1349-04-16, Westminster

To the sheriff of Nottingham and Derby. Order to pay to Nicholas de la Despense, the king's yeoman, or to his attorney, 10/. for Easter term last, in accordance with the king's grant to him of 20/1. to be received yearly of the issues of those counties for life, in reeompence for 20. yearly of the lands which belonged to William de Bredon in co. Derby, granted to him by the late king, and taken from him and restored to William with the assent of parliament. 27. To John Laundels, sheriff of Oxford and Berks. Order not to intermeddle further with a messuage, a carucate of land, 8 acres of meadow and pasture for 9 oxen in Langeford, restoring the issues thereof to Thomas de Bourn, chaplain, and Alice late the wife of John Cokerell, as the king ordered the escheator to certify why he had taken certain lands of Thomas and Alice into the king's hand, and the escheator returned that Thomas and Alice had entered the premises, which are held in chief as of the crown, which Geoffrey son of Fulc held of the gift of Robert Grosseteste, sometime bishop of Lincoln, who held them of Henry III in frank almoin, and who alienated them to Geoffrey without the royal licence, and that Geoffrey entered them without licence, and afterwards, at the suit of Thomas and Alice showing that they and all other tenants held the premises of the dean and chapter of St. Mary's church, Lincoln, by certain services, from time out of mind, and not in chief, and that the said bishop had never alienated them to Geoffrey, the king ordered the escheator to take an inquisition upon the matter, by which it is found that Thomas and Alice and all other tenants held the premises of the dean and chapter by the service of 12d. yearly to the work of the church of St. Mary, Lincoln, that the premises are not held in chief, that the bishop did not alienate them to Geoffrey, but that Geoffrey held them by hereditary descent after the death of Robert son of Fule as his brother and heir. 26.