Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs: 1252-3

1252-3

A.D. 1252. Sheriffs.: William de Duresme,; Thomas de Wymburne,

This year, John Tulesan was made Mayor. In the same year, on Tuesday, the thirteenth day of May, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other thirteen Bishops, in the Great Hall at Westminster, with the assent of his lordship the King, and in his presence and that of Earl Richard, his brother, and many other Earls and Barons, arrayed in pontificals and with lighted (fn. 1) tapers, excomunicated all those who should contrive or do aught whereby the liberties contained in the Charters which he had made to the Barons of his realm, in the ninth year of his reign, should in any point after that day be infringed or nullified.

Afterwards, on the morrow of Our Lord's Ascension, on the 30th day of May, namely, by precept of his lordship the King, the whole community of London was assembled in the churchyard at Westminster; where his lordship the King took leave of them, saying that he was about to cross over into Gascoigne; and gave orders that all persons in the City should meet together, on the Sunday following, at Saint Paul's Cross, in presence of those whom he should send thither, and there make oath of fealty to Sir Edward, his son, and to his Queen, to whose charge he was about to commit his kingdom. Afterwards, this matter was postponed until the Tuesday in Pentecost; on which day, the whole commons of the City did fealty at the Cross aforesaid, to Sir Edward, and in his presence, saving their fealty to his lordship the King.

At the same time, the King exacted from all the Jews a whole moiety of all their moveables, giving them credit by their (fn. 2) starrs for the same; and by his writ gave orders to the Justiciars assigned for the custody of the Jews, that if any Jew, by the tenth day after sight of the said writ, should not have made satisfaction for his tallage, such person should be outlawed, and Dovre should be assigned for him and all his household as the port for sailing with the first wind, never to return; this however was afterwards not persisted in. At the same time, the King by a new Charter confirmed unto the citizens of London all their franchises, laws, and customs, as also those which they had in the time of King Henry the First, both used and disused; and further granted, that seven pounds sterling should be allowed yearly to the Sheriffs in their (fn. 3) ferm, for the liberty of the Church of Saint Paul; and that the Mayor, who was wont to be presented to the King only, wherever in England he might be, should in future be presented to the Barons of the Exchequer at Westminster, in case the King should not be in London at the time when the Mayor was elected. It should also be known, that the citizens then gave unto his lordship the King five hundred marks for obtaining that Charter.

Afterwards, on the Wednesday before the Feast of Saint Laurence [10 August] his lordship the King put to sea, to cross over to Gascoigne.