The king now being returned into England, ordeined a statute for armour An ordinance for armour. and weapon to be had amongst his subiects heere in this realme, which was thus. Euerie man that held a knights fée should be bound to haue a paire of curasses, an helmet, with shield and speare; and euerie knight or man of arms should haue as manie curasses, helmets, shields and speares as he held knights fées in demaine. Euerie man of the laitie hauing goods or reuenues to the value of sixteene marks, should have one paire of curasses, an helmet, a speare, and a shield. And euerie free man of the laitie hauing goods in value worth ten marks, should haue an habergeon, a steele cap, & a speare; and all burgesses, and the whole communaltie of frée men should haue a wambais, a cap of steele, and a speare.
Further it was ordeined, that euerie man thus bound to haue armour, should be sworne to haue the same before the feast of S. Hilarie, and to be true vnto king Henrie Fitz-empres, in defense of whome and of his realme they should kéepe with them such armour and weapon, according to his precept and commandement thereof had and made. And no man being furnished with such armour, should sell, pledge, or otherwise alien the same, neither may his lord by any means take the same from him, either by waie of forfeiture, by destresse or pledge, nor by any other means: and when any man died, hauing such armour, he shall leaue it to his heire, and if his heire be not of lawfull age to weare it into the field, then he that hath the custodie of his bodie shall haue the armour, and find an able man to weare it for him, till he come to age.
If any burgesse of any good towne haue more armour than he ought to haue by this statute, he shall sell it or giue it to some man that may weare Jewes might haue no armour. it in the kings seruice. No Jew might haue armour by this statute: but those that had anie, were appointed to sell the same to such as were inhabitants within the realme, for no man might sell or transport anie armour ouer the sea, without the kings licence. For the better execution of which ordinance, it was ordeined, that inquests should be taken by sufficient iurors, what they were that were able to haue armour by their abilitie in lands and goods. Also the K. would, that none should be sworne to haue armour, except he were a frée man of birth and bloud.
Matt Paris. The same yeare, the king being at Waltham, assigned an aid to the maintenance of the christian souldiers in the holie land, that is to wit, 42. thousand marks of siluer, and fiue hundred marks of gold. Hugh The decesse of Hugh earle of Chester. Ran. Higd. Bosun otherwise called Keuelocke the sonne of Ranulfe the second of that name earle of Chester, died this yeare, and was buried at Léeke. He left behind him issue by his wife, the countesse Beatrice daughter of Richard Lacie lord iustice of England, a sonne named Ranulfe, who succéeded him, being the first erle of Chester, & third of that name after the conquest. Besides this Ranulfe he had foure daughters by his said wife; to wit, Maud married to Dauid earle of Angus, Huntington and Galloway; Mabell coupled with William Daubignie earle of Arundell, Agnes married to William Ferrers earle of Derbie, and Hauise ioined with Robert Quincie earle of Lincolne.
The archbish. of Yorke deceasseth. The 21. of Nouember, Roger archbishop of Yorke died, who (when he perceiued himselfe in danger of death by force of that his last sicknesse) deliuered great summes of monie vnto certeine bishops and other graue personages to be distributed amongst poore people: but after his death, the king called for the monie, and seized it to his vse, alleadging a sentence giuen by the same archbishop in his life time, that no ecclesiasticall person might giue any thing by will, except he deuised the same whilest he was in perfect health: yet the bishop of Durham would not depart with foure hundred marks which he had receiued to destribute amongst the poore, alledging that he dealt the same awaie before the archbishops death, and therefore he that would haue it againe, must go gather it vp of them to whom he had distributed it, which he himselfe would in no wise doo. But the king tooke no small displeasure with this vndiscréet answer, insomuch that he seized the castell of Durham into his hands, and sought means to disquiet the said bishop by diuerse maner of waies.
1182. The king held his Christmasse this yeare at Winchester, and afterwards The K. passeth ouer into Normandie. sailed ouer into Normandie, bicause he heard that the king his sonne was gone to his brother in law king Philip, and began to practise eftsoones new trouble, which was true indéed: but yet at length he came backe, and The K. & his sonne eftsoones reconciled. was reconciled to his father, and tooke an oth, that from thenceforth he would neuer swarue from him, nor demand more for his maintenance but an hundred pounds Aniouin by the daie, and ten pounds a day of the same monie for his wife. His father granted this, and also couenanted, that within the tearme of one yeare he would giue him the seruices of an hundred knights. Neuerthelesse all this did little amend the matter, for though he set a new copie of countenance therevpon, yet he reteined his old peruerse purpose in his discontented mind, hauing learned that
Qui nescit fingere nescit regere.
After this, king Henrie the father as a mediator betwixt the king of France, and the earle of Flanders touching controuersies betwixt them did so much in the matter, that he set them at one for that time.
Rog. Houed. About the same season, king Henrie the father sent William de Mandeuille earle of Albemarle, and other ambassadors vnto the emperour Frederike, The duke of Saxonie. to intreat for his sonne in law the duke of Saxonie, that he might be againe restored into his fauor, which could not be obteined: for he was alreadie condemned to exile, but yet thus much to pleasure the king of England the emperour granted, that so manie as went with him out of their countrie, might returne againe at their pleasure, and that his wife the dutches Maud the K. of Englands daughter, should inioy hir dowrie, and be at libertie, whether she would remaine vpon it, or follow hir husband into exile, therefore when the daie came that he must depart out of his countrie, he set forward with his wife and children, and a great number of the Nobles of his countrie, and finallie came into Normandie, where he was right ioifullie receiued of his father in law king Henrie.
Shortlie after his comming thither, he gaue licence to the Noble men that were come thither with him, to returne home, and then he himselfe went into Spaine to visit the bodie of S. James the apostle. His wife being great with child, remained with hir father in Normandie, and at The duchesse of Saxonie deliuered of a sonne. Ranulfe Poer slaine. Argenton she was deliuered of a sonne. This yeare the Welshmen slue An. Reg. 29.
1183. Ranulfe Poer shirife of Glocestershire. King Henrie held his Christmasse at Caen, with his thrée sons, Henrie the king, Richard earle of Poictow, and Geffrey earle of Britaine. There was also Henrie duke of Saxonie, with his wife and their children, besides the archbishops of Canturburie and Dublin, with other bishops earles and barons in great number.