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

citizens of London and the merchants of the Hanse of Almaine was granted an exemption from murage dated 1/6/1282.

Wording

In the tenth year of the reign of King Edward, son of King Henry, Henry le Waleys being Mayor of London, by reason lately of the ruinous state of a certain Gate of the City aforesaid, that is called 'Bisshoppesgate,' there existed a prolonged dispute between the said Mayor and the citizens of the city aforesaid, of the one part, and the merchants of the Hanse of Almaine, in the said city then dwelling, of the other part, as to the repair of the Gate aforesaid, which so threatened ruin; to the building and repair of which, the same merchants and others of the Hanse aforesaid, from the parts of Almaine unto the same city resorting, {were bound} in return for certain liberties which the said merchants had in the city aforesaid and which for a long time by reason of such building and repair they had enjoyed, as such Mayor and citizens asserted; {and} upon which grounds the merchants aforesaid were distrained upon, although they declared, in opposition thereto, that the same was not the case. And pending such dispute, his lordship the King of England, at the suggestion of the said Mayor and citizens, by his Writ sent word unto his Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer that, calling the parties before them and making enquiry as to the truth thereof, if they should find that the said merchants were bound to make repair of the said Gate, they should distrain them so to do. At length, the parties having appeared before the said Treasurer and Barons, when nothing on on part of the said merchants was put forward, that ought to render them excuse from making such repair, the more especially as it was fully clear and evident as to the liberty which they enjoyed in the City aforesaid: it was therefore commanded by the same Treasurer and Barons, that the Mayor and Sheriffs aforesaid should distrain them to make such repair.
Whereupon, the merchants aforesaid, Gerard Merbode, Alderman of the Hanse aforesaid, Ludulph de Cussard, citizen of Cologne, Luder de Dunevare, burgher of Tremonde, John de Areste, burgher of Tremonde, Bertram de Hamburgh, burgher of Hamburgh, Godescale de Hudendale, burgher of Tremonde, {and} John de Dole, burgher of Munster, then in the said city being, did, for themselves and for all the merchants and their associates whatsoever of the Hanse aforesaid, and at any times whatsoever resorting thereunto, for the benefit of peace in future, grant and promise unto the said Mayor and citizens of London, towards the repair of the Gate aforesaid, two hundred and forty marks sterling of ready money, forthwith to be paid; and further, that they and their successors, merchants of the Hanse aforesaid, would, so often as it should be necessary, at all times repair the said Gate, {and for the defence of such Gate, so often as it should be necessary to set ward upon the same}, at all times sustain one-third part of the defence aforesaid, at their own costs and with their own men, in the upper parts of such Gate, the said Mayor and citizens sustaining their two-third parts for such safe keeping in the part below.
And, for the said peace and final agreement, the said Mayor and citizens did grant unto the same merchants their liberties, which they had theretofore reasonably enjoyed, to have unto themselves and their successors, merchants of the Hanse aforesaid, for ever. And further, that for such repair and safe-keeping aforesaid they should be acquitted for ever of Murage, so far as in them might lie; and that they should be at liberty to harbour within the City such corn as they might chance to bring thither for sale, and to sell the same at their own hostels and granaries for forty days from the time of the harbouring aforesaid, unless by his lordship the King, or by the Mayor and citizens, by reason of the dearness of com or for some other necessary cause, such harbouring thereof should be expressly prohibited.
They did also grant unto the same, that they should have their own Alderman, as in times theretofore they had had; provided, however that such Alderman should be of the freedom of the City aforesaid, and that, so often as by the merchants aforesaid he should be elected, he should be presented unto the Mayor and Aldermen of the City, and before them
should make oath to do right and justice in all his Courts whatsoever, and so to behave himself in his office, as, saving the rights and customs of the City, he ought to behave himself and had theretofore been wont to do.
The merchants aforesaid did also grant that they and their successors, so often as it should be necessary, should, for the repair and safe-keeping of the said Gate in form aforesaid, by the same Mayor and citizens be distrained.
All these things the parties aforesaid did grant and promise faithfully to observe. And for greater assurance unto the parties aforesaid that the same should be done, together with their own seals unto this writing in form of a chirograph between them made, alternately annexed, they did
procure that the Seal of the Exchequer of his illustrious lordship the King of England should, in perpetual remembrance of the premisses, be annexed.
Given at London, in the month of June, in the year above-mentioned.

Granted by {agreement between parties}. Granted at London.

Primary Sources

Riley, H.T. (ed), 1841, Liber Albus: The White Book of the city of London p. 417-19 online copy

Secondary Sources

Merewether, H.A. and Stephens, A.J., 1835, The History of the Boroughs and Municipal Corporations of the United Kingdom Vol. 1 p. 560 online copy

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