Executors of John de Sandale, late bishop of Winchester. King and council The executors...

Petitioners

Executors of John de Sandale, late bishop of Winchester.

Addressees

King and council

Nature of request

The executors state that the goods and chattels of the late bishop were seized into the hand of the King's father, for debts that the bishop owed him, and that they were granted the goods and chattels after they found sufficient mainprise to satisfy the king of these debts. After they paid these debts, the executors thought they had free disposition of the remaining goods and chattels, and paid the creditors and others from them; and also delivered a quantity of jewels and other things, worth £195, to the King, for which they have not been able to have any letter or allowance. Stapeldon and Belers, by the order of Despenser, then charged them with further debts, which they could not verify, as the necessary documents had been removed when the late king took the jewels and other things. Stapeldon and Belers, by force and imprisonment, are still demanding that they render account for all the goods and chattels of the late bishop, and pay both the money they already paid in jewels, and the money they paid to the creditors and others. They asks the King to send a writ of Chancery to the treasurer and barons of the Exchequer, to cease their demand, and to give them an allowance for the expenses of their suit and for rendering several accounts for the late bishop.

Nature of endorsement

This petition is to be sent with a writ to the Treasurer and Barons etc., ordering them to allow to the executors of the testament of John de Sandale those sums of money which they employed in execution of his testament at the time when they had administration of it from the King, and also their reasonable expenses for the funeral and the rendering of accounts at the Exchequer. And they are to inform themselves concerning the jewels and other things delivered to the father of the present King, as is claimed in the petition, in the ways and means that seem appropriate to them, and they are to give the said executors an allowance for the same jewels and other things, delivered to the King in this way, according to their discretions, and as is just and in accordance with reason: or if there is some underlying reason why an allowance ought not to be made for these jewels and other things, then they are to inform the King in Chancery under the seal of the Exchequer. And in the meantime they are to cease the demands that they are making for the £195 because of the aforesaid jewels and other things.

People mentioned

John de Sandale, Bishop of Winchester

[Edward II], King of England

Rigaud [of Assier], Bishop of Wiinchester

[Walter Stapeldon], Bishop of Exeter

Roger Belers

Hugh le Despenser, the son

Robert de Sandale.

For a memorandum from the treasury related to this petition see SC 8/70/3496

For later document quoting this petition and a writ issued in response see SC 8/70/3497

• Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. II, 1330-1333, (Public Record Office, 1898), p.475 (order for allowance to be made to the executors, in response to a later petition)
• Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. III, 1333-1337, (Public Record Office, 1898), p.49 (subsequent entry relating to the executors)