People of Dunwich. King and council. The people of Dunwich make at least four complaints...

Petitioners

People of Dunwich.

Addressees

King and council.

Nature of request

The people of Dunwich make at least four complaints against Claveryng brothers and the people of Walberswick.1) They state that they have forcibly prevented them from receiving the profits of their port, which they need to pay the farm of their borough, and have appropriated them to themselves.2) They state that fish, herring and other merchandise has always been landed at Dunwich, where customs can be paid on it in aid of their farm, but that the people of Walberswick, which is a hamlet of Blythborough, are now, through the maintenance of John and Edmund de Claveryng allowing merchandise to land at their harbour and be sold there, where there is no fair and the King loses his customs.3) They state that the people of Walberswick are engrossing and buying merchandise contrary to the franchise of the merchant guild of Dunwich.4) [A fourth complaint is mostly illegible. There may be others, now missing.]

Nature of endorsement

[None]

Places mentioned

Dunwich, [Suffolk]

Walberswick, [Suffolk]

Blythborough, [Suffolk].

People mentioned

John de Claveryng (Clavering)

Edmund de Claveryng (Clavering).

For a related petition see SC 8/11/519

• Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. II, 1330-1333, (Public Record Office, 1898), pp.360-361 (order to the petitioners and to the Claveryng brothers to desist from their attacks, and to appear before the King and Westminster)
• Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. II, Edw III, (Record Commission, 1783), p.44a-b (no.60) (full edition of another petition by the same petitioners on the same matter)