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Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs of London. King and Lords. The Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/121/6040

What’s it about?

This record is about the Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs of London. King and Lords. The Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs... dating from [? 1394] 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 8/121/6040
Date
[? 1394]
Description
Petitioners
Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs of London.
Addressees
King and Lords.
Nature of request
The Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs of London request amendments to a statute passed in 1354 regarding punishments due for failures by officials to ensure good governance in towns and cities. They recite the terms of the statute, whereby they would be fined 1000 marks for the first breach, 2000 marks for the second, and that the city would be taken into the king's hands for any further breaches. However, they claim that, if a given official incurs the first fine, and a different man then incurs the second, he would be unfairly punished with a higher fine, contrary to common law, which states that the punishment should only be applied according to the crime committed. They also state that the city charters prevent the city as a whole being punished for the personal misdemeanours of officers.
Nature of endorsement
[None]
Places mentioned
London.
People mentioned
Edward [III], King of England.
Note
Dated on the guard to? 1394, but no evidence cited. However, such a date would seem consistent with the difficulties between Richard II and the city of London at this time, and it would seem to have been written by the same scribe as SC 8/121/6041, which can be dated to the 1394 Parliament, and clearly relates to the same matter.
Related material

For another petition on this same matter see SC 8/121/6041

For a related petition see SC 8/121/6036

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Former department reference
Parliamentary Petition 5063
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
French
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Publication note(s)
Statutes of the Realm, vol. I, ed. A. Luders, T.E. Tomlins, J. France, W.E. Tauntin and J. Raithby, (, 1963), pp.346-7 (original statute mentioned in the petition)
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9208209/

Series information

SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs of London. King and Lords. The Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs...

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