Plea Rolls for Staffordshire: 3 Edward II

Coram Rege. Mich., 3 E. II.

Staff. William de Gauleye, John Dod, Richard Jonesmandod, Alan Mile, Henry de Otherton, Chaplain, Henry de Cotun, and 6 others (named) were attached to answer the plea of Hugh le Blund, that they had cut down and carried away by force, on the Thursday after the Feast of St. Edward, 2 E. II, his oak trees, ash trees, poplars and willows, from Pencrich, to the value of 100s. The defendants pleaded that they were the servants of Magister Richard de Havering, Dean of the King's free chapel of Pencrich and that the said Hugh had raised a fence on the common of the said Dean and had planted trees on it to the injury of the said Dean, and that they had removed the trees as was lawful. Hugh stated he had planted the trees on his own soil and appealed to a jury which is to be summoned for the Octaves of the Purification. m. 79.

Staff. William Illore (Hillary) Roger his son, John and Robert, brothers of Roger, William de Luttelhay, Robert Williames, Richard Jones, Clement de Blockeswych, William de Shareshull, William Asketel, Robert Syward, Richard Milleson, Richard Aleyns, and nineteen others (named) were attached to answer the plea of Walter le Marchis, that they had thrown down his fence at Blockeswych vi et armis on the Sunday after the Feast of the Close of Easter 2 E. II., and for which he claimed 100s. as damages. Most of the defendants denied the injury, and William Illore, William Jones, Clement de Blockeswych, William de Shareshulf, Richard le White-Smyth, William son of William, son of Richard, and Robert atte Hethe, stated that they were tenants in the vill of Waleshale, of which Blockeswych is a hamlet, and they had common appurtenant to it in the said vill, and the said Walter had recently raised a fence on the said common to exclude their cattle, and they had thrown it down as was lawful, and they appealed to a jury. The said Walter admitted that the said William and the others above named were tenants in Waleshale, but denied that they had rights of common, and he stated that the Lords of the said vill of Blockeswych had given to him forty acres of the waste of the vill and he had enclosed it according to the statute, and he appealed to a jury which is to be summoned for three weeks from Easter. m. 107.

Staff. A writ of certiorari bringing into the court a fine levied in 35 E. I. between William de Hynkele, plaintiff, and John de Hynkele and Joan his wife, deforciants of a messuage, a mill, two carucates of land, five acres of meadow, sixty acres of wood, and £13 16s. 8d. of rent in Aston, near Stone, Burghstone, and Wyllanescroft, in which fine the said John and Joan acknowledged the said tenements to be the right of the said William and for which William gave them 100 marks, and the Sheriff had been ordered to summon the said John and Joan to be in court at this date, viz.,—on the octaves of St. Martin, to show cause why the terms of the fine should not be carried out, and they did not appear, and the Sheriff returned that he had delivered the writ of scire facias by Gilbert de Aston and Henry son of John Geffrey. The Sheriff was therefore ordered to give the said William full seizin of the said tenements, according to the form of the fine. m. 111.

Staff. John Godblod of Lungenore, and Leucia his wife, and Richard and Hugh, sons of the said John, William Moycock, John son of Thomas le fitzHerbert of Somersale, and sixteen others (named) were attached to answer the plea of Henry le fitzHerbert, that they had come vi et armis on the Thursday after the Feast of the Assumption, 2 E. II, and had cut and carried away his corn from Alstonfeld to the value of £20. The defendants appeared and denied the trespass and appealed to a jury which is to be summoned for the octaves of Hillary. m. 68, dorso.

Coram Rege. Hillary, 3 E. II.

Staff. Joan, formerly wife of John de Langeford (Longford) and Nicholas her son, Richard de Pontefract, Robert Nicholesman and Henry his brother, and Adam Scot were attached to answer the plea of Henry le Maresehall of Ethelaston, Clerk, that they had beaten, wounded, and ill-treated him at Ethelaston (Ellastone) on the Friday before the Feast of Palms, 2 E. II., and for which he claimed £40 as damages. The said Joan and the others appeared and denied the trespass and injury, and appealed to a jury which is to be summoned for a month from Easter. m. 80.

Salop. Whereas William son of Michael de Morton had acknowledged that he owed to William Hostage, Chaplain, £10, which should have been paid at the Feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, 34 E. I., and the Sheriff had been ordered to deliver to the said William Hostage all the goods and chattels of the said William son of Michael, and likewise all the lands and tenements of the said William excepting those which should fall to the heir of the said William son of Michael when under age (sic) and the Sheriff returned that he had caused the good and chattels of the said William son of Michael to be appraised, and they had been appraised at £11, but that they were sufficient to defray the debts and the costs of the said William Hostage, but that the said goods and chattels remained with the said William son of Michael, because neither the said William Hostage nor any one in his name had appeared to receive the said goods when they were appraised. And the return of the Sheriff being considered insufficient, a writ of fieri facias was sent to the coroner of the County to raise £11 from the goods and chattels of the said William son of Michael, and to pay the said sum into court at the Quindene of Easter. m. 85, dorso.

Leyc. Thomas de Rydeware, Richard son of Hugh Malyn, Edmund de Griseleye and John his brother, John de la Bache, Robert de Sautry, Robert de Pipe, Andrew Wychard, Geoffrey Wychard, and twenty-two others named, were attached to answer the plea of the Abbot of Mirevalle that they had forcibly prostrated his fence at Oversheyle on the Monday before the Feast of St. Gregory 2 E. II., at a place called Shortwode, and cut down and carried away his trees, viz., oak and ash trees to the value of 100s. and for which he claimed £10 as damages. And the said Thomas de Rydeware and the others appeared and denied the injury and trespass, and the said Thomas de Rydeware, Andrew Wychard, and Geoffrey Wychard stated that they were commoners of the said vill of Overescheyle, and because the said Abbot had raised a fence on the common pasture of the vill, they had prostrated it as was lawful, and they appealed to a jury, and the said Richard son of Hugh and the others stated they were homagers and servants of the said Thomas, Andrew, and Geoffrey, and had acted under their orders. And the Abbot stated that he had raised the fence on his severalty and not on the common pasture of the vill and he appealed to a jury. The Sheriff was ordered to summon a jury for three weeks from Easter. A postscript states that at Trinity term 4 E. II., a jury returned a verdict in favour of the Abbot, with damages at £10. m. 1, dorso.

Coram Rege. Easter, 3 E. II.

Staff. Robert Moriz of Ricardescote, Richard son of Henry Kerry of Rikardescote, and two others named were attached to answer the plea of William Bagot, that they had come vi et armis on the Monday after the Invention of the Holy Cross, 2 E. II., and taken his oxen, cows, and sheep from his common pasture at Rycardescote, and unlawfully impounded them, so that the greater part of them died of hunger, and for which he claimed 100 marks for damages. The defendants denied the trespass and appealed to a jury, which is to be summoned for the morrow of St. John the Baptist. m. 43.

Staff. The same William sued Richard le Palmere of Burton, and William le Palmere for taking his cattle from his common-pasture at Burton on the Friday after the Invention of the Holy Cross, 2 E. II., and detaining them in a pound until the greater part of them died of hunger and for which he claimed 100 marks as damages. The defendants denied the trespass and appealed to a jury which is to be summoned for the same date. m. 43.

Staff. William Tuchet appeared in Court and acknowledged he had received from Roger Trumwyne, Sheriff of Salop and Stafford £100 which the said Sheriff had raised by the King's writ from the temporalities of the Bishopric of Coventry and Lichfield in part payment of £500, which he had recovered against Bishop Walter de Langton for damages he had sustained by a trespass committed by the said Bishop against him at the Stone Cross, outside the bar of the New Temple in London, and of which the said Bishop had been convicted before a jury at Wyndesore. He likewise acknowledged he had received from the same Roger £130 6s. 8d. from the same temporalities on account of the same trespass.

Jordan de Bradeford appeared in Court and acknowledged he had received from the same Roger in his own name and in the name of Benedict de Staunton £48, which the said Sheriff had raised from the temporalities of the See of Coventry and Lichfield, and which they had recovered from Walter de Langeton the Bishop, during the time he was the King's Treasurer, as damages for a trespass committed against them by the said Bishop in co. Chester, and of which the said Bishop had been convicted before the King's Justices at Wyndesore. m. 75.