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London petitioned for a grant of murage in 27/10/1290.

Wording
original petition: SC 8/272, no. 13557
La grace nosstre seignur le rey prie sa comune de sa citee de Londres qe il, si li plest, les voylle graunter lour estat quel yl ount en avaunt ces houres le soen merci, issint qe il puissent de eus meismes elire meyre com avant soleient e a li presenter pur la garde de sa citee tiel qe covenable seit al honour de sa seignurye e a profist de soen pople.
Ensemblement lour franchises queus il soleient aver, les queus sount ore entant sustretes e anentyes par diversez genz estraunges e par autre maneres com renablement purra estre mustre, qe sa lige genz de sa comune qe sount demurrant e endurant les comunes charges de la citee com en taillage e en mises quaunt il est mester sount ja enpoveriz e les estranges genz sanz chescune charge ount e enportent trestut le prou de la citee.
Ensement, pri a nostre seignur le rey sa comune qe pur ceo qe le mur de sa cite faut e decet en mult de lus, com il piert, dont la citee se decclost a meyns sauvete e a plus peril qe li pleise granter murage ... tens pur le mur redrescer e reparayler
Endorsement
Peticio communis Lond'.
Coram rege.
Rex intendit quod civitas sit in bono statu et quo ad nunc non habet consilium mutandi statum ejus.
Et quo ad mercatores \extraneos/ rex intendit quod sint idonei ... suo propter quod non vult eos amovere
In rotulo.
Rex intendit quod non sit necesse concedere muragium.

The community of his city of London prays the grace of our lord the king: that he will grant them, if it please him, reinstatement in the position they previously enjoyed, and his mercy that they may elect a mayor of themselves, as was previously customary, and present him to the king for the keeping of his city, such as is suitable for the honour of his lordship and the profit of his people.
Also, their liberties which they used to have, and which are now so much withdrawn and rendered null by various foreigners and in other ways, as can reasonably be shown, so that his liegemen of his community who are resident and bear the common charges of the city as in tallage and expenses, when there is need, are so impoverished and the foreigners without any liabilities have and carry off all the profit of the city.
Also, his community prays our lord the king that, whereas the wall of his city is defective and decayed in many places, as it seems, so that the city is wide open to less safety and greater danger, that it may please him to grant murage ... time to repair and rebuild the wall.
Endorsement
The petition of the community of London
Before the king
The king understands that the city is in a good state and for the present is not advised to change its state.
As for foreign merchants the king understands that they are suitable ... so he does not wish to remove them
Enrolled
The king does not understand that it is necessary to grant murage.
----
{As Enrolled}
134 (112). Cives London' petunt quod rex velit ei pristinum statum suum, scilicet majorem, concedere et antiquas libertates.
Rex non habet inde consilium, quia sunt in bono statu ut sibi videtur; et hac vice statun non mutabit, ex quo omnia bene fuerunt et etiam sunt in pace, et nullum comodum apparet.
135. Item petunt quod rex apponat remedium de eo quod alienigine mercatores dominantur et ditantur de mercandisis in civitate et cives depauperantur, qui onera sustinent quociens neccesse est: non enim consueverant morari ultra quadraginta dies, infra quos solebant vendere de aliis de regno, qui de lucro vivebant, et nunc extranei illud lucrum asportaverunt.
Rex intendit quod mercatores extranei sunt ydonei, et utiles magnatibus, et non habet consilium eos expellendi.
136. Item petunt muragium, propter deterioracionem murorum.
Rex non videt quod sit neccesse.
{Petition of the citizens of London for the restoration of their franchises and of their mayor}.
134 (112). The citizens of London request the king to restore to them their previous status, that is, to grant them their mayor, and their ancient liberties.
The king is not advised to do so, because their current status is good, as it seems to him; and he will not change their status at this time, because all things were and are good and in peace, and no advantage is apparent.
{Petition of the citizens of London against alien merchants residing in the city of London}.
135. Item, they request the king to provide a remedy for this: that alien merchants dominate and became rich from trade in the city, and the citizens, who bear the charges whenever it is necessary, are impoverished: for it has not been customary for them to remain longer than forty days, within which they were accustomed to sell to others of the realm, who lived from the profit, and now the foreigners have taken that profit away.
The king understands that the foreign merchants are suitable, and useful to the magnates, and he is not advised to expel them.
{Petition of the citizens of London requesting a grant of murage}.
136. They also request murage, on account of the deterioration of the walls.
The king does not see that this is necessary.

Endorsement
The king understands that it is not necessary to grant murage.

Primary Sources
National Archive SC 8/272/13557
Brand, P. (ed), 2005, 'Edward I: Roll 2' Appendix and Text/Translation, in The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England ed. C. Given-Wilson et al., items 134-136. Internet version, at http://www.sd-editions.com/PROME, accessed on 21/04/2009. (Scholarly Digital Editions, Leicester)

Secondary Sources
Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 32n21

Comments
The petition is dated to 1290 on the basis of the dating ascribed to the parliament roll on which a Latin summary of the petition is enrolled (PROME, roll 02, introduction, and appendix, nos.134, 135 and 136). (National Archive note)
petition... presented in the October parliament of 1290, was refused. The terse words 'the king does not recognize the necessity' (Turner)

Record created by Philip Davis. This record created . Last updated on 22/03/2012. First published online 6/01/2013.

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