Charter of 11 Edward II to sheriffalty of Cornwall for Isabella, Queen of England, 1318

“The King to all to whom, &c. greeting. Know ye that in part “satisfaction of a sum of money which Isabella, Queen of England, our “most dear consort, for the expenses of our household, receives annually at our Exchequer, we have granted and assigned to her “the sheriffalty of Cornwall, and all our castles, towns, manors, “lands, and tenements, in the County of Cornwall, to have, according “to the extent thereof, made or otherwise to be made, as long as it “shall please us, with hundreds, views of frankpledge, liberties, free “customs, knights’-fees, for Isabella, Queen of England,” advowsons of churches, religious houses and hospitals, and all other things to the aforesaid sheriffalty, castles, towns, manors, lands, and tenements in any wise belonging, as fully and entirely as we held the same in our hands, and that she shall have all fines, redemptions, amercements, of all men and tenants of the same castles, towns, manors, lands and tenements, and with the fees of the same, and the issues, forfeitures, and all other things which can perta into us of year, day waste, forfeitures, and murders, in whatsoever our courts, of those men and tenants, as well before us, and in our Chancery, as before our Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer, and before our Justices Itinerant for Common Pleas and Pleas of the Forest, and also before other our Justices and Ministers whatsoever, such fines and redemptions happen to be made or amerced, or that such issues, murders, forfeitures, year, day and waste, happen to be adjudged, so that the same, our consort, by the hands of the sheriff of the county aforesaid, may levy, receive, and have the fines, redemptions, and amercements of the men and tenants aforesaid, and the issues, forfeitures, and all things which can pertain to us of year, day, waste,, forfeitures, and murders, in the same castles, towns, manors, lands, and tenements, and the fees of the same, which before the Judges’ Itinerant for Common Pleas and Pleas of the Forest, happen to be made and adjudged by estreats thereof of the justices itinerant in their tiers to the same sheriff delivered, and also the fines, redemptions, and amercements of the men and tenants aforesaid, and the issues, forfeitures, and all other things which can pertain to us of year, day, waste, forfeitures, and murders in the same castles, towns, manors, lands, and tenements, and in the fees of the same before us and in our Chancery, or before our Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer, or before our Justices, and other whomsoever shall happen to be made and adjudged, by estreats of our Exchequer to the sheriff of the same county thereof delivered, without the hindrance or impediment of us or of our bailiffs or ministers whomsoever. And that she shall have in the same castles, towns, manors, lands, and tenements, and in the fees of the same, the chattels of felons and fugitives, so that if any of her men or tenants for his offence ought to lose life or member, or shall fly and refuse to stand to judgment, or shall make any other default for which he ought to lose his chattels, wheresoever justice ought thereupon to be done, whether in Our court, or in another court, those chattels shall be to our aforenamed consort ; and it shall be lawful for our aforesaid consort, or her ministers, to take possession the chattels aforesaid, and the same to retain to the use of the same our consort, without the ‘hindrance or impediment. of us our sheriffs, or other our bailiffs, or ministers whomsoever : nevertheless, so that the sheriff of the same county who for the time shall be, shall answer to us at our Exchequer for our debts to our use in the same county to be levied, as long as our said consort shall have the sheriffalty, castles, towns, manors, lands, and tenements abovesaid. In testimony whereof, &c. witness the King, at Nottingham, the 25th day of July,

By the King himself.