councel was helde at Claringdone and before the King the Bishoppes and nobilitie were sworne to kepe and confirme many decrees and ordinaunces Iohn Stow writes in his Summary of the Cronicles of Englande that the 34 of his ragne at Geldington about ten myles from Northamton he shoulde holde a Parliamentâ— touching a voyage to be taken to the holy lande But if you consider the haste the king made thether the state at that present he stode in the place the shortnesse of the time and the matters there communed of you shall finde that in terming this or suche like consultation Parliaments Maister Fabian Stow Harding and other Englishâ— writers do rather vse the worde as in deede it is proper where any conference is than that it carries with it where it coÌ„mes the same to be vnderstand to be the greate Courte of Parliament in such general forme and vniuersall manner as nowe and since the time of Kyng Henrie the thyrde we haue and do vse it as you knowe the worde is Frenche and this much importeth A debating together A conference A consultation A conferring An enterspeech A Communication A discoursing one with another which may bee aswel with Ten for the worde as with Tenscore Kyng Richard the first in the eighte yeare of hys raigne retourning from the holy lande his brother Iohn in his absence vsurping the Crowne summoned a counsell of hys Lords at Winchester where by auctority of the said counsell 〈…〉 ments and landes whyche before hee hadde bestowed on hym After Richards deceasse he possessed the Crowne and in the firste and thirde yeare by the holding of two counsels as some affirme hee had certaine exactions agreed vppon for the maintenaunce of his wars others write that of himselfe hee leuied the sayd summes The eleuenth yeare all men toke the othes of Allegeance too hym from 12 yeres vpward The fourthteenth yere here is some difference for the yere the Lordes and Barons required the vse of Saint Edwardes Lawes and the reuoking of other wicked ordinaunces the which he not harkening to the ciuil warre begonne yet at Barhamdowne the king and nobilitie meeting they confirmed so much as they departed quietly The sixtenth of his raigne the king being slowe to performe that which he was brought to perforce the nobility toke them againe to armes and so hardlye sette hym as in a meadowe betweene Windsor and Staynes in a manner Nolens volens hee graunted their liberties and the Charter for their confirmation thereof is dated at Rime meade betweene the places beforenamed to the which al the Realme was sworne In the same yere the Lords perceiuing the Kings disposition to shifte from that hee hadde agreed on sente into Fraunce for Lewes the sonne of Philip the Frenche king who arriuing here was receyued by the Barons and Londoners honorably who sware fealty to hym and did him homage and then al with one crye they séeke oute the king who being at Winchester was driuen to flye whyche towne yeelded was sworn to Lewes whether also repayred in a maner al the nobility For al this sturre King Iohn procured the Pope by meanes of Pandolphe the legate to dispence with his othe to reuerse the Charter and liberties graunted and also excoÌ„municate the Barons and Frenchmen Henrie his sonne of the age of nine yeres yong enough 〈…〉 Kingdome and specially during such garboyles yet by the good gouernemente of Marshal Erle of Penbroke many of the Lordes drewe to him and very shortly after Lewes was driuen to leaue the land and being released of his excommunication the peace was agreed on the ninth yeare of his raigne of his age the seuententh or thereabout At the motion of the Archbishoppe of Caunterbury and other the Lordes the king graunted and confirmed the greate Charter whereuppon as I can gather by some records the warde and mariage of our children was graunted to the king and his successours the twelfth yeare the king refused to perfourme the liberties Charter graunted as before for that the ratification past in his minoritie and that now being of ful yeres to beare the sway himselfe hee woulde bee better aduised The twentith of his raigne is found the first Parliament of name and record and yet not to be so thought a Parliament as now we vse ours It is entituled The statuts made at Merton And further he sayes It was prouided in the Courte of our soueraigne Lord the king holden at Mertoâ— the morrowe after the twentith day of Saint Vincent the twentith yere of the raigne of king Henrie the son of king Iohn before VVilliam Archbishoppe of Caunterburie and other his Bishoppes and suffraganes and before the greater parte of the Earles and Barons of England there assembled c without addition of the thyrde state of this land Also you haue a statute made the yeare after entituled for the leape yeare beginning The King vnto the iustices of his Bench greeting The 42. yere or after some the 41 the barons vnwillingly bearing the kings driuing off for the restitution of certaine auncient lawes there was a Parliament at Oxforde which was called the madde Parliament yet not so mad but the king his brother king of Romains and Edward his sonne must and did agrée thereto tho much against their willes bycause many matters were ordeyned greatly and too much against the kings prorogatiue for the sure establishing and execution whereof there were 〈…〉 charge auctority to see the ordinaunces made maintayned whether for the small worthynesse of the lawes or the disorder in making or the shortnesse of the continuaunce I knowe not but I finde not any of those statutes with the rest which are rekened to be King Henrie the thirds These twelue noble meÌ„ were no soner in coÌ„mission but they begaÌ„ roughly presently exiling foure of the Kings brethreÌ„ by the mother The 43. and 44 yere of his raigne there were certain assemblies sometime of the nobility without the King and of the king without the Lordes without any mention of our thirde interest and al called Parliaments Thys yere in a Folkmote at London were al aboue twelue yeres sworne to the king In the 45. yeare he had obtained from Rome a dispensation for his othe and all others of his which he and they had taken for the maintenance of Oxforde folly The péeres during this pastime vnwitting vnwilling the kyng discharged Hugh le Spencer chiefe Iustice and put an other in his place expelled officers and Sherifes admitted by the king appointed other to supplie their romes Further the king was growâ—n to harde termes which was hee shoulde not passe ouer the Seas hauing large Territories in other countries without licence obtained as in this yeare appeareth The next yeare as before in the. 44 were al men in London aboue twelue yeares of age sworne too the king and his successours The 47 of his raigne the barons armed themselues the Kyng Queene fled from the tower to
Windsor by the way were too too vnkindly vsed of the Londoners The king Lords fel to agreement as Fabian writes were coÌ„tented to be ordered by the doome of the FreÌ„ch king who they agreed to be iudge betweene them the king giuing sentence the Barons refuse and fal to war. The yeare following the King his brother and sonne were taken in the Battayle at Lewes by meanes whereof the king grauntes a new the confirmation of the former statutes till matters accordingly be perfourmed Prince Edwarde and the king of Romaines sonne remaynes pledges wyth the Barons The 49. yeare Prince Edwarde being deliuered a Parliament or rather a counsell bycause I finde no statute thereof was helde at Winchester and all matters and decrees passed at Oxforde were vtterly vndone reuoked and called in and all writings and assuraunces sealed for the same were cancelled defaced You haue certaine statutes concluded I thinke at Winchester in your firste volume made in the yeare 51 of thys king in all the which you finde no other wordes for the moste parte but the king willeth or he commaundeth Unlesse hee firste alleadge an inconuenience happened which to redresse he vses it is therefore prouided and ordained The yeare after there were certain statutes passed at Marlebridge or Marleborowe wher you haue this beginning The yeare of grace 1267. the. 25. yeare of the raigne of king Henry sonne of king Iohn in the vtas of Saint Martine for the better estate of the Realme of England and for the more speedie administration of iustice as belongeth to the office of a king the more discrete men of the Realme being called together aswel of the higher as of the lower estate it was c. in all these statutes no word of enacted or ordained by the aucthority of this presente Parliament c. is founde but it is prouided and agreed whiche shal be and shal not bee as the matter which is stablished doth importe In the ende of these lawes and decrees and conclusion of agréement béetwéene 〈◊〉 king and his subiectes the Bishoppes doe pronounce aâ— men accurssed who shall go about to breake infringe or alter the liberties and free customes conteyned in the Charts of the coÌ„mon liberties and of the Forrest c. The preamble to the which Charters is in this manner Henrie by the grace of God c. To all Archbishoppes c. our faithfull subiectes greting know yee that wee vnto the honor of almighty god and for the saluation of the soules of our progenitors and successours kings of Englande to the aduauncemente of holy Church and amendement of our Realme of our mere and free will haue giuen and graunted c. Edwarde his sonne confirmed these Charters graunted by hys father and the thyrde yeare of his raigne helde a Parliament wherein were made diuers statutes and thus it saith These be the actes of King Edward sonne to King Henry at the first Parliament general after his coronatioÌ„ on the Monday of Easter vtas the thirde yeare of his raigne by his councel and by the assente of the Archbishoppes Bishops Abbots Pryors Erles Barons and al the comunaltie of the Realme being thether sommoned c. And for diuers considerations named the booke sayth The king hath ordeyned and established these Actes vnderwritten whiche he entendeth to be necessary and profitable vnto the whole Realme And in the first Chapter First the king willeth and commaundeth c. The yeare following other statutes were set downe by this Auctority In the presence of certaine reuerende fathers Bishoppes of England and others of the Kinges councell the constitutions vnder written were recited and after hearde and published before the King and his councell for asmuche as all the kinges councell aswell Iustices as others did agree that they shoulde bee put in writing for a perpetuall memory and that they shoulde bee stedfastlye obserued The next yeare hee made certaine lawes at Gloucester and hath thus For the great mischiefes c. Our soueraign lord the king for the amendmet of the laÌ„d c. hath prouided and established these Actes vnderwritten willing and commanding that from henceforth â–ª they bee firmely obserued within this Realme In the ende of the Chapters of the same ParliameÌ„t there is an explanation of it termed Expositions vppon the Statute of Gloucester which begin Afterwarde by the king our soueraigne Lorde and his Iustices certaine expositions were made vpon some of the Articles aboue mentioned c. The seuenth yeare other statutes were made the notice of the first was giuen to the Iustices of the Kings Bench with thys preamble Edwarde by the grace of God King of Englande Lorde of Ireland Duke of Aquitaine to his iustices of his benche greeting Whereas c. as it folowes in the act And now in our Parliament at Westminster after the said treatise the prelats erles barons and the coÌ„munaltie of our realme there assembled c we coÌ„maunde you that you cause these things â—o be redde before you in the said bench and there to be enrolled The ninth the 11.13 in the which he had three Parliaments as it semeth the first wherin the statute of Acton Burnel was made the second he helde the parliament at Westminster wherin very many statuts passed the thirde was at Westminster the eighteenth the 20.21.24.25.27.28.29.30.33 the thirtie foure yere there were statuts made as apeares by the records in all which these wordes passe of Aucthoritie for enacting and confirmation The King hath commaunded our soueraigne lorde the king hath ordained the king chargeth all his iustices vppon their faithes and othes that they owe him that they shal see this and that executed according to the statutes It is prouided our soueraigne Lorde the King to abate the power of fellons hath established a payne in this case and for asmuch as the king wil not that his people should bee sodainelye impouerished by reason of this penaltie that seemeth verie harde to many The king graunteth The king and his councell at his Parliament holdeÌ„ at Acton Burnel hath ordeined these establishments our soueraigne Lorde the king at his Parliament holden at Westminster in the eightenth of his raign of his special grace for the singuler affection that he beareth vnto his prelates Erles and Barons and other of his Realme hath graunted Wherefore our soueraigne Lorde the king considering fraude c. hath streightly commaunded our soueraigne Lorde the King in his full Parliamente holden the day after the feaste of the Purification in the twentith yere of his raigne by a general couÌ„cel hath ordained froÌ„ henceforth hath commaunded to be straightly obserued our soueraigne Lorde the king at his Parliament after Easter the 21. yeare of his raigne at the instance of the nobles of his Realme hathe graunted and commaunded too bee from henceforth firmely obserued we haue also ordeined by the aduise of our councell at the Parliament of our soueraigne Lorde the King holden at Lincolne in the vtas of
finde that Egbert who was an vnder Kyng in West Saxons was expelled by Brithricus the King there and fled into Fraunce but Brithricus being poysoned by his wife Ethelburga Egberte retourned and obtayned the whole principality the yere 793 others say 802 and withal brought the most parte of England vnder his obeysance tamed the Welchmen and toke from them Chester by meanes of which his good fortunes he called a counsel of hys Lordes at Wynchester and by their aduises and agreements was crowned kyng and chiefe Lord of the land whervpon he sent forth commaundemente thorowe out his country straightlye charging the people thenceforth to bee called Angles and no more Britains and the kingdome Anglia and not Britaine In the yeare 800. some accompte thirteene lesse the Danes being also Paynims firste entred this region according to the most The Danes inuaded the seconde tyme the yere 838 Athelwolph raygning who of himselfe first graunted the tyth of corne Hey and Cattel to the cleargy And after toke such fast footing as they continually infested this Iland with cruell wars vsurpation and conquest til the death of Hardicanutus or Hardiknought the last king of that breed 1034 some accompt two sewer Alured alias Alphred before spoken began to gouerne the West Saxons who beyng a most iuste Prince very wel learned and carefull for the makyng and execution of good lawes collected and caused to be brought into the Saxon or English tong al such as by the kings his forgoers were stablished selecting out of them such as were thought most fit for the gouernement confirming them and secluding the rest reciting many of the commaundements and precepts giuen by God to Moyses and the message that the apostles and elders sent to Antiochia Siria and Cilicia by Saint Paul Barnabas Iudas and Silas touching the diuerting of themselues as we haue it in the Acts of the Apostles and also by the assembly and conference of the Bishoppes and other noble and wise counsellours diuers money penalties and others were appointed and the same not onely declared in their sermons but also put in writing He proceedes in the beginning of such as are allowed by him In haec verba These decrees and ordinaunces I Alured King haue gathered together and caused to be written a greate parte whereof our auncestours haue carefully kepte with manye other that I haue thoughte worthye in this our age to be helde and maintained with the like obseruation other some which I haue thought not to be so needful I haue with the conference of considerate couÌ„sellors in parte abrogated and partly established And bycause it maye seeme a pointe of too much rashnesse of a mans owne heade to adde any thing more also that it is vncertaine what credite our posteritie will giue thereto which we make greate reconing of what euer I haue founde worth the regarde in the Actes of my kynnesman and countryman Inas of Offa the King of Mertia or of Ethelbert the first christened of the Angles I haue brought together omitting the rest And in the consultation of them I Alured King of West Saxons haue vsed the couÌ„sell of the grauest of our people to al the whiche I haue commanded that the same be executed and kept Moreouer in this kings time Gutteron alias Gowthram alias Gythrun alias Gurmund of some named king of Danes by some king of Denmarke ariued in this land and sometime hauing the better in armes and sometyme put to the worse was at the last christened and named by Alured Athelstane the yere 878 to whom he gaue the kingdome of East England with the gouernemente of Saint Edmundes kingdome and also some write NorthumberlaÌ„d with whome making league and agreing in the confynes of their countries beginnes in this manner The truce aliaunce which Alured and Guthrun kings haue agreed by the aduise of the wise of the English nation and of all the inhabitauntes of East England to the which they not onely for themselues but also for their children to come are sworne Edward the first before the conquest called Edward the elder his eldest son beginning to raigne next after him the yeare 900. made and confirmed also certain lawes the first chapter wherof is intituled Of controuersie and iudgement and goes thus 1 king Edwarde do againe and againe commaunde all those who beare office in the common wealth that they beare themselues asmuch as in them lies iust â—udges to all men as it is written in the Iudiciall booke without feare boldely and freely to declare the common lawe and do appoint denounced daies wherein they will deale in euerye question and controuersie This Edwarde also confirmed the league with the fornamed Guthrun the Dane in this maner adding also to the former decrees by equal coÌ„sents these bee the councels institutes and ordinaunces whiche firste Alured and Guthrun then Edwarde and Guthrun kings at those dayes were agreed on when both the Danes and English accepted the treaty of peace Athelstane King Edwardes eldest sonne by whose prowesse and valure it is affirmed thys lande was reduced into one Monarchie againe and layde so sore too the Danes that since their first landing they were neuer so harde driuen did also constitute certaine lawes and ordinances beginning them wyth these wordes Athelstane King by the councel of the graue father Vlfhelme Archbishop and other my Bishops do wil and commaunde to al officers and such as haue charge of Iustice. 1 Athelstane king giue notice to all put in authority in our dominioÌ„s that with the aduise of Vlfhelme Archbishop and other Bishops and seruaunts of god haue ordered and set fourth In the ende of all he closeth with these woordes These be the ordinances decrees determined of in the honorable counsell of Grantamlean where was present VVolstane the Archbishop and with him great companie of the best and wisest sorte called togeather by Athelstane The asseÌ„bly parted the king had enquired how the peace was kept among his people fynding it and iustice smally to hys mind delt inioyned more laws to his first and thus shewes the cause â— Athelstane king will all men to know that hauing demanded why our peace is not manteyned according to my commaundement the decree at Grantamlean I am certefied from the experienced of my dominions that the same is happened by my ouermuche sufferance and remissnesse in punnishing But now at Christmas last at Exeter being attended on with grauewise men whom I found moste readye to venture their facultie themselues wiues and children to most greate hazarde that these peace breakers might vtterly without retourning be expelled the lande The yeare 946. Edmund his brother beganne to rule after him in whose time the Danes held Lincolne Nottingham Darby Stafford and Leicester who also erecting and confirming lawes shewes this by whom they were consented on Edmund King helde the solempne Feaste of Easter at London where were mette a greate companie of the Cleargie and laity