1323 - Littele Johannes of Leicester

From International Robin Hood Bibliography
Record
Date c. 1323
Topic Little John of Leicester accused of burglary
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Leicester

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2015-08-28. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2022-05-17.

Record

[?1326-29:]
Henry Cooper taken on suspicion of larceny and imprisoned in the prison of the town of Leicester, confessed that he stole a horse in Beaumondheye. He appealed Ric. le Thressher of aid in the felony and Ralph le Staleworthman dwelling in the street of the Abbey of Leicester that he helped him in a burglary and took 3s.. for his share of the clothes and brass stolen; he appealed also Geoff, le Pultere1 and Little John (Littele Johannes) his groom, Rob. Sabyn le Siveker and others for their share in other burglaries.

Et predictus appellator liberatus fuit ad Gaolam domini Regis Leycestrie.

[Editor's translation:]
And the said appellant was delivered to the King's gaol of Leicester.[1]

Source notes

The English text is Bateson's summary of the case from the MS Coroner's Rolls. The Latin is cited from the record.
Bateson (1899), vol. I, p. 379 n. 1: "Poulterer".

IRHB comments

The case is perhaps properly dated with regnal year in the MS source, but the exact date is not stated in Bateson. In view of the dates of other cases treated by Bateson before and after this case, its date should probably be put somewhere between 1323 and 1326 (17 to 19 Edward II).
The terms "appellant" and "appeal" are more or less synonymous with "accuser" and "accused".

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