Piece
Transferred to SC 5/8/6 and subsequently to C 47/8/1
Catalogue reference: SC 5/8/7
Transferred to SC 5/8/6 and subsequently to C 47/8/1
Item
Community of Devon. King and council. The community of Devon make two petitions:1)...
Catalogue reference: SC 8/257/12841
What’s it about?
This record is about the Community of Devon. King and council. The community of Devon make two petitions:1)... dating from [1348] in the series Special Collections: Ancient Petitions. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
Is it available online?
Yes, this record is available online and can be downloaded. How to view it.
Can I see it in person?
No, this record is not available to see in person at The National Archives. Other ways to view it.
Full description and record details
-
Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- SC 8/257/12841
-
Date (When the record was created)
- [1348]
-
Description (What the record is about)
-
- Petitioners
- Community of Devon.
- Addressees
- King and council.
- Nature of request
- The community of Devon make two petitions:1) They state that the tin-miners of the county have a charter from the King's progenitors, allowing them to mine in any waste place or moor belonging to the King in the county at the time when the charter was made - which at that time was only the Forest of Dartmoor. And it was also granted that they were to be quit of all tolls and tallages, and to have the cognisance of all pleas arising out of the stannary. And by colour of this grant, and several later charters of confirmation, the tin-miners claim for their mines all kinds of land, both land suitable for agriculture and not, and do all kinds of destruction. They also claim cognisance over all manner of pleas brought by tin-miners, and by those who claim to be tin-miners, and make outrageous attachments and distraints, as they claim the whole county of Devon as their stannary. They ask that the tin-miners might be summoned to bring their charters before the justices of King's Bench or Common Pleas, to prove their title to these franchises, and that the Sheriff of Devon might be instructed to warn four, five or six people to appear on the same day on behalf of the King and the county how the tin-miners have abused their franchises.2) They state that each Sheriff pays 100 marks annually for the farm of the county, for which he has only the profits of the county courts and his tourn, which amount to only 20 marks. To make up this farm he extorts money from the people, and yet many Sheriffs and their heirs have still been ruined. And now the King has granted certain franchises to the Earl of Lancaster, and to the town of Dartmouth, which will further reduce the Sheriff's income. They ask that the Sheriffs might in future be discharged of this farm, and might be charged with the issues and profits . . . as they were before this farm was introduced.
- Nature of endorsement
- With regard to the first petition: the tin-miners and some of the community who are to have power on behalf of the community are to be summoned before the Chancellor in Chancery, and when they have shown the charters and confirmations mentioned by the petition, and when those who are to be called have been called, and the arguments for the King and the parties have been heard, justice is further to be done.With regard to the second: they are to sue [to the King].
- Places mentioned
- Dartmoor forest, Devon
- Clifton Dartmouth (Dartmouth), [Devon].
- People mentioned
- Tin-miners of Devon
- Edward [I], King of England
- Matthew Fitz John, Sheriff of Devon
- [Henry of Grosmont], Earl of Lancaster.
-
Note (Additional information about the record)
- Dated to the parliament of January 1348 by Rot. Parl. vol. II, p.190a-b (no.64).
-
Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
-
Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
-
Language (The language of the record)
- French
-
Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
-
Publication note(s) (A note of publications related to the record)
- Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. II, Edw III, (Record Commission, 1783), p.190a-b (no.64) (full edition of later copy of original petition)
-
Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9440453/
How to order it
- View this record page in our current catalogue
- Check viewing and downloading options
- Select an option and follow instructions
Series information
SC 8
Special Collections: Ancient Petitions
See the series level description for more information about this record.
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
74,884 records
Within the department: SC
Records of various departments, arranged artificially according to type, and formerly...
18,283 records
Within the series: SC 8
Special Collections: Ancient Petitions
51 records
Within the piece: SC 8/257
12801-12850. Individual petitions are described , dated, and are available at item...
You are currently looking at the item: SC 8/257/12841
Community of Devon. King and council. The community of Devon make two petitions:1)...
Related records
Records that share similar topics with this record.