Skip to main content
Service phase: Beta

This is a new way to search our records, which we're still working on. Alternatively you can search our existing catalogue, Discovery.

Item

Not specified King. The petitioner or petitioners complain that the Beadles of the...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/59/2923

What’s it about?

This record is about the Not specified King. The petitioner or petitioners complain that the Beadles of the... dating from [c. 1321] in the series Special Collections: Ancient Petitions. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

Access information is unavailable

Sorry, information for accessing this record is currently unavailable online. Please try again later.

Full description and record details

Reference
SC 8/59/2923
Date
[c. 1321]
Description
Petitioners
Not specified
Addressees
King.
Nature of request
The petitioner or petitioners complain that the Beadles of the wards of the city of London are appointing to the watch to keep the king's peace ruffians who use this post to rob the citizens, both in their houses and in the street; and who receive money, clothing and other things from citizens. They ask the king to order the Mayor of London to inquire into this and to do justice to those who wish to complain. They also ask that henceforth watchmen might be received by view of the aldermen of the wards, and their names written down, and that the man who carries the horn of the watch should be of good character and sworn to perform his office loyally and well, without taking money or clothing from anyone; and that watchmen should not be allowed to arrest people or to take them to taverns or elsewhere, but should take suspicious people to the lodging of the alderman until it is discovered who they are. And that the Mayor should have power to punish them and do justice to complainants, who should be able to have their recovery from the aldermen of the wards.
Nature of endorsement
Those who feel themselves to have been injured are to sue before the Mayor and Sheriffs, if they think it will help them.
Places mentioned
London.
People mentioned
Beadles of the wards of the city of London
watchmen of the city of London.
Note
Dated on the guard to '?? c. 1321' with reference to SC 8/59/2922. The language and the hand of these petitions (and of SC 8/59/2924) seems similar, and indeed the row of holes for rulings in the left margin of each petition, stretching from top to bottom of the parchment, suggests that they were once part of a single membrane.
Related material

A related petition is SC 8/59/2922

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
Parliamentary Petition 4742
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
French
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Publication note(s)
London unter Eduard I und II, vol. II, ed. M. Weinbaum, (, 1933), p.255 (edition of petition)
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9063143/

Series information

SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

See the series level description for more information about this record.

View series description

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

74,884 records

Within the department: SC

Records of various departments, arranged artificially according to type, and formerly...

18,283 records

Within the series: SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

51 records

Within the piece: SC 8/59

2901-2950. Individual petitions are described , dated, and are available at item...

You are currently looking at the item: SC 8/59/2923

Not specified King. The petitioner or petitioners complain that the Beadles of the...

Related records

Records that share similar topics with this record.