1302-08-23, Kempton

To the mayor, bailiffs and échevins of Ghent. The king recollects that in the late kine s time Margaret, late countess of I"landers, caused goods and wares of merchants of England, Ireland and Wales to arrested and sold wherever found in Flanders or on the sea to a amount in money, the said king and the present king caused and wares of merchants of her land to be arrested in England on the sea by reason of the arrest made by her, and the king length, at the request of Guy, count of Flanders, her son, granted he would come to Montreuil (Mosterollw) at a certain term to of peace concerning the contentions thus arising, and when the king had come thither the count came to him for himself and the and caused the king before many and great and wise persons to humbly requested by Baldwin de Aven for peace concerning the said promising, for himself and his mother, out of honour and for the king and for the good of peace, to restore and cause to restored all the goods of the merchants of England, Ireland and Wales that had been detained or received in Flanders or on the sea by their or others by their consent or assent; and the king acceding to his as the count had humbly offered restitution of all the things a friendly composition was finally made between them in the form: to wit that inquiry should be made as to what goods of merchants of Flanders had been arrested or detained by the men of late king in England or on the sea and lkewise what had been or detained by the countess or her men of the goods of merchants England, Ireland and Wales or received in any way by her consent assent in her land, and that the total value of the goods of the of Flanders thus taken and retained in England by the men the late king or of the present king should be deducted from the (cederet in solution in summa) of the goods of the king's merchants in Flanders, and that the count should acquit the king and his against the merchants of Flanders from whom the goods had been by the men of the late king or of the present king in England, and the total of the goods of the merchants of Flanders thus retained or in England or on the sea by the men of the late king or of the king should be insuflicient for. the payment of the total of the of the said merchants of the king retained or taken in Flanders or the sea, the count promised faithfully to restore and cause to be within a certain term what should be lacking of the total, and if value of the goods of the merchants of Flanders thus arrested in should exceed that of the goods of the king's merchants arrested Flanders, the excess (illud plus) should be restored in like manner to them. It was subsequently found by inquisitions taken concerning the premises that about 4,000 marks sterling more of the goods of the king's merchants had been taken by the countess and her men than had been taken of the goods of merchants of Flanders in England; whereupon the king, at the request of his said merchants for remedy, requested the count to cause restitution to be made to them in accordance with his promise and obligation, and as the count did not do so, the king, having consideration for the great damages and losses that the merchants of his realm sustained and incurred in Flanders, as wares or other goods of merchants of Flanders were not found at that time within his power, ordered a certain sum of 730 marks sterling in which the mayor, sheriffs and community of the city of London were bound to certain burgesses of Ghent for the late king by a deed of obligation, which sum he found arrested by the late king's order by reason of the disputes aforesaid and deposited in a certain place, to be delivered as goods of the merchants of Flanders to his said merchants in part recompense for their goods thus detained in Ilanders, to be distributed amongst ; them according to what was then ordained by the king. As William de Luton, Robert Persone, Roger le Viroler, Richard de Wandesworth, ; William le Fullere, Henry de Ardene, William de Kent, Hugh Pourche, John Gunbard and Peter de Blakeneye, merchants and burgesses of the city of London, have shown the king that they and their men lately coming into Flanders with wool and other goods were taken and imprisoned at the prosecution and procurement of certain merchants and burgesses of Ghent by reason of the aforesaid debt of 730 marks, and their goods to the of 1,000/. sterling have been arrested and are still detained, at ; which the king greatly marvels: the king requests the mayor, bailiffs and ; to cause the said merchants and their men, if any of them be for this reason, to be delivered from prison, and to cause their and wares to be delivered to them without delay, so conducting in this behalf that the king may thank them and that it shall be necessary for him to provide another remedy. They are desired to back to him what they shall have caused to be done in this matter.