| Description | From: Edward III, king of England
To: Robert Parnyng', justice of pleas before the king; the fellows of Robert Parnyng', justices of pleas before the king
[Document damaged. Small area of text lost or illegible.] Peter of Southchurch of Essex acknowledged before Ralph of Sandwich, warden ('custos') of the city of London, and John de Bakewelle, clerk for the acknowledgement of debts at London, that he owed Richard of Southchurch of Ireland, deceased, and Thomas de Caoun of Essex, deceased, £600, which he should have paid on 29 Sep 1292... Henry of Southchurch and James Sher, Richard's executors, subsequently informed the king that the money had not been paid. The king ordered the sheriff to arrest Peter and hold him until he paid. The sheriff commanded John Sayer, bailiff of the liberty of Rochford hundred, to execute the writ, but John informed him that Peter had died and that he had delivered Peter's lands to Henry, because James had also died, to raise the £600 and any expenses from them.
The king has now been informed on behalf of William de Langeford, John de Newenton' and others who had been Peter's tenants that Henry had been outlawed at the suit of William Botemloyn before the writ to seize Peter's lands had been issued, and that he was still an an outlaw, therefore no judgement could be executed in his favour. The sheriff had, however, had delivered the lands to Henry, to the tenants' great loss, and they sought a remedy from the king.
The king commands the sheriff to annul the process by which the lands were delivered to Henry and to restore them to William, John and the other tenants. No date. [Date: handwriting and date of original.] Original dated 12 Oct 1340, at Andover ('Andevere') [Hampshire].
Witness: [Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince], duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester, the king's dearest son, keeper of England |