1342 - William Scarlet usurper of stannaries

From International Robin Hood Bibliography
Record
Date 1342
Topic William Scarlet threatens and oppresses stannary workers and usurps stannaries
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Cornwall.

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2020-07-23. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2022-06-10.

Record

[1342:]
 Commission of oyer and terminer to John de Stonore, William de Shareshull, Peter de Gildesburgh and Hugh de Berewyk, on complaint by the king's son Edward, duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester, that whereas the stannary men of the county of Cornwall by charters of the king's progenitors and the king work for tin wherever they will within the county, castles and churches excepted, at all times of the year, whiten the tin when worked, sell the same at their will and receive the whole profit of the tin worked by them, saving to the lords of the soil a tenth part of such profit and to him the coinage of the tin, and both the king and he from the time of the grant of the county to him by the former, had received great profit from the coinage, Michael Trenewith, Michael his son, John: Billyon, Hervey his son, Ralph Restaek, Walter le Beare, John Carmynou and William Scarlet, assuming the royal power, usurp to themselves divers stannaries, by force and duress compel the stannary men to work in these, contrary to their will, and the form of their charters, for one penny or a little more given to each for their labour every other day, whereas the tin worked by each stannary man daily, which belongs to those stannary men, amounts to 20d. or more, and for a long time have prevented the stannary men from whitening and selling the tin worked by them from 1 August to Michaelmas, and paying him the coinage as hitherto at all times of the year, contrary to the charters and a proclamation and inhibition in this behalf made on the port of the king, whereby the stannary men, on account of the grievance, have long ceased from work, and some [p. 554:] are so impoverished that they have not whereof to live, the tin remains uncollected, and he has wholly lost his profit of the coinage for the present year to the value of 240l.
By K.[1]

Source notes

Date: 'Sept. 10. Eastry'. Membrane 15d.

IRHB comments

It is noteworthy that a John Petyt of Treslothan (Cornish: Tresulwedhen) was a participant in the same criminal operation. In the record which mentions him, two of the men given a commission of oyer and terminer are also members of the above commission: William de Shareshull and Hugh de Berewyk. Furthermore, three of the suspects figure in both records: Michael de Trenewyth 'le fitz', John Billioun and his son Henry Billioun. See 1343 - John Petyt of Treslothan obstructs mining.

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