People of Bamburgh King and council The people of Bamburgh state that they hold the...

Petitioners

People of Bamburgh

Addressees

King and council

Nature of request

The people of Bamburgh state that they hold the demesne land of the castle at farm, but that at every change of Constable of the castle they have been expelled from their term, and had to pay a heavy fine to have it again: to the profit of the Constable only, not the king. They petitioned in the last parliament at Westminster about this, asking for letters patent for their term, and a commission was granted to inquire into the harm to the king from this; but the petition is now in the Chancery memoranda in the Tower of London, and nothing has been done. They ask for another inquiry, and that, when it has been returned, they might have their letters patent.

Nature of endorsement

Let certain men be appointed to inquire about whether it is to the king's loss or to his profit if he should grant the said lands to the said people for a certain term and about the number of acres and about the value, in the presence of the Constable, and let the inquisition be returned in Chancery, and if it be found from the inquisition that it would not be to the king's loss, then let them have letters patent under the great seal for some specific term, paying the value of the land.

Places mentioned

Bamburgh, [Northumberland]

Westminster

London

People mentioned

The Constable of Bamburgh castle

An earlier related petition is SC 8/311/15512

For an inquisition into whether this would be to the king's harm or not, see C 143/229/19

• Ancient Petitions Relating to Northumberland, Ed. C.M. Fraser, (Surtees Society, vol. CLXXI, 1961), pp.119-21 (no.97) (full edition and English summary of petition, with references)
• Calendar of Fine Rolls, vol. IV, Edw III, 1327-1337, (Public Record Office, 1913), pp.449-450 (grant to the people of Bamburgh of certain lands to hold for 20 years, by the hands of the Constable of the castle; vacated)
• The Functions of the Medieval Parliament of England, G.O. Sayles, (Hambledon Press, 1988), p.418 (no. i) (translation of petition)