Law And Order Again

 A few interesting entries I found in the Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous from when Edward of Caernarfon was a boy.  I wrote a similar post here.

Inq. taken in Shropshire on 30 June 1289:

"John de Quertubus of Scottes Acton killed Hugh de Weston, chaplain, in self-defence. On Christmas Day 16 Edward I [1287] after sunset there were some men singing outside a tavern kept by Richard son of William of Skottesacton in the town.  And Hugh came by the door immensely drunk, and quarrelled with the singers.  Now John was standing by, singing, and Hugh hated him a little because he sang well, and desired the love of certain women who were standing by in a field and whom Hugh much affected.  So Hugh took a naked sword in his hand and ran at John, striking him once, twice, thrice, on the head, and nearly cutting off two fingers of his left hand.  And John went on his knees, and raised his hands asking God's peace and the king's, and then ran into a corner near the street under a stone wall.  And Hugh ran after him and tried to kill him, so he drew his knife and wounded Hugh in the chest, killing him instantly."

I love the description of the women 'standing by in a field', after dark, on Christmas Day.  What on earth were they doing?

Inq. taken in Herefordshire on 9 July 1289:

"John le Blount of Letton killed Walter de Bredwardyn in self-defence.  Walter assaulted John with a long knife in the cellar of Miles Pichard at Staundon and struck him cutting all his robe against his belly, wounding him and preventing him from getting out of the cellar."

Inq. taken in Middlesex, undated:

"On Friday St Gregory's Day 16 Edward I [12 March 1290] after nine o'clock, a sow, which belonged to Nicholas le Keu of Westminster, entered the house of Geoffrey de la Paneterye while Lucy the wife of Geoffrey was looking for milk for her son Simon, dragged the child forth from its cradle and killed him.  Death by misadventure."

That's interesting, as in 1318 John of Powderham claimed to be the real son of Edward I, who had been attacked by a sow in his cradle and replaced with a peasant boy, i.e. Edward II.

Inq. taken in Derbyshire on 16 March 1290:

"John de Longgeley came to the house of William de Loggeforde in Yiveleye about midnight and almost drew away the bolt of the door.  He was seen by a small boy, who shut the door and summoned Henry son of William de Loggeforde, who rose from bed and took his sword in his hand.  He heard someone breaking a window in the closet like a robber.  He went to the window and found half the body of a man through it.  He asked who it was and on receiving no answer to his question he severed John's jugular vein with his sword.  No-one procured the slaying.  Henry killed John in self-defence."

Inq. taken in Cumberland on 19 May 1293:

"William son of Patrick and his wife came from Penreth very drunk on Tuesday after Whitsunday 5 Edward I [18 May 1277] by the high road to Laysonby; and Alexander son of John de la Chapele, who was breaking stones in a quarry near the road to build his father's house, heard the woman cry out and ran up, and supposing it to be a case of rape, struck William over the reins with a shovel so that he died the same night.  He did not intend to kill William, but only to prevent him ravishing the woman, whom he did not suppose to be his wife."

Inq. taken in Westmorland on 29 June 1293:

"Richard le Fraunceys, clerk, is of good fame and conversation."

That's it.  :-)

Ing. taken in Kent on 13 October 1300:

"Nicholas le Bret on St Lambert's Day 27 Edward I [17 September 1299] was upon a piece of his own land which he had sown with beans...when there appeared Hamon le Bret his brother suddenly, carrying an iron-shod fork in his hand.  He attacked Nicholas on his own land, saying "Flee, robber, or you will die," and with the fork pursued Nicholas for a furlong as far as a ditch filled with water of the breadth of twenty-five feet, which Nicholas could not cross.  As he would have been killed or drowned he unsheathed a misericorde and while defending himself he struck Hamon on the breast and the latter died the same day."

Inq. taken in Bedfordshire on 8 November 1300:

"Henry Bateman and William de Gamelingey were playing in the house of John le Mareschal in Eton at a game called penyperche on Thursday in Whitsun week 28 Edward I [2 June 1300].  A strife arose between them outside John's door.  When withdrawing from the tavern William caught Henry by the hair and afterwards took him firmly by the throat so that Henry could free himself only by drawing his knife.  Reynold Elys, Henry's kinsman in the third degree, heard of the strife between the two men as he sat at tavern in John's house and ran to them to aid Henry, who did not perceive him as he came in haste.  Reynold by misadventure dashed violently upon the unsheathed knife and received a wound in the right shoulder, from which he died.  His death was due to misadventure and not to malice."

Inq. taken in Lancashire on 6 February 1301:

"Adam son of Henry the clerk and William son of Alan de Bradefeld sat in William's house in the town of Lathum on Sunday before the Annunciation 27 Edward I [22 March 1299].  A strife arose between them regarding the allocation of a cow.  Adam feared William, arose and went out.  William followed him with an iron fork and pursued him between a hedge and a marle-pit.  Adam turned around and wished to go another way and William struck him upon the back with the fork.  Adam to escape death hit William with a stick of alder-wood upon the head and he fell to the ground.  Adam, seeing him prostate, took to flight.  Before and after the deed Adam was of good fame."