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Cordwainers of London. King. The Cordwainers complain of the Flemings and other strangers...

Catalogue reference: SC 8/345/E1323

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This record is about the Cordwainers of London. King. The Cordwainers complain of the Flemings and other strangers... dating from [? 1450] in the series Special Collections: Ancient Petitions. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

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Full description and record details

Reference
SC 8/345/E1323
Date
[? 1450]
Description
Petitioners
Cordwainers of London.
Addressees
King.
Nature of request
The Cordwainers complain of the Flemings and other strangers who have come into the realm and taken up the craft of cordwainer. They state that formerly they were of sufficient ability and power to set on work such young men of the craft of cordwainer as resorted to London as other cities, towns, boroughs and villages of the realm, and sold their wares more cheaply than the strangers were able to. Now the strangers will not set any English on work, being so hugely set on work these days, so that the subject [native] cordwainers cannot live by their occupation, and cannot set on work young men coming to London and other cities, towns, boroughs and villages of the realm so that they fall to idleness, and become thieves, beggars, vagabonds and people of vicious living for lack of occupation to their utter undoing, and the Cordwainers who used to contribute to the charges with others, and have other charges such as wives and children, and will be utterly impoverished without remedy being soon provided. They request that this being considered, and with the advice of the lords spiritual and temporal assembled in this parliament that it be ordained that any stranger of whatsoever country coming into the realm after the date of the making of the act and wishing to be a cordwainer, occupy any house or chamber, and reside there with another stranger, nor occupy the craft of cordwainer, but that all such strangers with these skills coming after this act depart the realm or forfeit £20. They also request that any stranger occupying a house and the craft of cordwainer after the act will not take any apprentice, servant or any other person to work with him or to his use except if it his son or daughter, and except those taken on the day of the making of the act on pain of forfeiture of £20. The forfeiture is to be divided between the king and the person suing the action, and the defendant not be allowed to wage or do his law, nor any protection or essoin of service to the king for any such defendant be allowed.
Nature of endorsement
[None].
Places mentioned
London.
People mentioned
Flemings.
Note
The petition is dated to? 1450 on the basis of the dating ascribed to this petition in PROME, parliament of 1450, Appendix no.7. The guard note draws attention to another petition from the same group of petitioners on similar matters, which was enrolled in the London Letter Books and dates to 1451 (London Letter Book K, pp. 335-337).
Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Publication note(s)
The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, Ed. Paul Brand, Anne Curry, Chris Given-Wilson, Rosemary Horrox, W.M. Ormrod and J.R.S. Phillips, (Cambridge University Press, 2005), parliament of 1450, Appendix no.7 (summary of petition with references)
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C9736744/

Series information

SC 8

Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

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Special Collections: Ancient Petitions

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Within the piece: SC 8/345

E 1317; E 1319-E 1337: Petitions to the King and Council. E 1318: Petition to the...

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Cordwainers of London. King. The Cordwainers complain of the Flemings and other strangers...

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