Abbot and convent of Westminster. King and council. The Abbot and convent of Westminster...

Petitioners

Abbot and convent of Westminster.

Addressees

King and council.

Nature of request

The Abbot and convent of Westminster state that in the time of Richard de Ware, formerly Abbot of Westminster and Treasurer of England, the abbey used to provide bread and ale for the clerks in the Exchequer and the Receipt as a courtesy, and that they have since claimed this as a right, to the great harm of the abbey. They request a good inquisition into this, as they claim that it never happened before Richard de Ware's time, and was only a courtesy in his day.

Nature of endorsement

[On face - possibly part of the petition rather than of the endorsement] William de Bereford, John de Benestede and John de Foxle.The Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, calling to them the Justices of the Bench, they are to inquire into the contents of the petition, and whether the aforementioned bread and ale was first granted out of the pure liberality of the aforesaid Abbot, for a certain period of his will, or whether the aforesaid bread and ale should be given out of duty or not; and if from duty then by whose grant, and from what time, and how and in what way; and if from grace, then by whom was this grace given and when and how and in what way. And they are to inform the King of what they find.

Places mentioned

Westminster.

People mentioned

Richard de Ware, formerly Abbot of Westminster and Treasurer of England

[Edward I], King of England

William de Bereford

John de Benestede (Benstead)

John de Foxle (Foxley).

For a duplicate of this petition differently endorsed see SC 8/78/3881

For transcript, see no.101 of PRO 31/7/95