Henry III

17 Aug. 1257
Dublin
Edward, illustrious first-born son of the K. of Eng, to his T. and chamberlains of the Ex., Dublin.

ORDER to pay the following sums from the Lord Edward's treasury:1

4m for his expenses to Robert Loccard, going and conducting the Lord Edward's treasure of £2086 10s to Chester;
24s 11d for his expenses to William Meshouke, going with Robert to guard the treasure;
half a mark to the same Robert [Loccard] to carry the treasure to the sea;
3s 8d to the same Robert to buy a certain lantern [Lanternam] to be placed in the ship carrying the treasure;
60s to Hugh Clyue and Elias Frey, constable of the household, for the use of 60 satellites sent to Wales, viz. for their food for 4 days;
40d to the same Elias for the use of 40 satellites sent there for their food for 1 day;
44s 4d to two mounted crossbowmen [balistariis equitibus] sent there, both taking 8d a day, viz. for their wages for 40 days from Monday before St Peter in Chains 41 Hen. III [30 July 1257];
£40 for one hundred satellites, each of whom takes 2d a day, viz. for their wages for 40 days from the Friday before St Peter in Chains 41 Hen. III [3 Aug. 1257];
£30 0s 4d to William Wilton for his expenses in coming to Ire. and staying there in the Lord Edward's service, and in crossing to Wales in his encounter [occursum];
1m for his expenses to Walter le Serjant, going as the Lord Edward's messenger to Wexford, New Ross and Waterford;
39s 6d to Alan s. of Roger for 316 crannocks of grain carried from Swords to Dublin to be sent to the Lord Edward;
£9 6s 8d to Robert le Heavnor, Richard Clive, Stephen Smith [Fabro] and Robert Marshal, sent in the Lord Edward's service, each of whom takes 14d a day for themselves and for their two smiths [duobus hominibus suis fabris], viz. for their wages for 40 days from Saturday after St Peter in Chains 41 Hen. III [4 Aug. 1257];
10m for ten unmounted crossbowmen [balistarii peditibus], each of whom takes 4d a day, viz. for their wages for 40 days from Thursday after St Peter in Chains 41 Hen. III [2 Aug. 1257];
2m for their expenses to Alured Passavaunt, Richard Beumes and their two companions, for 70 crannocks of milled grain;
£12 to Adam Fermyn, going to Cardigan to pay 20 crossbowmen [balistarii] in the castle there, each of whom takes 6d a day, viz. for 20 days from Tuesday after the said feast 41 Hen. III [7 Aug. 1257];
£4 6s 8d to Alexander Hereford for two tuns of wine bought from him for the Lord Edward's use that it might be sent to Cardigan for the provisioning of the castle there;
£4 13s 4d to Michael Kermerdin2 and Simon Unred, citizens of Dublin, for making nails and brattices [Bretachias].

Attested: 
Alan la Zuche, Jcr
T: 

NLI, [Harris] MS 1, f. 211–211v (pr. Lydon, 'Three Ex. docs, Hen. III', 20–1).

Footnotes: 

1 The record begins: 'Diversa brevia de liberate de thesauro Edwardi promgeniti regis Anglie, in expeditionem versus Waliam, 41 Henrici III. Ex dorso rotuli recepte in turri Birmingham, anno Henici tertii 41, termino Sancti Michaelis'. There is a partial transcription in C. McNeill (ed.), 'Harris: Collectanea de rebus Hibernicis', AH, no. 6 (1934), 290–2.
2 Lydon's edition reads 'Krinerdin'.

The following abbreviations are used within in the text of CIRCLE

  • abp = archbishop [of]
  • BMV = beate Marie Virginis [of the Blessed Virgin Mary]
  • C. = chancellor [plural: chancellors]
  • co. = county (i.e. medieval shire: lower case ‘c’) [plural. cos.]
  • dcd = deceased
  • e. = earl of
  • Edw. = Edward (used when giving dates by regnal year)
  • Eng. = England
  • esq. = esquire [plural: esquires]
  • Ex. = exchequer
  • g.s. = great seal
  • Hen. = Henry
  • Ire. = Ireland
  • Jcr = justiciar [plural: justiciars]
  • JP = justice of the peace
  • K. = king
  • kt = knight
  • Lt = lieutenant
  • O.Carm. = Order of Carmelites
  • O.F.M. =  Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
  • O.P. = Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
  • Ric. = Richard (used when giving dates by regnal year)
  • s. = son
  • sen. = seneschal of
  • T. = treasurer [plural: treasurers]
  • w. = wife

This glossary is by no means comprehensive. Readers may also wish to consult standard references books such as Joseph Byrne, Byrne’s dictionary of local Irish History from the earliest times to c.1900 (Cork, 2004); P. G. Osborn, Osborn’s concise law dictionary, ed. Sheila Bone (London, 2001).

Abbreviations

  • AN = Anglo-Norman
  • Ir. = Irish
  • Lat. = Latin
  • ME = Middle English
  • OED = Oxford English Dictionary

 

Term

 Explanation

advowson

The right of patronage or presentation to a church benefice.

allocate, writ of

A writ authorizing allowance to be made by the officers of the Ex. of a specified amount: often this amount is to be off-set against the debts owed to the K. by the beneficiary.

alterage

A form of affinity proscribed in late medieval Ireland between the Irish and the English, whereby a man stood sponsor for a child at baptism; (also) gossipred.

assize

Technical term for legal proceedings or various kinds. See mort d’ancestor, novel disseisin.

avener [Lat. avarius]

provider of oats, esp. for the household of the K. or his chief governor

avoirdupois

Miscellaneous merchandise sold by weight.

bonnaght [Ir. buannacht]

The billeting of mercenaries or servants.

cask

See tun.

certiorari, writ of

Letters close issued by the K. to his officers commanding them to supply information to him concerning a specified matter, normally by searching the records.

chattels

Property, goods, money: as opposed to real property (land).

dicker [Lat. dacra]

A measure of 10 hides.

dower

Portion (one third) of a deceased husband’s estate which the law allows to his widow for her life.

escheat

The reversion of land to the lord of the fee to the crown on failure of heirs of the owner or on his outlawry.

extent

A survey and valuation of property, esp. one made by royal inquisition.

falding [Ir. fallaing]

A kind of coarse woollen cloth produced in Ireland; the mantle or cloak made from the same.

fee-farm
 

A fixed annual rent payable to the K. by chartered boroughs.

fotmel [Lat. fotmellum]

A measure of lead.

engrossment

Technical term: the action of writing out, for instance patent letters and charters; (also) the documents thus written out.

enrolment

Technical term: the action of recording in the records of the K., esp. the registering of a deed, memorandum, recognizance; (also) the specific item or record thus enrolled.

hanaper

A repository for the keeping of money. The ‘clerk of the hanaper in chancery’ was the chancery official responsible for the receipt of fines for the issue, engrossment and ensealing of writs, patents and charters issued by the chancery.

herberger [Lat. herbergerius, hospitator]

One sent on before to purvey lodgings for an army, a royal train (OED).

galangal [AN galyngale]

The aromatic rhizome of certain Asian plants of the genera Alpinia and Kaempferia, of the ginger family, used in cookery and herbal medicine; (also) any of these plants (OED).

generosus [Lat.]

Term designating social status: translated as ‘gentleman’.

king's widow [Lat. vidua regis]

The widow of a tenant in chief: so called because whe was not allowed to marry a second time without royal licence.

knights’ fees

Units of assessment of estates in land. Originally a single knight’s fee was the amount of land for which the military service of one knight (=knight service) was required by the crown. ‘Fee’ derives from the Latin feudum, which in other contexts translated as ‘fief’. In practice the descent of landed estates meant that many knights’ fees came to be subdivided and, in the later Middle Ages, personal service was frequently commuted to money payments (=scutage).

liberate, writ of

A chancery writ issued to the treasurer and chamberlains of the Ex. authorizing them to make payment of a specified amount, often the annual fees, wages and rewards of the K.’s officers.

linch [Lat. lincia]

A measure of tin.

livery

The delivery of seisin, or possession, of an estate hitherto held in the K.’s hand, for instance when a minor reaches the age of majority.

mainprize

Legal term: the action of undertaking to stand surety (=‘mainpernor’) for another person; the action of making oneself legally responsible for the fulfilment of a contract or undertaking by another person (OED).

mass [Lat. messa]

A standard measure of metal.

messuage

 A portion of land occupied, or intended to be occupied, as the site for a dwelling house; (also) a dwelling house together with outbuildings and the adjacent land assigned to its use (OED).

mort d’ancestor, assize of [Lat. assisa mortis antecessoris]

A legal process to recover land of which the plaintiff’s ancestor (father, mother, uncle, aunt, brother sister, nephew or niece) died seised (=in possession), possession of which was since taken by another person.

nolumus, clause of [Lat. cum clausula nolumus]

A standard clause inserted especially in letters of protection by which pleas and suits are delayed for a specified period of time.

novel disseisin, assize of [Lat. assisa nove disseisine]

A legal process to recover land from which the plaintiff claims to have been dispossessed (=disseised).
pensa See wey.
piece [L. pecia] A standard quantity of merchandise.
pendent seal Seal hanging from engrossed letters patent attached to a tongue or tag of parchment.
perpresture An illegal encroachment upon royal property.
plica A fold along the foot of engrossed letters patent and charters to create a double thickness of parchment, used for attaching the ‘great seal pendent’ to the letters. An incision was made in the plica and through which a tag of parchment was attached. A wax impression of a seal was then affixed to the tag.
protection An act of grace by the K., granted by chancery letters, by which the recipient is to be free from suits at law for a specified term; granted especially to persons crossing overseas or otherwise out of reach of the courts in the K.’s service.
quare impedit, writ of An action brought to recover the advowson of a benefice, brought by the patron against the bishop or other person hindering the presentation.
scutage The commutation of personal military service to the crown for a money payment. Normally called ‘royal service’ in Ireland.
seisin Formal legal possession of land.
sendal [Lat. cendallum; ME cendal] A thin rich silken material (OED).
stallage [Lat. stallagium, estallagium] Payment for a market stall.
tun [Lat. dolium] A large cask or barrel, esp. of wine.
valettus A term designating social status: translated ‘yeoman’.
Vidua Regis [Lat.] See King's widow.
volumus, clause of [Lat. cum clausula volumus] A standard clause inserted esp. in letters of protection by which pleas and suits are delayed for a specified period of time. In full the clause runs: volumus quod interim sit quietus de omnibus placitis et querelis (=we wish that meanwhile he be quit of all pleas and plaints).
waif A piece of property which is found ownerless and which, if unclaimed within a fixed period after due notice given, falls to the lord.
waivery [AN weiverie] The technical term for proceedings of outlawry in the case of women.
wey [Lat. pensa, peisa, pisa] A standard of dry-goods weight.
worsted [ME wyrstede] A woollen fabric or stuff made from well-twisted yarn spun of long-staple wool combed to lay the fibres parallel (OED).
writ [Lat. brevis] Letters close containing commands by the K. to certain specified persons, esp. royal officers. Returnable writs, which were not normally enrolled in the chancery rolls, were to be returned by the officer to chancery with details of the actions taken by the officer in response to the contents. See also allocate, certiorari, liberate.