Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 1.djvu/65

 us or our heirs, or others, or otherwise ex officio. And, moreover, whereas there has been a frequent concourse at the said borough, as well of merchants and others, for the sake of trading and otherwise, we have granted for us and our heirs to the said John, that he and his successors, parsons of the church aforesaid, and lords of the borough aforesaid, may for ever within the said borough have a certain seal, by us to be ordained, of two pieces, as is of custom to be used, for recognizances of debts there, according to the form of the statutes published for merchants, and that the greater part of the seal aforesaid may remain in the custody of the Mayor or Keeper of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or other private person of the greater and more discreet men of the said borough to be chosen for this purpose with the assent of the aforesaid John and his successors aforesaid if there shall not be a Mayor or Keeper there, and that the lesser piece of the said seal may remain in the custody of a certain clerk to be deputed by us there for this purpose, according to the form of the statutes aforesaid, and that the said Mayor, or Keeper, or other person who shall have the custody of the greater piece of the seal aforesaid, and the clerk, may for the future receive recognizances of debts there, according to the form of the same statutes; and that to execution, circumstances so requiring as heretofore in the like cases respecting recognizances have been usually done by other Mayors, or the like Keepers, and Clerks, elsewhere within our kingdom of England; to which are witnesses the venerable Fathers, J. Wygorn, bishop, our chancellor, W. Wynton, bishop, our treasurer, Edward, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of [Chester], our most dear son, Henry, Earl of Lancaster, Richard, Earl of Arundel, and William, Earl of Huntingdon, John de Gu. . . . Steward of our household, and others; given by our hand at Westminster the 4th day of August, in the 24th year of our reign over England, and in the 11th year of our reign over France."

On 28th June, 1351, John de Winwik, clerk, was one of the