Memorials: 1326

Memorials of London and London Life in the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries. Originally published by Longmans, Green, London, 1868.

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Citation:

'Memorials: 1326', in Memorials of London and London Life in the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries, (London, 1868) pp. 149-152. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/memorials-london-life/pp149-152 [accessed 14 May 2024].

"Memorials: 1326", in Memorials of London and London Life in the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries, (London, 1868) 149-152. British History Online, accessed May 14, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/memorials-london-life/pp149-152.

"Memorials: 1326", Memorials of London and London Life in the 13th, 14th and 15th Centuries, (London, 1868). 149-152. British History Online. Web. 14 May 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/memorials-london-life/pp149-152.

In this section

Royal Letter to the Mayor of London, as to prohibiting the export of materials for making cloth.

19 Edward II. A.D. 1326. Letter-Book E. fol. clxvii. (Norman French.)

"Edward, by the grace of God, King of England etc., to our well-beloved Hamon de Chigewelle, Mayor of our City of London, greeting. We have read the letters that you have sent us, in the which you have signified unto us that Flemings, Brabanters, and other aliens, have been suddenly buying throughout our land all the teasels that they can find; and also are buying butter, madder, woad, fullers' earth, and all other things which pertain to the working of cloth, in order that they may disturb the staple and the common profit of our realm; and further, that you have stopped twenty tuns that were shipped and ready for going beyond sea, at the suit of good folks of our said city; upon your doing the which we do congratulate you, and do command and charge you, that you cause the said tuns well and safely to be kept; and, if any such things come into our said city from henceforth, to be sent beyond sea by merchants, aliens or denizens, cause them also to be stopped and safely kept, until you shall have had other mandate from us thereon; and you are not to allow any such things to pass through your bailiwick, by reason whereof the profit of our staple may be disturbed. We have also commanded our Chancellor, that by writs under our Great Seal he shall cause it everywhere to be forbidden that any such things shall pass from henceforth out of our realm, in any way whatsoever. Given under our Privy Seal, at Saltwode, (fn. 1) the 21st day of May, in the 19th year of our reign."

Writ forbidding the exportation of teasels and fullers' earth.

19 Edward II. A.D. 1326. Letter-Book E. fol. clxviii. (Latin.)

"Edward, by the grace of God, King of England etc., to the Mayor and Sheriffs of London, greeting. Whereas for the common advantage and profit of the people of our realm of England, and of our lands of Ireland (fn. 2) and Wales, by us and our Council it has been ordained, that the staple of wools, hides, and woolfels, shall be held in certain places within the same our realm and lands, and not elsewhere; and that no person of the said realm and lands (certain persons only excepted) shall, after the Feast of Christmas next ensuing, use any cloth of his own buying, unless such purchase shall be made within the realm and lands aforesaid, on pain of heavy forfeiture unto us; and we do therefore desire that none of the thistles that in English are called 'taseles, (fn. 3) ' and no fullers' earth, shall be carried out of the same kingdom and lands;—We do command you, strictly enjoining, that in the same our city you do cause proclamation publicly to be made, and in our behalf strict prohibition to be made, that any merchant, foreigner or native, or other person, shall carry or send such manner of thistles or such fullers' earth out of the same our realm and lands, on pain of heavy forfeiture to us; or that any one shall sell, or cause to be sold, such thistles or fullers' earth to the merchants aforesaid, or other persons, to carry the same out "of our said realm and lands. Nor are you in any way to allow "such thistles or earth to be taken or sent out of the city aforesaid "to any foreign parts. Witness myself, at Saltwode, the 30th day "of May, in the 19th year of our reign."

Foreign Merchants removed from the freedom of the City.

20 Edward II. A.D. 1326. Letter-Book E fol. clxxi. (Latin.)

Be it remembered, that on the Monday next after the Feast of St. Lucy the Virgin [13 December], in the 20th year of the reign of King Edward, son of King Edward, by Richard de Betoigne, Mayor, Richard de Rothynge and Roger Chauntecler, Sheriffs of London, the Aldermen, the men and merchants of divers trades, and others of the commonalty of the City aforesaid, at their Guildhall assembled, for the great advantage of our Lord the King, (fn. 4) and of the said city, and for avoiding certain perils, which as well in the said city as elsewhere in the realm of England, and without the said realm, were evidently then imminent, from causes both certain and probable, it was, and is, thus ordained;—to the effect that all and singular alien merchants who from a foreign land had heretofore been admitted to the freedom of the said city, by any title whatsoever, should from the same freedom from thenceforth be wholly removed, and the enrolments of the same made in the papers or rolls of the Guildhall aforesaid be cancelled, and for the future held as null; the merchants of Amias, (fn. 5) Corbie, and Neele, excepted.

It was also expressly ordained, that from thenceforth no alien should under any circumstances be admitted to the freedom of the said city, save only at the Husting of London, and by assent of the commonalty, and upon the sufficient security of six reputable men of the trade which such person should have followed, and should intend to follow.

It was also further ordained, that if any persons so removed should in future have to be admitted to the freedom of the City, they should be readmitted at the Husting in form aforesaid, and in no other way.

Grant of timber and lead for the repair of the Chapel of the Guildhall.

20 Edward II. A.D. 1326. Letter-Book E. fol. clxxi. (Norman French.)

Be it remembered, that just before the Feast of Christmas, in the 20th year of the reign of King Edward, son of King Edward, there came to the Guildhall of London Sir John de Stratford, Bishop of Winchester, (fn. 6) and Messire Thomas de Wake, (fn. 7) Lord of Lidel, on certain business touching our Lord the King and his said city. At which time, among other things, the said Bishop and Messire Thomas saw that after the Chapel annexed to the said Guildhall had been begun to be repaired, the work thereof had been suspended; whereupon, they asked the cause of the suspension of the said work.

And they were told by Richard de Betoigne, the then Mayor of the City, to this effect;—"By your aid, and that of the other "great men of the land, the works at the said chapel, by God's "grace, shall be properly and becomingly prosecuted." And thereupon, the said Messire Thomas de Wake, Lord of Lidel, granted timber sufficient for all the work of the said chapel: and the said Sir John, Bishop of Winchester, granted lead sufficient for the covering thereof.

Afterwards, the said Sir Thomas de Wake sent sufficient timber for the said chapel, as above stated.

Footnotes

  • 1. Near Hythe, in Kent. The Archbishops of Canterbury had a fine castle there.
  • 2. This distinction is made, because in those days the sovereign was deemed King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Prince of Wales. The ancient Princes of the latter country did not wear a crown, but only a garland, or circlet of metal.
  • 3. Now "teasels," used for carding wool. They are still grown for this purpose in England and in Belgium; the use of cards of iron being found less advantageous. According to Stow (Survey) a piece of land in Bishopsgate, called "Tasel Close," was planted with them.
  • 4. At this time, the King was a prisoner at Kenilworth, and the City wholly in the possession of Queen Isabel and her adherents.
  • 5. Amiens. The merchants of these places (in Picardy) as importers of onions, garlic, and woad, had especial privileges, granted by the citizens of London A.D. 1237; on which occasion they gave 100l. sterling towards the expense of bringing the water of Tyburn Springs to London.
  • 6. Afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury. He was an active supporter of Queen Label, and had just taken up the freedom of the City.
  • 7. Sir Thomas de Wake was brotherin-law of Edmund, Earl of Kent, then engaged in the rebellion against King Edward; and his present act of liberality may not improbably have had a political motive.
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