20 HISTORY OF S.HEFFIEI.D. impor:-.ant charter, which has long been venerated as the MAGNA CHARTA OF , was granted by Thomas de Furnival himself, on the 10th of August, 129-7. The object ofthis Charte1 was, first, to abolish those base and uncertain services by which the inhabitants held their tenements of their lord, and to sub­ stitute in their stead, a fixed and annual payment in money. The sum agreed upon to be paid by the whole town, was £3. 8s. 9ld., which continued to be paid for several centmies, under the designation of the Burgery-rents.. Of this the Church Bur­ gesses formerly paid 7s. 2d. yearly for burgage tenures, which had fallen into their hands. In 1662, there were in the town about 400 houses of the old burgery, but the rents were soon afterwards discontinued, for when money became depreciated, and labour advanced, the expence of collecting them exceeded their amount. The second clause of the Charter provides for the due administration of public municipal justice, by declaring that the COURT BARON should be held at Sheffield eve1'Y three weeks, as it had formerly been by the lord's officers; and that the amercements which it may be necessary to impose, should be laid per pares, by a jury of the tenants, and should not be arbitrary or extravagant, but in proportion to the measure of the offence; and lastly, that the inhabitants should be free from all exaction of toll throughout the whole circuit of , whether they were venders or purchasers. All the persons of rank and wealth in the immediate vicinity were assembled to witness this great Charter, viz. Sir Robert de , Sir Ed­ mund Foliot, Thomas de Sheffield, Thomas of Mounteney, Robert aDd Ralph de , Thomas de Foumess, William de , and Robert le Breton; the latter of whom was seneschal of Hallamshire. By another charter, without date, Lord Furnival extended his favours to his tenants in the adja­ cent country, granting" to William de , and to all the men of Stannington, Morewood, Hallam, and Fulwood, herbage andfoliage throughout the whole of his forest of Rive-. ling, as it lies in length and breadth between Malen-bridge, Belbag, and Wbiteley-wood, on the one part, and a place called Stanedge, and the common-way which leads from Sheffield towards Darwent on the other." For this valuable privilege they were to pay him and his heirs four pounds yearly. The wit"­ nesses to this deed were, Elias de Midhope, Henry de Spina, Robert de Bemes,Adam de Bosco, William Feorest, and others. To the inhabitants of , Nether-Bradtield, Thomset, and Hawksworth, he granted com'f1W1l, pastumge on the moors between U gbill-brook, Gwentree-sicke, and the :road leading from Hope towards Sheffield, subject to a reserved rent of four marks. To the inhabitants ofWightwistle he granted similar privileges on their own moors: and the rights long claimed and enjoyed ill Loxley-ehace, by the inhabitants in its vicinity, are to 00ttae.ed to grants made by the same munific~t: Thomas lmd t'umivat,