TRANSLATION

Katherine the wife of Stephen Justice brings an accusation against Ralph fitz Robert, Andrew le Gaoler, William Virly glover, William Gredi, Walter de Derham, John the servant of Nicholas de Ingham, Nicholas formerly the servant of Nicholas de Lopham, and Nicholas le Gayver. She says that when she was in the peace of God and the king, in the house of her husband Stephen Justice in Fybriggate, in St. Clements parish, in the town of Norwich, on the night of 22 November 1263, there came Ralph, Andrew, William, William, Walter, John, Nicholas, and Nicholas feloniously, with premeditated intent [to make] a felonious assault in infringement of the king's peace. They smashed her oak gates and broke the metal hooks and hinges with poleaxes, wedge-shaped axes, swords, knives, and maces and threw them into the courtyard. Entering feloniously, like felons, they broke down the pine doors into the hall, broke the hinges and iron-work of the doors, broke the chains and bars and the oak shutters of the windows, again just like felons, and after that feloniously entered the chamber of the hall by its southern doorway and robbed that chamber. That is, [they stole] two swords worth 3s.6d, a dagger with an ivory handle worth 12d., an iron breastplate worth 10d., an iron club worth 4d., a cuirass of iron-plated cowhide worth 6s.8d, and a gambeson. Afterwards they left that chamber and feloniously went into the hall, where the corpse of her husband Stephen lay on a bier; they burned it, together with a Rheims blanket worth four shillings that covered the bier and likewise a linen sheet worth 18d. This felony, robbery and burglary Ralph [etc.] and Nicholas carried out on that night of that year, carrying off by robbery, as felons, what was mentioned above. Katherine immediately raised hue and cry from street to street, from parish to parish, and from house to house, until she came into the presence of the bailiffs and coroners, and from that time she pursued the matter against the accused so that it would be tried in the king's court. They also stole a woven linen cloth worth 5s. and a perse hood [lined] with squirrel fur worth 10d. The bailiffs are ordered to arrest the accused. The bailiffs are to answer for it. Pledges for the prosecution: John de Heylesdone and William de Catton.

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Memorandum that Henry Turnecurt and Stephen de Balsham were killed in Norwich, in the parish of St. George in front of the gate of Holy Trinity on 1 May 1264. The coroners and bailiffs came to the location and held an inquisition. The inquisition having been concluded and a written record having been made, there later came master Marcus de Brunhale clerk and Ralph Knict with many others threatening to cut the coroners into little pieces unless they handed over the written record. Thereafter they seized Roger the coroner and led him by force ([armed] with swords and axes) back to his own house, until Roger took the document from his chest, then they immediately took him and that document to the church of St. Peter Mancroft where Ralph removed the document from Roger's hands by force, bore it off, and before his companions – all acting crazily – cut it into little pieces. Roger, filled with fear and trepidation was barely able to escape from their clutches. And they say that they could not hold an inquiry into the matter because of the imminent war.

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The parishes of St. Peter Parmentergate, St. Vedast, St. Martin Bailly, and St. Michael Conesford are sworn and say under oath that William le Alblaster from the castle threatened John le Lindraper with burning, and John de Rendlesham and Thomas le Despenser of the castle [did] likewise along with Henry Punel, Simon le Longe, and William Bonehay. And that on the night of 10 June 1264 William le Alblaster set fire to a gate between [the properties of] John le Lindraper and John de Belaya, so that the house of John de Belaya burned down. And that the same William went out from the house of Robert Faber locksmith and returned there after committing the felony. They say that those indicted removed the clappers from the bells of the church of St. Peter Parmentergate and cut the ropes of the bells of the churches of St. Vedast and St. Cuthbert, so that no-one would come to put out the fire. They say that William le Neve, who frequents the house of Matilda la Wymplere in the parish of St. Julian, was present at the event. An order was issued to arrest the wrongdoers.