J 32 



ENFORCEMENT OF THE STATUTES OF LABOURERS 



king.^ Leaving to a later section the claims of the lords, 

 the normal method of dealing with the estreats will now be 

 described. 



Even during the triennial of 1348, the crown had made 

 good its right to that portion of the penalties not coming 

 under the technical head of " excess " ^ and soon after its 

 cessation in Easter, 1351, steps were taken by the exchequer 

 to secure this new source of revenue. In July, instructions 

 were issued to the sheriffs to levy the penalties and to pay 

 out of them the wages of the justices of labourers; ^ by the 

 autumn, it was found necessary in the case of a long list of 

 counties to order the sheriffs to distrain the justices for the 

 delivery of their estreats,* but scarcely was the machinery 

 set in motion, voluminous rolls for Essex and Dorset hav- 

 ing been already delivered into the exchequer ^ with speedy 

 prospects of rolls for Southampton,® when parliament met. 



'The exchequer process brought in 1357 against the sheriff of Somer- 

 set and Dorset, resulting in his imprisonment, quoted p. 11, note 3, 

 illustrates clearly the variety of estreats for which the sheriff was re- 

 sponsible: estreats of the keepers of the peace and justices of labourers 

 for the 24th year; of the justices of labourers for the 27th and 28th years; 

 of the justices of assize for the 28th and 29th years; of the chancellor 

 for the 29th year; of justices of oyer and terminer for the 28th year; of 

 the barons of the exchequer for the 2gth year; of the court of common 

 pleas for the 28th year, Trin. and Mich, terms, and for the 29th year. 

 Hill, and Pasch. terms e/c: through a long list. Cf. p. 137, note 7. 



*Cy. pp. 103-105. 



"See p. 18, note i, and p. 44. According to these instructions the 

 justices are to deliver their estreats directly to the sherififs, but in prac- 

 tice it became the custom to deliver the estreats into the exchequer and 

 then to re-issue them to the sheriffs. 



*Mem. L. T. R., 26, Mich., Breu. Ret., rot. 11, Kane', 18 Oct.; by 

 this writ of the treasurer the estreats are called for at the exchequer. 

 It is to be remembered that Mich., 26th year of the exchequer is really 

 only Mich., 25th year of Edward's reign; cf. app., 256. 



" For an account of these see p. 109, note 2. 

 •* Cf. p. 62 and note 3. 



