Nov. 9 (really 8) and stay until Dec. 1.

On Nov. 28 the award is made.

Bills concerning the tolls with Bristol, Gloucester and Worcester.

Coventry anciently toll-free,

there were sent to London for the parte of be seide Citie to sue for be seid Cite in & for be premissez; and they cam to London the Thursday be ixth day of Nouembre & continied there vnto be first day of Decembre pen next folowyng; within which tyme, bat is to sey, the Wensday before be fest of seynt Andrewe, the warde was made & gyffen vp be be lordes betwixt be priour & be Cite in writyng accordyng as hereafter sueth the transcript berof; which awarde is vnder be seals of the seid Bisshops & the couent seall set to pat parte pat the town hath, & to be oper parte remaynyng with be seid priour be comien seal of be Towne.

DISPUTE WITH] BRISTOL.

And as-for be matier touchyng be liberteez etc. ayenst Bristoll, Gloucestre & Worcestre pe seid Ric. Braytoft, Ric. Coke & Joh. Boteler, presented vnto be lordes of be princes Counceill iij seuerall billes, the tenures wherof hereafter suen :

To pe Prynce.

In be most humble wyse compleynyng shewen vnto your grace Tho. Bande, Maire of be Cite of Couentre, Rog. Wode, Will. Barbour, shirrifs & Baillyfs of be seid Cite, and the comiens of the same, that where they & all theire predecessours, fro be tyme that no mannes mynde is, haue vsed to be fre, quyte & discharged be all the roialm of Ingland, as-well be lande as be water, within Citez, Boroughes, Townes and withoute, of all maner Toll, pontage, pykage, passage, pavage, stallage, murage, kayage and all oper Imposicions, charges & seruitudes, whech libertez, priuileges & ffraunchisez the seid Maire, shirrifs, ballifs, and Cominalte, and all theire predecessours, and all Inhabitauntes in Couentre aforeseid, haue peasibly be all the seid tyme vsed and enioyed vnto be tyme that the vj day of Aprill the xiijth zere of be reign of oure soueraign lorde, kyng Henre be vijth, and dyuers tymes afore Ric. Jakson and Ric. Pova of Couentre aforeseid, Merchauntes, and many oper of the seid Cite of Couentre resortyng to be Towne & havon of Bristoll for wyn, wax & Iron and other Merchaundisez

late

to be had and bought there were bel
Baillif of the seid Towne at Bristoll aforeseid at a place
there called the key wrongfully distreyned be their seid
Merchaundisez and compelled to paye for euery Ton tyght2
iiij d., ayenst all right and contrarie to their liberteez &
fraunchisez aforeseid; whech in tymes past alwayes have
ben allowed them in the seid Towne of Bristoll: whereof
be seid Maire, shirrifs, Baillifs & Comiens of be Cite of
Couentre praye reformacion & remedy in pat partie. And
they woll euer pray to God for your grace.

And like billes, mutatis mutandis, were put In ayenst Gloucestre & Worcestre. Howe-be-it in Gloucestre they challenged there toll for passyng the streame etc. Vppon which billes was this ordre taken be be lordes & assent of be parties that ij of be merchauntes of Couentre with a lerned man shuld resorte to Bristoll, Gloucestre & Worcestre there to have louyng communicacion betwixt them, & peruppon to take yend in pat partie yf they so coude, & yf not then they to shew theire myndes to be Recordours of be seid places, they to take yend yf they Coude, & yf no then they to resorte vnto be Counceill eft-sones etc.

THE PRIOR'S MURAGE.

To all Christien pepull to whome this present writyng shall come, here or see, William by the grace of God Bysshop of Lincolne, John by the same grace Bisshop of Coventre and Lichefeld and other of the Counsell lerned of Arthur first begoton sonne of kyng Henre the vij, Prince of Wales (etc.), arbitrours indifferently chosen & named bitwen Richard, Prior of the monastery of seynt Marye in the Cite of Coventre & the Couent of the same on the one partie and Thomas Bonde, Maire, & the Cominalte of the same Citie on the other partie, witnessith that where-as diuerse discordes and wariaunces were late moved & had bitwen the seid parties of & vppon xli. of a yerely somme which the seid Maire & Cominalte claymed of the seid

3 On the carriage

4 leaf 282, back.

= weight, v. E. D. D.

of goods down the Severn v. Rot. Parl., v. 569.

Another scribe, F.

but now goods of merchants are distrained upon at "Bristolle" quay for toll.

Toll at "Gloucester, Worcester."

Two Coventry merchants and a learned man try to have loving communication with the towns in question.

"Couentre." "Murage paid by the priors land." The Bishops of Lincoln and of Coventry

acting as arbitrators in the dispute about murage

have decreed that the prior shall pay according to the rate of the other citizens

for murage until the walls be

made,

i. e. £10 a year,

priour & Couent for the Murage of the seid Citie; for the peasing therof the seid parties haue compromytted theym to abyde thawarde, ordinaunce & iugement of vs the said Bisshopes & Counsail lerned of the seid high & myghty Prince to awarde, ordeigne & deme of & vppon the ryght title & possession of the seid annuell somme of x li. and the arrerages of the same, as by their seuerall obligacions theruppon made more pleynly appereth. And we the seid arbitrours takyng on vs the labour & payne to awarde, ordeigne & deme of & vppon the premissez, calling afore vs the said parties, hering & seing all their titles, answers & other their alegiaunces & their Evidences & proves, consernyng the same by good, long & gret deliberacion by thassent & also at the speciall request & desire of both the seid parties awarde, ordeigne & deme of & vppon the premissez in the maner & fourme folowyng:

That is to sey, furst we awarde, ordeigne & deme that from the daie of the date of this our present awarde forth the seid priour & Couent & their successours shall bere & paye ratabully with the Citesyns of the seid Citie to the forseid murage & making of the seid1 walles abowte the seid Citie vnto such tyme as the same walles be fully made vp and accomplisshed; that is to sey, yerely xli. at the fest of All Sayntes, when the seid Citesyns & all other having londes & tenementes within the same Cite shall proporcionably be charged after the rate of the quantite of their seid londes & tenementes to the same murage; provided alwey that if any the seid Citisens or other personnes having londes & tenementes within the same be herafter ratid and assessed to a lesse somme of money than they now bee, that than the seid priour, Couent & their successours shal-be in like fourme lesse ratid & abatid of payment of the seid somme of x li., accordyng to the abatment ratabully of the seid Citizens & other persones for their londes & tenementes within the same Citie.

Also we awarde (etc.) that the seid money thus assessed & gadered for the making of the walles of the seid towne shal-be duely apployde to the same vse & entent & to non other charges nor besynesse of the seid Cite; and that yerely ther shal-be a due accompte therof made afore certayn indifferent auditours, wherunto the seid priour & his Successours shal-be made pryvey, if they so desire.

Also we awarde (etc.) that the seid prior, Conuent, their successours nor their tenauntes shall not herafter be charged for the londes & tenementes of the seid priour & Conuent ouer the seid xli. be yere onles they purches any more londes & tenementes within the walles of the same Citie, and that the seid priour & Couent nor their successours shall not be charged nor chargeable to the payment of the seid x li. noo lenger but vnto such tyme as the seid Murage & walles aboute the seid Citie be accomplisshed & made, except & sauyd that the priour & Couent after the rate of their londes & tenementes their shal-be contributores with the seid Citesyns to1 reparacion & amendyng of the same walles, as other persones having londes & tenementes within the seid Citie shal-be charged, & that the seid money so assessed & gaderid shal-be duely imploied to the reparacion & amendyng of the same walles of the seid Cite, and auditours therupon to be sett, as it is aboueseid, & pat pe seid priour & his successours be made privey to be seid assessing & to the accomptes therof to be made, as it is abouesed.

Also we awarde (etc.) pat pe seid Maire & Cominalte & their successours shall haue & reteigne yerely xli. of such sommes of money on the seid priour, Citezens & other hauyng londes & tenementes within the same Cite from the fest of Saint Michell tharchaungell last passed afore this oure awarde vnto thende of v yeres than next folowyng & noo lenger; which xli. so reteigned shall goo towarde the charge of the Chamberleyns of the seid Cite, which haue laied out in tymes passed more money to the making of the seid walles than they haue received for the same.

Also we awarde (etc.) that the seid Maire and Cominalte shall not herafter aske ner haue any arrerages of the seid yerely somme of xli. vnpaied by the seid priour afore the date of this oure awarde but 1 li., which 1 li. the priour and Couent shall paie to the seid Maire & Cominaltie to haue their good willes & favours, that is to sey, in the fest of the

until the work be accomplished, after which time the prior shall only be liable to charges for repairs,

and account thereof shall be rendered.

£10 to be
retained
yearly to pay
up the cham-
berlains who
have laid
out more
money than
they received.

£10 at Candlemas;

£10 at Lammas; until it be paid up.

Nov. 28. 1498.

"Couentre." Oct. 9. 1498.

Jury.

Sheriffs.

"Couentre." Jan. 25. Electors.

Purificacion of oure Lady next comyng aftur the date of this oure awarde x li., and at the fest of saint Petur called Ad-uincula then next ensuyng other x li., and so x li. yerely at the same festes vnto the seid 1 li. be fully contented & paied. In witnesse wherof both we the seid Arbitrours and the forseid parties to thies present indentures interchaungeable haue putte their Seales, that is to sey, the seid priour & Conuent the Comen Seale of their said howse, & the seid Maire & Cominaltie the Comen Seal of their seid Citie. Yeven the xxviijth day of Nouembre in the xiiijth yere of the reigne of the seid king.

MICHAELMAS LEET.

1[V. f. p. held before Tho. Bonde, m., Tho. Grene, Will. Deyster, b., on Tuesday after the octave of Michaelmas, 14 Hen. VII.]

Joh. Wygeston, Joh. Gauge, Ric. Braytoft, Joh. Thrumpton, Will. Shore, Ric. Coke, Tho. Baylly, Rob. Colman, Ric. Lee, Will. Rowley, Tho. Chirchman, Rob. Grene, Joh. Padland, Will. ffoorth, Joh. Haddon, Ric. Smyth, Tho. Maydford, Joh. Gryme, Joh. Duddesbury, Galf. Ardern, Tho. Padland, Will. ffletcher, Ed. Hulcote, Will. Taillour.

[Rog. Wode, dyer, Will. Barbour, capper.]

WILL. HOPKYNS, MAYOR, 1499.
2 [Election of officers.]

Tho. Chirchman, Hen. Marler, Ric. Braytoft, Will.
Shore, Ric. Coke, Tho. Baylly, Rob. Colman, Ric. Lee,
Joh. Wygeston, Will. Rowley, Rob. Grene, Joh. Padland,
Will. Taillour, Galf. Ardern, Tho. Maydford, Edw. Hul-
cote, Edw. Barbour, Will. ffletcher, Ric. Hassale, Tho.
Grove, Joh. Throughley, Joh. Syssell, Rog. Mason, Will.
Wygeston.

[m. Will. Hopkyns; cor. Rob. Topclyff; steward, Joh. Boteler; ch. Edm. Deyster, Grasear, Will. Birdlyme; w. Nic. Burwey, Joh. Humfrey, dyer; mace, Hen. Walker; crier, Joh. Toures.]