Commonalty of Cardiganshire, Cantref Mawr and Iscennen. King and council. 1) The...

Petitioners

Commonalty of Cardiganshire, Cantref Mawr and Iscennen.

Addressees

King and council.

Nature of request

1) The commonalty from the time of the king's progenitors have all manner of pleas and plaints heard and determined before the stewards at the laws of Welshry, except for three pleas reserved to the justices of South Wales. Now comes Giffard who holds his sessions at Carmarthen each month, and summons the communities against their laws and usages. They request remedy.2) The commonalty of Cantref Mawr and Iscennen state that they have the custom called Hildofraeth. They request that they have the custom rendering at the Exchequer of Carmarthen as the chamberlain renders it so that the king not be damaged and his people benefited.

Nature of endorsement

Both responses entered on the face:1) Let the justice of South Wales or his lieutenant be ordered by writ formed upon this plaint that if the allegation be true then he is to cease such wrongs, and if there be a reasonable cause why he should not do it then he is to certify the king without delay.2) Let it be ordered to the justices that they enquire what the thing is worth, and what value it had before these times, and certify the king in his Chancery.

Places mentioned

Cardiganshire, [Wales]

Cantref Mawr, [Carmarthenshire, Wales]

Is Cennen commote, [Carmarthenshire, Wales]

South Gales (South Wales)

Kaermerdin (Carmarthen), [Carmarthenshire, Wales].

People mentioned

John de Giffard, Lieutenant of the Justice of South Wales.

For another petition on a related matter see SC 8/98/4886

For a later petition on a related matter see SC 8/84/4187

For a related petition see SC 8/255/12729

• Calendar of Ancient Petitions Relating to Wales, Board of Celtic Studies, History and Law, (University of Wales, 1975), pp.50-1 (full calendar of petition)
• Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous, vol. II, Edw II - 22 Edw III, (Public Record Office, 1916), nos.1315, 1450 (inquisitions relating to the matters in the two petitions)
• Select Cases in the Court of King's Bench, vol. V, Edw III, Ed. G.O. Sayles, (Selden Society, vol. LXXVI, 1958), p.cxxxv (entry j) (full edition of petition)