Market Privileges 1351-1370

Borough Market Privileges: the Hinterland of Medieval London, C.1400. Originally published by Centre for Metropolitan History, London, 2006.

Citation:

Date Date of the granting of the privilege.	Place The principal place(s) concerned.	Description Description of the substance of the privilege. Bibliographic details are given in square brackets at the end of each entry. The abbreviations used may be found in the Editorial note.
c. 1353-80	Romney (Kent)	List of "maletolts" [toll] charged according to the use of Romney. The list is practically identical with that in the Sandwich custumal book. [here a selective list is given, including only tolls relating directly to trade] [...] on every seam of wheat sold 1/2d.; on every seam of malted wheat sold 1/2d.; on every seam of other kinds of corn or malted corn 1/4d.; Every townsman shall pay maletolt as above on all corn he grows himself, wheresoever it is sold. on every ox sold 2d.; on every bullock, cow and heifer sold 1d.; on every pig, calf and sheep sold 1/4d.; on 2 lambs sold 1/4d.; on every wey [14 stone] of tallow and oil sold 2d.; on every pelt sold, except the pelts of calves and lambs 1/4d.; on every 100 of hides and fleeces sold 4d.; on every wey of cheese and butter sold 1d.; on every wey of lambs' wool sold 4d.; on every 100 of wax sold 4d.; [...] on 3 stone of hemp thread and hemp sold 1/4d.; on every "harnet" and flewnet sold 1/2d.; on 2 ells of woollen cloth sold 1/4d.; on 4 ells of linen cloth sold 1/4d.; [...] on every 100 of tan of each kind 6d.; from every timber merchant per mark 1d.; on 4 seams of burnt lime sold 1/4d.; on 2,000 slates sold 1/4d.; on 1,000 bake-stones sold 1/4d.; on 100 cod sold 4d.; on 2 seams of sea coal sold 1/4d.; [...] on every 1,000 of fire wood sold 1/4d.; on every seam of fish carried out of the town by cart 1/2d.; [...] on every porpoise cut in the market the vendor pays 1d.; and if it is taken out of the town the vendor pays 12d.; on every quintal of iron sold 1/4d.; on 20 tuns of iron sold 1/4d.; on every barrel of pitch sold 1/2d.; on 2 gallons of lard sold 1/4d.; on every frail of figs and raisins sold 1/2d.; on 2 garbs of garlic sold 1/4d.; on 2,000 onions sold 1/4d.; on every fotmel [c. 70lb.] of lead sold 1/2d.; on every quintal of lead sold 1/4d.; [...] on every 100 of almonds sold 2d.; [...] on every last of nuts sold 1/4d.; [...] on every dole of wine sold in bulk 4d.; and if it is drunk and sold in the tavern on tap 6d.; on every 100 of salt sold 4d.; on every 100 of 12 foot Irish boards sold 2d.; on every 100 of 8 foot Irish boards 2d.; on every 100 of 7 foot Irish boards 1d.; [...]on every 1,000 of herrings sold 1/4d.; on every last of sprats sold 1/4d.; [...] on every 12 coffer boards sold 1/4d.; on every chief of cendal silk sold 1d.; on every bolt of Aylsham cloth sold 1/2d.; [...] on silk 1d. [Rough Register, xviii-xxi, 28-35]
26/7/1355	Oxford (Oxfordshire)	Charter of Edward III restoring to the burgesses of Oxford most of their recently relinquished privileges, among them quittance from toll and passage throughout England and Normandy. [Oxford Royal Letters, 62-64]
1355	Romney (Kent) Rye (Sussex)	Letter from the town of Romney to the bailiff of Rye certifying that J. Maffeu and J. Tot are free combarons of Romney and asking that they should be discharged form the custom that has been taken of them on the grounds that they were not free. [Rough Register, 85-6]
28/6/1355	Southampton (Hampshire)	Grant of Edward III to the burgesses of Southampton of a special toll of 1d. in the pound on all goods and merchandise brought into or taken out of their liberty, to be spent on the completion of the fortifications of the town. [Oak Book II, 118-121]
13/10/1358	Portsmouth (Hampshire)	Inspeximus and confirmation by Edward III of a charter of Edward II, inspecting and confirming charters of Richard I, John, and Henry III granting to the burgesses of Portsmouth an annual fair for 15 days at the feast of St Peter ad Vincula (i.e. 1 August), a weekly market on Thursdays, and quittance from toll, pontage, passage, pedage, payage, stallage and tallage (as well as other liberties). [Portsmouth Charters, 10-11]
1358	Romney (Kent) Canterbury (Kent) Bethersden (Kent)	Letter from the bailiffs and barons of Romney to the prior of St Gregory of Canterbury on complaint by H. Hardi of Romney that he was recently distrained for payment of custom [toll] by the prior's bailiffs at the fair of Bethersden, contrary to the franchises of the Cinque Ports. [Rough Register, 136]
8/7/1364	Colchester (Essex)	Inspeximus and confirmation by Edward III of a charter of Edward II confirming a grant of Richard I and its confirmation by Henry III, granting to the burgesses of Colchester (among other liberties) quittance from toll, lastage, pontage, pavage, murage and all other customs throughout the realm. [Colchester Charters, 10-14]
10/2/1366	Southampton (Hampshire)	Inspeximus and confirmation by Edward III of a grant of his to the burgesses of Southampton of a special toll of 1d. in the pound on all goods and merchandise brought into or taken out of their liberty, to be spent on the completion of the fortifications of the town. [Southampton Charters I, 22-25]
1/5/1368	London	Copy [1512] of a writ of de non molestando to London with additional notes found in liber G, f. 208, of the time of James Andrewe, mayor of London. Recites the suit of Nicholas and Thomas (surnames omitted) against William Dikman sheriff and John de Wirhall bailiff for taking 14s. custom on 7 tuns of wine contrary to the liberties of the ports. [White Book, 148-49]
08/02/1369	Bristol (Gloucestershire)	Order to the mayor, bailiffs and collectors of customs in Bristol to view the letters of cocket of certain merchants and if satisfied that they bought 14 lasts of ox hides in Ireland and there paid the customs due to allow them to load them at Bristol and ship them to Calais without further payment of customs. [CCR 1369-74, 11]
05/06/1369	Eastbradenham (Norfolk) Estderham (Norfolk)	Recognisance by Henry Tydyng, parson of Estbradenham, to Simon Fymmar, vicar of Estderham, for £10. to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Norfolk. [CCR 1369-74, 88]
27/04/1369	King's Lynn (Norfolk)	Order to the collectors of customs of King's Lynn to allow John Basset to load in that port and after payment of customs to take abroad 16 tuns of old wine so weak that they may not be sold in England. [CCR 1369-74, 14]
20/02/1369	Kingston upon Thames (Surrey) Morden (Surrey)	Recognisance by Henry de Kyngesston to William de Mordon for £20. to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Surrey. [CCR 1369-74, 74]
01/05/1369	Little Yarmouth (Suffolk) Beccles (Suffolk) Blundeston (Suffolk)	Recognisance by John Brice of Little Yarmouth, Thomas Rose of Beccles and Henry de Jernemouth of Blundeston to Mary de Sancto Paulo, countess of Pembroke, for £200. to be levied in default of payment of their lands and chattels in Suffolk. [CCR 1369-74, 82]
02/08/1369	London	Order to the keepers of the passage and the searcher in the port of London to allow the servants of William de Walworth, citizen of London, to pass to Skania in Sweden with £200. in gold or silver to buy herring to bring to London. [CCR 1369-74, 42]
22/02/1369	London Lincolnshire	Recognisance of Lambert de Weston, knight, to Adam Fraunceys, William Halden, John Oskyn and John Ussher, citizens of London, for 800 marks to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Lincolnshire. [CCR 1369-74, 74]
28/06/1369	London	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of London to allow Forest de Pierre, a Lombard, to export 10 bales of lambs fells to wherever he likes after payment of customs and subsidies due. [CCR 1369-74, 45]
28/06/1369	London	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of London to allow Forrest de Pierre, a Lombard, to export 10 bales of lambs' fells to wherever he wants after paying the customs and subsidies due. [CCR 1369-74, 46]
05/10/1369	London	Recognisance of John de Horwode, citizen of London, to John de Chichestre, citizen of London, for £60. to be levied in default of payment in the said city. [CCR 1369-74, 109]
14/05/1369	London Sussex	Recognisance by Beatrice, widow of Thomas de Breouse, knight, to John Payn, citizen and armourer of London for £100. payable by instalments and to be levied in default of payment of her lands and chattels in Sussex. Cancelled on payment. Indented defeasance of the above on condition that Beatrice, her heirs or executors shall pay John, his heirs or executors, in the church of St Paul, London, in regular instalments until the full sum is paid. [CCR 1369-74, 86]
13/08/1369	London	Order to the collectors of the petty custom in the port of London to allow Richard Scut, merchant, to load and take to Flanders four bales of fells of lambs, conies, hares and foxes after payment of the customs due. [CCR 1369-74, 45]
02/07/1369	London	Order to the king's admiral in the west or his deputy and the warden of Dover castle and the Cinque Ports to enforce the safe conduct of certain merchants of Brittany allowing them to come to London to fetch goods brought there and delivered to them and take them to their own country. [CCR 1369-74, 32]
24/10/1369	London Berwick-upon-Tweed (Northumberland) Eland (Northumberland)	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of Berwick-upon-Tweed or of Eland to allow Thomas de Estwyck to load in either port and take to London or elsewhere within the realm 10 lasts of hides, as three merchants of London have mainperned for him that he shall bring them to London or other places within and not without the realm. [CCR 1369-74, 56]
12/08/1369	London Colingbourne (Wiltshire)	Order to the sheriff of Wiltshire to cause 3 sarplers of wool to be dearrested and delivered to John Bullok of London, the king's tapicer, which were recently bought by him to make carpets for the king and were unlawfully arrested at Colingbourne. [CCR 1369-74, 40-41]
22/09/1369	London Rutland	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of London to view letters of cocket of Walter de Bardes, merchant, which prove that 4 sacks 10 stone 8lb. of wool were weighed and cocketed at the staple of Rutland and custom was paid there, the wool having been bought of John de Delves, knight, in Wales, and brought to London to be taken abroad from there. [CCR 1369-74, 38]
16/08/1369	Melcombe Regis (Dorset)	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of Melcombe Regis to allow James Jakemyn, merchant of Florence, to bring to the town all his wool bought in Somerset and Dorset and to load and cocket it there before Michaelmas 1369 and to take it abroad after payment of 46s 8d of customs and subsidies for every sack. [CCR 1369-74, 38]
08/05/1369	Wallington (Surrey) London	Recognisance of Walter Mounde of Wallington to Richard de Wyddene, citizen of London for £16. to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Surrey. [CCR 1369-74, 83]
02/07/1369	Winchester (Hampshire)	Recognisance of Andrew Pryk of Winchester to Maud de Burton 43 marks payable by instalments; to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in the county of Hampshire. Defeasance on condition that Andrew pay 7 marks at Whitsuntide next, 7 marks at Whitsuntide following and 7 1/2 marks at Whitsuntide after. [CCR 1369-74, 97]
23/03/1370	Kent	Order to the sheriff of Kent to make proclamation that anyone wanting to take corn or victuals to Calais to sell will be granted a licence to do so in chancery, if they undertake not to take it anywhere else. [CCR 1369-74, 177]
26/11/1370	Barton-upon-Humber (Lincolnshire) Barrow-upon-Humber (Lincolnshire)	Commission to make inquisition in Lincolnshire concerning a passage across the Humber newly made at Barrow, whereas Richard earl of Arundel and his wife traditionally held the only passage across the river at Barton on Humber together with the profits. [CPR 1370-74, 35-6]
08/10/1370	Beverley (Yorkshire) London Kent Lincolnshire Middlesex Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire Essex Hertfordshire	Order to the sheriffs of Kent, Lincoln, Middlesex, London, Bedford and Buckingham, Cambridge and Huntingdon, Essex and Hertford, and the bailiffs of the town of Beverley (Yorks.) to make proclamation in their respective bailiwicks forbidding any man to embrace, buy, or forestall in gross any corn before it comes to a market or fair and is there openly offered for sale, as the king has heard that wheat, malt and other corn is being bought in gross and witheld, which has lead to ever increasing corn prices and shortage of corn. [CCR 1369-74, 193-4]
28/11/1370	Boston (Lincolnshire) Holkham (Norfolk) Wells (Norfolk) Blakeney (Norfolk) London	Licence for John de Holbrok of Boston (Lincolns.) to load 200 quarters of wheat, barley and malt in the ports of Blakeney, Wells and Holkham (Norfolk) and take half of it to London and half to Boston, on condition that the grain is taken to those places and nowhere else. [CPR 1370-74, 22]
08/05/1370	Bristol (Gloucestershire)	Order to the collectors of the custom of 3d in the pound in Bristol not to charge John Bentham and Richard Milbourne, merchants of England this alien subsidy on the iron they have imported from Brittany to Bristol. [CCR 1369-74, 136]
23/04/1370	Cambridge (Cambridgeshire)	Order to the sheriff of Cambridgeshire to make proclamation that all in the county who have victuals for sale may lawfully bring them to the town of Cambridge and sell them there, as they used to before the royal proclamation of 22/3/1370, which ordered all victuals in the county to be sold within 12 leagues of Orwell. As a result the scholars of the university of Cambridge are now complaining that all victuals have been withdrawn from the town and surroundings of Cambridge, and unless a remedy is applied, they will have to withdraw from the study at that university. [CCR 1369-74, 179-80]
20/03/1370	Cooling (Kent) London	Recognisance of Reynold, parson of Cooling, and John de Idelegh to Robert Turk, citizen of London, for £200. to be levied in default of payment, of their lands and chattels in Kent. [CCR 1369-74, 179]
24/02/1370	Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) Ipswich (Suffolk) Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire Essex	Order to the collectors of customs in Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) to allow the weights used for weighing wool in the port of Great Yarmouth to be taken to Ipswich (Suffolk) to weigh the wool which Walter Barde, merchant of Lombardy, is proposing to buy in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Essex, and to allow him to ship it abroad from Ipswich, which is in the said collectors' bailiwick, on payment of customs and subsidies due. [CCR 1369-74, 121]
10/10/1370	Limpsfield (Surrey) Westminster (Middlesex)	Recognisance of Roger de Stanyngdenne of Limpsfield to Nicholas, abbot of Westminster or his successors for 100 marks to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Surrey. [CCR 1369-74, 193]
22/02/1370	London	Order to the collectors of custom in London to allow Simon Van the Warde, merchant of Flanders, to export 74 sacks, 8 stone of wool, bought of William Venour, merchant of London, and 6 1/2 sacks 7 stone of wool bought of John Westby, for which custom has already been paid in Wales. [CCR 1369-74, 121]
21/05/1370	London Hertfordshire Middlesex	Recognisance of William de Swanlond to John Bernes, mercer of London, for 200 marks, to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Hertfordshire and Middlesex. [CCR 1369-74, 181]
28/10/1370	London Kent Essex Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Middlesex	Order to the sheriffs of Kent, Middlesex, London, Bedford and Buckingham, Cambridge and Huntingdon, Essex and Hertford, to make proclamation in their respective bailiwicks that the proclamation of 8/10/1370 forbidding any man to embrace, buy, or forestall in gross any corn before it comes to a market or fair and is there openly offered for sale, shall only apply to common embracers, forestallers and regraters, whereas prelates, nobles and other lords and men of the church may continue to sell their corn in gross. [CCR 1369-74, 195]
27/04/1370	London Orwell (Suffolk) Kent Essex Hertfordshire Norfolk Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire	Order to the sheriffs of Kent, Essex and Hertford, Norfolk and Suffolk, Cambridge and Huntingdon to make proclamation that all in their counties having victuals for sale may lawfully bring them to and sell them at London and to other market towns where it is for the most advantage of the people of the realm, notwithstanding the king's proclamation ordering that no victuals be sold more than 12 leagues from Orwell, as the king has decided otherwise for particular causes laid before him and his council. [CCR 1369-74, 180-81]
18/05/1370	London Southampton (Hampshire)	Order to the collectors of the petty custom in the port of London to allow William Gees to take four packs of cloth wherever he likes without further charge, as he has paid customs for them in Southampton. [CCR 1369-74, 144]
21/11/1370	London Welbourn (Lincolnshire)	Recognisance of Richard de Willisford of Welbourn to Robert Josep of London for £40. to be levied in default of payment of his lands and chattels in Lincolnshire. [CCR 1369-74, 200]
10/08/1370	Newcastle upon Tyne (Northumberland) Kingston upon Hull (Yorkshire) Boston (Lincolnshire) Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) London Queenborough (Kent) Chichester (Sussex) Southampton (Hampshire) Exeter (Devon) Bristol (Gloucestershire)	Order to all sheriffs of England individually to make proclamation in their county that nobody shall take any wool, hides or woolfells to any place in England other than the ports of Newcastle-upon Tyne, Kingston-upon-Hull, Boston, Great Yarmouth, London, Queensborough, Chichester, Southampton, Exeter and Bristol nor after 26/8/1370 take them anywhere abroad other than Calais, where from now on the staple is to be held, the wool, hides and woolfells having been weighed and customed in the named ports. [CCR 1369-74, 192-3]
22/03/1370	Orwell (Suffolk) Norfolk Essex Hertfordshire Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire	Order to the sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk, Essex and Hertford, Cambridge and Huntingdon to make proclamation that all in their bailiwick having victuals for sale shall bring them to be sold at market towns within 12 leagues of the town of Orwell, arriving there no later than the octaves of Easter. And no man shall after the said octaves sell victuals anywhere other than within 12 leagues of Orwell, as the king is assembling his army there on 1 May. [CCR 1369-74, 177; also: ibid., 179.]
26/09/1370	Portsmouth (Hampshire) Southampton (Hampshire)	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of Southampton to allow certain merchants of Bayonne to load certain cloths, bought in Flanders and landed near Portsmouth for fear of French ships and not for sale, in the port of Southampton and to ship them to Gascony without payment of customs or subsidies. [CCR 1369-74, 153]
08/09/1370	Rye (Sussex)	Order to the mayor and bailiffs of Rye to restore to certain merchants of Ypres a ship and its cargo, including corn, bacon, pigs, oil, cheese, and honey, lately taken at sea and brought to Rye. [CCR 1369-74, 152]
07/05/1370	Sandwich (Kent) Dover (Kent) Rye (Sussex) Romney (Kent) Hythe (Kent) Winchelsea (Sussex)	Order to the mayor and bailiffs of Sandwich, Dover, Rye, Romney, Hythe and Winchelsea (Sussex) to make proclamation that all who want to take corn or victuals to Calais to sell may do so, if they find security that they will take the corn or victuals to Calais and nowhere else, such security now to be taken by the mayor and bailiffs of the relevant town, and not, as proclaimed before, in chancery. [CCR 1369-74, 188]
11/09/1370	Southampton (Hampshire)	Order to the collectors of customs in the port of Southampton to allow Richard de Westbury, merchant, to ship certain wool from Southampton to Calais without further payment of customs or subsidies, as it was bought and customs paid at the staple of Conway in Wales. [CCR 1369-74, 153-4]
01/03/1370	Southampton (Hampshire) Melcombe Regis (Dorset)	Order to the collectors of customs in Southampton to allow the weights used in the said port for the weighing of wool to be taken to Melcombe Regis, which is in their bailiwick, to enable James Jacobyn, merchant of Lombardy, to weigh and after payment of customs and subsidies due to ship the wool he has bought within the realm abroad from Melcombe. James is to bear the cost of transferring the weights. [CCR 1369-74, 129]
06/11/1370	Stamford (Lincolnshire) Salisbury (Wiltshire)	Pardon of his outlawry in Wiltshire to Robert Kirkeby of Stamford, at the suit of William de Godamnston, merchant of Salisbury, for a debt of £55. [CPR 1370-74, 11]