English Economic History: Select Documents. Various
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to the same burgesses, that they might make their wills and lawfully in their wills bequeath at their pleasure their chattels and burgages which they should hold by purchase.
And if it should happen that any of them were impoverished whereby he must sell his burgage, he should first seek from his next hereditary successor before his neighbours three times his necessaries in food and clothing for the poverty of his estate, and if he should refuse to do it for him, it should be lawful for him to sell his burgage at his will for ever without challenge.
And to the same burgesses, that they might make bread for sale in their own oven or that of another, and ale for sale in their own brewhouse or that of another, save that they should keep the royal assize.
And that they might make ovens, drying-houses, hand mills without hindrance of the earls aforesaid or their bailiffs whomsoever.
And that none of them should come without the borough aforesaid by any summons to the hundred of the same earls of the honour of Gloucester in the county aforesaid by reason of their burgages aforesaid.
And if a foreigner, who should not be a burgess nor the son of a burgess, should buy a burgage or half a burgage in the same borough, he should come to the court of the borough aforesaid next following and make his fine for entry and do fealty.
And that all burgesses who should hold a burgage or half a burgage and should sell bread and ale should come once at the Lawday yearly at the Hockday and there be amerced for breach of the assize, if they ought to be amerced, by the presentment of twelve men; so that each burgess should answer for his household (manupastu), sons and tenants, unless they should have been attached for any trespass to answer at the day aforesaid.
And to the same burgesses, that they should be quit of toll and of custom within the lordship of the aforesaid earls in the honour of Gloucester and elsewhere in England, according as they used of old; so that no foreigner should buy corn in the borough aforesaid nor put or keep any in a granary beyond eight days, to wit, between the Gules of August[153] and the feast of All Saints[154]; but if he did and were convicted thereof, he should be amerced at the will of the aforesaid earls or their bailiffs; nor after the feast of All Saints or [before] the Gules of August should he buy corn to put and keep in a granary, nor carry any by water without licence of the aforesaid earls or the bailiffs of the borough aforesaid, and he should pay customs.
And that no foreigner should be received by the steward, clerk or any other on behalf of the same earls to be within the liberty aforesaid, unless it were testified by lawful men of the borough aforesaid, that he were good and trusty.
And if any burgess should be out of the borough at the time of summons of the court aforesaid and could not reasonably be forewarned, he should not be amerced for default.
And if any foreigner should be received within the liberty of the borough aforesaid, he should find mainpernors[155] that he would bear himself in good manner and faithfully to the aforesaid earls and their bailiffs, and would be tractable to the commonalty of the borough aforesaid.
And that they, the burgesses, should be bailiffs and catch-polls[156] of that borough as often as they should be elected hereto, at the will of the aforesaid earls, their stewards and bailiffs, and by election of the commonalty of the borough aforesaid from year to year.
And that the burgesses aforesaid should have common pasture for their beasts in the common pasture of the borough aforesaid, according to their burgages which they have in the same borough, as they have been accustomed hitherto.
We, ratifying and approving the gifts and grants aforesaid, grant and confirm them for us and our heirs for ever. These witnesses:—Sirs Bartholomew de Badlesmere, Roger Tyrel, Gilbert of St. Ouen, Giles de Bello Campo, John de Harecourt, Robert de Burs, John Tyrel, knights, Master Richard de Clare, John de Chelmersford, clerks, and others. Given at Rothwell in the county of Northampton, 26 April, 1314, in the seventh year of the reign of King Edward, son of King Edward.[157]
[152] temp. William I.—Stephen. Note that the privileges here confirmed date from the first century after the Conquest.
[153] August 1.
[154] November 1.
[155] i.e.. Sureties.
[156] Constables.
[157] Extracted from the charter of confirmation of Edward III.
3. Charter of Liberties To the Borough of Gloucester [Charter Roll,11 Henry III, p.1, m. 10, No. 88], 1227.
Henry, King, etc., greeting. Know ye that we have granted and by this our charter confirmed to our burgesses of Gloucester the whole borough of Gloucester with the appurtenances, to hold of us and our heirs for ever at fee farm, rendering yearly 55l. sterling, as they were wont to render the same, and 10l. by tale of increment of farm, at our Exchequer at the term of Easter and at the term of Michaelmas. We have granted also to our burgesses of Gloucester of the merchants' gild that none of them plead without the walls of the borough of Gloucester touching any plea save pleas of foreign tenures, except our moneyers and ministers. We have granted also to them that none of them suffer trial by battle and that touching pleas pertaining to our crown they may deraign[158] according to the ancient custom of the borough. This also we have granted to them that all burgesses of Gloucester of the merchants' gild be quit of toll and lastage[159] and pontage[160] and stallage[161] within fairs and without and throughout seaports of all our lands on this side the sea and beyond the sea, saving in all things the liberties of the city of London, and that none be judged touching a money penalty save according to the ancient law of the borough which they had in the time of our ancestors, and that they justly have all their lands and tenements and sureties and debts, whosoever owe them, and that right be done them according to the custom of the borough touching their lands and tenures which are within the borough, and that pleas touching all their debts by loans which they have made at Gloucester, and touching sureties made there, be held at Gloucester. And if any man in the whole of our land take toll or custom from the men of Gloucester of the merchants' gild, after he have failed to do right, the sheriff of Gloucester or the provost of Gloucester shall take distress thereon at Gloucester, saving in all things the liberties of the city of London. Furthermore for the repair of the borough we have granted to them that they be all quit of "gyeresyeve"[162] and of "scotale,"[163] if our sheriff or any other bailiff exact "scotale." We have granted to them these aforesaid customs and all other liberties and free customs which they had in the times of our ancestors, when they had them well and freely. And if any customs were unjustly levied in the time of war, they shall be annulled. And whosoever shall come to the borough of Gloucester with his wares, of whatsoever place they be, whether strangers or others, shall come, stay and depart in our safe peace, rendering right customs. And let no man disturb them touching this our charter. And we forbid that any man commit wrong or