Some difficulties appear at this time to have been opposed to the men of Gumecestr' in the exercise of their manorial rights, amongst which they claimed the goods of felons and outlaws, as also waifs and strays; therefore at their petition these privileges, previously demanded as appendages to the manor, were expressly assured to them by letters patent, to which the great seal was affixed on the 28th of March, 1381:

(No. 2.)

FELON'S GOODS, &c. CONFIRMED BY LETTERS PATENT OF RICHARD 2D.c

Richard, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, to his present and all future Sheriffs and Escheators in the county of Huntingdon, greeting. Whereas Lord John, formerly King of England, our progenitor, by his Charter which Lord Edward, formerly King of England, our father's great grandfather, and Lord Edward, late King of England, our grandfather, by their letters patent, have confirmed, did grant and confirm to his men of Gumecestre his manor of Gumecestre, to hold of him and his heirs at fee-farm, with all things

e Vide Appendix, No. 4.

d "The office of escheator was chosen annually, being chose in the Exchequer, one for each county, whose business it was to collect all the escheats or extraordinary and dropping dues, such as forfeitures, heriots, wards, lapses of advowsons, revenues of vacant dignities and livings, &c. in each particular county, for the king's use. The inquisitions taken by these officers afford us, perhaps, says Bishop Nicholson, in p. 208 of Hist. Libr., upon the death of any gentleman of estate ye truest draughts of the several counties of England.'"-Cole's MS. Escheats in the Brit. Mus.

belonging to the farm of the said manor, for six twenty pounds a year at his Treasury, and willed and decreed that his said men of Gumecestre should have and hold of him and his heirs the said manor of Gumecestre truly and in peace, freely, quietly, and fully, with all liberties to the farm of the said manor belonging, at the aforesaid annual farm, that is to say, six twenty pounds as aforesaid, so long as they paid to him the said farm. And We, the said grants and confirmations, through our special favour towards them, for ourselves and our heirs, as much as in us lies, to the aforesaid men of Gumecestre and their heirs and successors, men of the said manor, have ratified, approved, granted, and confirmed, as the said Charter and Letters fully attest, and as the said men and their predecessors of the aforesaid manor have hitherto reasonably enjoyed, and as in our said letters patent is more fully explained. Under the colour and sanction of which, the said men and their predecessors, our men of the said town, now commonly called Gurmunchestre, have always hitherto had the chattelse of felons and fugitives, and all manner of beasts and chattels called Waif and Stray, by chance found there, as appurtenances of the said manor, from the time of the granting of the said Charter of King John, our progenitor, and as they urge they ought to have. We command ye, that ye permit our men of the said manor to have, according to their custom, the chattels of felons and fugitives, and all manner of beasts and chattels called waif and stray, by chance found there, without any let or hinderance, as they ought to have,

e In the Bailiff's Accounts for 1619, occurs this item: "The goods of John Miller escheatinge to ye towne for felony £4.4s.9d." The law of forfeiture, in cases of common felony, was abolished by Act 54 Geo. 3d.

and as their predecessors, men of the said manor, from the said time have been accustomed to have. And the said men in their liberties, and in all things as appurtenances of the farm of the said manor, which by virtue of their Charter and Confirmations they have hitherto reasonably used and enjoyed, ye shall suffer to use and enjoy, according to the tenor of their Charter and our aforesaid Confirmation, to their full intent and meaning, without any molestation whatsoever.

Witness myself at Westminster, the 28th day of
March, in the fourth year of our reign.

On the same day, the following letters patent were also obtained, by which their privileges as tenants in antient demesne, of freedom from customary tolls, were set forth, and commanded to be observed throughout the kingdom :

(No. 3.f)

Richard, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, to all and every Mayors, Constables, Bailiffs, and other officers, wherever and whatever throughout our kingdom of England, to whom these present letters shall come, greeting.-Whereas, according to the custom in our kingdom of England hitherto observed and approved, the men of our antient demesne of our crown of England are and ought to be free from tolls throughout the whole of our kingdom: We therefore will and command you, and each of you, that you shall cause the men of our manor of Gumecestre, now commonly called Gurmunchestre, which is of the antient demesne of the crown of England, to be freed and exonerated from all manner of tolls for their goods and chattels, Vide Appendix, No. 5.

according to the custom aforesaid. And if ye shall, under any pretext, have made any distraint on the aforesaid men, or any of them, ye shall without delay re-deliver the same.

Witness myself at Westminster, the 28th day of March, in the fourth year of our reign. (A.D. 1381.)

Notwithstanding their common law right of demanding, as tenants in antient demesne, to whom their manor had been granted in perpetuity, escheats, &c. of felons, and immunity from tolls, in which they were further protected by these royal and special grants,-we find the men of Gurmunchestre, in 1392, again petitioning the Crown for its protection in the enjoyment of these privileges, on which Richard the 2d granted them an entire new Charter, comprehending the original Charter by King John, the Confirmations of Edward the 1st and 3d, and himself, together with the letters patent above recorded, for which they paid into his hanaper forty pounds.

(No. 4.8)

CHARTER Of richard 2d. a. d. 1392.

Richard, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, to his Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, Earls, Counts, Barons, Justiciaries, Sheriffs, Governors, Officers, and to all Bailiffs and others his faithful subjects, greeting.-Know ye, that as Lord John, formerly King of England, our progenitor, by his Charter, which Lord Edward, formerly King of England,

Vide Appendix, No. 6.

son of King Henry, by his Charter, and Lord Edward, late King of England, our grandfather, by his Charter, and We, in like manner, by our Charter, have confirmed,did grant, and by his said Charter confirm to his men of Gumcestre his manor of Gumcestre, to hold of him the said King John, and his heirs, at fee farm, with all things belonging to the said manor, for six twenty pounds a year, weight and number, as in the said Charter and Confirmations more at large is set forth: and whereas our men of our said manor of Gumcestre have petitioned us, that as by virtue of the said Charter of the said King John, and the general words therein contained, amongst divers other franchises and liberties, they have had the chattels of felons, and fugitives, and suicides, and also of those who are banished from our kingdom of England, and infangethef,h and outfangethef, and in the exercise of which liberties they have been of late denied and disturbed-We will that the aforesaid liberties, in special and express words, shall be assured and confirmed to them. We, in consideration of the losses and injuries which our aforesaid men, in their lands, tenements, and mills, frequently sustain from inundations and floods, of our especial grace, and at the petition of the aforesaid men, and also in consideration of a fine of forty pounds to us in our hanaper by them paid, grant, and by this our present Charter confirm, for ourselves and our heirs, as far as our power extends, to the said men and their successors, that they shall have and hold the said manor, with its appur

h Infangethef was a privilege of lords of certain manors, to pass judgment of theft committed by persons within their jurisdiction.

Outfangethef was a privilege enabling a lord to bring to trial, in his own Court, any person living in his own fee that was charged with felony in any other place.