Accordingly, on the 20th June, the House of Lords being assembled, the council for the respective towns was heard at the bar of that house; and all the claims and privileges of the contending parties were carefully scrutinised and debated, in order to terminate the dispute, and to establish harmony and friendship between the said towns on a permanent and lasting foundation; but at the conclusion of the hearing it appeared, that as the principal point on which the whole controversy seemed to turn, was whether the statute 31 Edward III, upon which the Yarmouth men grounded their claim, was repealed by the statute 2 Richard II, as the Lowestoft men affirmed, and being a point of law, their lordships were unable to decide upon, therefore they referred it to the judges; and ordered that the counsel belonging to both parties should attend the judges at such time as they should appoint, who were to deliver their opinion concerning this point as soon as conveniently they could; and also ordered that the witnesses should be sworn and examined at the bar of the house, on Thursday next, the 27th. of this instant June, 1661, respecting such matters of fact as related to the present dispute; and also it was further ordered on the 22nd instant, that John Humphrey, Richard Gillam, Sidrich Seager, William Fox, and such other necessary witnesses as the inhabitants of Lowestoft should have occasion to produce in the cause now depending between them and the bailiffs of Yarmouth, and to be heard in that house on Thursday the 26th June, 1661, do appear at the bar of that house; and that the witnesses not therein named, have their names delivered in writing to the clerk of the parliament before the commencement of the said hearing.