A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



seems probable that the court afterwards known as the court of the Duchy 

 Chamber of Lancaster was established at Westminster by Henry IV for the 

 jurisdiction in all matters of equity relating to lands held of the king in 

 right of the duchy and empowered to receive appeals from the Chancery 

 Court of the county palatine."" 



An attempt was made in Henry's first Parliament to grapple with local 

 disorder in the north-west, not only by a stringent general law against the 

 indiscriminate giving of liveries, but by special legislation. Richard's great 

 bodyguard of Cheshire archers had made that ' den of thieves ' even more 

 dangerous to its neighbours than before, and it was, therefore, enacted that 

 Cheshire men committing acts of violence in other counties should forfeit 

 their lands in Cheshire as well as any they might hold outside it.'"* The 

 difficulties Henry experienced in maintaining his throne were not, indeed, 

 very favourable to the success of these measures. Henry Percy passed 

 through Lancashire in July, 1403, on his way to the battle of Shrewsbury '°° 

 and found at least one supporter there. Geoffrey Bold, of Whittleswick, 

 joined him, for which he afterwards forfeited that manor.'"^ Another con- 

 nexion between Lancashire and the battle was created by the king's gift of 

 the church of St. Michael-on-Wyre to the Collegiate Church founded on the 

 site of his victory.'"' 



Local anarchy was still sufficiently prevalent in 1410 for a petition to be 

 presented to Henry asking for the appointment of commissions of oyer and 

 terminer to deal with rioters in Lancashire and other northern counties.'"' 

 In the same Parliament complaints were made of damage done on the coasts 

 of Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumberland by French, Scots and Welsh rebels, 

 and a request was made for a local squadron under a deputy of the admiral of 

 England. The answer given was that a remedy should be included in the 

 ordinance for the safe-guard of the sea."" 



A considerable contingent from Lancashire accompanied Henry V in 

 141 5 on the campaign which ended at Agincourt. John Lord Harcourt, 

 banneret, took out two knights, twenty-seven men-at-arms, and ninety 

 archers ;''" seven knights, James de Harrington, Richard de Kighley, Ralph 

 de Staveley, Nicholas de Longford, William Botiller, John Southworth and 

 Richard de Radcliffe, and two esquires, John Stanley and Robert Laurence, 

 each served with fifty archers.'" 



A temporary Act passed in 141 9 and renewed in subsequent Parliaments 

 throws a curious light upon the abuses which the privileges of the palatinate 

 made possible. In consequence of false indictments against loyal persons, 

 brought in that county and alleging treasons or felonies in places not in the 

 county, every justice was ordered to inquire by a local jury of twelve, each 



*» The extant records of this court only begin in 1485. Selections have been printed by the Lanes and 

 Ches. Rec. Soc. But great masses of the duchy documents of the fifteenth century have perished 

 ™ Rot. Pari, iii, 440. 



*" Traism et Mort de Richart Deux (Engl. Hist. Soc), App. 284. 



^ Chan. Misc. Bdle. i. file i ; Fine R. 240 m. 5. so? o., , „„„ „ ,^ 



•^ Rot. Pari, iii, 624 ; Towneley MS. CC. p. 1 34, No. 440. ' P" "' 



'^ Rot. Pari. 6^,^. *^^ 



Z ^■^p'^f ""f^T^'^'^- S;!;^' ^"^^ +7, No. 3 3- The amount due to him was nearly /600. 



Ibid. Bdle. 46, No. 35 ; Bdle. 44, No. 29. The nine received /113 i rs. apiece and the «chrr^ 

 were paid 6d a d,, q,^^ ,^ ^^^,^^^ ^^,^^ ^.^^^^^,^ ^^^^^^^ .^ L.J^^ 'theTge'of Harfleu ten 

 were mval.ded home before its capture, six were left in garrison there, seven v.ere taken prisoners the day 

 before Agincourt, and only nineteen fought in the battle. None of these last were killed. 



212 



