Gillingwater's History of Lowestoft: a reprint: with a chapter of more recent eventsGillingwater, Edmund
History
Gillingwater's History of Lowestoft: a reprint: with a chapter of more recent events
Gillingwater, Edmund
Lothingland (England); Lowestoft (England)
An indictment was brought by the burgesses of Yarmouth against John
Botile and others, of Lowestoft, for that they, on Friday next after
the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, in the 46th year of the reign
of Edward III. bought of John Trample, of Ostend, an alien, in the
said place called Kirkley road, which is within seven leuks of Great
Yarmouth, twenty-five lasts of new herrings value fifty pounds.
Against this charge the defendants returned only evasive answers,
pretending that they knew not that the aforesaid place of Kirkley road
was annexed to the port of Great Yarmouth, nor that there was a fair kept
there, nor that the said place was in the county of Norfolk. However,
these were pleas which had too little the appearance of truth to be
admitted in their favour, and therefore they were found guilty of acting
contrary to the above charter, and of infringing on the liberties of
Yarmouth. Whereupon the said John Botile and others being convinced of
their error, in refusing or evading the payment of the legal customs due
to the town of Yarmouth, prayed the favour of the court, that the affair
might be ended; and putting themselves upon the grace of the lord the
king, they accordingly were fined and discharged.
In the year 1368, one John Lawes was hanged for exporting seven sacks of
wool out of Kirkley road without paying the custom to Yarmouth.
As soon as this contentious business was decided, the inhabitants of
Lowestoft, in the 50th year of Edward III., together with other commons,
petitioned the parliament then holden to have the said grant or charter
repealed; alleging that it opposed the common interest of the kingdom.
For this and other reasons specified in the said petition, the Parliament
repealed the charter for uniting Kirkley road to Yarmouth haven.
The grant of Kirkley road repealed the 50th of Edward III.
In the Parliament roll of the 50th year of Edward III. amongst the
petitions of the commonalty of England, is the following:—
Also be it remembered, that, as well, at the request of the commons
of England, as at the suit of certain people of the town of
Lowestoft, in the county of Suffolk, made in this Parliament, the
charter of our lord the king, whereby he has lately granted to his
burgesses of the town of Great Yarmouth, that a place in the sea,
called Kirkley road, should be united and annexed to the port of the
said town of Great Yarmouth for ever, be totally repealed and
revoked, in respect to that new grant, as the thing was done contrary
to the common profit of the kingdom; always saving entirely to the
said burgesses, and to their successors, all their other privileges,
franchises, and customs, granted and confirmed to them by the same
our lord the king, or any other of his progenitors, with the clause
of licet to them, granted by the same our lord the king.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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