The Commune of London, and other studiesRound, John Horace
History
The Commune of London, and other studies
Round, John Horace
Great Britain -- History -- Norman period, 1066-1154; London (England) -- History -- To 1500
These are sufficient allusions to the Treasury, as distinct from the
Exchequer, account. I invite particular attention to this Treasury
audit, because, so far as I can find, it has hitherto escaped notice.
The second extract refers to the use of the £10,000 space on the
chequered table, and therefore proves the use of such a table for the
Treasury account as well.
Now my point is that the earl of Gloucester and Brian ‘Fitz Count,’
in 1130, were magnates (_magni regni_) delegated by the king, as
described in the second passage,[168] to audit the Treasurer’s account.
And this view is confirmed by the fact that William de Pont de l’Arche,
who here accounts to them, is styled by Dr. Stubbs “the Treasurer,”
and is, in any case, subsequently described as “custos thesaurorum
regalium.” Their mission had nothing, I hold, to do with that audit of
the sheriffs’ accounts, which was the annual function of the Exchequer.
There is a remarkable entry on the roll of 1187 which alludes to an
overhauling of the national treasure at Winchester, at the beginning of
that year, the date proving that it was wholly unconnected with either
session of the Exchequer:
Et in custamento numerandi et ponderandi thesaurum apud
Wintoniam post Natale, et pro forulis novis ad reponendum eundem
thesaurum et pro aliis minutis negociis ad predictum opus,
etc.... Et pro carriando thesauro a Wintoniâ ad Saresburiam et
ad Oxinford’ et ad Geldeford’ et ad plura loca per Angliam £4
8_s._ 3_d._
One might compare with these phrases the ‘Dialogus’ language as to the
knights, ‘qui et camerarii dicuntur, quod pro camerariis ministrant.’
Item officium horum est numeratam pecuniam, et in vasis ligneis
per centenos solidos compositam, ponderare, ne sit error in
numero, tunc demum in forulos mittere, etc. (i. 3).
Also the description of the usher’s office:
Hic ministrat forulos ad pecuniam reponendam, etc. (ib.).
But the latter part of the entry (which is duly quoted by Eyton[169])
is also of much importance. For in Mr. Hall’s work, under 1187, we only
read, ‘Treasure conveyed abroad from Winchester.’[170]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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