DISPOSITION OF THE PENALTIES 



115 



are not accepted as valid until investigated by a commission 

 of the exchequer/ If the collectors are not able to an- 

 swer for the penalties, they add at the end of their accounts 

 a sworn statement as to the reason; the justices had failed 

 to make the apportionment,^ or had held no sessions,^ or 

 had delivered the estreats too late,* or very frequently had 

 not delivered them at all.^ It will appear later that the 

 collectors must often be accused of perjury; but occasion- 

 ally it is the justices who, on being summoned before the 

 exchequer, admit that they have been the delinquents." 



'See p. 119, note i, for reference. 



^ Lay Subs., 77/20, Bucks., third collection: the justices "sessionem 

 suam super ordinacione et avisamento inter eos {i. e., collectors) et 

 alios de communitate eiusdem comitatus ad distribuendum particulariter 

 per villatas, civitates et burgos comitatus predicti iuxta formam, vim et 

 efifectum statuti inde editi in auxilium xv'"'^ et x""'- predictarum nondum 

 fecerunt in comitatu predicto, vt dicunt super sacramentum suum." 



^Lay Subs., 90/16, Cumberland, first collection: " lusticiarii de huius- 

 modi servientibus, operariis et artificibus in comitatu predicto non sed- 

 erunt." 



■'Enrolled Subs., 14, Worcester, first collection: " Extracte iusticiar- 

 iorum huiusmodi operariorum, seruientium et artificum eis die Lune 

 proximo post festum Purificacionis beate Marie anno xxvii" per iusticiar- 

 ios liberate fuerunt quod propter breuitatem temporis nichil inde leuare 

 potuerunt, vt dicit per sacramentum suum." 



^Lay Subs., 103/27, Dorset, first collection: " Infra quas summas non 

 respondent de aliquibus denariis provenientibus de finibus, amercia- 

 mentis operariorum pro excessu eo quod iusticiarii Regis in hoc comi- 

 tatu nuUas extractas dictis coUectoribus inde liberauerunt nee iidem col- 

 lectores quicquam leuauerunt, ut dicunt per sacramentum suum." 



•^Mem. L. T. R., 28, Hill., Recorda, rot. 3, " De coUectoribus se- 

 cundi anni solucionis xv™*' et x""" in Northrydyng allocutis de finibus 

 operariorum;" the justice admits that he had failed to deliver the es- 

 treats. Ibid., 28, Hill., Presentaciones, rot. 2 d, Lindsey (Line), 

 De die dato; Skipwith " presens hie in curia" admits that he and his 

 companions had not delivered the estreats to the collectors; therefore 

 the latter are "sine die." Ibid., 29, Trin., Recorda, rot. 8 d, New- 

 castle-on-Tyne; the same statement is made. For the case of London, 

 cf. pp. 136-137. 



