A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



obligation to pay merchet and tallage (auxi/ium) and to obtain licence to 

 sell horse or ox. But once more the jury found for the abbot and placed 

 the tenants in mercy. 



After this there appears to have been no further litigation coram 

 rege, but at the beginning of the reign of Richard II the first court roll 77 

 discovers a good deal of insubordination amongst the tenants. At the 

 Martinmas Court in 1377, Roger Fayrher, Thomas Hyne, Walter Lang- 

 leye, Robert Baker, William Hiton and Nicholas Houtchon were fined 

 \d. each for not coming to the haymaking ; John Austyn the same sum 

 for not carting hay, and also, together with Walter Robyn and Roger 

 Janyn, for reaping his own corn on the day of the great precaria. 

 Roger Janyn and John Austyn, Walter Smith, Ralph Jurdan, Godfrey 

 Atte Pyrie, John Felling and Roger Cook were further fined for not 

 coming to superintend the reapers as they were ' by law and custom 

 bound.' John Essex, Richard Sheter and Nicholas Herbert were each 

 fined 6d. for non-attendance at a bedrippe ; William Pompe and Robert 

 Freke for not obeying the bailiff's summons ; and Roger Cook for a 

 deficiency of one work, piling wheat in the grange. It is evident that 

 there was something like organized opposition to the lord ; indeed, Robert 

 Baker so far forgot himself as to upbraid the jury in full court, and in the 

 presence of the seneschal, accusing them of finding a false verdict ; while 

 Walter Breuer disturbed the court with his scornful words, and would 

 not be prevailed on by the seneschal to behave himself reasonably as 

 beseemed him (rationabiliter modo prout decebit). At the same time a good 

 many tenants were letting their land without leave, there is a long list of 

 trespassers in the woods, some one has been poaching in the abbot's 

 private waters, and one tenant is a fugitive and undiscovered in spite of 

 reiterated orders to search for him. The next year the servant of one of 

 the tenants opened the lord's sluices so that the hay was flooded. Thomas 

 Reynolds and Nicholas Herberd were fined \2.d. each at Ascension-tide 



j 



1379 for abusing the lord's servants. On St. Luke's day in the same 

 year four tenants were fined for not coming to load hay, by which 

 default hay to the value of \s. %d. was lost, and William Boyland's land 

 was ordered to be seized, because he withheld services and customs. It 

 is not surprising under the circumstances to find that the reeve, elected at 

 this court, fined i 3^. \d. to be absolved from the office. A year later at 

 the St. Luke's court of 1380, Walter Frensch, Robert Freke, senior and 

 junior, John Attenelme, Walter Breuer, Walter Holder, William Atte 

 Hatche, William Boyland and Roger Taylor were fined for not coming 

 to superintend the reapers ; seven tenants worked in their own fields on 

 the day of the great bedrippe, two tenants did not attend the love-bed- 

 rippe, and four came late to their autumn works. Thomas Reynolds, it 

 must be supposed for further ' contempts,' had forfeited his land and had 

 to pledge himself to the amount of IOQJ. to get it back. Again the 

 elected reeve prudently preferred to decline the office even at the cost of 

 a fine of i 6/. 8</. 



" P.R.O. Ct. R. Ric. II, bdle. 191, No. 14. 

 82 



