10. Procedure at a Fair pursuant to the Statute For Merchants [Court Rolls, 178, 96, m. 4], 1287.[210]
Pleas in the Fair of St. Ives, 15 Edward I, in the first year of John, lord Abbot, before William of Stow.
At the command of the lord the King, according to the tenour of the letter attached to the present roll, the community of London with the other communities at the fair of St. Ives was summoned to hear the order of the lord the King according to the new form of this statute touching merchants frequenting English fairs, and before them the aforesaid letter was read. And afterwards by the community of the citizens of London there were elected two of the more discreet and trusty men of the same city, to wit, Richard Poyntel and William of Paris, to whom in full court was delivered one of the two seals sent to the keepers of the fair, enclosed under the seal of the lord the King and opened in the presence of the said merchants; and the other seal was delivered in the same court to one Henry of Leicester, clerk and attorney of Sir John de Bauquell, to whom the lord the King committed the merchants' seal, as appears in the letter attached to the present roll:——
Edward by the grace of God King of England, lord of Ireland and duke of Aquitaine, to the keepers of the fair of St. Ives, greeting. Whereas our beloved clerk, John de Bauquell, citizen of London,—to whom we have committed the merchants' seal to be kept, and the office thereof, according to the form of the statute provided hereon by our council, to be executed by him or others fit herefor, whom he shall be pleased to depute hereto, in fairs within our realm during our pleasure,—has deputed Henry of Leicester, clerk, under him in our presence to execute the aforesaid office in his place in the fairs aforesaid: We command you to admit hereto for this turn the aforesaid Henry in place of the aforesaid John: We command you also, that by assent of the community of merchants coming to the same fair you cause to be chosen two lawful merchants of the city of London, who, after taking oath, shall receive recognisances according to the form of our aforesaid statute, after the aforesaid seal, which we are sending to you in a box under our seal, has been opened in their presence, and one piece thereof delivered to the same merchants and the other piece to the aforesaid clerk. Witness Edmund, earl of Cornwall, our kinsman, at Westminster on 22 April in the fifteenth year of our reign.[211]
[210] Printed in Selden Society Publications, Vol. 23, p. 19
[211] The clause of the Statute (1285) relating to fairs runs as follows: "And a seal shall be provided to serve for fairs, and the same seal shall be sent to each fair under the seal of the King by a clerk sworn; and by the keeper of the fair and by the community of the merchants there shall be elected two lawful merchants of the city of London, who shall take oath, and the seal shall be opened before them, and the one piece shall be delivered to the aforesaid merchants, and the other shall remain with the clerk, and before them or one of the merchants, if both cannot be present, the recognisances shall be made."
11. The Aulnage of Cloth [Court Roll, 178, 97, m. 2d.], 1291.[212] Court on Monday [14 May, 1291].
Hamo of Bury St. Edmunds brought a letter patent of Sir Roger de Lisle, clerk of the Great Wardrobe, attached to this roll, ordering that he be admitted by the keepers of the fair of St. Ives to measure woollen cloths made in England, linen and canvas. And because the charter of the lord the King touching the fair orders that no bailiff or minister of the lord the King in any wise interfere with the fair aforesaid or its appurtenances, whereby the Abbot and Convent of Ramsey and their bailiffs should be prevented from having administration of all things pertaining to that fair as well within the town as without for ever, answer was made to the same Hamo by the steward that he would in no wise admit him to execute such office, which would be to the disherison and prejudice of the church of Ramsey and contrary to the liberty specified in the fair-charter, unless Hamo would come into the court and yield up his letter patent into the hands of the steward. To which court he came and of his free will delivered up the aforesaid letter and afterwards craved special grace; and at the instance of the merchants, his letter patent having been abandoned and annulled, he is admitted for the present.
[212] St. Ives fair court. Printed in Selden Society Publications, Vol. 23, p. 42. This incident illustrates the difficulties of the central administration in dealing with local franchises.
12. the Ordinance of Labourers [Close Roll, 23 Edward III, p. 1, m. 8d.], 1349.[213]