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abiding in the company of Richard Hurst and the said John Grower, at Canterbury and elsewhere, until the feast of St.
Michael last past, and throughout the whole of that time the
said William, son of William, was there led away by them, and
counselled to alienate his lands and tenements; and from the said feast of
St Michael, to the feast of St. Gregory last past, he was dwelling
with the foresaid Nicholas Loveyne at Peneshurst, and elsewhere, and
the said William, son of William, during the whole of
that time was, by the said Nicholas, and the foresaid Walter, Richard
de Sugworth, and Richard Maufe, there led away and counselled to alienate his
lands and tenements.
"And they say that there is no waste or destruction in the
foresaid lands and tenements.
"And, in like manner, they say, that Simon de Burgh, at
his own suit, caused himself to be retained by the foresaid William,
son of William, to be of his counsel, and made the said William, son of William, grant him, by his deed in writing, ,a certain
annual rent of ten pounds, to him and his heirs, to be received from
the said manor of Melton; which" writing was delivered to the
said Richard de Hurst, to be kept to the order of the said William;
and afterwards, the said Richard delivered that writing to the said
Simon, contrary to the wish of the said William.
"In testimony whereof the foresaid jury have attached
their seals to this inquisition.
"Given at Canterbury, on the said Tuesday, in the fortieth
year aforesaid.'
"The evidences by which the said jury arrived at the
knowledge of the age of the foresaid heir, appear in a certain schedule
hereto attached.
"The grounds on which they say and know that the infant is
within age are these—to wit:
"In primis,—It is a thing known to many knights
and squires on this inquest that they were with the Earl of
Huntyngdon1 when our dread Lord the King was at Caine; and
the said Earl of Huntyngdon, actually in company with him, at the time2 that the Earl of Ewe3 and
the Chamberlain Tankervill
1 Froissart states
that the Earl of Huntyngdon commanded the flotilla in this expedition, and took back to England the prisoners and
plunder of Caen:—" Draps, joyaux, vaisselle d'or et
d'argent, et
toutes autres richesses dont ils avoient grand foison."
2 The English army, under Edward III. and Geffrey
d'Harcourt, arrived
before Caen on the 26th July, 1346.
3 Vide p. 134 |