1279-05-07, Canterbury

Stephen de Penecestre, Walter de Helyun, and John de Cobeham, to hear and determine pleas of trespass of money, Whereas all the lately charged, indicted and convicted of clipping the king's money now been punished with death, and certain of them have forfeited all goods and chattels for this reason, and are imprisoned during the pleasure, and the king learns that many Christians, through hatred Jews by reason of the discrepancy of the Christian faith and the the Jews and by reason of divers grievances heretofore inflicted Christians by Jews, endeavour from day to day to accuse and indict Jews not yet charged or indicted with trespasses of money by light (voluntarias) accusations, charging them to their terror being guilty of such trespasses, in order that they may by threats of accusations strike terror into the Jews, and that they may extort from them, so that the Jews hereby are frequently put to their trial suam), to the manifest peril of their lives: the king wills that all who were not indicted or charged by certain suspicion with trespasses before 1 May last, and who will make fine with the said justices king's use at the justices discretion, shall not be charged with such committed before 1 May by virtue of new accusations made after by Christians, but that they may have peace in this behalf for the ; provided that Jews indicted or charged with such trespasses before day shall undergo judgment before the justices according to the previously ordained and provided. The king accordingly orders the to take such fines and to cause the premises to be done and observed aforesaid. [Federa. like to Bartholomew de Sulley and his fellews, justices, ete. like to John Bek and his fellows, justices, etc. [ Zbid.] the aforesaid Stephen, Walter and John, justices appointed to hear pleas of money. The king wills that all Jews who have their goods and chattels and are imprisoned as aforesaid and who fine for the delivery of their bodies, may make such fines to the discretion of the said justices, and that Jewesses who were of condemned Jews and also the wives of Jews whose goods and are forfeited may similarly make fine, according to the discretion justices and according to the quantity of the goods that their husbands had and that are not found and are secretly deposited by the said Jewesses and may be thus delivered by the fine from prison, provided that poor Jewesses who were the wives of such condemned Jews and the wives of Jews who have forfeited their goods and chatcels having nothing whereby they may be redeemed shall be delivered from prison by the justices without ransom. The king also wills that the justices shall enquire before Midsummer concerning the lands of such Jews that are the king's escheats in whatsoever places they may be and for how much they may be sold, and who will give most for them and will pay the price thereof to the king quickly, and to certify the king fully by the said terms concerning these matters. The king therefore orders the justices to take such fines from the Jews and Jewesses and to do all the premises. [Zbid.]