Charter of liberties to the tinners of Cornwall, 1304

33 Edward I (1305)

“For the tinners in Cornwall. - The King to the Archbishops, greeting. Know ye, that for the improvement of our stannaries in the County of Cornwall and/or the tranquillity and advantage of our tinners of the same, we have granted for us and for our heirs, that all the tinners aforesaid working those stannaries, which are our demesnes, whilst they work in the same stannaries, shall he free and quit of pleas of natives, and of all pleas and suits in any wise touching the court of us, or of our heirs, so that they shall not answer before any justices or ministers of us, or our heirs, of any plea or suit within the aforesaid stannaries arising, unless before the custos of our stannaries aforesaid, who for the time being shall be, excepting pleas of land, and of life, and of members, nor shall they depart from their works for the summons of any of the ministers of us, or of our heirs, unless by summons of our said custos; and they shall be quiet of all tallages, toll stallages, aids, and other customs whatsoever, in the towns, ports, fairs, and markets within the county aforesaid, for their own goods. We have granted also the said tinners that they may dig tin, and turves to melt tin, anywhere in the lands, moors, and wastes of us, and of others whomsoever, in the county aforesaid, and divert water and water courses for the works of the stannaries aforesaid, where and when it shall be necessary, and buy wood to melt the tin, as they have been accustomed, without hindrance of us, or of our heirs, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, or others whomsoever, and that our custos aforesaid, or his deputy, shall hold all pleas between the tinners aforesaid arising, and also arising between them and other strangers, for all trespassers, suits, and contracts, made in the places in which they work within the stannaries aforesaid, and that the same custos shall have full power to judge the tinners aforesaid, and other strangers, in such pleas, and to do justice to the parties, as shall be right and heretofore used in the same stannaries; and if any of the tinners aforesaid shall have transgressed in anything/or which they ought to he imprisoned, they shall be arrested by the custos aforesaid, and in our prison of Lostwythiel, and not elsewhere, shall he kept and detained until, according to law and the custom of our kingdom, they shall be delivered; and if any of the tinners aforesaid, upon any fact within the county aforesaid, not touching the stannaries aforesaid, shall put himself upon an inquisition of the county, one half of the jurors of such inquisition shall he of the tinners aforesaid, and the other half of strangers. If concerning a fact wholly touching the stannaries aforesaid, the inquisitions shall he made as they have heretofore been accustomed; and if any of the same tinner shall be fugitive or outlaw or shall have made any default for which he ought to lose his chattels, those chattels shall be appraised by the custos aforesaid, and our coroner of the county aforesaid, and by them at the next towns shall be delivered to answer thereupon to us and our heirs, before our justices itinerant in the county aforesaid. We will, moreover and firmly command that all the tin, as well white as black, wheresoever it shall he found and wrought in the county aforesaid, shall be weighed at Lostwyhiel, Bodmynyan, Liskeret, Trevern, or Helleston, by our weights for this ordered and signed, upon forfeiture of all the tin aforesaid; and that the whole of the same tin shall he coined in the same towns every year before the custos aforesaid, before the day of St Michael, in September under forfeiture aforesaid. And we have granted for us, and for our heirs, that all our tinners afore said may lawfully sell all their tin so weighed to whomsoever they will in the town aforesaid, by making to us and to our heirs the coinage and other customs due and used, unless we, or our heirs, shall buy: wherefore we will and firmly command for us and for our heirs, that our tinners at aforesaid shall have all the liberties, free customs, and acquittances above written, and that they, without hindrance or impediment of us, or of our heirs, justices, escheators, sheriffs, or other bailiffs or ministers, whomsoever the same shall reasonably enjoy inform aforesaid.

These being witnesses, the venerable fathers, W, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield; S Bishop of Salisbury, J Bishop of Karlisles, Henry de Lacy Earl of Lincoln; Ralph de Monte Hermerio, Earl of Gluceston and Hertford: Humphrey de Bohim, Earl of Hereford and Essex; Adomar de Valence: Hugh le Dispenser: John de Hastings, and others. Given by our hand, at Westminster the l0th day of April. in the 33rd year of our reign.