Lawlok — A Charter of Donatus, Prior of Louth. 317 



following year. I am now, however, in possession of evidence which tells 

 strongly against that hypothesis. It appears from the Pipe Rolls of England 

 that from 1185 to 1189 Gilbert Pipard was sheriff of the Honour of Lancaster. 1 

 For nearly four years he executed this office by deputy, employing for that 

 purpose his brothers, Hugh and Peter Pipard. 2 It has been suggested 3 that 

 this arrangement was due to the demands made upon Gilbert by his duties as 

 justice itinerant. But it is clear that his residence in Ireland during those 

 years — he had accompanied Prince John thither in 1185 — would suffice to 

 explain his inability to do the work of a sheriff in England. Now, from 

 Michaelmas, 1188, he acted as sheriff in person. 4 This continued till after 

 the death of Henry II in July, 1189, when he surrendered his office. We 

 may conclude that from September, 1188, to July, 1189, Gilbert Pipard was 

 not in Ireland. At any rate his visits must have been rare and brief ; and the 

 chance that he met Bertram de Verdun there is so remote as to be negligible. 



I take it, therefore, as proved that Cristin's Charter must be dated, at the 

 latest, early in 1188. Now, it has one witness, or, as I rather believe, two 

 witnesses in common with our Charter. The name of Matthew de Fulsaue 

 re-appears in the slightly variant form, Matthew de Fulesaga, and Robert the 

 clerk is probably identical with Robert the parson of Ardee. 5 Thus it would 

 seem that our Charter was written not many years after 1188, and that it 

 cannot be brought down to 1218. 



This conclusion is confirmed when we examine Ralph de Vernon's grant 

 of Balisconan to St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin. 6 This document is proved by 

 external evidence to be earlier, perhaps considerably earlier, than 1216. " 

 Indeed, it seems to be but little later than 1188, for of its eight witnesses 

 no less than three are found among those of Cristin's Charter— Richard de 

 Heddeshoure, Geoffrey Sturmin, and Matthew de Fulsiage. This coincidence 



1 W. Farrer, The Lancashire Pipe Halls of 31 Henry I and of the reigns of Henry II, 

 Richard I, and King John, 1902, p. 53ft'. This book, for my knowledge of which I am 

 indebted to Dr. James Wilson, gives extracts from the Pipe Rolls relating to Lancashire 

 for the closing years of Henry II, not yet included in the publications of the Pipe Roll 

 Society. 



3 Op. cit. , p. 53, 31 Henry II (Michaelmas, 1 184, to Michaelmas, 1185)— "Gilbertus Pipard , 

 Hugofrater eius pro eo reddit compotum "; and similarly, p. 58 (1185-6) ; p. 62 (1186-7), 

 and p. 67 (1187-8) — " Gilbertus Pipard, Petrus frater eius pro eo reddit compotum." 

 Note that here the fact is established, which with Mr. Orpen {Journal of Roy. Soc. of 

 Antiquaries of Ireland, xxxviii, 244) I left doubtful, that Gilbert and Peter Pipard were 

 brothers. 



3 By Mr. Farrer, op. cit., p. 56. I have not found evidence that Pipard was an itinerant 

 justice as late as 1185. 



4 Ibid., p. 72 — " Gilbertus Pipard reddit compotum." See also Mr. Farrer's note, p 73. 



5 Possibly the Simon of Cristin's Charter was Simon de Clinton. See next paragraph. 



6 J. T. Gilbert, Chartularies of St Mary's Abbey, i, 55. r Proceedings, I. c, p. 39. 



