A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



if he wished to retain the town so long he must pay 

 the 20 marks offered by Hugh. This he evidently 

 declined, as Hugh was charged the 20 marks and held 

 the office." 4 



The beginning of the thirteenth century always a 

 period of advance in borough history was the time 

 when the town, possibly through the agency of its 

 gild merchant (see below) purchased its fee-farm, 

 obtaining it (1199-1200), together with that of the 

 port of Portsmouth and all that belonged to the farm 

 of Southampton, in the time of King Henry, for the 

 fine of 100, and the annual rent of 200, payable 

 at the Exchequer each Michaelmas Day. 14 * Thus in 

 1 204 the burgesses rendered account by the hand of 

 Azo, who was perhaps alderman of the gild and 

 whose son in all probability was mayor a few years 

 later, for the 200 farm of Southampton with Ports- 

 mouth. In 1208 they did the same. In 1210 they 

 rendered account for two years together (400), 

 claiming abatement each year for land at Portswood 

 and Kingsland given by King Richard (8 September, 

 1 189) to the canons of St. Denys ; but they appear 

 to have been charged to King John 40 marks 

 (26 i$s. 4</.) and two tuns of wine of Aucerra. 146 

 In 1216 Richard of Leicester answered for the town's 

 farm ; he had been, in and before 1 199, controller of 

 the town as his ancestors before him, but had in that 

 year been ousted from office by Robert Hardwin, 

 who had fined for it with the king. 147 In these 

 troublous times the burgesses and their officials must 

 often have been perplexed as to who should be their 

 masters. On 27 October, 1217, the sheriff (shire) 

 was directed to cause the king's uncle, William 

 Longespee, earl of Salisbury, who had returned to his 

 allegiance and obtained restitution of his estates 

 several months before, to have in peace the town of 

 Southampton ; 148 on 29 November the same year a 

 writ to the earl required him to remove his bailiffs, 

 the town being taken into the king's hands ; this is 

 repeated to the bailiffs of the town by writ of the 

 same date, who are required to account for the farm 

 as usual at the Exchequer. At this period the town, 

 or city as it is called, is stated to be entirely in the 

 king's demesne, and settlements were held there 

 directly of the crown. 149 A little later (6 October, 

 1226) the burgesses received in aid of their farm the 

 customs of salt at Pennington, which Henry of Pont 

 Audemer held, but which belonged to their town. 140 



In 1276 the farm was raised. The town, which 

 had been seized into the king's hands by judgement of 

 Exchequer for certain transgressions of the burgesses, 

 was only restored upon a fine at the usual farm with 

 an increment of forty marks (261 3*. 4</.), 161 a circum- 

 stance referred to in 1531, up to which date the 

 increment remained. 141 Apparent occasional excep- 



tions to this amount till that date are generally capable 

 of explanation. Releases sometimes came on special 

 grounds, e.g. the cost of maintaining the fortifications 

 (see below), or on woful representations of the town's 

 financial straits. Thus Edward IV and Richard III 

 at the commencement of their reigns remitted arrears 

 of the fee-farm, among other matters, in general 

 pardons to the mayor and burgesses. 153 In the early 

 years of the next century the borough seems to have 

 been systematically two or three years behind in its 

 payment. 



Before finishing the account of the farm some notice 

 of the charges on it may be of interest. The practice 

 of drawing on it by writ continued ; soldiers and 

 archers had to be paid, the king's chambers had to be 

 repaired, wine orders to be executed, presents to be 

 made. Alms and settlements on religious houses con- 

 tinued ; the college of St. Mary and All Saints, 

 Fotheringhay, founded by Henry IV in 1411, suc- 

 ceeded in due time to the assignment to Lire ; and 

 Shene Priory, commenced by Henry V in 1414, 

 obtained that formerly given to Cormeilles. 154 



Again, the queens of England often obtained the 

 fee-farm in part dowry. In 1286 Eleanor, the king's 

 consort, had an interest in the customs of the town 

 (30 March), and in the same year (23 June) Eleanor, 

 the king's mother and widow of Henry III, obtained 

 the farm for life together with the prise of wine. 1 " 

 She died in 1291, and in 1299 (10 September) the 

 king endowed his second wife, Margaret of France, at 

 the church door, with the farm which was to yield 

 her 201 3/. zd. ; he also gave her a long list of 

 manors, castles, and towns, among which was the castle 



PROVINCE. 

 pales gules. 



Or four 



OLD FRANCE. Azure 

 powdered <with Jleurs-de~ 

 Hi or. 



of Southampton. 156 In 1331 when Queen Isabel was 

 deprived of her possessions the fee-farm was granted, 

 with the assent of Parliament, to Queen Philippa, 1 " 

 but in 1340 was again in possession of Isabel, who 

 dated her rights back from the burning of the town 

 (October, I338). 168 She was afterwards dispossessed 

 and died in August, 1358. Joan of Navarre, 



> Rot. de OUatis (Rec. Com.), 19; Rot. 

 Canccllar. 254. 



145 Madox, Exch. i, 402 ; also below 

 under charters. 



148 Exemp. of Town Accts. penes Corp. 

 Southt. ; Madox, op. cit. 409 ; Rot. de 

 Oblatis (Rec. Com.), 1208, p. 433. 



"7 Abbre-v. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 23 ; 

 Madox, op. cit. 202. 



" 8 Close, I Hen. Ill, pt. I, m. I. 



"' Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 236 ; 

 Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 345. 



" Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 472. 



141 Exemp. of Town Accts. pena Corp. 

 Southt. ; Fat. 4 Edw. I, m. 23, 27. 



152 Stat. Realm (1510-45), p. 351. 

 Among the petitions to Parliament of 18 

 Edw. I (1290), ' Gilbertus Canon, Ballivus 

 qui exequendo preceptum Regis in villa 

 Sutht' verberatus, vulneratus usque ad 

 mortem, per homines ejusd. ville, pro qua 

 transgressione villa capta fuit in manus 

 Dni. Regis et finem fecerunt, et firmam 

 suam exaltaverunt ad xx /;'. Petit quod 

 provident ei sustentationem in aliqua 

 abbatia' (Rot. Parl. [Rec. Com.], i, ;8<2). 

 But it is quite certain from the subse- 

 quent town accounts, as well as from the 

 Act referred to above, that the increment 

 of 40 marks wai exacted. Gilbert's 



506 



statement is as inaccurate as the descrip- 

 tion of his own condition. 



"3 Bdle. of Pardons (Corp. MSS.). 



154 Stewards' Bks. (Corp. MSS.), 1457, 

 1485, &C. 



155 Pat 14 Edw. I, m. 23 sched. 5 Pat. 

 19 Edw. I, m. 26 (17 Sept 1291), 

 issues for a certain time to queen's 

 executors. 



1M Rymer, Foed. ii, 854 ; Exemp. of 

 Town Accts. (Corp. MSS.). 



15 < Pat. 4 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, m. I (i Jan. 



I33 1 )- 



" Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com.), ii, 141. 



