By John Wntson-Taylor. 67 



Germains. Before their departure, however, the first of a series 

 of transactions had taken place between the King and Matthew 

 Fitz-John which point to the suggestion that the latter had become 

 more and more involved in debt, and that the former proposed to 

 assume responsibility for his liabilities in return for certain con- 

 cessions. It has been seen that no sooner had Matthew attained 

 his majority than he had commenced to borrow money, and at a 

 later date he must have mortgaged Erlestoke and other properties, 

 for on the 20th January, 1285, a Final Concord passed between him 

 and Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, the son-in-law 

 of the King by his marriage with Joan of Acre, whereby the Earl 

 surrendered to Matthew the manors of Yealmpton and Stokenham 

 in Devonshire, Warblington and Flunton in Hampshire, and 

 Erlestoke, and received in exchange the Devonshire manors of 

 Chittlehampton and Chittlehamholt.^ In October of the same 

 year he borrowed £80 from one Master William Louth, for which 

 he gave his lands and chattels in Devonshire as security,- and it 

 is possible that he used this money to pay off the mortgage on 

 Chittlehampton, for in May, 1286, that manor had evidently re- 

 turned to his hands, and it was increased in value by a grant from 

 the King of a weekly market and two annual fairs.^ Meanwhile, 

 however, Matthew made over the manor of Erlestoke to the King 

 for ten years,* and it was placed in the custody of Ealph de 

 Sandwich and so remained until October 6th, 1287, when the 

 arrangements between the King and Matthew Fitz-John had been 

 completed. 



The final result of these arrangements was, that in return 

 for Matthew's surrender of all his lands the King granted him, 

 for life, the manor of Erlestoke, the castle and manor of Devizes, 

 with the forests of Chippenham and Melksham, and the manor 

 of Eowde excepting the advowson of its church, also the 



' Feet of Fines, 9 to 13 Edw. I. No. 141. 

 '^ Cat. Close Rolls, p. 371. 

 ' B. M., Had. Chart., 58 I. 38. 

 * Mem. K. R. (No. 60)14 Edw. I., m. 23 ; ^xch. L. T. R. (No. 61), 13 and 

 14 Edw. I. 



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