58o 



A. D. 1372. 



The citizens of London this year reprefented to the king and his 

 council, that by their induflry and their franchifes they had gained their 

 livelihood by land and water and in various countries, from which they 

 had imported many kinds of merchandize, whereby the city and the 

 whole kingdom were greatly benefited, and the navy fupported and in- 

 creafed : but that lately their franchifes were taken from them, con- 

 traiy to royal grants and Magna charta, which would be of ruinous 

 confequence to the city, the kingdom, and the navy, and difable them 

 from paying their taxes. They therefor prayed, that they might -have 

 relief, and that the relief might be extended to all the cities and burghs 

 in the kingdom *. [Bradj on burghs, Jippcnd. p. '^^.^ 



1373, January — King Edward having engaged a number of Genoefe 

 galUes in his fervice, and appointed the brother of the duke of Genoa 

 to command them, alfo employed Genoefe officers, foldiers, and mar- 

 iners, who received certain pay, and were moreover to have all the pri- 

 foners and merchandize they fhould take, together with all things that 

 could reafonably be called pillage, to be divided among themfelves, the 

 caflles, towns, and fhips, taken from the enemy being referved to the 

 king. \F(£dera, V. \i,pp. 753, 762, 763.] 



November — The city of Briftol with its fuburbs was detached from 

 the counties of Somerfet and Glouceller, in both of which it is fituat- 

 ed, and made a county of itfelf by parliament ; and all its liberties and 

 charters were confirmed. {Cotton^ s Abridgement, p. 119.] Brifi:ol, feat- 

 ed in the heart of the clothing country, was at this time unqueftionably 

 the fecond commercial city in England. 



By a new regulation for the meafurement of woollen cloths it was now 

 enaded, that cloths of raye fliould be 27 elns long and 5 quarters broad, 

 and cloths of colour 26 elns long meafured by the ridge, and 6 quarters 

 broad ; and half cloths in proportion. Thofe who made cloth for their 

 own ufe, or for clothing their retinue, were not bound by this law. 

 \Stat. 47 Edw. III.'\ 



1374, July 24"'-^King Edward, obferving that the money of Scot- 

 land was now inferior to that of England, ordered the chancellor of 

 Berwick to proclaim that the Scottifh groat fliould be taken for only 

 three pennies, and other coins in proportion f. {Fa^dera, V. vii,/*. 41.] 



parifh of S'. Dionis, Langburn ward ; 3 mcfTuages ftand.ird of excliange. By the bed information we 



end 5 ftiops in S'. Andrews, Billingfgatc ; I meff- are poffcfTcd of, the filver money of botli king- 



uage and i (liop with a quay adjoining in S'. Mary doms was of the fame ftandard. The Englifh 



at Mill, Bilhngfgate ; 3 mcITuages with a cellar in coined ;^i : 5 : o, and the Scots jf i : 9 : 4, from 



S'. Botulph's, Billingfgatc ; and i mcfTuagc and a pound of itandard filver. So, if the Scots had 



2 (hops in S'. Mildred's, Bread llreet. {^Rot. pal. fubmittcd to King Edward's regulation, and given 



fee. 47 Ediu. Ill, m. 18.] jf l : 9 : 4 of their own money for /]'i : 2 : o of 



• All the annalifts fay, that the merchants of Englith, they would have fudained a lofs of about 



London, Norwich, &c. were inch'ned to rebell this 14 per cent. — Therefor wc are fure that the people 



year : but tlicre is nothing in the preceding or fub- of Northumberland difregarded the proclamation, 



fequcnt events to warrant fuch an affertion. gr evaded it by coUufivc prices, 



f This was but a lumping way of fixing 3 



