History of medieval Ipswich




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APPENDIX 2:
Calendar of usages and customs of Ipswich



This is the Domesday of the laws and usages of the town of Ipswich.

The old Domesday of the laws and ancient usages of the town, along with other rolls and memoranda, were illegally carried off by a deceitful Common Clerk of the town. After which, the customs were often altered from their original tenor, through the perversion of justice; as a result of which some folk have been harmed, to the disgrace of the town. The community of the town, wishing to remedy this situation and ensure that the laws are correctly known, unanimously ordained in the 19th year of King Edward son of King Henry, in the time when John Clement and Vivian Silvester were bailiffs, that as soon as the correct form of the laws and usages could be determined, they should be recorded in a Domesday and sealed with the common seal. In that way the bailiffs and burgesses, both present and future, may have certain knowledge of the customs. To accomplish this task the community chose 24 of the wisest townsmen who were most knowledgable about the town's laws and usages; viz. Philip Harneys, John Clement, Vivian Silvester, Thomas Aylred, John de Causton, John Harneys, Laurence Haraud, Hugh Haraud, John Leu, Richard Leu, Thomas Stace, John de Whatefeld, Thomas le Rente, Thomas le Mayster, Laurence Cobbe, Arnold le Pelleter, Thomas dil Stone, Nicholas le Clerk, William le Mayden, Elias le Keu, Richard Clement, Gilbert Robert, Alexander Margaret, and John de Bresete.


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Created: August 29, 1998. Last update: November 2, 2014 © Stephen Alsford, 1998-2014