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King John's Charter to the Borough
of Marlborough 1204
John, by the grace of God, King.
Know ye that
we have retained in our hands our Borough of Marlborough with all things
pertaining to it. And have there established, given, granted, and by
this present charter confirmed the Fair at Marlborough to be held every year
for eight days, at the feast of the assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary, that is
to say, on the eve of the said feast and seven days following.
And we have granted that all men of all lands as well our own as others, who
are in in our peace, may resort to our aforesaid fair, and shall go and
return well and in peace, and shall enjoy all the quittances and liberties
which they possess in the fairs of Winchester or Holyland or elsewhere in
our land. And we have granted that our burgesses of Marlborough and
their heirs shall hold a market within their borough every week throughout
the year on two days, to wit, on Wednesday and on Saturday, with all the
liberties and free customs which our our citizens of Winchester or of Oxford
or others in our dominions hold or ought to hold in their markets. And
we have granted that the aforesaid borough of Marlborough and all our
burgesses therein being tenants of it and dwellers in it and their heirs
shall be quit and free of all toll arising from pannage, pontage, passage,
pedage, paage, pesage, stallage, and lastage, whether in shires or hundreds,
and from the suits of shires and hundreds. And from the summons and aids of
Sheriffs and their servants, and from all the pleas and plaints (foreign to
the borough) except pleas of the Crown. And they shall be free of
murder and blood-wite, and of fight-wite, and of lecher-wite, and of
church-shot. Also from fosterlean, and from scotale, and from the
redemption of widows, and from brewingable. and they shall not be required
to attend on the forest guard, or regard, or sale. And they shall be
quit of all other secular exactions as well by sea as by land, whatsoever
part of our dominions they may traverse. And we have granted that the
aforesaid borough of Marlborough and our burgesses there holding and
dwelling and their heirs shall have and hold their houses and possessions of
us and our heirs, with quittance of soc and sac of tholl and thea, of
infangthef and outfangthef, throughout our demesnes, and with all liberties
and free customs; so that they, as well and in peace and as freely and
quietly may have and hold their possessions and liberties, as do our
citizens of Winchester or Oxford, or as others of our subjects (if any such
there be) holding them in still more free and undisturbed enjoyment.
And we have granted to our said burgesses of Marlborough their own
guild-merchant, prohibiting them however from decisions by duel, according
to the laws of Winchester. And if any customs shall have been unjustly
levied in war, let them be abolished, saving to us and our heirs our
talliages, rents, and customs, not mentioned in this present charter.
And wherever debts shall be owing to our said burgesses, and in whatever
bailiwick, they shall have the power to compel payment through the bailiff,
where they can show reasonable cause. And we have granted that no one
of them shall be subjected to destraint throughout our dominions for the
debt of another, unless he be a surety or the capital debtor. And we
forbid that he shall be put to suit concerning any tenement of the said
borough unless such plea be heard within the borough; and this shall be
conducted according to the law of our city of Winchester. And we forbid on
penalty of forfeiture that any one disturb them in anything touching the
premises: for we have granted all these things to them, excepting in every
respect the liberty of our city of London.
Dated at Winchester, 20th June,
1204. Taken from " History of
Marlborough" J. Waylen. |
Quick Translation
King John grants Marlborough the
right to an eight day fair sometime around August and the right to hold a
market on Wednesday and Saturday every week without having to pay tolls or
fees. |