Folios: 318-320v. County of Yorkshire. Pleas of claims of liberties and quittances...

Folios: 318-320v. 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.

The bailiffs and commonalty of the borough of Scardeburgh [Scarborough] claim that the justices should come to Scardeburgh to hold and determine all pleas of the forest and all complaints of the forest touching them, and to be quit from cart-toll throughout the whole forest of Pickering, and that the borough and manor of Whallesgrave [Falsgrave] to be outside the regard and deforested. No forester or minister of the forest are to interfere in any attachments, summons or distraints to be done within the manor for anything pertaining to the forest. If any of the burgesses stand trial, are indicted or attached for hunting or other trespass of the forest, it is to be lawful for them to defend themselves about those trespasses by the oath of 36 men before any justices of the forest, unless they are found by the verderers or foresters of the fee with stolen goods. Henry, late king of England, granted to the burgesses that the justices itinerant of the forest will come in to hear and determine all pleas of the forest and all complaints of the forest touching them there. Similarly King Henry, progenitor of the now king, by his charter granted that if any of them stood trial, were indicted or attached for hunting or any trespass of the forest, it will be lawful for them to defend themselves about those trespasses by the oath of 36 men before any justices of the forest, unless they are found by the verderers or foresters of the fee with stolen goods. Which same grants Edward II confirmed. And they say that by virtue of those charters, they used the liberties at the time when the forest and castle were in the hands of the progenitor of the now king. And by pretext of those charters William de Vescy and his fellow justices itinerent of Edward I came at Scardeburgh to hear and determine all pleas and complaints of the forest, and the burgesses, standing trial, being indicted or attached for trespasses of hunting or for another trespass of the forest, were admitted to defend themselves by the oath of 36 men etc. They also say that King Henry, progenitor of the now king, granted to them that they should be quit of cart-toll throughout the whole forest, and that they should hold the borough and manor outside the regard of the forest, and that no forester or minister of the forest of any one else, except the same burgesses, should interfere in making any attachments or distraints within the manor for anything pertaining to the forest, by charter of the same king. By virtue of which charters they and all their ancestors as burgesses of the said vill, always from the said time until now, have used and enjoyed the said liberties without any interruption, and as to this they put themselves upon the ministers of the same forest. And upon this a day is given at Pickering before the same justices on Monday after St Gregory the pope about having the said record. At which day there came the bailiffs and commonalty and they do not yet have the record, and a day is given to them on Monday after the month of Easter, at which day there came the bailiffs and commonalty, and upon this a day is given to them until Tuesday after three weeks of Michaelmas at Pickering, At which day at Pickering before the said Richard de Wylughby and John de Shardelowe there came the bailiffs and commonalty, and a day is given to them until Thursday after the octave of the Purification of Mary. At which day at Pickering before John de Hambury and Richard de la Pole in the place of John de Shardelowe, there came the bailiffs and commonalty, etc, and a day is given to them at Pikeryng until Wednesday after Ascension, etc. At which day that dispute remained without day by the absence of the justices, being elsewhere at the king's command. Upon which the king sent a writ [recited] afterwards of close to his justices. At the request of Henry, earl of Lancaster, the king appointed Richard de Wylughby, Robert de Hungerford and John de Hambury and also John de Shardelowe, three and two of them, as justices itinerant for pleas of the forest of the earl of Pikeryng from the time, when Edmund, late earl of Lancaster, last held pleas there, etc. And subsequently understanding that the same John de Shardelowe cannot travel together with the said Richard de Wylughby, Robert and John, two or one of them, to do [the premises], the king appointed Richard de la Pole in his place, etc, the king wishing that the same pleas and processes do not perish, etc, commanded the justices that they give the king's writ under their testimony to Richard de Wylughby, the sheriff of Yorkshire, in mandates that the pleas and processes [should be] before them, three or two of them, at Pikeryng at some certain day, which they consider should be assigned for this, in the same state as they were at the Wednesday after Ascension, and also that the parties, which those pleas and processes concern, should be resummoned and reattached, and that they hold the eyre at that day and carry out all the pleas and processes and any other things, etc. The writ is witnessed by the king at Leicester on 1 Oct 10 Edw III. By pretext of which writ the sheriff of Yorkshire was ordered that he causes the bailiffs and commonalty to be resummoned to be before the justices at Pikeryng on Monday after St Andrew, etc, and they do not yet have the record, etc. At which day before Richard de Wylughby and John de Hambury, justices, there came the bailiffs and commonalty, and a day is given to them until Monday in the second week of Lent. At which day before the Richard de Wylughby and John de Hambury there came the bailiffs and commonalty, and a day is given to them until Monday next after St Matthew. At which day at Pickering before Richard de Wylughby and John de Hambury, there came the bailiffs and commonalty, etc, and a day is given to them until Monday after Palm Sunday. At which day at Pickering there came the bailiffs and commonalty, and a day is given to them until Tuesday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, etc. At which day there came the bailiffs and commonalty by their attorney, and they produce a certain writ of the king, directed to the justices [recited], ordering them to search the eyre rolls made at the time of Edward I and to send the tenor of the record and process of the allowance of the liberties to the king in his Chancery. Which writ is witnssed by the king at St Edmund on 6 June 12 Edw III. The writ [recited] by which the record and process of the allowance of the liberties came into Chancery was directed by the king to Ralph de Nevill, his chief justice itinerant for pleas of the forest of Yorkshire, ordering him to also search the rolls and send the record to the king. Which writ is witnessed by the king at Westminster on 14 July 11 Edw III. By pretext of which writ they caused the rolls to be searched concerning the eyre of William de Vescy and his fellow justices itinerant for pleas of the forest in Yorkshire, and they sent the tenor of the record and process of the allocation that was made to the burgesses and men in theeyre.

Held on: Monday after Michaelmas 8 Edw III.