1272-3
A.D. 1272. Sheriffs.: John Horn,; Walter le Poter, again,
(fn. 1) This year, on the sixth day of October, Eadmund, son of Richard,
the late King of Almaine and Earl of Cornwall, married the sister of
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, Margaret by name,
in the Chapel of Reyslepe; a town twelve miles distant from London,
on the West.
Afterwards, on the Feast of the Translation of Saint Edward, at
Westminster, Sir Eadmund, son of Richard, the late King of Almaine
and Earl of Cornwall, was made a knight; as also, Henry de Laci, Earl
of Lincoln, and many other nobles of the kingdom of England and the
parts beyond sea, in number about fifty, it is said.
In this year, because dissensions had arisen on the Feast of Simon and
Jude in reference to the election of the Mayor, as in the two preceding
leaves is more fully set forth, his lordship the King, on the Feast of
Saint Martin [11 November] appointed Henry de Frowyk Warden, in
place of the Mayor.
About the same time, there came news to London that the Prior of
the Church of the Holy Trinity at Canterbury, who had been elected
Archbishop, and had been staying at Home for some time, knowing and
fully understanding that he would be rejected, because his lordship the
Pope, upon examination of him, did not consider him sufficiently literate,
renounced his election; whereupon, his lordship the Pope bestowed
that dignity upon a certain Friar (fn. 2) Preacher, who was Provincial Prior
of all his Order throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, Robert de
(fn. 3) Killewareby, by name.
Afterwards, on the Feast of Saint Edmund the Archbishop [16
November], Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, came to Westminster,
and in presence of his lordship the King, who was then at the point of
death, made promise upon oath that he would preserve the peace of the
kingdom of England, and would, to the utmost of his power, cause the
same to be observed; and that he would keep that kingdom in Sir
Edward's behalf. Afterwards, at a late hour on the same day the King
died, after a reign of fifty-six full years and twenty days; and
was buried on the Feast of Saint Edmund the King [20 November], as set forth on the preceding leaf.
On the day after the Feast of Saint Edmund the Archbishop, Walter
Herevy was made Mayor, as is stated on the other side of the preceding
leaf; but he was not immediately presented, because since the King's
death there were no Barons at the Exchequer, up to that day.
Afterwards, on the Vigil of Saint Andrew [30 November], the
Sheriffs before-mentioned were presented anew at the Exchequer, the
Barons sitting there, in the name of Sir Edward.
Copy of the first Writ that was issued from the Chancery of Sir
Edward, after the death of his Father.
"Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and
Duke of Acquitaine, to the Sheriff of (fn. 4) Nortffolk, greeting. Whereas
by reason of the death of his lordship King Henry, our father, now of
famous memory, the governance of the realm has upon us by hereditary
succession, and by the will of the nobles of our realm, and their fealty
unto us made, devolved; by reason whereof, the said nobles and our
faithful subjects, caused our peace in our name to be proclaimed, to all
and singular of whom in this realm, as dispensing justice and maintaining peace, we are rendered debtors from henceforth; we do command
you, that throughout all your bailiwick, in all cities and boroughs, fairs,
markets, and other places, you do cause our peace publicly to be proclaimed, and strictly to be maintained, forbidding unto all and singular
persons, that any one shall presume to commit any breach of our peace,
under peril of disherison, as also of loss of life and limb. For that we
are, and shall be, ready to do full justice unto all and singular, by aid
of the Lord, in all rights and other matters concerning them, against all
persons whomsoever, great as well as small. Witness, W[alter], Archbishop of York, at Westminster, this 23rd day of November, in the first
year of our reign."
After this, Sir Edmund, son of his lordship the King, came back to
London, from the Holy Land, on the tenth day of December, which
then fell on a Saturday.
(fn. 5) This year, on the eleventh day of January, Sir William de Valence,
who was with Sir Edward, came to London from the Holy Land. On
the last day of the same month of January, the (fn. 6) Bishop of London came
to London from (fn. 7) Rome, whither he had been sent by the Legate.
Be it remembered, that about the month of May previous, it
befell at Acon, in the Holy Land, that a certain Saracen, a malicious
traitor, who knew the French language, came to the Court of Sir Edward,
and assumed the character of one of the domestics there, as though he
had been one of his household; and accordingly, one day approached him,
saying that he wished to speak with him in private on a matter for his
own benefit and welfare. Whereupon, Sir Edward, who was too trusting and gave an unreasonable degree of credit to this traitor, received
him in his chamber, no other person remaining there. Accordingly,
this wretch, having shut the door of the chamber, approached Sir
Edward, as though about to speak to him, and instantly, drawing a
poisoned dagger, attempted to slay him, giving him four most dangerous,
and almost deadly, wounds. Edward however, manfully exerting himself, with a strong hand threw the malefactor to the ground, and with the
traitor's own dagger cut him to pieces, blessed be God! and so slew him. (fn. 8)
Afterwards, it became known that the Soldan had sent him to slay Sir
Edward; just as the Old Man of the Mountains had been wont to do,
who, in the time of Richard, King of England, caused the Marquis de
Munferat to be assassinated, at Tyre in the Holy Land, by two of his
retainers, as related in the history of King Richard before-mentioned.
Be it remembered, that after the death of the before-named King, no
one, impleaded by his writ, was bound to make answer to his adversary,
unless his lordship Edward, King of England, his son, had by his writ
given command to carry his father's writ into effect.
This year, on the morrow of Saint Valentine [14 February], it was
made known by the Archdeacon of London to all the chaplains of that
City, that by command of his lordship the Pope all ecclesiastics in office,
throughout the whole of England, should for two consecutive years give
one tenth part of all their moveable possessions unto Sir Edward and Sir
Edmund, sons of the (fn. 9) King before-mentioned, on their return from the
Holy Land, for the purpose of defraying their expenses; the Templars,
Hospitallers, and Cistercian Monks, only excepted.
Afterwards, on the first Sunday in Lent, which then fell on the 26th
day of February, the Archbishop elect of Canterbury, Robert de Kylewareby by name, was consecrated in the Cathedral Church of the Holy
Trinity at Canterbury; there being present the following of his suffragan
Bishops, namely, Laurence de Saint Martin, Bishop of Rochester,
Nicholas of Winchester, Godfrey of Worcester, Richard of
Lincoln, Hugh of Ely, Roger of Norwich, William of Bath,
Roger of (fn. 10) Chester, Walter of Exeter. The Bishop elect also of Salisbury was present, Robert by name; and there were absent, Henry,
Bishop of London, and John, Bishop of Hereford, by reason of their
infirmities. As for Stephen, Bishop of Chichester, he was still at Rome,
whither he had been sent by Ottoboni, the Pope's Legate, as already
written.
Be it remembered, that in the month of November next preceding
there came envoys to London from his lordship the Pope, bringing
letters of the Pope; but because his lordship the King was then dead,
and his son, who succeeded to the kingdom, was not present, the nobles
of England would not give the said envoys an answer; whereupon the
said envoys, while staying in the meantime at the New Temple, sent
letters to his lordship the Pope. Still however, they took for their
expenses, sixteen shillings from every house of religion in England
established, no one being exempt, whether Templars, Hospitallers, or
Monks of the Cistercian Order.
On the day before the Annunciation of Our Lady [25 March], there
were read in the Guildhall of London letters of his lordship King
Edward, the tenor of which is as follows:—
"Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland,
and Duke of Acquitaine, to the Mayor, and Sheriffs, and Commonalty
of London, greeting. We do know and do strongly hope, that so often
as you have heard good tidings of us, your feelings have been gratified
thereby, receiving an accession of joy and gladness; even as at the
present moment, when we do make known to you, that at the time of
writing these presents, at (fn. 11) Caples in the land of Labor, near unto our
dearest cousin the illustrious King of Sicily, we are as well and as unimpaired as, after the bitterness of grief that we have experienced by
reason of the departure of his lordship the King, of happy memory, our
late father, we might be; a loss which, in submission to the divine
will, we do patiently endure. But forasmuch as we should wish, and
do desire, that all in our realm should enjoy peace and tranquillity, we
do command you, in virtue of the fealty and love, in which unto us you
are bound, that, diligently giving attention thereunto, you make it
your care, in our absence, so to conduct yourselves, that upon our
arrival in England, whither we are now hastening, the Supreme aid
preceding us, we may be able to find you deserving therein. But forasmuch as we have not yet had made our own royal Seal, we have had
these presents, at our instance, enclosed under the Seal of his lordship
the King of Sicily before-mentioned. Witness myself, at Caples, this
19th day of January, in the first year of our reign."
Be it remembered, that after Stephen, Bishop of Chichester,
who had been sent to Rome by Ottoboni, Legate of his lordship the Pope, as has been already stated in this Book, had obtained of
the Supreme Pontiff, the Lord Gregory the Tenth, his gracious permission to return to his country and resume his dignity, on such his
return towards England, he conducted himself foolishly and indiscreetly;
for he received into companionship Emeric de Montfort, for the purpose
of escorting him and bringing him with himself to England; a person
whom his lordship King Edward held in abhorrence, seeing that his
brothers had slain Sir Henry of Almaine, as already written. Whereupon, his lordship the King immediately gave orders to the Constable of
Dover Castle, to cause the sea to be watched with ships and galleys on
every side, that he might not enter the kingdom of England. He also
commanded his Justiciars, to take into their hands the barony of the said
Bishop.
In this year, the same as in the three preceding years, no judicial
cognizance was taken of the London bakers; but they, giving bribes to
the Mayor and Sheriffs, made their loaves at their own pleasure, so much
so, that every loaf was one third or one fourth lighter in weight than it
ought to be, to the great loss and detriment of the citizens and of all
persons coming into the City.
Be it remembered, that throughout the whole time of this Mayor's
Mayoralty he did not allow any pleading in the Hustings of Pleas of Land,
except very rarely; the reason being, that he himself was impleaded as
to a certain tenement which Isabella Bukerel demanded of him by plea
between them moved.
In this year, his lordship the King, returning from the Holy Land
with a noble array and retinue, came to Paris on the Thursday before
Saint Peter's Chains [1 August], which then fell upon the sixth of the
Calends of August [27 July], his Queen having set out for Gascoigne.
And on the morrow he did homage to the King of France for the lands
which he holds, and which he claims to hold, of him.
Shortly after, he set out with his suite for Gascoigne, certain
Earls and other nobles of the kingdom of England accompanying him, who had come as far as Paris, and even further, to meet him.
The letters under-written were read in the Guildhall on the Feast of
the Nativity of the Blessed Mary [8 September], in the year of Our
Lord 1273, and proclaimed throughout all the City in accordance with
the tenor thereof:—
"Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland,
and Duke of Acquitaine, to his Mayor and Sheriffs of London, greeting.
Forasmuch as the Countess of Flanders and her people have, within
her territories and dominions, inflicted divers injuries and grievances
upon us and our subjects, by reason whereof we are unwilling that
they shall any longer come into our realm, or dwell in the same, or sell
merchandize or follow business therein; we do command you, and do
strictly enjoin, that in our City of London you do cause it to be publicly
proclaimed, that no one of them shall, under forfeiture of his body and
his goods, presume to enter our territory or make sojourn there; and if
perchance any individual persons shall have received especial grant from
his lordship King Henry, our father, or other our ancestors, to the
effect that they may come into our territory, sojourn therein, and there
pursue their trade, you are to cause it to be proclaimed, that such
persons shall collect their merchandize and their debts before the Feast
of Our Lord's Nativity next ensuing, and then, at the latest, depart
from our realm, under like forfeiture, never to return. Given by the
hand of Walter de Merton, our Chancellor, at Saint Martin's le Grand,
in London, this 8th day of September, in the first year of our reign."
In this year, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had been lately
consecrated, was enthroned and placed in the Archiepiscopal chair, on the
Day of Saint Lambert [17 September], which then fell on a Sunday;
upon which day, arrayed in his pall, he solemnly celebrated divine
service, and on the same day held a very great and most noble Court,
consisting of many of the Prelates and Barons of England.
At this time died Henry de Sandewych, Bishop of London, at a
certain manor of his called "Orsete," distant 18 miles from
London; whose body was committed to the tomb on the (fn. 12) ninth
of the Calends of October [23 September], being the morrow of Saint
Matthew the Apostle [21 September], in the Church of Saint Paul at
London, in the place which he himself had selected on the day of his
enthronization, in case he should die in the realm of England.