THE FOREST OF ROCKINGHAM 245 



Matthew de Colombieres, Nicholas de Romsey, and Reginald 

 de Acle. The following serious poaching offence, aggravated 

 by contemptuous action, then came before the justices ; we 

 venture again to avail ourselves of Mr. Turner's translation: 



"It is presented and proved that Simon the son of William 

 Tuluse, Richard of Ewyas, the page of William Tuluse, William 

 of Wootton, Ralph of Drayton, the chaplain at Wootton, Simon 

 of Hanslope, the page of the aforesaid Simon, Alan the son of Hugh 

 of Lowick, the woodward of Robert de Nowers of his wood of Bulax, 

 John Messias of Lowick, Robert Pette of Lowick, Ralph luelhering 

 of the same town, Robert of Grafton, Henry of Drayton and others 

 of their company, whose names are to be ascertained, entered the 

 forest aforesaid on Wednesday, the feast of St. Bartholomew in 

 the fifty-sixth year, with bows and arrows ; and they were shooting 

 in the same forest during the whole of the day aforesaid and killed 

 three deer without warrant, and they cut off the head of a buck and 

 put it on a stake in the middle of a certain clearing, which is called 

 Harleruding, placing in the mouth of the aforesaid head a certain 

 spindle ; and they made the mouth gape towards the sun, in great 

 contempt of the lord king and of his foresters. And the foresters, 

 when they were at last perceived by them, hailed them ; and the evil- 

 doers shot at them against the peace of the lord king. And the 

 foresters, after raising the hue upon them, fled and could not resist 

 them. The aforesaid Richard of Ewyas, Alan, Ralph, Robert, and 

 Henry came ; and being convicted of this they are detained in prison. 

 And the aforesaid Simon Tuluse and Simon his page did not come ; 

 therefore an order is sent to the sheriff of Berks that he cause them 

 to come on Monday next before the feast of the apostles Simon and 

 Jude. As to the aforesaid William of Wootton an order is given 

 above. And as to the aforesaid Ralph the chaplain an order is sent 

 to the Bishop of Lincoln that he cause him to come on the feast 

 of the apostles Simon and Jude. And the aforesaid Robert Pette and 

 John Messias are not found ; therefore let them be exacted etc. And 

 because the aforesaid Alan, the sworn woodward, was an evil-doer 

 with respect to the venison, therefore, by the assize of the forest, let 

 the aforesaid wood of Bulax, which he had in custody, be taken into 

 the hands of the lord king. 



"Afterwards an inquisition is held and it is proved by all the 

 verderers of all the forest of Northampton that Ralph of Heyes the 

 bailiff of the Earl of Warwick at Hanslope, who has lands at 

 Binsted near Alton in the county of Southampton, Roger, Ralph 



