken by men of the borough within the borough, saving in matters touching the king or his ministers or the community of the borough, or in any other proper cause; and the burgesses shall be quit of murage throughout the realm; and they shall have a coroner to be chosen among themselves, and a prison in the borough to be made and kept up at their own expense, there to keep, chastise and punish malefactors and others arrested in the borough or its suburbs, until such shall be thence delivered according to the law and custom of the realm.
By fine of 100 marks.
----
Oct. 24. 1390. Westminster. 14 Richard II
To the justices of assize in Staffordshire, the justices of the peace and of oyer and terminer there, the escheator, sheriff and coroners for the time being, and to all mayors, bailiffs, ministers and lieges of the king. Order to suffer the burgesses of Stafford, their heirs and successors, to use and enjoy the liberties and quittances granted to them by charters of former kings, confirmed by the king, as they and their ancestors have been used to do since those charters were made, not troubling them in aught contrary to the same; as it was granted that Stafford shall be a free borough for ever, that the burgesses and their heirs shall have the same of the king to fee farm, with soc and sac, toll, theam and 'infangenethief' and all other free customs which they were used to have of old time, rendering the ancient farm at the exchequer by their own hand, that they shall be quit of toll, lestage, passage, payage, stallage and pontage throughout the king's lands, saving the liberty of the city of London, that they shall do no suit of county or hundred for their holdings within the borough, that none of them shall plead or be impleaded without the borough concerning any tenement within it, that pleas concerning debts incurred at Stafford and wages there made shall be there held, that they shall not plead nor be impleaded concerning tenements in the borough by writ of mort d'ancestor, but dealt with (deducantur) by law and the custom of the borough, that it shall be lawful at Stafford to distrain their debtors for debts incurred there, that all who used to be in the liberties within the borough and without shall hereafter have these liberties etc. with them, so that they be sharers with them in aids, assizes, tallages and all summonses as they used to be, that they shall have all other the liberties and free customs which any free borough of England has, saving the liberty of the city of London, that they shall have one fair a year in the borough to last eight days, namely the eve, day and morrow of St. Matthew and five days following, if it be not to the nuisance of neighbouring fairs, that they, their heirs and successors while dwelling in the borough or suburb shall not be put with foreigners upon assizes, juries or inquisitions arising by reason of foreign tenements, trespasses or other business whatsoever before justices or other ministers of the king, nor shall foreigners be put with them upon such as shall arise by reason of lands etc. in the borough or suburb, or of trespasses, contracts or other business within the same, but the assizes etc. so arising shall be made only by men of the borough in the borough, unless the matter concern the king or his ministers or the commonalty of the borough, or there be some other reasonable cause, that they shall be quit of murage throughout the king's realm and power, and that they, their heirs and successors shall have in the borough a coroner, to be of them chosen, and a prison to be made and maintained at their cost, and the keeping thereof for chastisement of evildoers and others taken in the borough or suburb until delivered according to law and the custom of the realm.
Et erat patens.

Granted by Edward II. (Regnal year 7). Granted at Westminster. Grant by By fine of 100 marks..

Primary Sources

Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1908, Calendar of Charter Rolls Edward I, Edward II 1300-1326 Vol. 3. (HMSO) p. 278-9 online
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1922, Calendar of Close Rolls Richard II (1389-92) Vol. 4 p. 209 online

Comments

The quittance of murage is a later addition to the first borough charter of 1 May, 7 John (1206) {an inspeximus with full text CCharterR (1226-1257) p. 71}.

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