Community within a seven-mile radius of Winchester. King. The community within a...

Petitioners

Community within a seven-mile radius of Winchester.

Addressees

King.

Nature of request

The community within a seven-mile radius of Winchester request remedy because, at the bishop of Winchester's three week long 'Fair of St Giles' held on St Giles' Hill next to the town of Winchester, where the bishop's justices hold pleas concerning all manner of covenants, debts and trespasses touching his personal estate against anyone living within the said seven miles beginning on St Giles' day, when he notifies them by summons or attachment according to the law, until the Nativity of Our Lady eight days later when he begins his pleas concerning all those who live within the said seven miles, whether they are his tenants or not, and he pleads all the pleas of distraints touching his personal estate on the first day secretly without summons or attachment, and when people are distrained he takes 1d for each animal when they entered the said hill at a place which is [far from] the pavilion where he holds his pleas, and so any person can be fined 20 marks or 40 marks on one day, contrary to the law.

Nature of endorsement

Each person who feels aggrieved should be helped by the law.

Places mentioned

Winchester, [Hampshire].

People mentioned

Bishop of Winchester.

For a related petition see SC 8/147/7309

• Calendar of Charter Rolls, vol. III, Edw I and Edw II, 1300-1326, (Public Record Office, 1908), p.359 (extension of the fair from 14 to 22 days)
• Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous, vol. I, Hen III - Edw I, (Public Record Office, 1916), p.521 (no.1915) (January 1303 inquisition into rights and customs at the fair of St Giles)
• Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edw III, vol. I, 1327-1330, (Public Record Office, 1891), p.292 (oyer and terminer on bishop's complaint that men of Winchester prevented the exercise of his liberties and collection of his tolls at his fair)
• Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. I, Edw I and Edw II, (Record Commission, 1783), pp.150-2 (1302 complaint of the abbot of Westminster about the fair of St Giles)