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 1921 THE ESCHEATRIES, 1327-41 219 a rearrangement of the escheat ries. 'This was effected in the following year, when on 29 November the traditional offices were abolished and eight escheatries set up composed of groups of adjacent counties. 1 One of the earliest results of the accession of Edward III was the restoration of the two escheatries. This change, made during the session of the young king's first parlia- ment, was accomplished in two stages. On 4 February 1327 Simon of Grimsby was appointed to the northern office, 2 yet the seven southern escheators were reappointed on the same day. 3 Within twenty-two days, however, they had been dis- missed and the southern escheatry revived. 4 As Trussel's appointment to the office is said to have been by the king with consent of the whole parliament, 5 it may be supposed that one of the demands of the triumphant aristocracy was for a return to the customary division which the ordinances of 1311 had sanctioned. Though the two escheators fell with their patron Mortimer,^ yet their offices survived until 2 July 1332, when the opposite system of eight county-group escheatries was restored. 7 The change, it may be significant to note, coincided with a period of special taxation. 8 The four and a half years between 6 Decem- ber 1335 and July 1340 are of special interest in the history of the escheatries. The southern office was revived on the former date, 9 to be followed on 20 January 1336 by the restoration of the office north of Trent. 10 iNvo matters must be noted as probably indicating the wish of royalist officials to strengthen their hold over power or at least to safeguard themselves from parliamentary or court attack. Customarily appointed ' during pleasure ', the escheators were now given office for a definite period, Trussel, the southern official, being appointed on 16 April 1337 for twelve years, 11 and Metham, his northern colleague, on 19 October 1338 for eight years. 12 It is likely that the relationship between Trussel's various terms of office and the political changes would be worth investigating. The second noteworthy matter is the case of Ralph Middleneye, who, though ordered to resign the escheatry 1 Cal. of Fine Rolls, 1319-27, pp. 251-2. Lists. of grouped counties comprising these are also summarized in Tout, op. tit. 2 Ibid. 1327-37, p. 2. 3 Ibid. pp. 6-7. * Ibid. p. 22. « Ibid. 6 Ibid. pp. 192-3. 7 Ibid. pp. 317-8. 8 Parliament had not granted supplies since the twentieth granted at Lincoln in 1327 {Rot. Pari. ii. 425). Crusading tenths had been granted by the church in 1331, half being reserved for the Papal Curia (Foedera, ii. 786). On 18 June 1332 private charters were called in for resealing (ibid. 839). One week later a tallage of one-fourteenth on movables and one-ninth on rents of Crown demesne was imposed (ibid. 840). A surtax on wool was also levied in addition to the old and new customs (L.T.R. Enrolled Customs Accounts, no. 5, m. 2, quoted by Ramsay, Genesis of Lancaster, i. 223). 9 Cal. of Fine Rolls, 1327-37, pp. 465-6. 10 Ibid. p. 469. " Ibid. 1337-47, p. 13. 12 Ibid. p. 105.