Chapters in the Administrative History of Mediaeval England
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CHAPTERS IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF MEDIAEVAL ENGLAND THE WARDROBE, THE CHAMBER AND THE SMALL SEALS BY 0Manchester University Press T. F. TOUT, LITT.D.,D.LITT., LL.D., F.B.A. Published by the University of Manchester at THE UNIVERSITY PRESS 316-324 Oxford Road, Manchester, I 3 VOLUME I MANCHESTER UNI VERSITY PRESS First Printed 1920 Reprinted with minor additions and corrections 1937 PREFACE THISbook is called vaguely Chapters in the Administrative History of Mediaeval England, because no narrower title seems to cover the ground which I have attempted to traverse. Ten years ago, when 1 began this work, my starting-point was the more limited one suggested by the sub-title, The Wardrobe, the Chamber and the Small Seals. My special quest was to show two things : first, how the primitive system of court administration survived the development from it of well-organised offices of state, such as the exchequer and the chancery, and, secondly, how consequentially the king's chamber and wardrobe continued to exercise a con- current authority, side by side with the institutions which in separating themselves from the court had become national and public rather than domestic and curialistic in their scope. But 1 soon found that our mediaeval administrative history had been YO little worked at, that it was necessary that I shou!d myself investigate the field as a whole before I could profitably confine myself to t,he special object I had in view. For this widened field prolonged study was necessary, and t,he period of incuba- tion was further lengthened by illness, other occupations, and above all by the distractions of the great war. Even now I am only able to offer the first part of the results of my studies in the present two volumes. But I have already in hand the greater part of the material for the two other volumes, in which it is proposed to carry on the subject to the revolution of 1399. I hope that, within a couple of years at the most, this final instal- ment will be completed. What gr~undthe present volumea V vi PREFACE PREFACE vii aim at covering, and in what ways they will be supplemented a temporary hiding-place in the far west. Without this priv' by the further two volumes that are still to come, are set forth lege, the publication of this book would have been still furthe1 later in the introd~ctorychapter, and there is, therefore, no delayed. Nor can 1 forbear to express my special gratitude present need to explain the matter further. I must add, to friends on the staff of the Public Record Office for the however, that there remains in the concluding volumes so much never - failing kindness with which they have guided my to be said on many of the subjects here treated that any researches, verified my references and put at my disposal the provisional index for the present instalment would necessarily ripe fruits of their experience. In this relation I must specially be very incomplete. The work of indexing has, therefore, mention Mr. C. G. Crump and Mr. C. Johnson. I also owe a been postponed until the book can be indexed as a whole. particular obligation to Mr. A. St. J. Story-Maskelyne for the The detailed table of contents prefixed to each volume will immense pains he took to lighten my labours when I was in the interim show to the reader the general scope of the working among the records during the time of their location in book. their sometime western home. Any attempt to break up new ground on an extensive scale T. I?. TOUT. must necessarily be provisional in its character, and there are few parts of the book on which I can hope to claim to have spoken the last word. I shall be contented if it be found that I have been working generally on right lines, and if I have suggested a number of possible subjects for further investigation. It is only by co-operation extending over many years that the great subject of the administration of the English State in the Middle Ages can PUBLISRER'S NOTE be adequately treated as a whole. In conclusion, I must express my hearty thanks to a large The first two volumes of the Chapters having gone out of print and a photographic impression having been decided upon, the number of colleagues, pupils, friends and fellow-workers to whom opportunity has been taken to correct in the text, as far as possible, I am very largely indebted. If I have not, set forth their names the minor errata noted in the general list of Corrigenda and Addenda here I am none the less grateful to them. I have, however, in the sixth and final volume (pp. 111-123). Additions and longer endeavoured alwaya to mention in the appropriate place in the corrections in that list have been reprinted and placed at the end of the respective volumes of the new impression. Asterisks in- foot-notes those to whose assistance I have owed most in dealing serted in the text indicate that at that point there is such an with various aspects of my theme. I must also recognise my addition or correction. debt to Professor Tait and Professor Unwin, who have been October, 1937. good enough to read a large portion of my proofs. Moreover, I wish to record my special thanks to Sir Henry C. Maxwell Lyte, the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, for allowing me access to the documents under his charge during the year 1918, when they were removed from the danger of enemy aircraft to LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS OF TITLES OF BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO IN VOLUMES I. AND IT. A.C. ...Ancient Correspondence preserved in the Chancery and Exchequer (P.R.O.). A.H.R. An~ericanHistorical Review. Ad. Ch. Additional Charters in the British Museum. Ad.MSS.. Additional Mannscl.ipts in the British Museum. Ann. Dunsl. Annales Prioratus de Dunstaplia ill Annales Monastiri, vol. iii. Ed. Luard. Rolls Series. Ann. L~tdon. Anxiales Londonienses in Stubbs, Chronicles of the Reigns of Edward I. and Edward II., vol. i. R.S. A~lnalesMonasterii de Oseneict in Annales Monastici, vol. iv., ss above. Anu. Paul. Annales Paulini in Chronicles of Edward I. and Edward II., vol ii., as above. Ann. Wavcrley . Annales Monasterii de Waverleia in Annales Monastici, vol, ii., as above. An*. Winch. Annales Monasterii de Wintonia in Annales Monastici, vol. ii., as above. Annales Prioratus de Wigornia in Annales Monastici, vol. iv., as above. Archaeologia, or Aliscellaneous Tracts relating to Anti- quity. Published by the Society of Antiquaries. of London. B.B.E. , . Black Book of the Exchequer, or Liber Niger Scaccarii. Ed. T. Hearne. 2 vols. 2nd ed. 1774. Baldwin . J. F. Baldwin's King's Council in the Middle Ages. 1913. BBmont or Bkmont's Chartes des libertbv anglaises, puhlibes par Charles C7Lartes BBmont. 1892. Birch or Birch. Seals W. de G. Birch. Catalognc of Seals in the Departnlent in B. M. of Manuscripts in the British Museum. 6 vols. 1887-1900. Branti~~ham'sI..B., Issue Roll of Thomas of Brantingham, Treasurer of 44 Edw. III. England, for the 44th year of Edward 111. Edited by Frederick Uevon. 1836. (Often referred to as " Pel1 Records. Edward 111.") Bresslau . H. Hresslau. Urkundenlehre fur I)cntschla~~dund Italien. 1889. ler Eand. ix x LIST OffABBREVIATIONS LIST 08 ABBREVIATIONS Bridlington . Gesta Edwardi de Carnarvan, Auctore Canonico Brid- Deliale, XeewiZ . L. Delisle. Recueil des actes de Henri I1 concernant lingtoniensi, in Stuhbs, ~hron.Edw. I. and Edw. la France. 1909, etc. II., vol. ii. 1889. Ddprez . E. DBprez. ~tudesde diplomatique anglaise. Le Brown . Cheshire Chamberlains' Accounts. 1301-1360. Ed. sceau privb, le sceau secret, le signet. 1908. R. Stewart Brown. Record SOC.' for Lancashire and Dialogus or Oxfwd Dialogus de Scaccario. Ed. A. Hughes, C. G. Crtump Cheshire. 1910. Dialogus and 0. J01iiison.~ Oxford. 1902. L)ucange or Ducange, Ducange's Glosssrium medine et infimae Latinitatis. C.C.R. Calendar of Close Rolls. Ubssariun~ Ed. Firmin Didot. 1840-1846. 6 vols. C. Ch. R. Calendar of Charter Rolls. C. C7lane. I:., V~L~Z'OILS. Calendar of Chancery Rolls, Various. 1277-1326. E.H. R. English Historical Review. C.F.2;. Calendar of Fine Rolls. &. c Eat. Fi~z. Excerpta e Rotulis Finium Henrico 111. rege. Ed. C. Inq. niisc. Calendar of Inquisitions, Miscellaneous. 2 vols. C. Roberts. 2 vols. Rccord Com. 8vo. 1836- C. Lib. I:. Calendar of Liberate Rolls. 1836. c.nf. Matthaei Parisiensis Chronica Majora. Ed. Luard. WL~.Accts. (JY. ad Enrolled Accounts (Wardrobe and Housel~old) in R.S. fl. ) P.R.O. C. Pap. fig. Let. Calendar of Papal Registers. Letters. Emh. Accts. Exchequer Accounts in P.R.O. C.P.B . Calendar of Patent Rolls. Exch. of Rec. lbanta Exchequer of Reccipt. Warrants for Issue in P.R.O. C.R.'. , Close Rolls in P. R.O. for Issue C. W. Chancery Warrants in P.R.O. Eyton . R. W.Eyton. Court, Householdand Itinerary of C. and 1'. Sor. Publications of the Canterbury and York Society for Henry 11. 1878. the Publication of Episcopal Registers. Charter Rolls in. P.R.O. Fleta . Fleta seu Commentarius Juris Anglicani. Ed. Selden. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem and other Ana- 1685. logous Documents. Focdera . T. Rynler. Foedera. Ed. Record Comniission. Fol. Cal. Let. Books, Londm~ Calendar of Letter Boolcs of the City of London. For. Aer. Foreign Accounts in P. R. 0. Edited by R. R. Sharpe. (Tho published voh~mes Boss .