History of corn milling .. - Centrostudirpinia.it

SOME FEUDAL MILLS. 25
The King to the mayor and baihff of his city of Dublin, greeting.
Whereas it is evident to us by inspection of the memorandum rolls '^^Efv^^'^^
of our Exchequer at Dublin that you, the mayor, with the commonalty DUBLIN
of the city aforesaid, are indebted to us in 85 lbs. of pepper, being
arrears of rent of the watermills outside the gate of St. Werburgh's * 8. The King
beside the said city, extending from the fifteenth year of the reign and the City
of our grandfather King Henry [123 1] to the twelfth year of our Mill, 1319.
reign [T3i9],t for which no manner of satisfaction has been given
us ; We send this precept, firmly enjoining you that upon the goods
and cattle of the community of the said city, as well as of yourself
the said mayor, you shall cause to be levied without delay the said
85 lbs. of pepper unto whosesoever hands in the said city they shall
have come ; in order that you produce the whole of the said pepper
to pay us at our said Exchequer on the Monday next after the feast
of St. Margaret the Virgin [July 20], and that you produce there and
then this writ.
Witness Walter de Istlip, our Treasurer of Ireland. Dated
July 19, in the twelfth year of our reign [13 19].
In reply the city fathers pleaded, in the usual official
Anglo-Norman, their unanswerable defence to the
demand for rent, and Incidentally made no claim
what milling rights might exist :—
to
Auant le temps qe sire Johan le fitz Geffrei vynt justice en Dublin White
Irlaund, e avant la venu sire Geffrei de Tureuill tresoror, un Rogier Bk., fol. 96.
le coruiser de Bristuyt qe fut un aduentifs a la cite de Diuelyn, fist
leuer un molyn desuth le chastel, pur le sist de quel molyn a eel
temps e pur une venele auoir ouuerte vers la esglise Seint Piere de
la Hulle pur carier blees vers le dit molyn a moudre, soleit meymes
eel Rogier e autres tenauns de eel molyn porter un liure de pepure
de rente par an a nostre seignur le roy. E puis eel temps les
justices et les tressores qe virent eel molyn nusaunt et perilous
au chastel et auxint trop pres as molyns nostre seignur le roy,
fesent eel molyn abatre et del tut ouster. Et la place ou adonque
fu le sist de eel molyn est ore un petit parce approprie au chastel,
et un autre place de coste au adonqe fu lestang du molyn, ioust la
terre qe fu a un Serlot de Ripon, qe rent chescun an a nostre
seignur, le rey, dues south, les quex le conestable resceit. Et issint
est nostre seignur le rey seisi du soyl dount cele rente dune liure de
pepure soleit issir, e par ceste resoun ount les citezeins sea en arriere
este descharges e semble a eux qe encore demoerent.
Before the time when Sir John Fitz Geoffrey became Justiciary
in Ireland, and before Sir Geoffrey de Tureville, Treasurer, came
* Harris, the historian of Dublin (1766), says it is only "in latter times this
gate has been called St. Wyburgh's Gate."
t If these dates are correct, the claim should have been for eighty-eight, not
eighty-five, years" rental.
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