King's tenants of Halcetor. King. The King's tenants of Halcetor, in the lordship...

Petitioners

King's tenants of Halcetor.

Addressees

King.

Nature of request

The King's tenants of Halcetor, in the lordship of Montgomery, state that certain tenants of the lordship of the Bishop of Hereford of Bishop's Castle killed the King's tenant William ap Howell, and certain tenants of Halcetor caught one of the felons in the act, and took him to the castle of Montgomery, where the daughter of the dead man made an appeal against him; but the Bishop of Hereford, by a false claim made to the King, obtained the King's letters under the privy seal to have the prisoner delivered to him, or to have those who took him appear before the King to explain why he should not be delivered. The petitioners say that this is contrary to their customs and usages, as the lordship of Montgomery is parcel of the crown and never made march with any other marcher lordship, and that no man taken on felony done to any of the tenants should be delivered in this way, until he should be willing to submit to the judgment of their court. They ask the King to be pleased to have their franchise examined by inquisition of those who have been true and liege tenants of the King since the conquest of Wales, so that they might not be deprived of their customs or the King disinherited of his right; but that the felon might be delivered of his felony by [verdict of their] court.

Nature of endorsement

[None].

Places mentioned

Halcetor, [Montgomeryshire, Wales]

Montgomery, [Montgomeryshire, Wales]

Montgomery lordship, [Wales]

Bishop's Castle, Shropshire.

People mentioned

[John Gilbert], Bishop of Hereford

William ap Howell (Hywel).

For another petition concerning disputes between the men of Montgomery and of the Bishop of Hereford, see SC 8/256/12779

For a related petition see SC 8/255/12708

• Calendar of Ancient Petitions Relating to Wales, Board of Celtic Studies, History and Law, (University of Wales, 1975), pp.430-431 (calendar of petition)
• Calendar of Patent Rolls, Ric II, vol. II, 1381-1385, (Public Record Office, 1898), pp.351-352 (commission to punish the tenants of Halcetor for removing Cadogan ap Willyn out of the Bishop's lordship and imprisoning him in Montgomery castle, and to have the tenants and the bishop appear before the King)