ROLL A 42
Roll of Memoranda of the time of Robert Chichele,
mayor of the city of London, in the 13th year of King
Henry IV
Membr. 1
14 Jan. (1412)
Lease from Sir Robert Dukesworthe, master or warden
of the new college of minor canons of St Paul's church, to
Nicholas Ryngwode, bladesmith, and Enima his wife, for
20 years of a tenement in Diserlane (fn. 1) , bounded on the east by
a tenement of the minor canons in the occupation of Roger
Westwode, on the west by Diserlane, on the south by a
tenement of St Paul's church in the occupation of Sir William
de Coloigne, canon, and on the north by the king's highway,
at an annual rent of 4 marks, the tenants agreeing to keep the
premises in repair, including the pavements, to cleanse a
watercourse running through the lane from the Scoldynghous (fn. 2) , to keep both ends of the lane closed with gates, keys
and locks, not to remove any new buildings they might erect
on the site, and not to sublet or assign the premises.
Membr. 1 b
4 Feb. 1412
Lease from Nicholas Whaddon, esquire, of co. Berks and
Agnes his wife to William Gynore, steynour, for 20 years of
a corner-shop with houses and solars built above it, and two
other shops and solars on the south side, of which one was
in the occupation of the lessee and the other late in the
occupation of Thomas Meryng, clerk, the whole being situate
outside Ludgate in the parish of St Martin, at an annual rent
of 5 marks 4d. Dated 1 Feb. 1412.
13 Jan. 1412
John Wolmer, cousin of William Serle, carpenter, who had
been apprenticed to Richard Morcok, carpenter, by the said
William, was exonerated from his indentures, because his
master had left the city and failed to provide for him.
Membr. 2
4 Jan. 1412 (fn. 3)
Lease from Nicholas Whaddon, esquire, of co. Berks and
Agnes his wife to Richard Wellom, cutler, for 20 years of
two shops outside Ludgate, which William Milward, late
horner, held of the demise of Sir William Stratton, knight,
and Ellen his wife, at an annual rent of 70s. Dated at London
on Easterday the same year.
20 March 1412
John Multon, skinner, appeared before the mayor and
John Penne, alderman, and acknowledged having received
the sum of £100 due on a statute merchant from the late
Sir Andrew Cavendissh, knight, of co. Suffolk, the said Sir
Andrew having bound himself in £200 on 18 Oct. 1391 before
John Hadeley, mayor of the Staple of Westminster, to pay
the sum of £100 to the said John Multon on 18 April
following.
26 March 1412
William Briggenorth, late apprentice of John Cosseham,
mercer, acknowledged as his deed a public instrument, dated
24 March 1411, according to the fifth indiction and in the
second year of Pope John XXIII, witnessing that, after a discussion with his late master in the church of St Lawrence
Jewry, he had confessed that he had not acted as his attorney,
factor or servant for seven years before last Christmas or
at any time since, and immediately afterwards he had made
a quitclaim to his master of all actions, real, personal and
mixed, and had renounced all exceptions (fn. 4) and especially those
of dolt mali and in hoc facto, and all remedies and aids of
civil and canon law and especially of the law (fn. 5) saying that
general renunciations were of no validity except in so far as
they preceded special renunciations. Witnesses, John Lane,
alderman, Thomas Aleyn, Simon Bartelot, John Coventre,
Richard Coventre, Richard Bures, John Middelton, Richard
Herry, John Wareyn and Richard Awedre, mercers.
Certificates of Robert Northelod, clerk, of the diocese of
Wells, public notary, procurator-general of the court of
Canterbury, and of William Bray, clerk, of the diocese of
Lincoln, public notary, who were present.
Membr. 2 b
6 April 1412
Writ demanding that William Button, clerk, and John
Leek, tawere
(fn. 6) who had been arrested and detained in prison,
be brought before the king in person (in propria persona
nostra) with the cause of their taking and detaining. Dated
at Canterbury 6 April 1412.
Return of Robert Chichele, mayor, and Walter Cotton and
John Reynewell, sheriffs, that William Sutton, clerk, and
John Leek had been taken in the city and committed to
prison on information that the former had written a paper
in English, which the latter had affixed to the door of a
garden in the parish of All Hallows Berkyng in Tower Ward,
where on 24 Jan. certain unknown persons had broken down
the earthen wall surrounding the garden, the writing on the
paper being as follows:
"Here hath ben this nyght a cumpanye of trewe men by
comen assent of alle this worshipfull Citee to warne yow
with a litel stroke or more harme come to gader up your
erbys (fn. 7) & trees or ellys it shal al be destried right as ye see
for we wole have our grounde whos evyr be grucche it for
we have yoven o stroke & more is for to come but yf ye with
your ovne goode wylle amende it your selfe for this is not
don of on or two but of many one & mo wil come of al the
craftes of alle this worshipful Citee. & ther for thanke god
that yo have no more harm at this tyme for thorughe þe
counseille of viii men, iii score lefte to do more harme & yet
þei seyne þei wole come ayen we wote never howe sone. & ther
for it is the best be goddis ore (fn. 8) your ovne worship for to save:
loke þt noman pleyne (fn. 9) hym more but holde þt he have."
By reason of the above, the said William and John had
been detained until the mayor and sheriffs might take counsel
as to their delivery.
5 May 1412
Bond of Richard Newman, brewer, to Robert Bastewyk,
vintner, in £20 to abide by the award of John Russell. Robert
Blake, Thomas Heighelme and William Edward, sailer, who
had been chosen (fn. 10) by the jury between the parties, with the
consent of the said Richard and Robert, to arbitrate on their
differences.
22 Aug. 1412
Geo Bovy, merchant of Lucca, came into court and delivered to Thomas Aleyn, mercer, in part payment o: money
owed to him, an obligation dated 13 April 1412, in which a
certain John Ikelyngdon, clerk, was bound to the said Geo
in 244 marks.
Membr. 3
8 June 1412
Bond of John Mynne and John Tredewe, skinners, to
William Grome and Thomas Sawyn, cheesemongers, in
£13 7s 6d that the said John Mynne, or someone on his behalf, would produce before Aug. 1 letters under the authentic
seal of the town of Bruges, proving that he or others in his
name had already paid the above-mentioned sum to them.
21 Aug. 1412
Bond of John Sundyford of Camerwelle (fn. 11) co. Surrey to
William Bourgchier, knight, in 50 marks, that two acqu ttances,
which he had delivered in the presence of the mayor to a
certain Walter Verney to be handed over to the said Sir
William, were genuine acquittances made by Sir John Assheton, that he was the attorney of Sir John Assheton, and that
neither the latter nor his executors would afterwards repudiate them.
The first acquittance, dated 24 June 1412, acknowledged
receipt by Sir John de Assheton, knight, from Sir William
Borugchier, knight, of the sum of 50 marks in part payment
of 200 marks due to him on a recognisance, the money having
been awarded to him in an arbitration concerning the manor
of Rothewell, and paid by the hands of John Lopham.
Membr. 3 b
The second acquittance, dated the same day, acknowledged
receipt of the whole sum of 200 marks.
8 Sept. 1412
Bond of Stephen Turnebonis of Florence, attorney of
Francis de Turnebonis and of the whole society of the same,
and Philip de Albertis, merchant of Florence, in 100 marks,
to John Reynewell, ironmonger, that they would exonerate
him from any claims for £50 made against him by Henry
Kaym, constable of the town of Sydingbourne (fn. 12) . This sum
had been paid by Henry Kaym in the presence of Nicholas
Bubbewyth, then keeper of the rolls of Chancery, to a
certain Stephen Boche, attorney of the society of Turnebonis, John Reynewell being surety.
The same day a similar bond was made to save harmless
the above-mentioned Philip de Albertis.
13 Sept. 1412
Bond of John Ballard, brewer, to Alexander de Albertis,
to pay 10 marks, if authentic proof were brought before
Easter either that Maurice Senain of Ireland was alive at
the present date, or, if he were dead, that he or some one in
his name before his death had received from the society of
the Albertines the sum of 40 gold florins.
3 Nov. 1412
William Furnesse of co. Lancaster, who had bound himself
apprentice to John Carleton, goldsmith, by indentures enrolled at the Guildhall on 9 Nov. 1410 in a register (papiro)
marked C, reported that his master had died and prayed the
Mayor and Aldermen to assign him to some other good man
of the same mistery to learn his trade and serve the remainder
of his term. And as this was a reasonable petition and consonant with the custom of the city, the Mayor and Aldermen,
with the consent of the said William Fournesse, assigned the
said William Furneux (fn. 13) to William Randolph, goldsmith, on
condition that, if his master or his master's executors testified
to the chamberlain that he had served well and faithfully,
he should become a freeman of the city.
Membr. 4
4 Oct. 1412
Writ of certiorari demanding that information be sent to
Chancery concerning the examination of Richard Fylongley,
esquire, and John Broun in the presence of Thomas Knolles,
late Mayor, the Recorder and the Aldermen of the City,
with regard to an alleged release from the said Richard to the
said John and other matters touching an action of account
between them pending before the justices of the Bench; and
further, concerning the evidence of Thomas Wodyngfeld,
esquire, the king's serjeant-at-arms, taken before the Mayor,
Aldermen and Recorder. Dated at Westminster 4 Oct. 1412.
Return of the mayor, Robert Chichele, as follows: The
plaintiff Richard Fylongley and the defendant John Broun
had appeared before the Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen on
16 Oct. 1411, in connection with the action pending before
the justices of the Bench, when John Broun, being examined
on oath, said that Richard Fylongley sealed a quitclaim and
gave it to him in his house in the parish of St Dunstan, but
he could not remember whether the person who wrote the
quitclaim was cleric or lay, young or old, or where it was
written or in whose presence, and that afterwards in his
house he accounted with the said Richard every night and
sometimes paid him a noble or two, more or less, and sent
down fish, spices and other things by Richard's orders to his
manor of Hertfeld (fn. 14) in payment of arrears, but he did not
know the amount or value of them. Further, he said in
examination that no one was present when these payments
were made beyond Richard and himself, and that no other
account was made. On the same day Thomas Wodyngfeld
appeared before the Mayor, Aldermen and Recorder, and
said that he had taken into his service a certain John, who
had been servant of John Broun, and afterwards when they
were in Gascony, this servant told him that John Broun had
secretly applied Richard Fylongley's seal without his knowledge to the pendant of a large blank sheet of parchment, at
a time when Richard was ill in Broun's house. When he,
the witness, remarked that John Broun was much indebted
to Richard Fylongley for the office of weighing and tronage
in the city, the servant replied that John Broun had told
him that the parchment was for a deed, in order that the
king might be excluded from his debt. On the other hand
John Broun swore expressly that at the time when Richard
Fylongley was sick in his house he had no menservants at all
but only women.
Membr. 5
20 April 1412
Memorandum that the Mayor and Aldermen called before
themselves a plaint levied in the Sheriffs' Court by Thomas
Coventry, hurer, against William Dylcok and John Dylcok
as executors of the will of Robert Drayton, late of Coventry,
barber, for a debt of £10. The said Thomas and John appeared
on 8 July, when the plaintiff, being examined in the Inner
Chamber as to the, matter of the bill, said that the defendant
had goods of the testator in administration and was well able
to pay the debt. The defendant offered to pay the whole or
as much as the plaintiff demanded, if it could be legally
proved that he ever had or administered any goods, chattels
or rents of the testator, and he offered to produce authentic
letters under the seal of the city of Coventry. The plaintiff
agreed to be precluded from his action, if he produced such
letters.
On July 19 the defendant brought letters proving that he
never had any such goods in administration or received any
profits or considerations (avantagid) from the lands and tenements of the testator. Therefore it was considered that the
plaintiff be excluded etc.
Membr. 5 b
12 Oct. 1412
Memorandum that Robert Broun, goldsmith, complained
that great damage and injury was being done to his tenement
and wharf near Fletebrigge in Fletestret by the raising of the
pavement on the north side opposite the wharf, as the result
of which the watercourse coming from the west, which ran
down the middle of the street to the bridge, so flooded the
wharf that he lost his profit from it. Accordingly on 16 Oct.
the mayor and aldermen went to the tenement and wharf,
and acting on the view and report of the sworn masters of
the Masons and Carpenters of the city, gave orders that the
pavements on either side of the street should be of the same
height, and that neither of them should in future be so raised
higher than the other as to prevent the water having a free
course down the middle of the street to the drain (fn. 15) at Fletebrigge.
13 Oct. 1412
Writ demanding that the mayor send before the King at
Westminster a general release, dated 12 Nov. 1410, from
William Wardon, late abbot of the monastery of St Mary
of Graces by the Tower, to William Sampson, fishmonger.
The writ recites that the present abbot, Roger, had brought
an action against William Sampson for breaking into the close
and buildings of the monastery during the time of the late
abbot, and the defendant William had put in the release to
exclude the abbot from his action, and the abbot had disputed the release. The document had been returned to William
Sampson with orders to bring it again before the court on
6 Oct. last. But meanwhile William Sampson had produced
the release in other proceedings in the Sheriffs' Court and
deposited it there, and the document had been handed over
by the sheriffs to the mayor, with the result that William
Sampson had been unable to bring it before the King on
6 Oct., as he complained, wherefore the mayor is ordered
to produce it on 15 Oct., in order that the action might be
continued. Witness W. Gascoigne at Westminster, 13 Oct.
1412.