Plea Rolls for Staffordshire: 12 Edward II

Coram Rege. Mich., 12 E. II.

Staff. Richard Prior of Trentham sued Robert de Whitemore in a plea of trespass. Robert did not appear and the Sheriff had been ordered to distrain and he returned that John Levet, William Shakespere and two others were sureties for the said Robert, and 20d. as issues. The Sheriff was therefore ordered as before to distrain, and produce the said Robert at the Quindene of Hillary. m. 29.

Staff. Hugh de Goneston sued Thomas de Cressewalle and Agnes his wife and Margaret daughter of the said Thomas and Robert atte Forde and Agnes his wife in a plea of trespass, the defendants did not appear and the Sheriff was ordered to distrain and produce them at the Quindene of Hillary. m. 43.

Warw. The Sheriff returned that he had put into the "exigend," Adam le Someter, Juliana formerly wife of Thomas Murdak and Alice la Chaumberer indicted for the death of Thomas Murdak, and they had not appeared, and Adam had been outlawed, and Juliana and Alice had been "wayviatæ" and the King sent a writ to the Sheriff of Warwickshire to inform him that the Sheriff of Staffordshire had returned that the said Juliana had been indicted before him at Stourton within his County for the death of the said Thomas who had been killed there and had been committed to the gaol of Stafford and the outlawry promulgated against her in Warwickshire was therefore to be superseded. Dated from Clipstone, 15th August, 12 E. II. And the King sent a writ to the Sheriff of Staffordshire to conduct safely the said Juliana, coram Rege at the Octaves of Hillary and to send up at the same time the indictment against her. A postscript states that at that date the Sheriff of Staffordshire returned that on a scrutiny of his rolls he could find no indictment against her, and that she had been indicted before Roger de Cheyni and William de Stafford custodes pacis of the County, with whom the indictment remained, and that the said Juliana had never been taken and detained a prisoner in the gaol of Stafford, for immediately after the felony she had left the County; and as it appeared that Roger Tromwyn whilst he was Sheriff, viz., on the 8th August, 12 E. II., had returned into the King's Chancery that the said Juliana was taken and detained a prisoner at Stafford and in consequence of which the King had ordered the outlawry in co. Warwick to be superseded, the Sheriff of Staffordshire was ordered to attach the said Roger Tromwyn and produce him coram Rege at the Quindene of Easter to answer to the King for the body of the said Juliana, and a precept was sent to Roger Cheyndue (sic), and the other custodes pacis before whom, &c., to send up the indictment at the same time and the Sheriff was ordered to arrest the said Juliana if she could be found, and produce her Coram Rege at the above date. m. 136.

Staff. Alice, formerly wife of Vivian, son of Vivian de Staundon appeared against John son of John Hastang, and William brother of John, son of John, William de Cotes Bedel of Ekeleshale, John del Hethe, William de Chilinton, Henry Jonespaneter Hastang, Emma, wife of Henry Williams, and seven others named, for the death of Vivian her husband. None of the defendants appeared and the Sheriff returned they could not be found, with the exception of the said Emma who was in the King's prison but was in such infirm health she could not be moved without peril of death. The Sheriff was therefore ordered to put the defendants with the exception of the said Emma into the "exigend" and if they did not appear to outlaw them, and if they appeared to arrest and produce them on the morrow of St. John the Baptist, and he was also ordered to bring up the said Emma at the same date in safe custody at his own expense. m. 128, dorso.

Coram Rege. Easter, 12 E. II.

Staff. A precept had been sent to the Sheriff to return by writ of certiorari into this Court the indictment which had been made against William de Mere in his county for the death of Thomas, the brother of Ralph de Neulond, and likewise to arrest the said William and commit him to the custody of the Marshall, if he could be found. And the said William now appeared, having been bailed by the Sheriff, and the Sheriff and Coroners of the county returned that having made a scrutiny of their rolls, they could find no indictment against him for the death of the said Thomas. The said William was therefore informed that he might depart in peace for the present. "Dictum est eidem Willelmo quod eat inde sine die ad presens." m. 106.

Staff. In the matter of the death of Thomas Murdak; Roger de Cheney, and William de Stafford, returned that on a scrutiny of their rolls, they found that Juliana, formerly wife of Thomas Murdak, had been indicted before them for the death of the said Thomas, who had been killed at Sturton in their county, but as it appeared to the Court that the indictment was insufficient, as it was not sent under seal, according to custom, they were ordered to return it again at the Octaves of St. John the Baptist. m. 118.

Coram Rege. Trinity, 12 E. II.

Staff. The suit of Thomas de Wedon against Thomas de Pilatenhall, Richard le Forester, John le Wayte, William le Hunte, William de Engleton, Richard in le Lone, Adam Mermyon, and eight others named, in a plea of trespass is respited till the Quindene of St. Michael through defect of a jury. m. 16.

Derb. A precept had been sent to the Sheriff that whereas Laurence de Okoure had recovered £70 as damages against Roger de Okoure (Okeover) and Roger de Rossington for a trespass, committed against him, and the said Laurence had assigned ten marks of the said damages to Thomas de Thorp and his fellow clerks, and that all the goods and chattels of the said Roger and Roger, excepting oxen and horses of the plough and half of all the lands and tenements of the said Roger and Roger were to be delivered to the said Laurence to be held by him according to the Statute, until the said damages had been fully satisfied, and the Sheriff returned that he had sent a precept to Roger de Hopton, the Bailiff of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in the Liberty of Wyrkesworth to appraise and sell all the goods and chattels of the said Roger and Roger, etc., and also to deliver to the said Laurence half of their lands and tenements, and the said Bailiff had sent an extent as follows:— (Here follows a valuation of the lands of the said Roger and Roger at Snelleston by a jury who further stated that the said Roger de Okoure held in the same county the manor of Attelowe, which was worth yearly £20, and there were no chattels there except the growing crops, which had been seised by the Bailiff for the payment of five marks out of the damages assigned to the clerks of the Court, but that a certain Roger fitzHerbert had come and produced a deed of Roger de Okoure by which he had demised to him the said manor for term of his life, rendering yearly to the said Roger de Okoure £28. And the said Laurence stated to the Court that no goods or chattels, or lands or tenements had been yet delivered to him, and that the said Roger de Okoure held at the date of the judgement against him, the manor of Attelowe of which no extent had yet been made. The Sheriff was therefore ordered to make an extent of the manor of Attelowe and to deliver half the said manor together with all goods and chattels to the said Laurence to be held by him according to the Statute, etc. m. 27.

Staff. Alice, formerly wife of Vivian, son of Vivian de Staundon appeared in person against John, son of John Hastang, and William brother of the said John son of John, William de Cotes Bedel of Ekelishale, John del Hethe, William de Chilinton, Henry Jonespanter Hastang, Henry Janekynesmon Hastang, John de Hakedon, Robert le Serjaunt of Slindon, Richard Jonesprest Hastang, and three others named, to answer her appeal for the death of the said Vivian, son of Vivian. None of the defendants appeared, and the Sheriff had been ordered to put them into the exigend, etc. And the Sheriff returned he had exacted them up to the fourth County Court, when John de Hastang, senior, had stood bail for them, and at the fifth Court William de Cotes and the others named above, with the exception of John de Hakedene and Robert le Serjaunt, had not appeared and had been outlawed, but the proclamation of outlawry promulgated against John Hastang, William Hastang and Richard had been superseded by the King's writ, dated from York, 22nd February, the said John, William and Richard being in prison at Warwick at the date of it, on the prosecution of John le Hopere for forcibly abducting (de raptu) his wife Emma from Ichinton on the 5th January last. And because the Sheriff of co. Warwick testified that the said John, William and Richard were in prison at Warwick as above stated, but were afflicted with so much illness and infirmity that their lives were despaired of, and he could not produce them in consequence at this term, he was ordered to produce them, Coram Rege, at the Quindene of St. Michael. And as regards John de Hakedon and Robert le Serjaunt of Slyndon, the Sheriff of co. Stafford returned that at the fifth County Court they had surrendered themselves prisoners and were in the custody of the Sheriff, viz., of Robert de Grendon, but were in so infirm a state, their lives were despaired of. He was therefore ordered to produce at the same term. A postscript states that afterwards at three weeks from Easter, 13 E. III., the said John son of John Hastang, and William his brother, and Richard Jonesprest Hastang. appeared before the Court, being brought up by the Sheriff of Warwickshire and the said Alice who had appealed John de Hakedone, Robert le Serjaunt and Emma wife of Henry Williames of the death of the said Vivian, formerly her husband, killed at Swynesheved in co. Stafford on the Thursday in the week of Penticost, 11 E. II., did not appear to prosecute her appeal. And the said John, William, and Richard being prosecuted at the suit of the King for the said death, stated they were not guilty and appealed to a jury which was summoned for the Octaves of Holy Trinity, and they were committed to the custody of the Marshall, and it was afterwards testified in Court by Aylmerde Valence that the said John William and Richard although committed to the Marshall were wandering about in co. Warwick and elsewhere at their will, upon which the Marshall being questioned, stated he had permitted them to depart from his custody, but was prepared to produce them whenever required. The Marshall was therefore called up for judgement and was told to keep them in better custody in future at his peril, and at the said Octaves of Holy Trinity, the said John son of John, and William his brother, and the said Richard were brought up by the Marshall, and the jury stated that they were not guilty of the death of the said Vivian, son of Vivian. m. 77, Rex, dorso.

Staff. William le Shepehird of Ilum, and Felicia his wife, appeared against Walter Wyther of Ilum, Hugh, William, and John sons of the said Walter, Henry de Stanton and Nicholas de Throwleye in a plea of trespass. None of the defendants appeared, and the Sheriff was ordered to distrain the said Walter who had found bail and to arrest the others and produce them at the Quindene of Michaelmas. m. 42, dorso.