Roll A 34: 1394-95

ROLL A 34

Rolls of Memoranda of the time of John Fressh, mayor of the city of London, A ^o 18 Ric. II.

Membr. 1

4 Nov. 1394

Memorandum that Christopher Tyldeslegh complained that though he had served a ten years' apprenticeship, his master John Grenefeld, goldsmith, refused to have him admitted to the freedom of the city. On the master failing to appear, the said Christopher was received into the freedom on the testimony of John Forster, John Bolstrode, John Standelf and William Donn, wardens of the mistery of Goldsmiths, and others.

4 Jan. 1395

Quitclaim from Matthew Cheyne, merchant of Florence, to Zanobius Ser Benozii, merchant of Florence. Dated at London 2 Jan. 1395.

Membr. 1 b

26 Jan. 1395

William, Lord la Sowche, knight, brings a plaint of intrusion against Margaret, widow of Nicholas Sharnesfeld, knight, Lewis Clyfford, knight, Richard Stury, knight, Baldewyn Radyngton, knight, and John Cheyne, knight, touching his free tenement in the parish of S^t Andrew in Lyme Street Ward.

26 Feb. 1395

Letter of attorney from William Waterman of Southwark to Alice Mockyng of Southwark to receive the sum of £13 18s due on a bond from Thomas Ponyngges, knight, lord of S^t John (fn. 1).

1 Feb. 1395

Letter of attorney from William atte Bourne, merchant of Almaine, to Hildebrand van Brekefeld, merchant of Almaine, and Philip Rykhall, clerk.

Membr. 2

Examination of two men charged with immorality, of whom one implicated several persons, male and female, in religious orders.

6 Feb. 1395

Inquest taken before John Fressh, Mayor, and the Aldermen in the Chamber of the Guildhall, by oath of Thomas Coton, John Jeweler, Thomas Prentys, John Hay, John Hendelee and William Colyn of the parish of S^t Martin Ludgate, Walter Wynter, Nicholas Spe... and Henry Broun of the parish of S^t Faith, Richard Frenches and William Asshe of the parish of S^t Audoen. The jurors said on oath that on 29 Jan., when the mayor was outside Ludgate on the business of the city, John Walpole, tailor (fn. 2), followed him from the gate to S^t Paul's Church and took him by the sleeve, shouting arid saying derisively,'' Oh mayor, do justice to me,'' to whom the mayor said: "show it by bill and justice will be done to you," and thereupon John Walpole said noisily: "What use is it to make you a bill when all the magnates of England have made my plea and acknowledge my action?" and he said further to those passing by: "it is a fine thing to make a bill for him"; and when the mayor arrived in the churchyard and there met Sir John Busheye and Sir William Bagot, knights, the said John Walpole wrangled with the mayor and called John Botesham, serjeant and official of the city, "a false ribald and harlot (fn. 3)," and said that if he was not a false harlot, he would make him one, and then the said John Walpole said to the mayor: "it is a great honour for you, the mayor and judge of London, to play at tables with Richard Clare your serjeant, such a harlot as he is," and after this he followed the mayor from the churchyard through the church, every now and then taking him by the sleeve and shouting and arguing with him, until they reached Paternosterrowe, where the said John shouted angrily: "mayor, do me justice, or I will bring such a mob about you that you will be glad to do justice"; for which dangerous words the mayor committed him to Newgate prison, and then the said John Walpole, while going from the mayor's presence towards the prison, raised the hue and cry with a loud voice, saying: "the mayor of London wants to have me falsely imprisoned because I sue for justice"; and when he arrived at Newgate the said John publicly told the men there that Adam Bamme, John Hende, William Staundon and John Hadlee, late mayors of London, were false in exercising their mayoralties, and that of all the mayors John Hadlee was outwardly the finest talker but inwardly the falsest. The jury said further that a great part of the uproar and rancour in the city from the time of Nicholas Twyford to the present day was made and spread by the ill-will of John Walpole, who was a great disseminator of discord.

30 March 1397

The aforesaid John Walpole was mainprised by Robert Croukerh, Richard Plymmouth, William Whyteby and Geoffrey Asshwell, tailors, Simon Ede, baker, and Robert de Eye, weaver, for his good behaviour towards the king and people and especially towards the officers and citizens of the city under several penalties of £100.

Membr. 2 b

18 Oct. 1395

Thomas Duk, citizen and skinner, demands an Assize of Nuisance against William Sleford, clerk, dean, and the college of the king's free chapel of S^t Stephen within the king's palace of Westminster, touching his free tenement in the parish of S^t Dunstan in the West.

19 Oct. 1395

Henry Parmystede, draper, brought a bill of complaint against John Pountfreyt, saddler, for a debt of 7 marks owed by him as surety for John Mountacu, who had purchased cloth from the plaintiff to the value of £9. [French]

The defendant denied the debt and offered to make his law incontinently as a freeman of the city according to the custom. Thereupon the plaintiff granted that if the said John would swear alone that his defence was true he should be precluded from his action. The defendant swore on the Gospels that he owed the plaintiff nothing. Therefore it was considered that the plaintiff take nothing by his bill and be in mercy and that the defendant be quit thereof.

Membr. 3

17 April 1395

Robert Guppey, mercer, was summoned as administrator of the goods and chattels of John Chiveley, intestate, to answer John Cholsey, merchant, in a plea of debt of £200, which sum the said John Cholsey had bound himself to pay as surety for the intestate in a bond to Thomas Neuton and Henry. Burton, merchants of London. On the death of the intestate by shipwreck, the plaintiff has been forced to pay this sum at Middelburgh by the law of the Staple of Middelburgh, and he now claimed it from the administrator.

The defendant denied that he was general administrator of the intestate's goods and chattels, and pleaded that the intestate owed him £100 and that he had sued the real administrator, Thomas atte More of co. Cambridge, for payment in the Sheriffs' Court. He produced the record of the action, which showed that on Thomas atte More's making default, he had been awarded the right of collecting a number of debts owed to the intestate and also, as a foreign attachment, a quantity of goods belonging to the intestate, which were then in his (the present defendant's) custody. These goods were valued in the Sheriffs' Court by John Cosham and Thomas Merton, mercer, as follows:

82 lbs. of brasile (fn. 4) at 3s. the lb.; 9 pieces of red bukeram at 3s the piece; 20 groos of gold of Lucca (fn. 5), 10s; 33,000 chestnuts (castons) at 16d the thousand; 7000 small white plates (fn. 6) at 8s the thousand; 211 lbs. of coperwire at 4d the lb.; one long sword, 6s 8d; one cappe of bevere, 2s 6d; one box of cipres, 8d; an old basynett with visere, 4s; 4 pieces of bokasyns of barbarie (fn. 7) at 18s the piece.

The plaintiff then pleaded that the goods and chattels and debts received by the defendant were greater in value than the £100 due to him.

The parties submitted to the arbitration of William Brampton, Thomas Aleyn, John Shaddeworth, Hugh Clerk, William Parker, John More, William Marchesforth and William Sonnyngwell, who awarded that, as the goods and debts exceeded the debt of £100 by 100 marks, the defendant should pay the plaintiff the latter sum and also supply him with a list of the names of certain persons who owed money to the intestate, and that both parties should quitclaim to each other all actions; which was done. The names of the debtors were William Mordon, £22; Katherine Swyft, £4 4d; John Brook, 16s 8d; Adam Chapman, £22; William Geffrey of Colchestre, 13s 4d; John Balsham of Calais, £3; John Ware, 46s 8d; William Greyston, 40s; Thomas Philipp, £7 13s; John Westby, 6s 6d; John Canynges of Bristol, 40s.

Membr. 3 b

4 May 1395

John Hotot of Newmarket co. Cambridge, who had served a seven years' apprenticeship to Andrew de Preston, vintner, complained that his master refused to make him free of the city. The said Andrew declared that the apprentice had caused him losses and had behaved badly, which he would complain of by bill at the next court. As he failed to do so, the apprentice was admitted to the freedom on the testimony of John Walworth, Simon Bodham and Robert Aston, masters of the Vintners.

4 July 1395

An inquest of office was taken at the Guildhall before the Mayor and Aldermen by oath of William Bacon and others, who said that a certain bond by which John Thorpe, clerk, was alleged to be bound to Richard Norhampton in £500 and 10 marks, was a forgery made by Robert Morton, chaplain, and Robert Bulby on 6 May 1388 in the parish of S^t Andrew Holborn, as they understood, and that it was not the deed of John Thorpe.