The Knights Templar in Herefordshire, 1308-13

Debts due to the Templars in Herefordshire

TNA: E 142/119 mems 21 and 23 (debts due  to the Templars in Herefordshire)

Membrane 21

Recto

Request from King Edward II to the sheriff of Hereford to hold an inquisition to discover what debts were due to the master and brothers of the knighthood of the Templar in England or any of them at Christmas 1307: given at Westminster, witnessed by the bishop of Worcester, 31 December second year (i.e., 1308).

Dorse

On the back of the writ, the sheriff replies that he was not able to find more debts than are in the inquisition attached to this writ, and he has taken all the debts into the king's hand.

P secundem tenore istius brevis caternis {?} quatenus potui diligent'

inquisivi tam infra libertatem quam extra in balliva mea

quot + que debita debebantur magistro + fratribus Milicie

Templi in Angl[ia] vel eorum alicui ad festum Nat' domini

anno r[egni] R[egis] E[dwardi] p[ri]mo v[e]l postea, set plura debita

quam in Inquis' huic brevi consu[e]ta continetur invenire

no[n] possu[m]. Et om[n]ia huiusmodi debita in manum domini Regis

cepi. Et eciam ex parte domini Regis firmiter inhibui ne quis

debitorum dictorum fratrum alieni ipsorum fratrum v[e]l alieni

alij nomine eorundem inde aliquid soluer[e] presumat

prout in breve continetur.

Membrane 23 recto

Inquisition held at Hereford Castle before the sheriff of Hereford, Monday before the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary 2 Edward II (24 March 1309) to establish what debts were owed to the Order of the Temple or any of its members as of Christmas 1307. The jurors state that at Christmas 1307 Walter Caperon owed Thomas de Tolous commander of Upleadon nine silver marks for oxen sold to him and Roger Bacon owed the same 10 shillings for arrears of his final account when he was his receiver; Thomas de la Hull owed the same Thomas 5 silver shillings as he was removed from the office of reeve. Robert Tope, Agn' le Piestur and Richard Monibord owed Brother Philip de Meaux, commander of Garway, four shillings for rents of assise from tenements in Hereford, Henry of Lancaster owed Philip twenty shillings and eight pence at the same date for a loan; Euan ap Meurig owed Philip four silver shillings for linen cloths he bought from him. Roger de la Stoue (or Stone) of Stowe Lacy owned Brother Thomas of Toulouse ten shillings for a loan. The jurors affixed their seals to the document as witness of its authenticity.

Inquisitio capta in Castro Hereford' coram vic' Heref' die Lune prox' ante festum annunciationis beate Marie

anno Reg' Regis Edward fil' regis Edwardi secundo pro breve domini Regis ad inquirend' quot + que debita

debebantur Magistro + fratribus Milicie Templi in Ang[ia] vel eorum alicui in Com' Hereford ad festum Natalie domini

Anno Regni Regis Edwardi primo vel postea + a quo vel quibus + cui' + ex qua causa + quo tempore

+ qualit[er] + quo modo per sacramentum Joh[ann]is Boter, Ricardi Viry, Ricardi de la Munede [or Mimede], Zeuani{1} ap Ph', Wasmeir

de Bylfodus, Res ap Ph', Griffyth ap Zeuan, Ph'i ap Henry, Ade de Cradeleye, Sewall' Bon

Jour, Joh[ann]is de la Mor', + Joh'is de Stapelowe. Qui dicunt quod Walt[er]us Caperon tenebatur fratri Thom' de

Toluos preceptor de Upleden in None[m] Marc' argenti pro bob[us] sibi vendit. Dicunt eciam quod Rogerus Bacoun tenebat

predicto fratri Thom' ad festum Natalis domini antedictum in decem solid' pro arr' ulterim' compoti sui de tempore quo fuit recep-

tor suus. Dicunt eciam quod Thom' de la Hull tenebatur eidem Thom' ad idem festum in quinque solid' argenti

ut ab offico' prepositi amoveret[ur]. Dicunt eciam quod Robertus Tope, Agn le Peistur + Ricardus Monibord tenebantur fratris

Philippo de Melsa Preceptor' de Garewy ad predictum festum in quatuor solidis pro Redditu' assis' de ten' in Hereford.

Dicunt eciam quod Henr' de Lancastr2 tenebat[ur] eidem fratris Philippo in viginti solid' + octo den' ad predictum festum

Natalis domini predicti ex causa mutui'. Dicunt eciam quod zeuan ap Meur' tenebatur eidem fratris Philippo ad idem festum

in quatuor solid' argenti pro linis ab eodem emptis. Dicunt eciam quod Rogerus de la Stoue de Stoke Laci tenebatur predicto

Fratris Thom' de Tolus ad predictum festum Natal' domini in decem solid' ex causa mutui. In cuius rei testimonium sigilla predictorum

Jur' presentibus sunt appens'

Notes

1 Euan. Readers should be aware that some of these jurors were Welsh.

2 Is this the same as Henry of Lancaster, lord of Kidwelly, as in TNA: SC 6/1202/3? He would not allow the sheriff of Glamorgan or anyone else to take the annual rent of 12 s due from ten free tenants of the Templars' manor of Llanmadoc living in his liberty of Kidwelly.