II. The Marshalsy of the Eyre

Helen M. Cam

doi:10.1017/S1474691300000913

II. The Marshalsy of the Eyre

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 December 2011

Helen M. Cam

Show author details

Helen M. Cam: Affiliation:
Research Fellow, Girton College

Article contents

Extract
References

Get access

Extract

The office of Marshal of the Eyre is the subject of at least two interesting cases reported in the Year Books of Edward II. As no account of this Marshalsy appears to exist it seemed worth while to bring together the following particulars, not only for their own sake, but as illustrating the history of a medieval serjeanty. These particulars fall under three heads: the origin and evolution of the office, its tenure and descent, and the functions and activities it involved.

Type: Research Article
Information: Cambridge Historical Journal , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , 1924 , pp. 126 - 137

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474691300000913 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1924

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

^{page 126 note 1} (i) Du Boys v. Dagworth. See Eyre of Kent, in. 141–2, 212; Year Books of Ed. II, xvi. 208–11 (Selden Society). Mr Bolland discusses the matter, Eyre of Kent, 1. xxvii. 176, 184; Year Books, xvi. p. xlvii. (ii) Mayor and Aldermen of London v. Dagworth. See Harl. MSS. 453, 1062; Egerton MS. 2811.

^{page 126 note 2} T. Madox, Exchequer (1711), pp. 718–21.

^{page 126 note 3} Cartae Antiquae, Roll 9, no. 25. Printed in Foedera.

^{page 126 note 4} “Sicut aliquis illud…tenuit tempore Henrici Regis avi mei.” Ibid.

^{page 126 note 5} Calendar of Inquisitions, II. 317.

^{page 127 note 1} Assize Roll 697, m. 6 d.

^{page 127 note 2} Assize Roll 700, m. 1 d.

^{page 127 note 3} Rot. Cl. 37 H. III, m. 5.

^{page 127 note 4} Calendar of Inquisitions, 1. 248. “Half a knight's fee, held by the serjeanty of being grand usher of the King's Exchequer, usher of the Jews and crier before the Justices of the Bench and the rest of the justices of eyre for all pleas throughout the realm of England.”

^{page 127 note 5} Assize Roll 705, m. 2 (Oxfordshire).

^{page 127 note 6} Mr H. G. Richardson, to whose criticisms I am greatly indebted, suggests, however, that the functions of the marshal in the several courts of law may all ultimately derive from the earl marshal, who in 1260 claimed, in effect, the office of marshal in the King's Bench and in the Eyre (see Law Quarterly Review, April 1923, p. 253, and Transactions of R. Hist. Soc. iv. Ser. v. 61), and was already under Henry II represented in the Exchequer by a marshal with functions similar to those of the marshal in other courts at a later date (Madox, Exchequer, pp. 33, 726). If so, the office of Marshal of the Eyre would seem to have been conveyed to the Usher of the Exchequer somewhere between 1260 and 1272. I am not myself satisfied that the claim of 1260 covers Eyres ad omnia placita, or extends beyond placita coram rege, under which heading the special sessions of Hugh le Bigod and Hugh le Despenser 1259–60 might be included.

^{page 127 note 7} Now in Stokenchurch, Bucks, where there is a farm bearing the name of Chequers Manor. Kelly, Directory of Bucks, 1923, p. 205. I am obliged to the Rev. H. E. Salter for this fact.

^{page 128 note 1} Hughes, Crump and Johnson, Dialogus de Scaccario, pp. 23–4.

^{page 128 note 2} Rot. Hund. 11. 782 b. “Laurentius de Scaccario tenet…de Alano filio Roardi domino de Eston…aliam tenuram que vocatur Wygodesland.

^{page 128 note 3} Freeman, Norman Conquest, IV. 728.

^{page 128 note 4} E. H. R. xxvi. 724–6.

^{page 128 note 5} Memoranda Rolls L.T.R. 14, m. 4 d.

^{page 128 note 6} A. R. 697, m. 6 d (Oxfordshire Eyre of 1241). Leukenore, “De seriantiis dicunt quod Rogerus de Scaccario tenet quandem terram in Eston' per seriantiam ut sit hostiarius ad Scaccarrium domini Regis et valet per annum xx s.” A. R. 700, m. 1 d (Oxfordshire Eyre of 1247). “De seriantiis dicunt quod Rogerus de Scaccario tenet xx s. redditus in Aston per. seriantiam custodiendi hostium Scaccarii domini Regis apud Westm'.” A. R. 705, m. 2 (Oxfordshire Eyre of 1285). “De seriantiis dicunt quod Laurentius de Scaccario tenuit duas carucatas terre in Abbesfeld in parochia de Aston que valent per annum c s. per seriantiam essendi marescallus coram justitiariis itinerantibus per totam Angliam et coram Justitiariis de Banco et coram Baronibus de Scaccario. Et Symon films et heres ipsius Laurentii est infra etate et in custodia domini Regis.”

^{page 128 note 7} Cal. Inq. II. 501.

^{page 128 note 8} Close Roll Calendar (1292), pp. 220, 229.

^{page 128 note 9} Cal. Inq. VII. 310.

^{page 128 note 10} See Table on the following page.

^{page 128 note 11} The Year Book of the Eyre of London of 1321 speaks of a Henry del Escheker who was seised of the serjeanty in the time of King John. B.M. MS. Harl. 1062, f. 1 d. But a consideration of dates will show that there is no room for another generation. The Henry de Scaccario who figures in the records is almost certainly the holder of that land in Ellesborough which is now the site of the Prime Minister's Chequers. See Curia Regis Rolls, 1. 109; Book of Fees, p. 252; Vict. C. Hist, of Bucks, ii. 333.

^{page 128 note 12} Assize Roll 85, m. 10. Vide infra. Possibly this was the first Eyre in which he exercised the Serjeanty. The silence of other eyre records does not imply non-exercise.

^{page 129 note 1} Cal. Inq. II. 319. Cf. Calendar of Close Rolls, p. 276 (1284).

^{page 130 note 1} Memoranda Rolls L.T.R. 62, m. 10 d. (Two entries.)

^{page 130 note 2} Ibid. 63, m. 31 d, m. 34.

^{page 130 note 3} Laurence was owing nearly £250 in 1279. See Close Roll Calendar, p. 524; see also Fine Roll Calendar for 1283, p. 190.

^{page 130 note 4} Fine Roll Calendar, p. 301.

^{page 130 note 5} Close Roll Calendar, p. 220.

^{page 130 note 6} Ibid. p. 229.

^{page 130 note 7} Memoranda Rolls L.T.R. 63, m. 16. Pro Matillda una sororum Simonis de Scaccario. m. 16 d, Pro Willelmo Peyvere. See also Close Roll Calendar, p. 230.

^{page 131 note 1} Mem. R. L.T.R. 63, m. 16.

^{page 131 note 2} Feet of Fines, London and Middlesex, No. 322.

^{page 131 note 3} Close Roll Calendar, p. 507.

^{page 131 note 4} Mem. R. L.T.R. 63, m. 37, m. 37 d; Assize Rolls 302, m. 1, 408, m. 1.

^{page 131 note 5} “La verge fut livree a Maude pur ceo qel fut leynesce.” B.M.Harl.MS. 1062, f. 1 d.

^{page 131 note 6} It will be noted that neither the account of the editors of the Dialogtts (p. 24) nor that of Mr Bolland (Year Books of Edward II, xvi. p. xlvii) is entirely correct.

^{page 131 note 7} Mem. R. L.T.R. 74, m. 25 d.

^{page 131 note 8} Feet of Fines, London and Middlesex, No. 322.

^{page 131 note 9} Rot. Parl. I. 474 b.

^{page 131 note 10} Close Roll Calendar, pp. 86–7 (1308).

^{page 131 note 11} Mem. R. L.T.R. 78, m. 50; Close Roll Calendar, p. 34.

^{page 132 note 1} Eyre of Kent (S. S.), iii. 141–2, 212; Year Books of Edward II (S. S.), xvi. 208–9.

^{page 132 note 2} Ancient Petitions, File 194, No. 9665. “A nostre seignour le Roy prie soun lige Bacheler Johan de Dageworth soun mareschal de fee en les heires par mi le reaume” (etc.).

^{page 132 note 3} Assize Roll 382, m. 228 (printed Eyre of Kent, iii. 228).

^{page 132 note 4} Ancient Petitions, File 8, No. 381. The date of this must fall between 1321 and January 23, 1325, when the writ for Lora's inquisition post mortem issued. Cal. Ing. vi. 402.

^{page 132 note 5} So the next petition states.

^{page 132 note 6} Ancient Petitions, File 8, No. 383 (printed Rot. Parl. 1. 426–7).

^{page 132 note 7} Close Roll Calendar, p. 507. Lora, whom Andrew Horn in the Liber Custumarum (R. S.), p. 297, describes as John's wife, is here called his grandmother.

^{page 132 note 8} B. M. Add. MS. 5924, f. 1 d.

^{page 133 note 1} B.M. Egerton MS. 2811, f. 246.

^{page 133 note 2} Close Roll Calendar, p. 71.

^{page 133 note 3} Ibid. p. 233.

^{page 133 note 4} Patent Roll Calendar, p. 175 (10 Oct. 1331).

^{page 133 note 5} Ibid. p. 217 (6 Nov. 1331).

^{page 133 note 6} Ibid. pp. 328–9 (11 Sept. 1332).

^{page 133 note 7} Cal. Ing. vii. 310.

^{page 133 note 8} Ibid.

^{page 133 note 9} Feet of Fines, Middlesex, No. 359.

^{page 133 note 10} Miss D. M. Broome gives details both of the holders and their deputies in her thesis on The Exchequer under Edward III.

^{page 134 note 1} Eyre of Kent (S. S.), I. xxiii.

^{page 134 note 2} Law Quarterly Review, April 1923, p. 255.

^{page 134 note 3} Assize Roll 85, m. 10. A good many other Eyre Rolls have been searched in vain for similar entries.

^{page 134 note 4} Close Roll Calendar, p. 233.

^{page 134 note 5} The General Eyre, p. 41.

^{page 134 note 6} Eyre of Kent (S. S.), 1. 176.

^{page 135 note 1} Eyre of Kent, I. 184.

^{page 135 note 2} Munimenta Gilhallae (R. S.), II. 295, 301–2.

^{page 135 note 3} B.M. Harl. MSS. 453, f. 12; 1062, f. 1; Egerton MS. 2811, ff. 22, 24 d, 25 d.

^{page 135 note 4} Assize Roll, 547 a, m. 1.

^{page 135 note 5} Munimenta Gildhallae, 1. 77.

^{page 135 note 6} B.M. Add. Charters 5153, m. 1.

^{page 135 note 7} Munimenta Gildhallae, ii. 302.

^{page 135 note 8} Ibid. 364.

^{page 135 note 9} Ancient Petitions, File 8, No. 381. As a matter of fact, some nineteen eyres were held in the period of Simon's minority.

^{page 136 note 1} See, however, below, note 6.

^{page 136 note 2} B.M. Egerton MS. 2811, f. 24 d. Scrop. “Vos avetz entendu coment le maire e les aldermans unt clame loffice de marshals cy en cest eyre et ne clameint nient le profit com le fee par qi le fee seient al Roy et vos seriants par eux assis unt pris le fee por qi nos prioms qe la franchise soit saisi.”

^{page 136 note 3} Ibid. f. 25 d.

^{page 136 note 4} Madox, Exchequer, p. 729.

^{page 136 note 5} B.M. Egerton MS. 2811, f. 245 d.

^{page 136 note 6} B.M. Add. MS. 24063, f. 2 d. At this point of the eyre, however, Dagworth's claim had not yet been allowed, and it is possible that the marshal was a dependent of one of the justices. Such a marshal is mentioned at the Gloucestershire eyre at Bristol in 1285, as having been the agent of Richard de Boy land—”Quidam Johannes de Wycham, valettus predicti Ricardi portans virgam coram eo in predicto itinere.” State Trials of Edward I (Camden Society), pp. 5, 6. As Madox says (Exchequer, p. 729), “the word Marshall seems to have been sometimes used with latitude.” Such a multiplicity of officials is contemplated, and deprecated, in the Statutes of Westminster, 1. cap. xxx (probably the statute referred to by John de Dagworth above), which mentions “Justices’ marshals” as well as “criers of fee,” in forbidding the exaction of excessive fees.

^{page 136 note 7} Munimenta Gildhallae, ii. 289.

^{page 137 note 1} Calendar of Inquisitions, II. 317. Cf. Rot. Parl. II. 448, where the marshal and crier try in vain to enforce silence before justices of oyer and terminer sitting at Ipswich, 1339.

^{page 137 note 2} B.M. Add. MS. 24063, f. 5.

^{page 137 note 3} Calendar of Charter Rolls (1312), p. 187, cited Eyre of Kent (S. S.), I. xxiii. Cf. clause in various borough charters, 1155–99: “Quod infra civitatem illam nemo capiat hospitium per vim vel liberationam marescaldi.” If this refers to the Marshal of the Eyre, it is by far the earliest mention of him. Rot. Cart. p. 5. It is more likely, however, to refer to the King's marshal. See Madox, Exchequer, p. 33, and Ballard, Borough Charters, p. 87, and Bateson, Leicester Records, 1. 147–8.

^{page 137 note 4} Cf. the office of marshal de meretricibus in Round, King's Serjeants and Officers of State, pp. 96–8.

^{page 137 note 5} Note Close Roll Calendar for 1329, p. 493 (Sept. 3).

Article contents

II. The Marshalsy of the Eyre

Extract

Access options

References

Save article to Kindle

Save article to Dropbox

Save article to Google Drive

Reply to: Submit a response

Your details

You have entered the maximum number of contributors

Conflicting interests