II S. V. MAY 4, 1912. |
NOTES AND QUERIES.
357
LOSSES BY FIRE : LICENCES TO BEG
(11 S. v. 248, 317). The answer at the latter
reference is not sufficient. Church briefs
were very different things from what the
inquirer wanted at the first reference. I give
the wording of one :
" 26 Jan., I486. To the King our souverain lord.
"In most -humbly wise shewith unto youre highiiesse youre humble subjectes and power bedman [i.e. poor bedeman], William West of Est Grenewyche in your countie of Kent, husbond- man, and Jone his wif, how that where[as] youre said bedman and his wif were at their parshe church at evynsonge one Saint Nicholas eve last past, ther doors fast loked, sodenly ther howse was a fyre, brent and pulled downe unto the harde grounde, or they were ware of the said fyre, and therin lost alle ther movable goodes that ever they had labored for in ther lyves, to the value of 20Z. and above, and over that the land lord of youre said besecher atached certain oxne, keyne, and other quyck catalles of your said beseehers, to the value of 100s. ; and toke an accioun against hym, and put hym in prisone, and there kept hym by the space of a monethe, and unto the tyme he was greable to pay to his said land lord 201. at days, for the byldyng of the said howse agene. In" consideration whereof, that it may please your highenesse of youre mooste superabundant grace, the premises tenderly considered, and that your said bedman hath not wherwith to content the said 201. nor noe parcell thereof, but as he may gete it of the almys of charytable people, to graunte unto them your gracious lettres patentes of license under your great sealle, in suffleint and due fouerme to be made, to ask almys of alle your subjects and true liegemen in and throwout your shyres of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, your citie of Ixjndou and shires of Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk, and the same license to endure for a hole yere frome the date of the same. And that this bylle signed with your most gracious hand without any w arrant or warrants unto your chaunceller of England for the tyme beying to make and sealle your said license without any fyne, fee, or other thyng paying for the same. This at the reverence pi God and in the way of charyte. And your said besecher shall duryng his lif pray God for the preservation of your moost noble persone and roialle estate." -Campbell, ' Materials for the History of Henry VII.,' i. 260-61.
There does not seem to be any reason to think this is a solitary instance ; it is a picture of a certain class of social life of the period.
A. RHODES.
.The following document may interesl
MR. GERISH. It is copied from the origina amongst the Barham muniments in Pem- broke College treasury. Robert Millicent the justice whose signature was forged left "a large quantity of records in his own 'handwriting, so it is easy to prove the forgery
. ' To all Justices ma ira sheriff es baylufes con- stables churchwardens & all other her Ma ts officers
ministers <fc loveing subiects greeting Whereas
he bearer hereof John Swetbone of Fulbourne in
he county of Camebridg husbandman who is
not onely unto us well knowne to be of good and
lonest conversac'on but also a man well knowne to
Jeof goodliveing before this his fall by suertishipe
- o the value of one hundred pownds & not onely so
jut by great misfortune had his manscion house w* other his barnes goods & chattells to the value of
- wo hundred markes burnt & consumed the xvj
of Februarie last past 1589 by w h misfortune jeing brought to utter ruine & decay hath w Ul he honest inhabitants of the towne off Fulborne made their peticons unto us Thomas Holmes & Robert Millisent Esquires & two of her Ma ite justices of peace for the countye afforesaid for these our 1'res of certificate for him to travell unto Maiden in the countye of Essexe & from thence to Yarmouth in the county of Norffolk to divers of his frends ther dwellinge of whom he hopeth to find some releife we therfore the foresaid Justices knoweing the p'misses to be true a.s well by testimonye as by our owne knowledge have lycenced him to passe to the places above men- cyoned requesting yo" & every of yo w o* brethren Justices to rattifie the same that he maye quyetly passe by yo w w th out any your letts or molestacons he being in obedience of her Ma ite lawes And yo w the ministers p'sons vicares & curates to declare the teno r herof to yo WT good p'ishioners exhorteing them in the way of charity to be helping aydeing & releiveing him w th your charities. And you constables churchwardens and collectores for the poore to ayde & assist him as well in collecting & gathering y 6 said almes as also to him to lodging in due tyme Limitting him for his travell thither & backe agayne the space of thre moneths dated at Foulborne the xxvj th of March anno domini 15. .. .regnoq? rginae tricessimo secundo xxxij ."
Two poor impressions of seals are appended. Above one is written " Thomas Holmes," above the other " Robertt Millissant." These seem to be in the same handwriting ; the signature is certainly not Robert Millicent's. The petition is endorsed, in the handwriting of Robert Millicent, lord of the manor of Barham 1577-1609," John Swetbones lycence of Fulborne counterfeyted under my Uncle Holmes & myne hands & scales."
W. M. PALMER.
L,inton, Cambs.
DR. JAMES, MASTER OF ST. BEES SCHOOL (US. v. 269). Dr. James was not a Fellow of Queen's College. He vacated his Taber- darship on his promotion to the Mastership of St. Bees School, to which he was nominated by Provost Joseph Smith in 1755. At his matriculation he described himself as a native of Thornbarrow, which appears to be in the parish of Hesket, in Cumberland, and son of Thomas James, " plebeius." This would not necessarily mean more than that he could not pay his college expenses, and accordingly we find he entered as a " batler," that is, one .whose "commons" would be found him by the College. Hesket is a large'
