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A HISTORY OF RUTLAND William de Lisle was Sheriff of Rutland in the early part of the reign of Henry III, but in 121 8 he was commanded to hand over the county to Fulk de Breaute," who had been one of John's most ruthless mercenaries, and whose reckless behaviour in Bedfordshire led to his downfall and exile in 1224.^' His administration in Rutland did not, however, last long, for in 1221 Richard de Redvers was appointed in his place, as custos for Queen Isabella. After John's death Isabella had returned to France and married Hugh de Lusignan, Count of la Marche. Hugh quarrelled with Henry, and there was some difficulty about Isabella's dower, but in 1222 Henry confirmed to her the rights she had possessed in Rutland." Isabella's tenure, however, was not very long, for in 1227 Henry's brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, having quarrelled with the king over a manor in Cornwall, and receiving powerful support, was paci- fied by the grant of all the lands that Isabella had held in dower, including the county of Rutland.'^ In 1252 his connexion with the county was strengthened by the grant of the manor and castle of Oakham, valued at ^106 15J. ^d}' Ot the administration of justice in the county at this time by royal and private jurisdiction we may take some examples from the Assize Roll of 1262—3. Peter de Nodar was accused of theft, and pleaded that he was a clerk ; the Dean of Rutland appeared and claimed jurisdiction, by virtue of a licence from the Bishop of Lincoln, and Peter was handed over to the ecclesiastical court. This was very well, but a more serious conflict arose in another case. A certain Robert ' burgled ' {burgavii) the bishop's larder at Liddington and stole a ham ; he was taken with his booty and promptly hanged on the judgement of the bishop's court. The jury of the hundred testified that the vill of Liddington had concealed this matter, and accor- dingly it lay in the king's 'mercy.' In East Hundred, Maud Scherewind stole seven fleeces and took refuge in Tinwell Church, but on coming out was arrested and brought before the Abbot of Peterborough's court at Tinwell, which ordered her to be hanged ' without (the presence of) the sheriff or coroner.' In this case the central court was to be consulted as to whether the abbot's court had exceeded its rights. In contrast to these cases was the treatment of an incorrigible thief, Robert Ouhere, who was taken with a ham and other stolen goods ; he was brought before Ralph de Grenham, the sheriff, in the county court at Oakham, but the only punishment inflicted was the piercing of his ear. A second offence was punished by a new sheriff by Robert's ear being cut off. The irregularity in this case appears to have been the lenity of the punishment, the conduct of both sheriffs and the ' whole court ' being marked down for judgement by the supreme court. Whatever may have been the explanation of Robert's double " Cal. Pat. 1216-25, P- 163. " V.C.H. Beds. 'Political History.' " Cal. Pat. 1216-25, PP- 3°2> 33°- ^ Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), ii, 197-8. What rights Richard received by this grant are not certain. In 1275 his successor Edmund held three hundreds. But Edmund apparently received in 1288 a more definite grant of the shrievalty of the county. Selden {Drayton's Polyolbion [1622], 224) says that Richard sent to the Sheriff of Rutland letters of protection regarding a nunnery (St. Philip's ?) near Stamford, which he calls ' a perfect and uncommunicable power royal,' and Wright suggests that from this time there were virtual though not titular earls of Rutland {Hist. Rut. 5) ; but this hardly appears to be justified by the evidence. " Close, 36 Hen. Ill, m. 16. The manor had fallen into the king's hands on the death of Isabella Mortimer. 172