Six Town Chronicles of England

In this year it was ordained and commanded that on the Lord’s Day no victuals should be sold, nor any other merchandise. And in this same year, the riding of the sheriffs, which from ancient times had been honourably practiced, was abolished.

In isto anno ordinatum fuit et preceptum quod die dominica victualia non venderentur nee aliqua alia mercimonia.¹ Et isto anno equitacio vicecomitum ab antique honorabiliter usitata fuit destructa.²

Note 1. Fabyan adds 'which ordinance held but a while'.

Note 2. It looks as if the writer had confused the sheriffdom of Norman with his mayoralty. It was as mayor in 1453 that John Norman changed the practice of riding on horseback to take oath before the King at Westminster to a journey by barge. From the way in which this chronicler records this change (a^o 32, p. 108) it would appear that he disapproved of the change being made on the mayor's own initiative. Fabyan (628) has the same tone. Bale, on the other hand, says it was done 'by the desire and consent of the aldermen'; cf. also Vitellius A. XVI, 164. The city records tell us that the change was made in response to a petition of the commonalty, who, despite the objections of the Chancellor and the Duke of Somerset, were insistent on the change being made (J. E. Price, Descriptive Accotmt of the Guildhall, 1 886, p. 160).

In this year, the king, following the counsel of the Duke of Somerset, rode to various villages belonging to the Duke of York, where the tenants of the same were compelled to come naked, with cords for strangling about their necks, in the greatest frost and snow, to submit themselves to the royal grace, because they had formerly been with their lord against the Duke of Somerset, whose hour had not yet come. And although the king pardoned them, the same duke (Somerset) ordered them to be hanged.

In isto anno rex secundum consilium ducis Somersete equitavit ad diversas villas domini ducis Eboraci ubi tenentes eiusdem compulsi fuerunt venire nudi cum cordis suffocatoriis circa colla eorum in maximo gelu et nive ad submittendum seipsos regie gracie pro eo quod fuerunt cum domino suo prae antea contra ducem Somersete cuius hora nondum venerat. Et rege eis pardonante idem dux iussit eos suspendi.

And in this same year, on the feast of Saint Bartholomew [24th August 1453], at Clerkenwell, during the fair-time, a certain man called Cayles was the cause of a schism between the Mayor of London with the citizens thereof and the inhabitants of the Priory of Saint John of Clerkenwell; of whom many were slain.

Et isto anno in festo sancti bartholemei apud clerkynwell tempore (feriarum²) quidam vocatus .Cayles causator fuit scismatis inter maiorem londonii cum civibus eiusdem et inhabitantes prioratus sancti Johannis de Clerkynwell. De quibus diversi fuerunt occisi.

Note 1. This (or some similar word) is omitted. We learn from Bale that the disturbance occurred at the wrestling; Stow inserts an account of the riot in Vitellus A. XVI, 164, note.