DISPOSITION OF THE PENALTIES 103 



entirely disinterested; when the court of king's bench 

 met at Chelmsford in the autumn of 1351, Edmund de 

 Northtoft. referred to as collector ^ and also as justice sur 

 laborers, was indicted for extorting from labourers during 

 the year 1350 large sums which he had appropriated to his 

 own use instead of paying in aid of the subsidy." A similar 

 charge is brought and substantiated against de Sutton, 

 described as appointed to collect the subsidy and to inquire 

 into the matter of illegal wages. "^ This explicit statement 

 of the double set of duties belonging to the collectors shows 

 how inevitable must have been the conflicts between them 

 and the justices of labourers, in the counties where the 

 latter were acting.* Examples occur in Northampton and 

 Leicester; in June. 1350, on complaint of the taxpayers,'' 

 the justices appointed to enforce the ordinance of labourers, ■ 

 are accused of planning to send directly into the exchequer 

 both the " excess " and the fines levied on labourers con- 

 victed before them, instead of turning over the " excess '" 

 to the subcollectors according to agreement.® A writ to 

 the justices orders the distinction to be observed; the "ex- 

 cess " is to go in aid of the subsidy, but the fines directly 

 to the crown, ut est justumJ As late as 1357, there is 

 evidence that the crown is still trying to collect " fines, issues 

 and amercements " before justices of labourers in Dorset 

 for the 24th year, " excess " being distinctly omitted and 

 presumably having already gone to the subsidy.* The few 



'He was collector for Essex in 1340 and 1350; (^f. references to Orig.. 

 p. 100, note 3, supra. 



= App., 265-268. -'App., 264-265. 



•Either under a joint commission of the peace and for labourers or 

 under a separate commission for labourers; see pt. i, ch. i, s. i. 



^" Sicut ex populari conquestione nobis datur intelligi." 



*" Concordiam supradictam," /. e.. as stated in the second ordinance. 



'For the reference, cf. p. 11, note 5. 



"^ For the reference, cf. p. 11, note 3. 



