1340 - Johan Petit on commission of enquiry (Cornwall)

From International Robin Hood Bibliography
Record
Date 1340
Topic Joh Petit on commission of enquiry
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Ruins of Launceston Castle

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-07-22. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-08.

Record

[1340:]
Inspeximus and confirmation of letters patent of Edward, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester, in these words: Edward eisne fils au noble roi Dengleterre et de France, ducs de Cornewaille et counte de Cestre, À tous nos tenaunts, sousgis et foials de nostre dite dusches et outres qui cestes lettres verrount ou oront, salus. Plusieurs fois les bones gents et communalte de nostre duschee susdite sentants eux estre noun duement damagez et grevez par ascunes choses qui sensuent, ount suy devers nostre trescher seigneur et piere, le roi, et devers nous, par peticion en Parlement, et se sount grevousement compleint de diverses grevances, extorsions, oppressions et desheritances a eux faitz par un court leve voluntrivement et saunz reson en temps monsieur Johan, nadgairs counte de Cornewaille, nostre trescher uncle, que Dieux assoille, et tenue a nostre chastél de [p. 19:] Launceveton et que, coment que la dite court soleit estre appele 'court de Geyte' et estre tenue en la porte du chastel susdit de certeins tenantz du dit chastel tauntsoulement, qui y estoient suters a ycelle, si est ja de novel meisme la court appelle 'court des fedz,' par colour de quel nom toutes les gentz de nostre duschee avantdite ount esté somons, attachez et distreintz a chescuny pleinte la ou nul ne soleit sure a celle court ne y respoundre a nulli sinoun les reseantz deinz le fee de Geyte, et ce des contracts deins le dit fee de Geyte sourdantz; hors de quelle court des fedz nul homme du pays ne poyt ne ne puit avoir sa court de ses tenantz selont la custume et usage du pays use du temps dount ne court memorie ne remembrance. Sur quelle peticion nostre dit trescher seigneur, del assent de son conseil en plein Parlement, fit agarder et faire une commission a monsieur Johan Lercedekne, monsieur Rauf de Bloyou, et monsieur Johan Petit denquere coment celle court soleit estre tenue et queux furent tenantz, et de queux fedz, et si celle court de fedz feut de novel controve ou nemye. Par quelle enqueste estoit trove que la dite court estoit de novel controve en temps le counte avantdit, et ovesque ce, par agard du dit Parlement, issit brief de la Chauncellerie as tresorer et barons del Eschequer qils, serchees les auncienes roulles et remembrances du dit Eschequer, certifiassent nostre dit trescher seigneur en meisme sa Chancellerie si nulle tiele court y esoit avaunt tenue. Lesqueux tresorer et barouns retournerent qils ne troverent mye qe nulle tiele court de fedz y estoit use ne tenue en temps passe. Siqe nadgairs au Parlement tenu a Westmoustre le mercredy proschein apres la feste de la Translacion Seint Thomas, monstrez devant le conseil nostre dit trescher seigneur toutes les evidences avantdites, et la matere contenues en ycelles diligealment debatue, si estoit ajugge par le dit conseil et par acord de Parlement qe la dite court esteit torteneusement leve et tenue, et qe elle sereit desore defaite et tout outrement lesse, et la court de Geyte avantdite tenue et use en manere et selont ce qe elle soleit estre auncienement, cest a saver des tenantz de meisme le fee de Geyte et de nuls autres et des contractz et covenantz sourdantz deins le fee susdit. Sur quei nous, en deliberacion et avisement ovesqe sages de nostre conseil, regardantz et considerantz toute la manere des choses avantdites, et voillantz faire a tous nos foials et souzgis equite et droiture saunz acrocher a nous par seigneurie on en autre manere autre chose qe nous ne devons apr reson, grantons pour nous et pour nos heirs par cestes nos patentes lettres a les dites bones gentz et communalte et a tous les habitants de pays et a lour heirs et a lour successours qe mès en nul temps la dite court de feds ne soit tenue, mes qe la court de Geyt susdit soit desore use et tenue selont ce qe eller soleit estre en templs passe, cest a saver des tenantz de mesme le fee de Geyte et des contractz et covenantz sourdantz deinz le dite fee, sicome desus est dit. En tesmoignance de queu chose nous avons fait faire cestes nos lettres sealees de nostre seal par ceux tesmoignes, Monsieur Nichole de la Beche, Monsieur William de Shareshull, Monsieur James de Wodestoke, Monsieur Robert de Bilkemor, Monsieur Robert de la Beche et autres. Don souz nostre prive seal a nostre manoir de Kenyngton, le 23 jour de Juyl, la[n] du regne nostre dit trescher seigneur et piere, le roi, Dengleterre quatorsisme, et de son regne de France primer.
By fine of 20s. Cornwall.


[IRHB translation:]
Edward, eldest son of the noble king of England and of France, duke of Cornwall and count of Chester, To all our tenants, subjects and faithful of our said duchy and others who shall see or hear these letters, greetings. Several times the good people and community of our said duchy, feeling themselves unduly damaged and aggrieved by various things that happen to them, have sued to our very dear lord and father, the king, and before us, by petition in Parliament, and have grievously complained of various grievances, extortions, oppressions and disinheritances of them done by a court established arbitrarily and without right in the time of Sir John, late count of Cornwall, our very dear uncle, whom God may save, and held at our castle of [p. 19:] Launceston and which, in accordance with the said court being usually known as 'court of Geyte', was held at the gate of the said castle by certain tenants of the said castle only, who had suit of it there, this same court is now newly called the 'court of fees', under colour of which name all the people of our foresaid duchy have been summoned, attached and distrained at each plaint there, where only the residents of the fee of the Geyte used to have suit or respond to others, and this concerning contracts originating within the said fee of the Geyte; outside of this court of fees nobody of this tract may or can keep court for his tenants according to the custom and use of the land, used from time back to which neither memory nor remembrance runs. On this petition our said very dear lord, with the assent of his council in full Parliament, let appoint and make a commission to Sir Johan Archdeacon, Sir Ralph de Bloyou, and Sir Johan Petit to enquire how this court used to be held and who were tenants, and of which feof, and if this court of fees was of new establishment or not. By this enquiry it was found that the said court was of new establishment in the time of the foresaid count, and on this basis, by appointment of the said Parliament, issued a brief of the Chancellery to the treasurer and barons of the Exchequer to search the ancient rolls and remembrances of the said Exchequer, certifying our said very dear lord in his own Chancellery if no such court was held there previously. The which treasurers and barons returned that they did not find that this was ever held as a court of fees in times past. These recently at the Parliament held at Westminster on the first Wednesday after the feast of the Translation of Saint Thomas, showed before the council of our said very dear lord all the foresaid evidences, and the matter therein contained was diligently debated, and so it was judged by the said council and by agreement of the Parliament that the said court was wrongfully established and held, and that it shall henceforth be abolished and quite left behind, and the aforesaid court of Geyte held and used in the form and way it used anciently to be held, That is for the tenants of the same fee of the Geyte and for no others and for contracts and covenants issuing from the aforesaid fee. On which we, in deliberation and with advice from the wise men of our council, taking into regard and consideration all the aforesaid, and wishing to do justice and right to all our faithful and subjects without wishing to accroach through our overlordship our in any other manner what we may not by right, grant on behalf of ourselves and our heirs by these letters patent to the said good people and community and all the inhabitants of these tracts, their heirs and to their successors that the said court of fees shall at no time be held, but that the aforesaid court of Geyt shall henceforth be kept and used in the way it used to be in times past, that is to say solely for the tenants of the same fee of the Geyte and contracts and covenants issuing from the said fee, in the manner said above. In testimony of which we have let make these our letters sealed with our seal with these witnesses, Sir Nicholas de la Beche, Sir William de Shareshull, Sir James of Wodestoke, Sir Robert of Bilkemor, Sir Robert of the Beche and others. Given under our privy seal at our manor of Kenyngton, the 23rd day of July, in the fortieth year of our very dear lord and father, the king's reign of England, and of his reign of France the first.[1]

Source notes

Dated: 'July 24. Kennington'. Membrance 46. The printed text has the word 'Inspeximus' and the French text in italic type, the English text in Roman type. For ease of reading IRHB has put the Latin and French in Roman type, the short English introduction in italic type.

IRHB comments

Corrections and improvements of the transcription[2] and translation are welcome.

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Notes

  1. [Isaacson, R.F., ed.; Maxwell-Lyte, Henry Churchill, ed.] Calendar of the Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office. Edward III. A.D. 1340-1343 (London; Edinburgh and Glasgow; Dublin, 1900), pp. 18-19.
  2. The PDF file used does not have the best image quality and contains no OCR text, so it must be transcribed manually, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish 'z' from 's', which is especially unfortunate with texts such as this.