42 History of the 



" Lancashire to wit, 

 " Richard de Radeclyve [Radcliffe], Master Forester of the Forest of 

 Penhull, [Pendle], in the Wapentake of Blakeburnshire, was attached to 

 answer the Abbot of Whalley of a Plea, wherefore while the said Abbot 

 holds the Manor of Bryndewode, in Rossendale, in free pure and perpetual 

 Alms, as belonging to the said Abbot's Church, of St. Mary of Whalley, 

 without any services or other charges therefore payable, or to be done to any 

 one, except only prayers and orisons for the souls of its founders and feoffers, 

 the said Richard by color of his aforesaid office, in divers manners charged 

 the said Manor, by claiming there, certain puture for himself and his four 

 foresters, and for his horse, and one boy, to wit, for each Thursday night, and 

 for each Friday during the whole year, to wit, victuals, as well meat as drink, 

 at the costs of the said Abbot's aforesaid Manor, unduly and by oppression 

 against the will of the said Abbot, and against the law and statute in such 

 case provided, to the disinheritance ot the said Abbot's Church of the blessed 

 Mary of Whalley. And in that way the said Richard continued the aforesaid 

 oppression, and took the aforesaid puture unjustly, and by extortion, to wit, 

 on every Friday, and on the night preceding the same day, as is aforesaid, 

 from the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, in the sixteenth year of the 

 reign of the Lord the now King of England, to the day of the delivery of this 

 Bill, to wit, until Friday, on the morrow of the feast of Corpus Christi, in the 

 17th year of the reign of the said Lord the now King, to the grievous damage 

 of the said Abbot, of one hundred marks and wherefore he brings suit," &c. 



On the behalf of Richard de Radeclyve, the Master Forester, it 

 was contended that one Henry de Lacy, formerly Earl of Lincoln, 

 and his ancestors were seised of the Forest of Penhull [Pendle] 

 and Rossendale, and had therein their Master Foresters and other 

 under Foresters, who were seised of the puture as belonging to 

 their office. That on the death of Henry, the Forest descended 

 to Alicia his daughter, who married Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, 

 and that the latter granted and demised the office of Forester, 

 together with the puture, to one Richard Mereclesdene, [Marsden,] 

 for the whole of his life. But that during the reign of his then 

 present majesty Edward HI., this Richard Mereclesdene had 

 granted his Estate in the office of the Forestship, and in the puture, 

 to the said Richard de Radeclyve ; whose right to the office was 

 afterwards ratified and confirmed by Isabella, the Dowager Queen, 

 to whom by her son King Edward HL, the Forest had been 



