392 Gadnam. 



the said Thomas Crikkelade and Alice duryng the life of the said Thomas 

 Crikkelade. All this notwithstondyng the said Thomas Crikkelade and Alice 

 ymagynyng to barre the said Agnes of the said annuell rent desired and 

 required the said feffes to refeffe them promyttyng unto the said feffes of 

 goode feith and conscience that the said Annes shuld be truly and duely paid 

 terme of hir life of the said annuell rent and promyttyng that the said 

 refeffement shuld neuer greve nor hurt the said Annes of hir annuyte aforsaid 

 be vertue of which request the said feffes giffyng trust and credence unto 

 the promysse of the said Thomas Crikkelade and Alice refeffed them. And 

 nowe the said Alice after the deth of the said Thomas Crikkelade the said 

 rent utterly refusith to pay sayng that she is in hir remytter ayenst all reson 

 good feith and conscience. Please it unto your gracious lordship to consider 

 thies premysses and to graunt a writte of siih pena directed unto the said 

 Alice for to appere befor j'our gracious lordship in the Chauncery on a 

 certeyn day apon a certeyn peyn be yowe to be lymyted and there she to be 

 examyned appon the premysses and ye gracious lord to sette suche rule in 

 this matier that your said besechers may be restored unto their said rent 

 with the arrerages and costages as goode faith and conscience requireth for 

 the love of God and in way of charite. 



olee' de nros' -' ^^ilippus Baynerd de Lacok in com' Wiltes' armiger. 



i Thomas Gore de Malmesbury in predicto com' armiger. 



Early Chancery Proceedings, Bundle 17, no. 80. 



The remaining documents refer to a case which in its day was 

 doubtless famous. Alice Cricklade, who was living 25tli February, 

 1455 — 6, was dead before 4th August, 1458. Robert Cricklade, 

 her eldest son, had predeceased her, but had left issue an only 

 child John, sole heir to his grandparents. In one of the documents 

 which follows John is stated to have been still under age on 16th 

 September, 1463, and he was in all probability born in or about 

 the year 1443. It is conceivable that he was the sickly survivor 

 of a numerous family, or the child of a second marriage of his 

 father, who, to judge by the other dates in the pedigree, was 

 upwards of fifty years old at the time of his birth. By the 

 provision of his grand-parents, Thomas and Alice Cricklade, the 

 care of his person was committed to the abbot of Bradenstoke, 

 while certain of his near relatives were enfeoffed of his estates till 

 he should come of age. Of these relatives the lad's uncle and 

 namesake, John Cricklade, was the chief. Now, in these arange- 

 ments, the rights of the over lords of his various manors appear to I 

 have been completely disregarded. One of these over lords was, 



