Richard Spynk of Norwich. Spynk Richard King. Spynk requests remedy and that the...

Petitioners

Richard Spynk of Norwich.

Name(s)

Spynk, Richard

Addressees

King.

Nature of request

Spynk requests remedy and that the king will command by his grace to his justices that they will proceed in his complaint against the bishop of Ely according to law and reason, and notwithstanding certain writs or letters purchased or to be purchased by the bishop against this by certain allegations. Spynk complains that he has pursued diverse pleas by diverse writs of oyer and terminer in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire against the bishop and others named in the writs, and he has been taken into the king's special protection, but notwithstanding this, the bishop ordered his commission to Haukere and to a great number of malefactors to seek the petitioner against the crown and royal dignity and have made affray around Norwich so that Spynk cannot pursue his trade to his great damage, and has prevented his oyer and terminers by obtaining writs to the justices to surcease so that Spynk has been delayed for 2 years. In addition, the bishop has claimed that Spynk is a villein of his manor of Doddington to his great damage and seized his goods, and Spynk cannot have justice on this as all those in Cambridgeshire are his tenants and wear his robes, and he cannot go to Thetford before the justices to pursue his business because of the power of the bishop. He complains of the bishop's continued menaces.

Nature of endorsement

[None].

Places mentioned

Norwich, [Norfolk]

Norfolk

Cambridgeshire

Doddington, [Cambridgeshire]

Thetford, [Norfolk].

People mentioned

Thomas [de Lisle], Bishop of Ely

Osbern le Haukere.

For a further warrant of the privy seal delaying commissions of oyer and terminers against the bishop and his brother, see no. 17968 in C 81/315

For a privy seal warrant concerning the superseding of a writ of oyer and terminer, see no. 17851 in C 81/314

For responses in the process of the petitioner against the bishop, see C 49/46/18

For a contemporary counter petition by the bishop of Ely, see SC 8/45/2212

• Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edw III, vol. VII, 1345-1348, (Public Record Office, 1903), p.237 (commission of oyer and terminer on part of the complaint made in the petition)
• Rotuli Parliamentorum; ut et Petitiones, et Placita in Parliamento, vol. II, Edw III, (Record Commission, 1783), p.192a-b (nos.71-2) (full editions of later copies of original counter petitions by the bishop of Ely & pp.192a-193b (no.73) (full edition of later copy of original petition)