Chancellor and scholars of Cambridge University. King and lords of parliament. The...

Petitioners

Chancellor and scholars of Cambridge University.

Addressees

King and lords of parliament.

Nature of request

The Chancellor and scholars of Cambridge University state that among other franchises they have cognisance of all personal pleas concerning the masters, the scholars, the scholars' servants, or the ministers of the university, except for maiming and felony. By colour of this exception, the Mayor and community of the town have maliciously indicted the chancellor and scholars, and continually indict the ministers and officials of the university. They request that any indictment, inquisition, jury or inquest in such a case might be held by outsiders, not by the people of Cambridge and its suburbs; that they might not be harassed, accused, arrested, or put to answer for any presentment or indictment made by the people of the town; and that they might always be tried by outsiders.

Nature of endorsement

A writ, containing the tenor of this petition, is to be sent to the Mayor and bailiffs of Cambridge, to appear before the king and his council at Westminster in this present parliament on the Saturday after Candlemas next, with sufficient instruction and information concerning all the matters contained in this petition, and with sufficient power and authority under the common seal of the town to answer for themselves and the community of the town concerning everything contained in the petition, and further to discuss and come to a final decision on these things, and to do and receive what the king and his council ordain in this matter, on pain of £100.The king wishes to grant, of his special grace, with the advice and assent of his council in this parliament, that neither the supplicants, their servants, or any of them, is to be prosecuted, taken, attached, arrested, harassed, or molested by force, virtue or colour of any manner of presentment or indictment, made or to be made against them or any of them by the people of Cambridge, for felony, trespass or other misdeed, before any justices, officers or ministers, until the next parliament; and that all the justices, officers or ministers, before whom any such indictment or presentment has been or will be made, should cease any process against the supplicants or their servants, or any of them, because of such an indictment or presentment, until the next parliament; and the supplicants and their servants are to have the necessary writs for this whenever they want them in the meantime.

Places mentioned

Cambridge, [Cambridgeshire].

People mentioned

Mayor and bailiffs of Cambridge.

A similar contemporary petition from the bishop, dean and chapter of Lincoln is SC 8/21/1023A

For a related petition from the same petitioners is SC 8/102/5075A