The English register of Oseney abbey / by Oxford, written about 1460. Ed., with an introduction and indexes, by Andrew Clark.

[169.] ffor þ^e heth of ledewell.

1413, Dec. 28. Survey, by the neigh|bours, of the boun|dary-marks of the Heath and L'in|land belonging to Oseney, with a view to their being en|closed. Verdict that there exist no rights of common in said lands, and no rights of way over them.

ÞE þundurday ['die Iovis.'] nexte after the ffest of þ^e Birth of owr lorde In the ȝere of the Reyne of Kynge Henry the v. after the con|queste j^o Come John Wilcotys, [folio 37b] squier, and all his tenauntes of þe Moore Barton, ledewell, and Saunforde (were [Omit the bracketed words, brought in, in error, from below.] well i-sett and stiked) [to ['ad videndum quod mete et meer|stones . . .'] see] that þe Bondis and merestones Bitwene j. felde i-called þe heth ande linlonde and þe londe of þe tenauntes and also þe Demayne londe of þe lorde of ledewell and Saunforde where [well] i-sette and stiked ['fuerunt bene assesse et fixe.' Is this 'stike' for 'stick,' or an early example of the diphthongation of 'stake,' which is now found, e. g. in Essex.] . And at þat tyme, In the presence of þe forsaide John Wilcotes, of the parte of Sir Sencleres ['ex parte domini Senclers' = 'on behalf of the lord of Senclers manor.'] þere Beyng, and of John langston of the parte of thabbot of Oseney and of þe Couent, þe forsaide Bondis and Merestones where i-stiked and i-sett By the tenauntes vndur|write and moony othir þere i-examined and i-swore to þe

trowght þere-of to Be saide and to Be i-performed, þat is to say, By John Duke, Richard Webbe, Geoffrey plestow, Richard Cow|per, William Ȝorke, Richard plestow, Symond Wesey [Veysy.] , John tailour, Thomas Kyng, John cockes, Thomas ffox, Thomas Collys, John Bosseby, Richard Boveton, and moony other þenne þere Beyng present. And then John langston, after þe strikyng [Read 'stiking'; 'post fixionem.'] of þe foresaide Boundis and Merestones, declared to all þe tenauntes aforesaide þat thabbot and Couent above-saide purposenne and Entende to close ['ad includendum.'] all þ^e forsayde ffelde of le heth and lynlonde as here seuerell in all the tymes of þ^e ȝere, And he axid of þe tenauntes and oþer þere Beyng if [any] of þem wolde ['vellet vel sciret aliquid dicere.'] or knewe oony thyng to say why that he ofte not to close þe saide felde and heth as his seuerell, and all saide that he myȝght well and neuer saide þe contrarye. And for Euidence þey say that þ^e forsaide feld sumtyme was parcelle of þe Demayne londe of the lorde [MS, has 'londe,' by a slip: 'dominice terre domini ibidem.'] there, and þey say þat all the Demayne londe is seuerell ['separalis.'] thorowgh þe ȝere. And ffurþermore þe forsaide John langston axid of them if they or oony of them oony waye or pathe in þ^e forsaide ffelde or in oony parcelle of þ^e same in oony tyme of þ^e ȝere wolde chalenge or [claim [Blank in MS.: 'calumpniare' in Latin.] ], And they answered all nay; But þay saide that þe forsaide Abbot and Couent and his pre|decessours had A Grene waye fro the towne of ledewell unto þe forsaide felde to Dryue all his maner of Bestis þere to Be ffedde and to Be i-Browght agayne whenne-so-Euer hit plesid them, and none oþer But by the leve of them, et cetera.