THE FOREST OF ROCKINGHAM 243 



found in it a doe, which had been flayed, and a snare, with which the 

 beast was taken. And when he had done this he went to the church 

 of Sudborough, and made known to the whole township what had 

 happened. And when he had done this he returned again to the 

 sack, and carried away the skin of the doe. And the township of 

 Sudborough sent after the verderers and foresters, who came and 

 found all the things, just as aforesaid. And upon this an inquisition 

 was made at Sudborough on the Monday next following before the 

 verderers and foresters of the county by the four neighbouring town- 

 ships, to wit, Sudborough, Lowick, Brigstock, and Lyveden. 



" Sudborough comes and, being sworn, says that Ralph the son of 

 Mabel of Sudborough was one of those men who fled, and he 

 delivered that venison to William the son of Henry of Benefield. 

 And the third was Robert of Grafton, who a short time before was 

 with Agnes Cornet, and he fled and is not yet found. But the said 

 Agnes Cornet pledges on her behalf of the said Robert of his being 

 before the justices of the forest, to wit, Hugh the son of Roger, 

 and Peter the son of Roger. And the aforesaid Ralph the son of 

 Mabel, and William the son of Henry, were taken and sent to 

 Northampton to be imprisoned ; and they were delivered to Sir Alan 

 of Maidwell, then the sheriff of Northampton. 



"The flesh of the doe was given to the lepers of Thrapston. And 

 the snare with which the said doe was taken was delivered to Robert 

 the son of Luke of Lyveden, and Ralph the son of Quenyl of the 

 same town, to keep until the coming of the justices of the forest. 



"The township of Sudborough finds pledges of being before the 

 justices of the forest, because it allowed Maurice de Meht to carry 

 away the skin of the doe. The chattels of Ralph the son of Mabel 

 were taken into the hand of the lord king, and appraised by the ver- 

 derers and foresters at nine shillings, and they were delivered in bail 

 to Thomas of Grafton, who dwells in Sudborough. Robert of Graf- 

 ton, the fugitive, and William the son of Henry had no chattels. 

 Maurice de Meht was not taken because he said that he was with Sir 

 Robert Passelewe, then justice of the forest." 



On the same rolls were entries of the Rockingham venison 

 given by the lord king. In 1247 these royal gifts included two 

 bucks for Nicholas de Criel, ten bucks for the Countess of 

 Leicester, two bucks for Sir Geoffrey Langley, one buck for 

 Robert de Mares, and ten bucks for Aymar de Lusignan. In 

 the following year Richard Earl of Cornwall, who held a 

 general hunting warrant, took deer in the park and without it 



