Wood — The Templars in Ireland. 



335 



procurationes solvi consueverunt ])er maniis dictorum Templariorum 

 ibidem."^ 



Eut perhaps their extreme immunity from the ordinary customs is 

 best seen in the grant of Henry III, in which, after confirming all 

 previous or future grants of lands, he declared they were to be free 

 from all amercements and aids, and from all works of castles, parks, 

 bridges, and enclosures, and the providing carriage for such works ; 

 that neither theii' woods nor their corn should be seized for such a 

 purpose ; that they might take fi'om tlieir woods to supply their 

 houses, without forfeiture for waste or being amerced, and might 

 clear any of their land of wood, or recover it from the forest, without 

 being subject to waste regard and view of foresters, or requiring 

 licence of bailiffs. They were to be free of all tolls in every market, 

 fair, bridge, way, and sea, and their own markets and fairs were to be 

 free of tolls. If any of their men were condemned to lose life or 

 limb for a crime and fled, the criminal's goods should revert to the 

 knights instead of the king; similarly, if any tenant of theirs 

 forfeited his fee, they might put themselves in seizen, and if any 

 tenant was amerced for any cause, the amercement was to be col- 

 lected and handed to the Templars. Unclaimed waifs found in 

 their fees were to belong to them, neither should they forfeit by 

 lapse of time any of the liberties contained in this charter. Even 

 these privileges were added to by Edward I, who gave them com- 

 plete criminal and civil jurisdiction over their tenants and vassals, 

 and power of punishing any found guilty of acting criminally 

 towards them. He also gave them the power of trying criminals 

 by ordeal, the tremendous privilege of pit and gallows, and, finally, 

 freed them from all military services and ordinary feudal customs. 



It will easily be supposed that men endowed with such powers 

 were wont sometimes rather to extend their scope than otherwise. 

 The Pope had, on one occasion, to forbid them extending their 

 exemptions, and from using them to the detriment of the power 

 of the bishops. The Synods, too, frequently complained about theii' 

 misuse of their privileges. One of the chapters of the Statute of 

 Westminster, II (chap. 43), was expressly framed to prevent the 

 conservators or keepers of the privileges of the Templars and Hos- 

 pitallers from bringing men before them in matters which belonged 

 to the cognizance of the king's court, and from using general citations, 

 without expressing the matter upon which the citation was made. 



^ Mem. Roll, Exchequer, 7 Ed. II, m. 15. 



