World History

17.

Writs Relating to the Assembly of January,

1265. (Latin text in Report on the Dignity of a Peer, Appendix I, part i, pp. 33–35. Translation by the editor.)

a. Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine, to Robert the venerable father in Christ, by the same grace bishop of Durham, greeting. Since, after the grave crises of the recent disturbances in our kingdom, our dearest son Edward, our first born, has remained a hostage for securing and establishing our kingdom’s peace, and since, God be praised, these disturbances have now been allayed and it behooves us to take counsel looking to his happy liberation, the full establishment of the conditions of peace and quiet, to God’s honor and our whole kingdom’s welfare, and certain other business of our kingdom, all of which we are unwilling to undertake without your advice and that of our other prelates and magnates; we notify you, making request on the grounds of the faith and love by which you are bound to us that, setting aside every excuse and leaving all other business, you be with us at London on the octave of St. Hilary¹ next to treat with us of these affairs and to furnish your counsel, along with our said prelates and magnates whom we have caused to be summoned to the same place. And this you are in no wise to neglect, as you love us and our honor and yours and the general peace of our kingdom. Witness the king at Worcester, the fourteenth day of December.

["The same writ was addressed to the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Dean of York, ten abbots and nine priors of the northern province, and to ten bishops and four deans of the southern. A similar one was issued at Woodstock on the 24th of December, to fifty-five abbots, twenty-six priors, the Master of the Temple, and the Prior of the Hospitalers; also to five earls and eighteen barons."]¹

Also notification was sent to the several sheriffs throughout England that they cause two knights of the more lawful, upright, and discreet knights of the several counties to come to the king at London on the said octave according to the above form.

And in the above form it is written to the citizens of York, the citizens of Lincoln, and to the other boroughs of England that they send in the said way two of the more discreet, lawful, and upright of their citizens or burgesses.

And in the same form notification was sent to the barons and good men of the Cinque Ports as is contained in the writ enrolled below.

b. The king to his barons and bailiffs of his port of Sandwich, greeting. Since we have caused to be summoned the prelates, magnates, and nobles of our kingdom to our approaching parliament which will be at London on the octave of St. Hilary, to consider the business of freeing our eldest son Edward and other matters touching the commonweal of our kingdom—where we greatly need your presence as well as that of our other faithful—we command you in the faith and love by which you are bound to us, strictly enjoining that, setting aside all other things, you send to us there four of the more lawful and discreet of your port, so that they be there on the aforesaid octave to treat with us and the said magnates of our kingdom, and to furnish counsel upon the matters stated. And see that you in no wise fail to do this as you love our honor and yours and the commonweal of our kingdom. Witness the king at Westminster, the twentieth day of January.

Similar notification was sent to the several ports individually.

c. The king to the sheriff of Yorkshire, greeting. Inasmuch as we have recently had summoned two of the more discreet knights of our several counties of England to be with us in our parliament at London on the octave of St. Hilary last past, to discuss with us and with our council about the deliverance of our dearest son Edward and obtaining security for it and also about other difficult business of our realm, and these same knights made a longer stay there than they had expected and hence were subjected to no small expense; and since the communities of the said counties have several times during this year made grants for the defense of our kingdom and especially for guarding the coast against the incursion of foreigners, as a result of which they feel themselves somewhat too heavily burdened; we therefore command you that you pay to the two knights who attended the above-mentioned parliament for the said county their reasonable expenses (on the advice of four lawful knights of the same county) in coming to said parliament, remaining there, and returning home thence, and that you levy these expenses on the said community, it being provided because of this grant that this community shall not in any way be further burdened. Witness the king, at Westminster, the fifteenth day of February.

d. The king to the sheriff of Shropshire and Staffordshire, greeting. Inasmuch as we have recently had summoned the prelates, magnates, and nobles of our kingdom to be with us at London fifteen days after the feast of St. Hilary last past, in the matter of the liberation of our eldest son Edward and obtaining security for it and for other matters touching the community of our kingdom and to treat with us of the same, and we commanded you, as we did our other sheriffs throughout England, that you cause to come to us from each of the said counties for the said day and place two of the more discreet and lawful knights of the same counties, to treat with us and the said magnates on behalf of the community of those counties concerning the matters mentioned above and to furnish their advice; and since from the said districts no knights came there at our command, at which we are greatly surprised and moved, we command you a second time strictly enjoining that you cause the said knights to come to us, so that by all means they be with us fifteen days after the feast of St. Peter in Cathedra,¹ wherever we may then be in England, to speak with us and with the magnates who are of our council about the aforesaid matters. And you are so to conduct yourself in executing our command that we shall be under no necessity of dealing with you for your shortcoming. Witness the king at Westminster, the 23rd of February.

¹ The feast of St. Hilary was January 13.

¹ This is Stubbs’s summary, Select Charters, p. 403. On the 26th of December a similar summons was sent to the bishop of Norwich, Report on the Dignity of a Peer, App. I, pt. i, p. 35.

¹ This feast was February 22.