Folios: 299-300. County of Yorkshire. Pleas of claims of liberties and quittances...

Folios: 299-300. County of Yorkshire. Pleas of claims of liberties and quittances at Pikeryng [Pickering] before Richard de Wylughby [Willoughby], Robert de Hungerford and John de Hambury, justices itinerant assigned for pleas of the forest in the forest of Henry, earl of Lancaster, of Pikeryng [Pickering]:

The prior of Ellerton: The prior claims that he and his men are quit from the amercement of the forest and from waste and regard of the forest in all places in the marsh, and from all gelds, payments for taking wood (wodegeldis), horngelds, fines for not hambling dogs, buckstalls, 'trists' and amercements, and that they are quit from scot and all cart-toll, pack-horse toll and tallage, and when his men are condemned into exile that he is to have all their chattels, and that their sheep and beasts are not to be taken into his hands or to be imparked in the common pasture. And similarly he claims to have the forfeitures and amercements of his men from all pleas, wherever they are indicted. And he says that Henry, late king of England, progenitor of the present king, by his charter took into his own hands the custody, protection and defence of the houses of Ellertona [Ellerton], and he recognised that he and his men had been quit of amercements of the aforesaid premises, and that he should have all the chattels of his men when they are condemned into exile, and that their sheep and beasts are not to be taken in hand or be imparked in the common pasture, and that they should have amercements and forfeitures of their men, whenever they are indicted. Whereupon he says that by virtue of the said charter he and his men and similarly all the priors of the said place, always from the time of the completion of the same charter without interruption, were quit of the premises and free from scot, cart-toll and all tolls of pack-horses and tallage, and they had chattels of their men condemned into exile, and similarly amercements and forfeitures of the same, whenever they were indicted. And their sheep and beasts were not to be taken in hand or imparked in the common, and this he he is ready to verify by the ministers of the forest. And he seeks that his said claims are allowed to him in this regard. And because it is not clear to the court what kind of liberties the prior intends for himself and his men by reason of the said words, it is said to him that he should declare the same words. And the prior says that, as regards his claim that he and his men are to be quit from the amercement of the forest, they were by this quit from all amercement which can fall upon them in the said forest; and they are quit of waste, namely, if they made waste in their woods within the forest, they are not to occasioned on account of this. And they are similarly quit of regard in all places in the marsh. And as regards that he and his men are quit of all gelds, he says that they are by this quit from all allowance of food of foresters and all charge to be made towards the collection of sheaves, lambs and wool to the use of the foresters of the same forest. And as for 'wodegeldis', namely when it happens that any collection was made in the forest to the use of any ministers of the said forest, he and his men are quit from this by virtue of the said charter. As for horngeld, he similarly says that, when it happens any collections are to be made in the forest of horned beasts, etc, he and his men are quit by this. And as regards the word 'fotegeldis', he says that all the dogs of men staying within the limits of the same forest ought to hambled according to the assize of the same forest, or if they were not hambled, they are to seriously amerced, or they are to make fine for not having them hambled, the prior and his men remained quit by this from all amercements and fines always for the said reason of the same not being hambled. And similarly as regards the word buckstall, he says that, whereas the same men are held there to meet at a stall to be made around wild beasts and to gather the same, that, if they do not do this, they are to be seriously amerced or to make fine for the same, the prior and his men by virtue of the said charter always from the time of the completion of the same were quit of these sort of customs and also fines and amercements in this forest. And regards the word 'trist', he says that, whereas other men staying in the same forest at the time when the lord hunted in the same ought to come to hold greyhounds at certain places assigned for waiting for and taking wild beasts there. And as regards the word amercements, namely, when the said men do not come at 'trists' and buckstalls, they are to be amerced, and be quit from the said 'trists' buckstalls and amercements. And as regards the word cart-toll, he says that, whereas any carts or carriages, passing through the forest, and similarly pack-horses, are accustomed to pay to the ministers of the same for having right of way there, he and his men were always quit from this charge for having their right of way always from the completion of the said charter, although their carts, carriages or pack-horses pass through the same forest. And as regards that they are free from scot and tallage, he says that scot is when the said men make a collection, etc, they are quit from this and similarly from tallage. And as regards his claim to have the chattels of his men condemned into exile, namely when his men are outlawed in this eyre of the forest for trespasses of greenwood and hunting, he will have their chattels and his predecessors had them by virtue of the said charter. And that their sheep and beasts are not to be taken in hand or imparked in common pasture, namely for no reason. And that he is to have the amercements and forfeitures of his men from all pleas, wherever they are indicted, namely both in this eyre and others. Which liberties he and his men and similarly all priors of the said place, his predecessors, from the time of the completion of the said charter, used and enjoyed without interruption. And this he is ready to verify, etc. Therefore the truth is to be inquired into.

Held on: Monday next after Michaelmas 8 Edw III.