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Page:VCH Herefordshire 1.djvu/380

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A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE Upon the death of any of the king's moneyers the king had los. for relief. But if he should die intestate [non diviso censu), the king had all his income {censuni). If the sheriff went into Wales with the army these men went with him. So that if anyone commanded to go did not go, he fined os. to the king. In the same city Earl Harold had 27 burgesses who had the same customs as the other burgesses. From the same city the reeve rendered 12//. to the king and 6//. to Earl Harold, and he had in his farm {censii) all the aforesaid customs. The king, however, had in his demesne the three forfeitures, namely (for) breaking his peace, for house-breaking {heinfard), and for assault {fore- stelluni) . Whosoever committed one of these (crimes), fined looj. to the king no matter whose man he might be. The king now has the city of Hereford in demesne, and the English burgesses dwelling there have their former customs ; but the French burgesses are quit for 12^. from all their forfeitures, except the three aforesaid. The city renders to the king 60//. by tale of blanched money {de candidis denariis)} Among (them) the city and 18 manors which render their farm in Hereford account for (computantur) 335//. i8j., besides (exceptis) the pleas in the hundred and county (courts).' In Arcenfelde [Archenfield] ' the king has three churches. The priests of these churches bear the king's embassies {ferunt legationes) into Wales, and each of them sings two masses every week for the king. If one of them dies the king has 20J. from him by custom. If one of the Welshmen steals a man or woman, horse, ox, or cow, upon conviction thereof, he first restores the stolen (goods), and (then) gives 20J. for the offence. For a stolen sheep, however, or a bundle of sheaves [fasciculo manipu- lorum), he pays 2s. fine. If anyone kills one of the king's men, and commits heinfare, he gives the king 20s. in payment for the man, and for his offence looj. If he kills a thane's man he gives ioj. to the dead man's lord. If so be that a Welshman shall kill a Welshman, the relatives {parentes) of the slain meet together, and plunder the slayer and his kin [propinquos), and burn their houses until on the morrow at about noon the corpse of the dead man is buried. Of this plunder the king has the third part, but they have all the rest without interference [quietum). And moreover [Aliter autem) he who shall have set a house on fire, and been accused thereof, defends him- self by 40 men.* And if he shall be unable to do so, he shall pay 20^. to the king. If anyone shall have concealed a sestier of honey due by [de) custom, upon proof thereof he renders for one sestier five, if he holds so much land as should give (it). ' Money purified by melting down and assayed. * See In trod. 300. ' The southern point of the county, west of the Wys. See Introd. 266.

  • i.e. he shall find 40 men to declare their belief in his innocence.

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