22 ENFORCEMENT OF THE STATUTES OF LABOURERS 



forming the double set of duties ; in several hundred out 

 of several thousand possible instances (roughly speak- 

 ing), at the same date or within a month of the same 

 date, a given man would be appointed on both commis- 

 sions for the same district. Occasionally the two com- 

 missions are practically identical, but since the commis- 

 sion of the peace usually includes from eight to ten, 

 while that for labourers ranges from two to five with 

 three or four as the most common number,' merely a 

 large proportion of the names on one list re-appears on 

 the other. It is noticeable that the more important and 

 distinguished names are the ones omitted from the com- 

 missions for labourers.'' This tendency to make use of 

 the same men has been so noticeable from the beginning 



'The greater number of districts, liberties, etc., that receive distinct 

 commissions of labourers, while only one commission of the peace is 

 issued for the whole county, explains the greater total number of justices 

 of labourers; cf. s. 4. 



* Examples might be multiplied indefinitely, but a few will serve. In 

 Beverley, each commission includes nine names, eight of them being 

 identical; Pat., 27, pt. 2, m. 26 d, 25 Aug., and ibid., m. 25 d, 25 Aug.; 

 Cal., ix, 508-509. In Coventry, the commission of the peace is as fol- 

 lows: Henry Grene, William de Skipwith, Hugh de Aston, John de 

 Meryngton, Nicholas Michel, Walter Whitwebbe, Richard Frebern 

 (Pat., 28, pt. I, m. 21 d, 28 Feb.). The commission for labourers 

 {ibid., m. 22 d, 28 Feb.) is identical, except that Grene and Skipwith 

 are omitted. C7. the estreats given in app., D, 5. An excellent instance 

 is that of Notts. (Pat., 29, pt. i, m. 28 d and m. 29 d, 26 Jan.). The com- 

 mission for labourers includes William Deyncourt, Geoffrey de Staunton, 

 John Lysens, John Bozon, William de Wakebrugge and John Power; 

 that of the peace is identical, except that Grene and Skipwith are added. 

 Apparently, however, they did not act, for according to Mem. L. T. 

 R., 30, Trin., Breu. Ret., writs dated 8 July are issued to Deyncourt 

 " et sociis suis iusticiariis ad pacem nostram et statuta apud Wyntoniam 

 et Norhtamtoniam edita in comitatu Not' custodienda necnon ad ex- 

 cessus operariorum, seruientum et artificum in eodem comitatu pun- 

 iendos assignatis," bidding them deliver their estreats into the ex- 

 chequer. 



