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1

THE APPEAL OF THOMAS USK AGAINST
2JOHN NORTHAMPTON

3

DATE: 1384.

4TEXT OMITTED

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5    Also it was ful purposed be John Norhampton & hys conseyl,
6that ys to seye John More, Richard Norbury, & William Essex,
7& be al the craftes that hielden with hym, that four poyntȝ
8shulden, with al the lordship & Frendeship that they myghten,

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9be kept & stablisshed; that ys to seyn, that the aldermen sholden
10be remoued fro yer in to yer, & that the comun conseyl sholde
11kome be craftes, & that ther sholde no vitailler bere office judicial,
12& that al strange vitaillers sholden with thair vitailles frelich
13kome to the Cite, to selle thair vitailles as wel be retaile as in
14other wyse, hauyng no reward to the Franchise. And, truly,
15the ful entent was that al the ordinances that wer ordeyned in hys
16tyme, wer they neuer so badde, sholden haue be meigtened euer
17more afterward with strength of meigtenance of the poeple
18a-yeins any mayr that wolde haue do the contrarie. And, in
19thys wyse, whan the worthy & wysest of the town had left such
20vnthrifty conseilles, the forseyde mair, John Norhampton, John
21More, & Richard Norbury, & William Essex, drogh to hem the
22comun poeple for to stonde be thes purposes to lyue & to dye.
23And ate euery conseyl was John More, Richard Norbury, &
24William Essex, &, otherwhile, Adam Bame; but the mair wolde
25otherwhile do be hys own avys, and also on Willyngham, a
26scryuen, & on ...... Marchaund, clerk, writen many thynges
27in myn absence, & atte some tymes wer ther more pryuier than
28I. And, certeinly, the ful purpos of the persones to-forn
29nempned was to haue had the town in thair gouernaile, & haue
30rulid it be thair avys, & haue holden vnder, or elles de-voyded
31owt of towne, al the persones that had be myghty to haue
32wyth-seyde hem, & the remenant, that had non such myght, to
33haue holden hem vnder for euer; & her-of I apele John
34Norhampton, John More, Richard Norbury & William Essex.
35    Also, for the elde officers of the town loued noght the
36opinions of the forseyde mair, al the elde officers sholden haue
37be remoued by proces of tyme, & sette in her place suche as
38wolden haue meigtened & loued hise opinions, for they seyden
39that thilk persones that hielden the contrarie of hys menyng
40wer Enemys to alle gode menyng. And that was euer-more an
41excitation to the pore poeple to make hem be the more feruent
42& rebel a-yeins the grete men of the town, & ayeins the officers

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43ek, & yt was seide to the poeple that euer the grete men
44wolden haue the poeple be oppression in lowe degre, for whiche
45wordes, & be thair meigtenance, the dissension ys arrise betwene
46the worthy persones & the smale poeple of the town;
47& her-of I apele John Norhampton, John More, Richard
48Norbury & William Essex.
49    Also, ayeins the day of the seconde eleccion of John
50Norhampton mair, be-cause that Sir John Philpot had be
51a-yeins the badde doynges to-for seyde, John More was on of
52the chief cause to procur that a bille sholde be put vp be the
53comunes conseyl, to aske of the forseyde Sir John the mone
54that he had borwed in tyme of hys mairalte; and it was ment
55that he sholde haue ther-by i-jugged of al maner of estat of
56office in the town for euer; & her-of I appele John More.
57    Also, a-yeins the forseyde seconde eleccion, ther was made
58mochel ordinance be John More, Richard Norbury, Adam
59Bame, William Essex, & many also mo, & be me Thomas
60Vsk, to make ful certein the comunes atte that day
61shulde chese the forseyde John Norhampton to be mair &
62non other, to that entent that al hys ordinances mighten be
63confermed be our lord the kyng in hys statut, to haue dured
64euer-mor; so that thilk ordinances sholden bothe haue be
65stablisshed be statut, & be meigtened ek be myght of people, as
66yt ys to-forn write; & her-of I apele John More, Richard
67Norbury, Adam Bame, & William Essex.
68    Also, ayeins the parlement than next folwyng, the mair,
69John Norhampton, made me, Thomas Vsk, go to the comunes
70to enforme hem of the ordinance a-yeins the Fisshmongers,
71& for to haue thair wil ther-of amonges the other, that they
72sholde chese for the comunes to the parlement Richard Norbury
73& William Essex, & he solde ordeigne amonges the aldermen

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74to chese John More & Thomas Carleton, for the same entent,
75that ys to seyn, they wer ordeyned; & so they diden pursuwe
76thynges a-yeins the Franchise of london for euer; her-of I
77appele John Norhampton.
78    Also, atte thilk parlement, was pursuwed a patent to the
79mair for to chastise vsurers, yf any man wolde pleigne, or elles
80be enditement, be whiche patent yt was fully assented ferst to
81haue don execucion vpon any man that had be proued giltyf
82ther jnne acheacte, or therof partie; & in thys wise, be fals compassement
83& ymaginacion to-forn cast, many of the worthiest of
84the town sholde haue be ther-by enpesched, & be execucion
85ydo so vpon hem, that they sholde noght haue bore nomore
86estat in the town; and now I wot wel that, vnder colour
87ther-of, shulde haue be broght a-boute mochel of the euel
88menyng, to haue vndo the worthy membres of the town that
89had be a-yeins hym, &, for non other entent of wel menyng but
90only for malice, to put ovte of the town al the worthiest was
91thilk patent purchaced, & be suche fals purposyng & ymaginacions
92of destrucion sholde the worthi persones of the town
93haue ben for-jugged ovt of towne; wher-for it was cast al redy
94of officers bothe for the mairalte, aldermanries, & shirreuehod,
95& suche other degrees, for yeres komyng, so that the aduersairs
96of John Norhampton sholde noght haue be in non offices herafter,
97wher thorw me may wel se the destruxion of the town
98with-jnne a litel proces of tyme, as for to haue so many thrifty
99men owt of towne; & ther-of I apele John Norhampton, John
100More, Richard Norbury, and William Essex.
101    Also, atte procurement of John More, Walter sybile John
102horn & Adam Carlell wer endited, & altheigh ther wer take
103many inquisicions , we that serued our lord the kyng best wer
104returned; &, truly, Robert Franceys & other, I not whiche
105now, wolden haue endited Sir Nichol Brembre of meigtenance

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106of Thomas Farndon, and John More ferst was ther-to assented,
107& afterward he letted it, so that it nas noght execut; & her-of
108I apele John More.
109    Also, ofte to-forn that Sir Nichol Brembre was chose mair,
110the mair, John Norhampton, John More, & Richard Norbury,
111senten William Essex & me, Thomas Vsk, to the goldsmithes
112halle to speke with men of the comun conseyl for chesyng of
113the mair, & also ther-for weren al that weren of the comun
114conseyl take me be John Norhampton, that I, Thomas Vsk,
115sholde speke to hem that I knewe. And ther, atte Goldsmithes
116halle, amonges hem that wer assembled, it was accorded that
117certen persones of diuers craftes, tho that wer entred for the
118comun conseyl, sholde be called atte eleccion day in to the
119comun conseil for to helpe to the eleccion of John Norhampton,
120& the smale poeple was drawe in to be partie therof , to that
121entent that fully thair hertes sholde stonde with John Norhampton,
122& that yf, in tyme komyng, a-nother mair, that we to be
123chose , wolde oght do a-yeins hym, he myghte haue hem redy
124to meigtene hym ayeins al that they wolde seye a-yeins hym,
125&, if he had ben mair, I wot wel he wolde haue meigtened al
126hys ordinances, or elles haue sette al the town in a rore; & herof
127I appele John Norhampton, John More, Richard Norbury,
128& William Essex.
129    Also, the night to-for the day of the eleccion of the mair,
130John More warned al hys sergeantȝ & hys men to be armed
131on the morwe atte yeldehalle. For he kyde he & hys felawe
132wolde kepe the dores that day, to that entent that ther sholde
133non haue kome jn but only that wolde haue chose John
134Norhampton to be mair; & her-of I appele John More.

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135    Also, that day that Sir Nichol Brembre was chose mair,
136a-non after mete kom John Norhampton to John Mores hows,
137& thider kom Richard Norbury & William Essex, & ther it was
138accorded that the mair, John Norhampton, sholde sende after
139the persones that thilk tyme wer in the comun conseil of craftes,
140& after the wardeyns of craftes, so that thei sholde kome to the
141goldsmithes halle on the morwe after, & ther the mair sholde
142speke with hem, to loke & ordeigne how thilk eleccion of
143Sir Nichol Brembre myght be letted; &, nad it be for drede
144of our lord the kyng, I wot wel eueri man sholde haue be in
145others top. And than sente he Richard Norbury, Robert Rysby,
146& me, Thomas Vsk, to the Neyte, to the duk of lancastre, to
147enforme hym in thys wyse: 'Sir, to day, ther we wolden haue
148go to the eleccion of the mair in goddes peas & the kynges,
149ther kom jn an orrible companye of criers, no man not whiche,
150& ther, with oute any vsage but be strength, chosen Sir Nichol
151Brembre mair, a-yein our maner of eleccion to-forn thys vsed;
152wher-fore we preye yow yf we myght haue the kynges writ to
153go to a Newe eleccion.' And the duk seide: 'Nay, certes, writ
154shul ye non haue, auise yow amonges yowr selue.' & her-of I
155appele John Norhampton, John More, Richard Norbury, &
156William Essex.
157    Also, atte Goldsmithes halle, when al the people was assembled,
158the mair, John Norhampton, reherced as euel as he koude of
159the eleccion on the day to-forn, & seyde that truly: 'Sirs, thus be
160ye shape for to be ouer-ronne, & that,' quod he, 'I nel noght
161soeffre; lat vs rather al be ded atones than soeffre such a vylenye.'
162& than the comunes, vpon these wordes, wer stered, & seiden
163truly they wolde go to a-nother eleccion, & noght soeffre thys
164wrong, to be ded al ther-for attones in on tyme; and than be
165the mair, John Norhampton, was euery man boden gon hom,
166& kome fast a-yein strong in to Chepe with al her craftes, & I
167wene ther wer a-boute a xxx craftes, & in Chepe they sholden
168haue sembled to go to a newe eleccion, &, truly, had noght the
169aldermen kome to trete, & maked that John Norhampton bad

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170the poeple gon hoom, they wolde haue go to a Newe eleccion, &
171in that hete haue slayn hym that wolde haue letted it, yf they
172had myght; and her-of I appele John Norhampton.
173    And, vpon al thys matirs be-forn seide, tho that John
174Norhampton atte tat tyme mair, John More, & Richard Norbury,
175& William Essex, & otherwhile Adam Bame, seyen that the
176worthy persones wer drawe fro hem for willesful gouernaile
177& fiebel conseyl, & that they had made refus of hem to-forn
178tyme, tho they drewe to hem many craftes & mochel smale
179poeple that konne non skyl of gouernance ne of gode conseyl,
180& be confederacie, congregacion, & couyne, purposed & to-forn
181cast for to meigtene be might thair fals & wykked menyng,
182vnder colour of wordes of comun profit euer more charged
183the people fro day in to other to be redy to stonde be hem
184in that euel purposed matirs; & so, as wel sithe he was noght
185mair as to-forn, they han euerich of hem on hys syde stired,
186confedred, & conspired the matirs to-forn nempned, saue
187Adam Bame, sithen that he was noght mair, that I wot of, hath
188noght entremeted hym. And also the forseide John Norhampton,
189John More, Richard Norbury, & William Essex, so fer
190forth wolden depraue the worhtyworthy men of towne that the people
191was, & ys, the more enbolded to be rebel a-yeins thair gouernours,
192that bien now, & that shul bien in tyme komyng, be her fals
193informacion & excitacion, couyns, & gadrynges, & confederacies,
194atte that tyme maked & euer sithen continued, as it ys to-forn
195seyde; & so be hem, & be ther procurementy, & confederacies,
196& excitacions, the debates & the grete stryf, that yet ys regnyng
197in the cite, ys komen jn principalich be John Norhampton,
198John More, Richard Norbury, & William Essex; so that ys in
199poynt to truble al the realme; & the cite hath stonde in grete
200doute & yet doth. To which euel menyng I was a ful helpere

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201& promotour in al that euer I myght & koude, wher-for I aske
202grace & mercy of my lyge lord the kyng, & afterward of the
203mair, & of al the worthy aldermen, & of al the gode comunes of the
204town, as he that wol neuer more trespace a-yeins the town in no
205degre. And, truly, Adam Bame was noght so comunly, ne so
206bysy on thys purpos & confederacies as wer the tother;
207& her-of I apele the forseyde John Norhampton, Richard
208Norbury, John More, & William Essex.