Magna Charta and Charta de Forresta confirmed.
King Henrie holding his Christmasse at Westminster, called his high court of parlement there the same time, and demanded a reléefe of monie, toward the maintenance of his warres in France, and had granted to him the fiftéenth penie in value of all the mooueable goods to be found within the realme, as well belonging to the spiritualtie as temporaltie, but vnder condition that he should confirme vnto his subiects their often demanded liberties. The king vpon desire to haue the monie, was contented to condescend vnto their requests, and so the two charters were made, and by the king confirmed, the one intituled Magna Charta, & the other Chart de Forresta. Thus at this parlement were made and confirmed these good lawes and laudable ordinances, which haue béene from time to time by the kings and princes of this realme confirmed, so that a great part of the law now in vse dependeth of the same. The same charters also were directed and sent foorth into euerie countie within the realme to be proclaimed.
Forrests.
It was moreouer decréed, that at a certeine daie after Easter, there should be an inquisition taken by the inquest of a substantiall iurie, for the seuering of forrests, the new from the old, so as all those grounds which had béene made forrests, since the daies of king Henrie the grandfather of this Henrie the third, should be disforrested. And therevpon after Easter, Hugh de Neuill, and Brian de Lisle, were sent foorth as commissioners, to take that inquisition. By force whereof, manie woods were asserted and improoued to arable land by the owners, and so not onelie men, but also dogs, which for safegard of the game were accustomed to lose their clawes, had good cause to reioise for these confirmed liberties.
Matth. Paris.
Polydor.
Thrée hundred saith Gaguin.
Townes woon by the Englishmen.
The earle of Marsh, saith Matth. Paris.
In the meane time, and about the feast of the purification, king Henrie (hauing iust occasion to pursue the warre, for recouerie of those townes taken, as before you haue heard by the Frenchmen) sent ouer his brother Richard, whom he had made earle of Cornewall and Poictou, with a mightie nauie of ships vnto Gascoigne. This earle, hauing in his companie the earle of Salisburie, Philip de Albenie, and others, with prosperous wind and weather arriued at Burdeaux with foure hundred sailes, and there landing his men, went straight vnto the towne of saint Machaire, situated vpon the banke of Garon, where, vpon his first comming, he gat the castell, and sacked the towne, and then passing further, wan diuerse other townes, as Longuile, Bergerat, and other, and after went with great diligence to besiege and recouer Rochell, or rather Rioll. The French king aduertised of the earls arriuall, and of these his atchiued enterprises, sent foorth by and by the earle of Champaigne with a mightie armie into Guien to aid his people there.