Folios: 71-72. County of Lancaster. Commission of inquiry. First party: Edward III....

Folios: 71-72. County of Lancaster. Commission of inquiry.

First party: Edward III.

Second party: Geoffrey le Scrope, John Giffard and William de Denom [Denholme].

Place or subject: Whereas Isabella, queen of England, the king's mother, at the prosecution of the abbot and convent of Kirkestall [Kirkstall], suggesting to her that Henry de Lacy, at the foundation of that abbey, by his charter, gave to the then abbot and monks there the manor of Bernoleswik [Barnoldswick], and that he caused between the forest of the same Henry of Blakeburnshire [Blackburnshire] and the said manor certain metes and boundaries to be made, just as appears by deed of the same Henry containing those metes and boundaries, which the king confirmed by his charter, and whereas the same then abbot and his successors held that manor by the said metes and boundaries to their profit and will without impediment, until Henry de Lacy, late earl of Lincoln, impeded a certain Hugh de Grimston, formerly abbot of the said place, predecessor of the same now abbot, from being able to have his advantage in any of the said lands and tenements being within those metes and boundaries, by drawing them to the said forest, and whereas the same abbot was impeded by some ministers of the king's mother of that forest from being able to have common in the said lands and woods drawn to that forest, just as the same abbot and his predecessors used to have, on entreating the king's mother to order restoration to be made to the same now abbot of the said lands and tenements, he had commanded John Giffard, steward of his lands beyond the Trent, to inquire into the truth of the premises more fully. Although, by inquisition taken by the said steward in the presence of Richard de Aldburgh and Thomas Deynel and also William de Tatham, keepers of the lands of the king's said mother in Blakeburnshire [Blackburnshire], and of Richard de Marclesden, master of the forest there, captain, it was found that the said suggestion of the same abbot contains the truth. Nevertheless, the king's mother, on account that after her death the reversion of that forest pertains to the king and his heirs, delayed this restoration being made to the said abbot. The king wishes justice to be done for the same abbot and has assigned Geoffrey le Scrope, John Giffard and William de Denom and two of them, of whom he wishes the said Geoffrey to be one, to inquire in the presence of the keeper of the said land of Blakeburnshire [Blackburnshire] and the steward or his chief forester of the said forest, whether or not the said Henry de Lacy gave the said manor to the then abbot and monks of Kirkestall [Kirkstall] by the boundaries contained in the same deed. Namely, by the river which is called Blakebrok, and so down beyond the moor straight to Gaylmers, and so straight to the head of Ellesshagh, and so going across the hill which is called Blakehou, and so to Oxegile [Oxgill], and so by Oxegile down to Pikedelawe, which is called Alainsete, and from Pykedlawe to the old ditch between Midhop and Colreden. And whether or not the same then abbot and his successors held that manor by the said metes and boundaries and did their will in the lands pertaining to the same manor without impediment until the said earl of Lincoln impeded the said Hugh de Grimston as above, and if the same Hugh was impeded or ejected from the said lands. And if the same now abbot and his predecessors after the said impediment had common in the said lands until they were impeded by the ministers of the king's mother, and if so, by which ministers and why. And if the abbot or his predecessors quitclaimed any right in the same lands to the said earl or any other lord there, etc.

County: [Lancashire].

Dated at Notingham [Nottingham].

16 Oct 4 Edw III.