1367-02-22, Westminster

Roger de Wolfreton escheator in Suffolk and Essex. Order, by inquisition or otherwise he may be assured that the earls of or of Stafford or others were not at any time seised of nor entered land and rent hereinafter mentioned, nor aliened the same, and the same are parcel of the manor of Kentewell, altogether to the king's hand and not to meddle further therewith, delivering issues thereof taken to William Neve of Wetyngg and Joan his ; as the said William and Joan before Robert de Thorp and his justices of assize in Suffolk, by an assize of novel disseisin taken town of St. Edmund recovered against David de Strabolgi earl of their seisin of the said manor, 12 acres of land and 4/. of rent excepted, as appears by the record and process of the assize the king has caused to come before him in chancery; and at the suit of the said William and Joan, alleging that by writ by the said Robert the king ordered the sheriff of Suffolk to them to have seisin of the said manor except the land and rent mentioned, and that the sheriff might not deliver them seisin for that the said manor, which is held in chief, was by the taken into the king's hand by reason of certain alienations without the king's licence by the said earl and others after the aforesaid, and nevertheless as the escheator has signified the king in chancery a moiety of the said manor was in the king's by the death of Katherine Gower tenant thereof in chief, which entered by the said Joan after the death of the said Katherine her whose heir she is, without having livery of the king, and praying the king would cause seisin to be delivered them at least of the moiety, the king ordered the escheator to keep in his hand the so held by the said Katherine until it should be sued forth of king's hands by those to whom it pertained, and to remove his and not meddle further with the other moiety, the said land rent excepted; and subsequently, of his favour and for 100s, the said William and Joan paid, the king by letters patent pardoned their trespass in entering the moiety of the said manor and rent aforesaid, took the fealty of the said William, respited his homage by reason of issue begotten between him and the said Joan, and the escheator to take of the said William and Joan security payment of their relief at the exchequer, and to cause them to seisin of the said moiety and rent; and now the said William Joan have informed the king that, though the said rent which Essex and the said land which is in Suffolk are parcel of the said and were never in seisin of the said earl of Athole, the said of Stafford or of the others, and they nor any of them never entered or aliened the same, by colour of the said alienation the escheator is keeping in the king's hand as well the moiety of the said rent whereof the king has commanded livery to be given as the other moiety together with the said land, refusing to deliver the same to the said William and Joan, wherefore they have prayed the king for livery thereof.