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Commons of London. King and council. The commons of London state that there is an...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/59/2909

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This record is about the Commons of London. King and council. The commons of London state that there is an... dating from [1377-1381] in the series Special Collections: Ancient Petitions. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

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Full description and record details

Reference
SC 8/59/2909
Date
[1377-1381]
Description
Petitioners
Commons of London.
Addressees
King and council.
Nature of request
The commons of London state that there is an article in one of their charters, stating that aldermen can be removed from office each year - which they quote - and that a disagreement has lately arisen between certain aldermen and the commons on the meaning of that article. They ask the king to clarify this article, and to give them the answer under his great seal, with the other special articles for which they have long sued to him.
Nature of endorsement
This bill was read in the great council of our lord the king at Westminster, in the White Chamber near the Painted Chamber and the articles was clarified, in the presence of the Mayor, Sheriffs, Aldermen and commons of the same city, in the following manner: that all elective aldermen of the city shall henceforth cease completely from their offices as aldermen, and be completely removed from these offices, each year, on the feast of St Gregory, and those thus removed shall not in the next year be re-elected to the same office, but otherwise, knowledgeable citizens of good repute shall be elected to that office by the same wards where those who were removed were aldermen - each year, forever. And it was ordered there that letters patent were to be made of this clarification.
Places mentioned
London
Westminster.
People mentioned
[John of Gaunt], Duke of Lancaster
the Archbishop of Canterbury
[Alexander Neville], Archbishop of York
the Bishop of London
the Bishop of Durham
[John Buckingham], Bishop of Lincoln
[John Harewell], Bishop of Bath and Wells
[Henry Wakefield], Bishop of Worcester
[Ralph Erghum], Bishop of Salisbury
[Henry Despenser], Bishop of Norwich
[Edmund de Mortimer], Earl of March
[Thomas Beauchamp], Earl of Warwick
[Hugh de Stafford], Earl of Stafford
[William de Ufford], Earl of Suffolk
[William de Montague], Earl of Salisbury
[Henry de Percy], Lord Percy
[John de Neville], Lord Neville
[William le Latimer], Lord Latimer
[Ralph Basset], Lord Basset [of Drayton]
[Walter Fitz Walter], Lord Fitz Walter
the Chancellor
the Treasurer
[John Fordham], Keeper of the Privy Seal.
Note
Dated on the guard to '? 1384' with reference to CPR 1381-5 p.386 and CCR 1381-5 pp.461-2, neither of which seems relevant. And indeed, the presence of an Earl of March in council would suggest that this petition cannot date from between 1381 (death of Edmund de Mortimer) and 1394 (majority of Roger de Mortimer). As CPR 1381-5 p.386 seems to be agreeing to a modification of the measures introduced here, this petition would seem to be pre-1381.
Related material

A contemporary petition answered with this one is SC 8/59/2908

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
Parliamentary Petition 4825
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
French
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9063129/

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SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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Commons of London. King and council. The commons of London state that there is an...

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