To the most excellent lord, the lord prince Edward, by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Aquitaine, his humble and devoted mayor and bailiffs of the town of Southampton, obedience, reverence and honour. We have received your command in these words:
Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine, to his mayor and bailiffs of Southampton, greeting. Because we have learnt by an inquisition which we lately caused to be made by our beloved and trusty Robert de Glamorgan and John de la Lee, that Pelegrin de Castello, our merchant of Bayonne, wished to take the 24l.—which you, believing that he wished to carry the same to parts beyond the sea against our prohibition that no man should carry any money or silver in bullion out of our realm, arrested on that account in a ship in our port of Southampton,—to the parts of Devon and Cornwall to buy there lead and tin and other merchandise, and not to parts beyond the sea against the prohibition aforesaid, as you charged against him: We command you, as we have before commanded, that, if the aforesaid 24l. have been arrested for the cause aforesaid and no other, then you cause the same to be delivered without delay to the aforesaid Pelegrin, or that you signify to us the cause wherefor you have refused or were unable to execute our command before directed to you thereon.
Wherefore we signify to you that the searchers of the town of Southampton aforesaid, by your writ of the wardrobe sealed with your privy seal directed to the said searchers on 7 January commanding the said 24l. to be brought to Odiham and delivered there into your said wardrobe [paid and delivered the same], of which payment and delivery of the said 24l. so made the aforesaid searchers have a due acquittance of receipt. And by the tenour of these presents we signify that for no other cause were the aforesaid 24l. arrested, save only in the form aforesaid. In witness whereof we transmit to you these our letters sealed with our seal. Given at Southampton, 9 March.
Wherefore the same Pelegrin sues for a writ of the lord the King to be directed to the keeper of the wardrobe of the lord the King, for satisfaction to be made to him according to the form of the return of the writ.
8. Provisions for the Currency [Fine Roll, 9 Edward III. m. 10], 1335.
The King to the sheriff of York, greeting. Forasmuch as we have heard that many folk beyond the sea strive to counterfeit our good money, the sterling of England, with worse money, and to send this bad money into our realm, to the deception of us and the damage and oppression of our people if a remedy be not set thereto; we, willing to prevent such damages and oppressions, and to provide a suitable remedy hereon and that our said good money may be multiplied within our realm and the lands of our power, to the profit of us and our subjects, by assent of the prelates, earls and barons of our said realm assembled in our Parliament holden at York on the morrow of the Ascension last past, have ordained and established the things that ensue in the manner underwritten:—
First, it is provided that no man of religion or other henceforth carry the sterling out of the realm of England, nor silver in plate, nor vessels of gold or silver, on pain of forfeiture of the money, plate or vessel that he shall carry, without special licence from us.
Further, that no false money nor counterfeit sterling be brought into the realm or elsewhere in our power, on pain of forfeiture of the money; so always that all folk of what realms or power soever they be, may safely bring to the exchanges for bullion and not elsewhere silver in plate, vessels of silver and all manner of moneys of silver, of what value soever they be, save false money and counterfeit sterling, and there receive good and suitable exchange.
And that no sterling halfpenny or farthing be molten to make a vessel or other thing by goldsmiths or others on pain of forfeiture of the money so molten, and that the goldsmith or other who shall have so molten it, be put in prison and there stay until he shall have rendered to us the moiety of that which he shall have so molten, notwithstanding charter or franchise granted or used to the contrary.
And that all manner of black money now commonly current in our realm and power be utterly excluded, so that none be current after the month next after proclamation be made, on pain of forfeiture of the same money.