Prior of St Mary's Coventry. King and Council. Prior of St Mary's Coventry The petitioner...

Petitioners

Prior of St Mary's Coventry.

Addressees

King and Council.

Occupation

Prior of St Mary's Coventry

Nature of request

The petitioner asks that a writ be sent to the local escheator ordering him to return certain lands. He shows that his predecessor, Prior William, bought from Roger Mouhaut and his wife £60 worth of lands and rents (with appurtenances), in Coventry in the time of King Henry [III] by a fine levied in the king's court in 1250 (a copy of which is attached to this petition), between the prior and Roger and Cecily, rendering each year to them and their heirs etc., £107, and the prior and his successor had peaceful seisin of the same lands from the time of purchase until now, when William Erneys (the king's escheator), maliciously accused the petitioner that the purchase had been made without the king's licence, and for this reason seized the same into the king's hands. The petitioner sued a chancery writ to the escheator to certify the reason for the seizure, to which the escheator answered that his inquest proved that the properties had been purchased without the king's licence, and the said lands etc., remain in the king's hands. In the last parliament at Westminster, the prior asserted that his predecessor bought the said properties correctly and showed his part of the fine in chancery.

Nature of endorsement

Because the petitioner held the said £60 of lands and rents from the queen mother by the service of £107 per year, which rent is entailed after her death to the earl of Cornwall and the heirs of his body, and if the earl dies without heirs of his body the rent remains to the king and his heirs, as of the crown, and because of the reasons set out in the petition etc., let an order be made under the great seal to the escheator to remove the king's hand and deliver the issues received to the petitioner.

Places mentioned

Coventry, [Warwickshire]

Westminster.

People mentioned

William [de Brightwalton], late Prior of St Mary's Coventry

Roger de Mouhaut

Cecily [de Mouhaut], wife of Roger

Henry III, King of England

William Erneys, Escheator [of Warwickshire, Liecestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire]

Isabella of France, Queen of England

[Piers Gaveston], Earl of Cornwall.

For a copy of the final agreement cited in this petition see SC 8/104/5196

For a related document see SC 8/104/5198

For a related petition, see SC 8/97/4837

For a copy of a writ sent to the escheator to enquire into this matter see SC 8/104/5197