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William Meruyn (Meruin) of Sandridge. Meruyn (Meruin) William King and council. William...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/202/10087

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This record is about the William Meruyn (Meruin) of Sandridge. Meruyn (Meruin) William King and council. William... dating from [? c. 1273] 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 8/202/10087
Date
[? c. 1273]
Description
Petitioners
William Meruyn (Meruin) of Sandridge.
Name(s)
Meruyn (Meruin), William
Addressees
King and council.
Nature of request
William Meruyn of Sandridge states that although he holds his lands as a free man, the Abbot of St Albans is claiming that he is a vilein, and demanding from him services and customs that he ought not to perform. Because of this he impleaded the Abbot in the court of the late King Henry, in the fifty-fourth year of his reign, and the case has continued, amid theft, assault, imprisonment, and attempted fraud on the Abbot's part. He eventually had judgment in his favour, through the Abbot's default, but now the Abbot has expelled him again, and in the first year of the present King had his corn threshed and committed other outrages against him; and he can have no justice because of the Abbot's position. He asks the King to have pity on him, his wife and children, and that this matter might come before him and his council.
Nature of endorsement
[None]
Places mentioned
Sandridge, Hertfordshire
St Albans, [Hertfordshire]
Westminster.
People mentioned
The Abbot of St Albans
Henry [III], King of England
Martin de Litlebirs (Littlebury), justice
Richard de Stanes (Staines), justice
[Eleanor of Provence], Queen of England.
Note
From the mention of 54 Henry III (28 October 1269-27 October 1270), and of 1 Edward I (20 November 1272-19 November 1273) this petition would seem to date from after 1273. It also speaks of Richard de Staines as a former justice: he was Chief Justice of King's Bench 1269-1272, justice of King's Bench 1272-1274, and justice of Common Pleas 1274-1276; he was dead by Michaelmas 1277.
Related material

For a related petition from the same petitioner, see SC 8/202/10086

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
French
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9333642/

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Series information

SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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William Meruyn (Meruin) of Sandridge. Meruyn (Meruin) William King and council. William...

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