1328-10-22, Salisbury

To the treasurer and barons of the exchequer. The citizens of London shewn the king, by their petition before him and his council in that it was granted to them amongst other liberties by the of the king's progenitors that none of them shall plead or be outside the walls of the city for any plea, except foreign which liberty they and their ancestors have always used and without impediment from the time of the making of the charters until the steward and marshal of the late king's household comdivers citizens of the city by various distresses to answer before outside the walls to divers men making plaint of debts, trespasses, and other pleas arising within the city, baving no consideration the liberty aforesaid, and delivered to the late king's exchequer their of amercements, fines, and issues arising before them from such by pretext whereof the treasurer and barons intend levying such fines, and issues from divers citizens for the king's use by of such pleas held outside the walls contrary to the liberty aforesaid, the citizens have prayed the king to provide a remedy: the king orders the treasurer and barons to search the accounts and other concerning the estreats of the marshalsea of his progenitors in exchequer, and to examine the certificates of his treasurer and chamberand of the keeper of his wardrobe (whom he has separately ordered to the rolls and memoranda in their hands concerning such estreats of marshalsea of his progenitors, and to certify the treasurer and barons the same), and to call before them those of his council who to be called, and to hear the reasons of the citizens, and to examine charters aforesaid, and if they find thereby or in any other lawful that the said exactions were made contrary to the charters and the aforesaid, to supersede entirely the said exactions, and to cause the to be acquitted and discharged thereof, superseding the exaction pending the discussion of this matter before them, By pet. of C. To W. archbishop of York. Order to appoint some trustworthy men to the prebend of Styvelyngton, in St. Peter's church, York, and to it to be taxed anew, so that the tenth of the clergy may be levied from it according to such taxation, certifying the treasurer and barons of the exchequer of such new taxation, as John de Godelee, the prebendary thereof, has besought the king to cause it to be taxed anew, and to cause the tenth to be levied according to such new taxation, as it has been much wasted by the frequent invasions of the Scots, so that it is insufficient to pay the tenth according to the old taxation.