g4 ENFORCEMENT OF THE STATUTES OF LABOURERS 



themselves exposed to danger, either they or their friends 

 complain to the king and council and succeed in obtain- 

 ing the issue of special commissions of oyer and terminer 

 to investigate the trouble and to bring the offenders to 

 speedy punishment.' 



Cases of negligence, extortion, and other misdemean- 

 ors on the part of officials come within the cognizance 

 of the justices of the joint commissions ^ and of the 

 justices of oyer and terminer, in accordance with the 

 regular form of their commissions, ^ and also in the ordi- 

 nary course of law come under the jurisdiction of the 

 court of king's bench. Even a cursory examination of 

 these two latter classes of records has shown several in- 

 stances of such cases, either in regard to justices or to 

 the local officials for whom they were responsible ; for 

 example, indictments against justices,"* a justice's clerk,^ 

 a constable,*" a seneschal and bailiff.^ Still more im- 



'Pat., 2$, pt. 2, in. 13 d, 6 July, " De audiendo et terminando rebel- 

 lionem factam coram iusticiariis Regis;" summarized in Cal., ix, 158; 

 the justices of Middlesex were actually driven from their sessions at 

 Tottenham. Pat., 26, pt. 2, m. 10 d, 22 Aug., ' De audiendo et ter- 

 minando pro Rege;" summarized in Cal., ix, 341; certain evildoers 

 assaulted John de Claymond virhile he was performing his duties as 

 member of the joint commission in Holland and even sought to kill 

 him. Pat., 32, pt. 2, m. 30 d, 30 July, De audiendo et terminando: a 

 violent attack on Lyouns, Harewedon and others while executing their 

 ofitice as justices of labourers in Northants. 



-' Cf. app., 23 and 25-26. 



* C/. e.g., Pat., 32, pt. I, m. 24 d, 18 March, " De audiendo et ter- 

 minando omnes felonias et transgrcssiones in comitatu Hereford' :" 

 justices are appointed to inquire " de quibuscumque feloniis, transgres- 

 sionibus, conspiracionibus, oppressionibus, extorsionibus, confedera- 

 cionibus, alliganciis iniustis, cambipartiis, ambidextriis, forstallariis, 

 falsitatibus, dampnis, grauaminibus et excessibus." 



*App., 264 266. ^ App., 241-242. 



"App., 242-243. 'App., 266. 



