46 General History of Bath. 



The Bailiffs seem to have been the authorised heads of 

 the community in John's reign ; but one writ, towards its 

 end, is directed to the goodmen (^'probi homines") of the 

 city. 



John evidently took a considerable interest in the Priory. 

 He annexed to it a cell which he had founded, and en- 

 dowed at Waterford, and also granted to the monks a very 

 large estate beyond the walls of the city, known as the Bath 

 Forinsecum (afterwards corrupted into Bath Forum) at a fee 

 farm rent of ;£2o. 



The city itself, which had been granted back to the Crown 

 by Savaric, he let to the Monks " at will " under a rent of 



The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. 



Our knowledge of the history of Bath during the four- 

 teenth and fifteenth centuries is somewhat fragmentary. 

 We can trace the representation of the city in Parliament 

 back to the 26th year of the reign of Edward I. In that 

 year the city members were Henry Bayton and Thomas de 

 Missletre. The privilege was not much prized, for we find 

 in the first year of Edward II. the following "return" : — 

 Writ : " For the election of two citizens from the city 

 of Bath." 



" The writ of our lord the King was returned 



Representation by the Mayor and Bailiffs of the said city 



in Parliament. of the liberty of the Bishop of Bath, who 



care not to give any effect thereto." 



Charters of the usual municipal character were granted 



to Bath by Henry III., the three Edwards, Richard II., 



Henry IV., and his two successors of the same name, and 



