A. D. 1284. 441 



1284 — King Edward, having made a conquefl of Wales and united 

 it to England, appointed fhirrefs, and partly eftablifhed the Englifh laws 

 and policy, in that country. Having extirpated the antient Britifli fove- 

 reigns, he conferred on his ion, jufl: then born at Carnarvon in Wales, 

 the title of prince of Wales, which has ever fince belonged to the oldefl 

 fons of the kings of England. In order to reconcile the Welfli to his 

 government, he made their principal towns free burghs, and favoured 

 many of them with exemption from tolls throughout all England. He 

 alfo gave them encouragement to work their mines of lead, which de- 

 ferves notice as the commencement of induftry in a branch, which has 

 fince become confiderable in that country. \Statutum Wallue in Statutes 

 at large, V. x, append. — Fcedera, V. ii, p. 293 — Ayhffe's Calendar, pp. 9 1-97.] 



Eric king of Norway, in a friendly letter to King Edward, complain- 

 ed of injuries done to the merchants of his kingdom by fome magif- 

 trates in England, and efpecially thofe of Lynne, and requefted him to 

 put a flop to them, and to order redrefs. [Foedera, Fi ii, p. 272.] 



That filver muft have been plentiful in England, appears from Flor- 

 ence earl of Holland, when he was preparing for a new coinage, fend- 

 ing agents to buy it in this country, who colledled filver bullion to the 

 value of ;^96o fiierling in and near Bedford. {Foedera, V. ii, p. 284.] 



The rancour of neighbourhood and the jealoufy of commerce and 

 naval power, had kept up a long and almofl:-uninterrupted bloody 

 flruggle between the Genoefe and the Pifans : but now the Genoefe, 

 by the afcendant they had obtained in the commerce of the Eafl, in 

 confequence of their affifi:ance in the reiloration of the Greek empire, 

 were become too powerful for the Pifans. They fitted out eighty-eight 

 gallies, and eight veiTels called />rt/{/?'rtJ, larger than gallies, and went to 

 the port of Pifa, where there enfued a furious and obfi:inate battle. 

 Twenty-nine Pifan gallies, together with the great ftandard of Pifa, were 

 taken ; feven were laid to be funk. The reft fled within the chain of 

 the harbour ; and night coming on put an end to the adion, which, 

 however, was abundantly decifive. The podefta and raoft of the nobles 

 of Pifa were taken prifoners ; and thenceforth the commerce and em- 

 pire of the Mediterranean were contefted chiefly by Genoa and Venice. 

 [See Stella An. Genuenf. ap. Muratori Script. V. xvii, col. 983.] 



1285, June — An ad was pafled to pi-ohibit all perfons from catching 

 falmon in the waters (or rivers) of Humber, Ouie, Trent, Don, Ayre, 

 Derwent, Werf, Yare, Swale, Teefe *, and all others in the kingdom, 

 between the S'*" of September and the ii''^ of November, and from 

 catching young falmon at mill pools between the middle of April and 

 the 24"^ of June. {Stat. 1,13 Edzv. I, c. 47.] 



The law ot merchants being found nearly inefficient in all places at 

 a diftance from London, York, and Briftol, and being alio fometiraes 



* It is obftrvable, that all the rivers here named arc in York-.liire, or contiguous with it. 



Vol. I. 3 K '^ 



