Document 3/700/0 (CDS, iii, no. 337)
- Description
- Petition to the king from the people of Scotland, by their envoys Sir Patrick of Dunbar, earl of March and Sir Adam of Gordon. 1) Since his departure from Scotland at the Gule of August (Lammas Day) three years ago, they have suffered losses by their enemies to the amount of £20,000. Matters are daily getting worse, and for the truce they have till this Martinmas, they had to give 1,000 qrs. of corn. Yet their livestock is plundered, partly by the enemy and partly by the garrisons of Berwick and Roxburgh, especially by Gilbert de Middleton and Thomas of Pencaitland, and their company at Berwick. 2) When ‘upplaunde’ people to go by their ‘vivers’ in Berwick, the garrison spy out and seize them, confining some in houses, and carrying off others to Northumberland, holding them in concealment and ‘duresce’ there till they get a ransom – and the Scots are fined in Northumberland for resetting them. They took from the bishop of St Andrews 8 tuns of wine, and when he was commanded by the king to go to Berwick on his business, he was so rudely received and menaced in life and limb by the garrison that he dared not come. 3) Some of them, at the end of the truce at Midsummer purchased from Sir Robert de Bruce at his late coming, a truce of 15 days, and on his retreat, after they had returned to their houses, the next morning the warden and whole garrison of Berwick came and took their people in their beds, carrying them off dead and alive to Berwick, and held them to ransom, that is, on this foray within the bounds of the earldom of Dunbar, both gentlemen and others, to the number of 30. Also 300 fat beasts, 4,000 sheep, besides horses and dead stock. 4) Some of the Berwick garrison, with Thomas of Pencaitland, as ‘Guyde’, carried off some of the poor people to Berwick. Those who had wherewithal were ransomed; those who had nothing were killed, and thrown into the Water of Tweed. 5) During the truce till Midsummer [‘la St John’], which the king had ordered his servants to observe in all points, came Sir William de Felyng, constable of Roxburgh, and took certain people, for whose deliverance they had to pay him 80 marks, and also to the enemy 160 marks, as a fine for his breach of the truce. 6) The Roxburgh garrison also, instead of protecting his lieges, plunder and imprison the merchants who come there. 7) When the aldermen and commune of Roxburgh, at the request of Master John of Weston, the king’s chamberlain, came to make complaint to the constable of their treatment and losses, he appointed them to meet him next morning, when he would do reason. When they came, he at once arrested Sir Adam of Gordon and imprisoned him against all manner of justice, which arrest has astonished all his good people of Scotland, and they pray the king for redress.
- Firm date
- October 1313 X November 1313
- Source for Data Entry
- CDS, iii, no. 337
- Trad. ID
- CDS, iii, no. 337
- Calendar number
- 3/700/None
- Charter type
- Petition
- Language
- Entered from an English summary
- Notes
- Attached to this in the CDS is: On 28 November 1313 the king made a formal reply to this petition, announcing his intention to lead an army to their relief at the following Midsummer. (See Foedera, ii, I, 247)