270 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



the foresters, fearing- an ecclesiastical sentence, of their own will per- 

 mitted him to depart. They say, that William of Leicester and 

 Walter and the others came to the foresters with books and candles 

 meaning- to excommunicate them if they did not deliver the aforesaid 

 Gervais from prison, and they said they had not power to deliver him. 

 And then William and the others went to the prison and dragged out 

 and carried away the same Gervais. And Master Roger comes and 

 demands the said Walter as his chaplain, and he was delivered 

 to him convicted of the aforesaid deed. And afterwards comes the 

 said Gervais; and it is proved by the foresters and verderers, that he 

 is an evil doer to the venison. And the aforesaid Master Roger 

 demands him as a clerk ; and he is delivered to him as a manifest 

 evil doer, and one convicted of this. And because John of Crakehall 

 harboured this Gervais after that deed, and he still stands by him, 

 therefore he is in mercy." 



Another venison case at this eyre was that of Michael of 

 Debenham, who killed a buck in a field with an axe, was taken 

 by the forest steward to the sheriff, and imprisoned at Hunting- 

 don. The sheriff was called to judgment for the escape, but 

 he was dead. When Michael escaped from prison, John of 

 Debenham harboured him, therefore John was in mercy. 

 Also Richard of Stilton saw Michael kill the buck and did not 

 raise the hue ; he was attached under pledges, but he is dead. 

 And because the townships of Yoxley, Folksworth, Stilton, 

 and Morborne did not make inquisition, therefore they were 

 in mercy. 



There was also a curious case of clerical trespass before the 

 justices. A chaplain and seven clerks were found on the king's 

 road in the forest with bows and arrows. They were taken on 

 suspicion by the foresters before the steward, who retained 

 them for a time in prison, and then handed them over to the 

 sheriff, who imprisoned them at Cambridge. Afterwards they 

 were delivered by the justices in eyre at Huntingdon to the 

 Bishop of Lincoln, as clerks. Simon of Houghton, then 

 sheriff, neglected to inform the justices that the clerks were 

 arrested for an evil deed and trespass, therefore the justices of 

 1255 pronounced him in mercy ; and the verderer to whom 

 the bows and arrows were delivered to take them before 

 the justices was also in mercy because he then had them not. 



There were also various other instances of men apprehended 



