1357-08-04, William Westminster

Order to deliver to Richard ear] of Arundel all the issues and profits of the manor of Aston Ayer and one moiety of the manor of Wythiford, retaining in the king's hand until further order all the issues and profits of the other moiety of the manor of Wythiford, which is held of William le Botiller; as, on it being found by inquisition taken by John de Swynnerton, late escheator in that county, that Alan son of Alan de Cherleton at his death held in his demesne as of fee the hamlet of Haskercote in Salop in chief by grand serjeanty, as of the crown, by the service of finding one footman with a bow and arrows in the war of Wales at his own cost for forty days, that he held in service 201. of yearly rent issuing from the said manors, the manor of Aston and one moiety of the manor of Wythiford being held of the said earl and the other moiety of the manor of Wythiford of William le Botiller of Wemme by knight service, which the said Alan demised to Alan his father (yet living) to hold for life, rendering the said 20/. yearly to Alan the son, and that John son of Alan the son was his next heir and was then aged fifteen years, the king ordered John de Swynnerton to take the said rent into the king's hand so that he should answer at the Exchequer for the arrears thereof from the time of the death of Alan the son and for the rent thenceforth yearly until the heir should come of age; and afterwards at the suit of the earl, showing that the said hamlet was sometime held of Roger de Bellem by a certain service, and the service came to the king's hands by way of escheat, and so the hamlet is held of the king as of the estate of Roger and not of the crown of England, and the king and his progenitors have never had anything in that wardship, and praying the king to provide a remedy, the king ordered the late escheator to make inquisition upon the matter, by which it is found that the hamlet is not held of the king as of the crown, but by way of escheat, because it was formerly held of Roger Bellem, then earl of all the county of Salop, by the service aforesaid, of which services Roger died seised, after whose death they descended with his other lands to Hugh as his son and heir, which Hugh died without an heir, and after his death those services and lands descended to Robert, as Hugh's brother and heir, who died without an heir, after whose death the services and lands came into the king's hand as his escheat, that Roger and his heirs never had any estate in the hamlet except those services, that the late king had the wardship of the hamlet by reason of the minority of Margery, daughter and heir of Thomas fitz Aer, after Thomas's death, at which time Edmund, then earl of Arundel, father of the present earl, had the wardship of the manor of Aston Ayer and of one moiety of the manor of Wythiford by reason of Margery's minority, because the said manor and moiety were held of that earl by knight service, that the earl and his ancestors time out of mind have held the wardship of the said manor and moiety after the death of every tenant having an heir under age, and the king has never had the wardship thereof by reason of the minority of any heir, and that the said Alan son of Alan held the manor and moiety of the said earl, and the other moiety of the manor of Withiford of William le Botiller of Wemme, by knight service, wherefore the earl has petitioned the king to order justice to be done to him; and after searching the books and memoranda of the exchequer and inspecting the evidences for the right of the king and of the earl therein found, and hearing the reasons propounded on either side, although the earl's right in the matter is not yet proven, yet the king, wishing to show favour to him, has granted to him all the issues and profits of the said manor and moiety so held of him from the time of the death of Alan son of Alan until Christmas next, saving to the . 371 his right pertaining to the wardship of the manors of Aston and by reason of the minority of the heir, so that answer be made king for all the issues and profits of the other moiety held of William if they ought to pertain to him, and the king has ordered the upon that business, held before the council, to be continued until of Hilary next. By K.