Statement to the history of the Exchequer, in relation to Privilege and Error, from the Conquest down wards. 1 cario pro ministris ibidem non mittuntur coram Rege." The text of the record is as follows:"Derb.-Excellentissimo Principi et Domino suo Reverendo Domino Edwardo, Dei Gratia, Regi Angliæ "illustri, Domino Hiberniæ, et Duci Aquitaniæ, sui humiles et devoti Barones de Scaccario suo fidele "semper obsequium cum omni reverentia et honore. "Vestræ Celsitudinis mandatum die Lunæ in Crastino Purificationis beatæ Mariæ proximo præterita per quendam Johannem de Cutone in Scaccario vestro nobis exhibitum recepimus in hæc verba : 66 3 "Edwardus, Dei Gratia, Rex Angliæ, Dominus Hiberniæ, et Dux Aquitaniæ, Baronibus suis de Scaccario suo salutem. Cum in Magna Charta de liber "tatibus Angliæ continetur quod nullus liber homo "capiatur vel imprisonetur aut disseisiatur de libero "tenemento suo vel libertatibus vel liberis consue"tudinibus suis, aut utlagetur, aut exulet, aut aliquo " modo destruatur, et quod super eum non ibimus nec super eum mittemus nisi per legale judicium parium suorum vel per legem terræ, et nos nuper (ad prose"cutionem Thomæ de Goushulle militis, Thomæ de Radeclyve, Nicholai filii Thomæ de Goushulle, Wil"lelmi le Riche de Barleburghe, Henrici le Riche de "eadem, Johannis filii Willelmi Alriche de eadem, Salle Broun, et Johannis le Riche de Cressewelle, nobis "suggerentium quod Johannes de Leycestre Camera"rius de Scaccario prædicto ipsos Thomam, Thomam, Nicholaum, Willelmum, Henricum, Johannem filium "Willelmi, Salle, et Johannem le Riche, qui liberi homines sunt et secundum communem legem terræ "deduci debent, maliciose prægravare et ipsos a lege "communi callide machinans destituere, ipsos per "breve nostrum de Scaccario prædicto coram vobis "retornabile ad respondendum præfato Johanni de * 66 Leycestre quare vi et armis portas et ostia domorum ipsius Johannis de Leycestre apud Cloune in Comi"tatu Derby noctanter fregerunt, et duos equos, duos boves, quinque vaccas, centum et quadraginta oves, et "alia bona et catalla ejusdem Johannis de Leycestre "ad valentiam centum librarum ceperunt, abduxerunt, "et asportaverunt, ad grave damnum ipsius Johannis "de Leycestre, et contra pacem nostram, implacitari, et ipsos per processum inde in eodem Scaccario habitum diversimode prægravari et inquietari procuravit, in ipsorum dispendium non modicum et contra legem "et consuetudinem regni nostri et contra tenorem Magna Chartæ prædicta) vobis mandaverimus quod, si coram vobis talis esset processus, tunc placito inde. coram vobis in eodem Scaccario ulterius tenendo supersederetis omnino, et quod præfato Johanni de Leycestre diceretis ex parte nostra quod breve nos"trum de transgressione ad communem legem versus eos sibi impetraret, si sibi videret expedire, ac iidem "Thomas, Thomas, Nicholaus, Willelmus, Henricus, Johannes filius Willelmi, Salle, et Johannes le Riche "nobis supplicaverint ut, cum vos in placito prædicto "contra tenorem mandati nostri prædicti non absque errore processeritis, et quandam Inquisitionem super 1 Lib. Rub., hostia. præmissis, per quam idem Thomas et alii prædicti de "transgressione prædicta convicti et viginti libræ præ"fato Johanni de Leycestre pro damnis suis adjudicatæ fuerunt in eodem Scaccario, ceperitis, velimus eis de errore illo de remedio congruo providere, Nos errorem, "si quis fuerit in hac parte, modo debito corrigi, et par"tibus prædictis plenam et celerem justitiam volentes " exhiberi, vobis mandamus, sicut alias mandavimus, quod, si judicium inde redditum sit, tunc recordum et processum loquelæ prædictæ una cum brevi originali "et brevi nostro de supersedendo in placito illo vobis "directo et omnibus aliis recordum et processum præ"dicta tangentibus nobis sub sigillo Scaccarii prædicti "distincte et aperte mittatis et hoc breve, ita quod ea habeamus a die Sancti Hillarii in xv dies ubicunque tunc fuerimus in Anglia, ut, his inspectis, " ulterius in hac parte fieri faciamus quod de jure et "secundum legem et consuetudinem regni nostri fue"rit faciendum, et, si causa rationabilis1 subfuerit quare id facere non debeatis, tunc nos inde in Can"cellaria nostra sub sigillo ejusdem Scaccarii reddatis certiores. Teste me ipso apud Botheuille primo die "Decembris anno regni nostri decimo. t "Super quo scire velit vestra Dominatio reverenda. quod ante dictam quindenam Sancti Hillarii nec Thomas de Goushulle, de quo fit mentio in eodem. "mandato vestro, nec aliquis alius pro eo, aut pro "aliis seu aliquo eorum qui nominantur ibidem petiit "ad dictum Scaccarium vestrum recordum et proces sum prædicta mitti coram vobis. Volentes nihilo"minus vestræ Celsitudinis mandatis in omnibus obedire reverenter, ut decet, significamus quod secundum leges speciales, consuetudines, et statuta Scaccarii, quæ inoleverunt tempore Regis Willelmi Conquæstoris regni Angliæ progenitoris vestri, temporibus succes The word rationabilis is neither in the King's Remembrancer's Roll nor in the Liber Rubeus. 66 sorum ejus usitata, et in scriptis in Scaccario redacta, penes et secundum quæ causæ et negotia tractantur, "et judicia redduntur ibidem, et etiam consequen"ter temporibus Regum dominorum Henrici proavi, Edwardi avi, et Edwardi patris vestrorum, et tempore vestro similiter, usitata, ministri de Scaccario "de injuriis et trangressionibus eis illatis ibidem. placitarunt et placitari consueverunt absque impeti“tione, et, si processubus inde habitis errorem intervenisse suggestum foret Præeminentiæ regiæ, ad correctionem et emendationem eorum solebat per "Celsitudinem regiam demandari Baronibus de Scac"cario quod ipsi, associatis sibi aliis fidelibus Regis, "et vocatis partibus coram eis, recordisque et proces"subus illis coram eis recitatis, ibidem, si error intervenerat, facerent eadem recorda et processus in "eodem Scaccario emendari. Ex ista siquidem causa (ne vestræ displiceat Regiæ Majestati) recordum et processum unde fit mentio in mandatis vestris præ"dictis non misimus coram vobis. Valeat Dominatio " vestra per tempora diuturna. Scriptum apud Eboracum xvj die Februarii. "Et memorandum quod breve præscriptum et aliud "breve de quo fit mentio superius sunt inter Com"munia de hoc anno xjo, et cætera contenta in dicta "certificatione annotantur modo specialiori in Rubeo "libro de Scaccario et in Recordis et processubus "habitis coram Baronibus ad placita ibidem.2 It is to be observed that this statement as to entry in the Liber Rubeus occurs both in the King's Remembrancer's and in the Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer's Rolls, and is strictly contemporaneous with the rest of the record in both. 2 In the Liber Rubeus the following sentence (which does not appear on the King's Remem brancer's Roll, nor of course on the Treasurer's Remembrancer's Roll,) is added:-" Consimile recordum "annotatur in Memorandis hujus "Scaccarii, videlicet inter Recorda "de dicto Termino Sancti Hillarii "prædicto [sic] annoque xjo ex 66 parte Rememoratoris Thesau. "rarii." Proceedings in the Exchequer distinguished from pro Common Law. One of the first points to remark here (as in the case of the Countess of Kent v. the Abbot of Ramsey) is the distinction drawn between proceedings at common law and proceedings in the Exchequer. The complaint ceedings at made by the plaintiff's in error was that, while, as free men, they ought to be dealt with according to common law, John de Leycestre, one of the Chamberlains of the Exchequer, with a crafty design to deprive them of the benefit of the common law, had caused them to be impleaded in the Exchequer by means of an Exchequer writ. At their suit a writ issued directing the Barons to stay proceedings and to bid Leycestre purchase a writ of trespass at common law if he saw fit. Nevertheless the Barons proceeded, as the plaintiffs in error alleged, erroneously, and then they obtained a writ of The King's Bench had error. This writ of Error was to be returned in the King's no jurisdic Bench, but with a saving clause that, if there were any reasonable cause why this should not be done, the Barons should certify it in Chancery. tion in Error as to the Exchequer. The Barons adopted the latter course. They stated that there were special customs and ordinances (statuta) of the Exchequer which had been fixed there in the time of William the Conqueror, which had been in use. during the reigns of his successors, which had been reduced to writing, and in accordance with which proceedings were had and judgments were given. Those customs and ordinances had been in use in the successive reigns of Henry III., Edward I., Edward II., and Edward III. According to them the officers of the Exchequer pleaded and were impleaded therein. When there was a suggestion of error, it was the custom for the King to give in charge to the Barons to associate with themselves others of the King's lieges, and to correct in the Exchequer the error if any there were. For that reason the Barons did not send the record and |