A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



them. At Redbourn the villagers broke down the ditch of the prior's 

 meadow, which they claimed as their common pasture.* At Tring dis- 

 order seems to have spread from the abbey tenants to those of the Arch- 

 bishop of Canterbury.'" The men of Abbot's Walden used the opportunity 

 in the same way, and ejected a widow from a tenement in Bishop's 

 Hatfield." Outside the abbot's demesne the revolt can be traced along the 

 Colne and along the Lea, The part taken by the men of Berkhampstead 

 at St. Albans is already known. But on the Sunday, while these men were 

 away, others ' rebelled ' and went to Ashridge and burnt the books and 

 muniments of the rector of that monastery ; then, going on to King's 

 Langley, they ejected a certain J. Marlere from his free tenement.'* King's 

 Langley was far from peaceful. A crowd of the most considerable villeins 

 assembled and burnt the Court Rolls. At Puttenham also there were dis- 

 orders and at Aldenham some of the Court Rolls were destroyed.'' 



On the other side of the county the lead of St. Albans was naturally 

 not felt. There was traffic along the Lea with London, Essex and Kent, 

 and here news of the revolt must soon have arrived. Disturbances occurred 

 at Cheshunt on Friday. At Waltham Cross on the same day riots took 

 place and a man was beheaded.'* 



The judges came to St. Albans with fifty lances on 28 June.'^ The 

 villeins had now to show what passive strength they had, to stand by one 

 another. William Grindecobbe was still intrepid. He argued with the 

 others : ' We are bound by pact with the vills round about and they will 

 help us in need.' 



Sir Walter atte Lee summoned the townsfolk to meet him, calling 

 them ' lords and friends.' He impanelled a jury for the next day, but they 

 refused to accuse anyone." Even when he ordered them to return the 

 charters they excused themselves. When he met them again they were 

 strengthened by 300 bowmen from the vills round, especially Barnet and 

 Berkhampstead. Grindecobbe was deceived, not in the faith of his allies, 

 but in their effectiveness. For Sir Walter atte Lee had given secret orders 

 to the abbot's squire, Richard Perers, and three others, who arrested Grinde- 

 cobbe himself, William Cadington and John Barber, and quietly carried 

 them to Hertford jail, whither the judge betook himself. When this was 

 known excitement and fear spread through the town. The king recalled 

 the letters of manumission on 2 July,"' and it must have been about this 

 time that the country vills surrendered their charters and put themselves in 

 the abbot's mercy .'* The villeins began to meet secretly in places outside 

 the town " from this time until Friday, 1 2 July, when the king arrived.''" 

 Grindecobbe was released on bail and came to St. Albans. He met his 

 friends and addressed them. This time his insight was clear. He told 

 them to behave as though he were already executed." But the townsmen 



' Walsingham, Gesta Abbatum, iii, 328—30. 



1° Coram Rege R. 485, m. 10 ; cf. the farmer of Kingsbury, infra. '^ Coram Rage R. 485, m. 24 d. 



1- Ibid. 482, m. 34. 13 Ct_ R_ (Qgj, Ser.), portf. 177, no. 47. 



1^ Coram Rege R. 482, m. 34 ; 484, m. 18. " Walsingham, Hist. Angl. ii, 22. 



'« Ibid. 23-5. 1' Cal. Pat. I 381-5, p. 27. 



1* Walsingham, Hist. Angl. ii, 29. " Ibid. 26. 



-'-' Ibid. 28 ; Reville, Le Soutivement des Travatlleurs d'Angleterre en 1381. 



21 Calling them 'concives' (Wahingham, Hist. Angl. ii, 27). 



202 



