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

prioress and nuns of St. Mary, Chester was granted an exemption from murage dated 14/12/1358.

Wording

The same grants to the same that all their tenants at will, or for term of years, not members of the gild merchants of Chester, or sworn to the liberties of the same town (villae) shall be exempted from juries, assizes, inquisitions, recognizances, or appearances before any officers of the city or county of Chester; and from murage, stallage, passage, toll, watch, customs, pontage, mises, and exactions of Tolcest'r, assize of bread, and beer, &c. and from all suits of shires, courts, pendices, (pendiciarum) hundreds, portmotes, and works of any kind; and that no officers of the earl or others shall enter on the premises, and that they shall have all amercements levied on any of their tenants in the earl's courts, and that any sheriff or officer of the city or county interfering with the said liberties, shall be liable to a fine of £10 of silver; provided that the said nuns and their successors shall not bring upon their estates tenants of any other description than those which they now have, or exercise any trade injurious to the merchandize of the city. Dat. ap. Cest. 14 Dec. 32 Edw. III. and confirmed by Ric. II. Nov. 8, ano. reg. 7.
(Ormerod p. 273)
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Nov. 16. 1383. Westminster. 7 Richard II
Whereas Edward, late earl of Chester, the king's father, lately inter alia granted to the prioress and nuns of St. Mary, Chester, that all their men and tenants whether at will or for a term of years, who were not of the gild merchant of that city or sworn to the liberty of that town, should be free from murage, stallage, passage, toll, watch, customs, pontage, mises and taxations, as in that charter is contained, and whereas now the said prioress and nuns have petitioned the king, setting forth that though they have hitherto used the said liberties and quittances for themselves, their men and their servants and their tenants as well whole (integris) as others by virtue of this charter, they are now being impeded in their enjoyment of the same, and praying for a remedy herein;
now the king for the removal of all ambiguity has hereby granted to the said prioress and nuns that they and their men and servants, Who are not within the gild merchant of the city of Chester or sworn to the liberty of the said city, being in the service of the said prior and nuns, and all their tenants for a term of years or at will, dwelling upon the lands and tenements of the prioress and nuns, even though the said tenants hold parcels of lands of other persons, shall be quit of all the foregoing. By K.

Granted by Edward, earl of Chester {Edward III}. (Regnal year 32). Granted at Chester.

Primary Sources

Harlian MSS 2101 p. 188
Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1916, Calendar of Charter Rolls 15 Edward III - 5 Henry V 1341-1417 Vol. 5. (HMSO) p. 287-8 view online copy

Secondary Sources

Elrington, C.R. and Harris, B.E. (eds), 1980, 'House of Benedictine nuns: The priory of Chester' VCH Chester Vol. 3 p. 146-150 online
Hemingway, J., 1831, History of the City of Chester, from Its Foundation to the Present Time (Chester) Vol. 2 p. 145-7 online
Ormerod, G., 1819, History of the County Palatine and City of Chester Vol. 1 p. 273 view online

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