And besides, discreet sirs, may it please you to grant to the said suppliants the new additions and points below written, to the profit and amendment of the said craft, and to the honour of the said town.
First, it is ordained and agreed that, each year four men of the craft shall be chosen as Masters, to search every house of the said craft, twice a week, and oversee all defects in the said cloths, if any such there be; and to present them before you at the court; so that whosoever does such bad work shall pay for the same the full price of the cloth: one half to go to the town, and the other half to the craft, without any pardon or release: and this, over and above all reasonable amends made to the buyer of the cloths.
Also, the Masters of the craft shall not give more to the men of the said craft than fourpence a day.... And if any of the masters pays more to the workmen than is above ordained, he shall be fined each time ijs; that is to say xij.d. to the commonalty, and xij.d. to the craft. And if the men take more from the masters, they shall pay, each time xij.d.; that is to say, vj.d. to the commonalty, and vi.d. to the craft. And if the men are rebels or contrarious, and will not work, then the four Masters shall have power to take them before the Mayor and Court of Gihald of the town, to be there dealt with according to law and reason. And moreover the said servants shall work and rest in their craft, as well by night as by day, all the year, as has of old time been accustomed.
ADAM OF GLOUCESTER
(Edward I Yearbook; Pleas in Common Bench, p. 306).
1292. “One Adam brought (suit against the town bailiffs) and said that they had tortiously taken his chattels in the town of Gloucester, in the high street, and had taken them away to their toll-booth in the same town tortiously ... bailiffs of the town averred the taking as good; by reason that the custom of the town of Gloucester is this, that no one unless he be a freeman of the town may cut cloth in the said town, but that he can only sell it by the piece; yet nevertheless Adam, who is not a freeman of the town, came and cut his cloth in opposition to the custom.... Adam put forward a charter which witnessed that the king had granted to him that he might cut cloth in the same way as other freemen.”
(Edward I Yearbook. Hereford Iter.)
1292. One Adam demanded a debt by tally and offered suit.
Counsel We do not think that he ought to be answered on a bit of wood like that, without writing.
Adam What answer you to the tally?