1299. Lease for ten years by Godstow, to Peter Skelton, of a cur|tilage under the town wall, reserving power to build on foundations already laid there. Powers of distraint, and re|entry. Covenant to repair the fences.
THE sentence of this charter is, that Alice Gorges, by the grace of god Abbesse of Godestowe, and the Couent of the same place, graunted and lete to Petir Skelton, Clerk, a curtilage in seynt Mighell parissh beside the north yate of Oxenford, next to a tenement that was somtyme of maister William Coudray, ageynst [The Latin (Exchequer MS. leaf 190, mis-paged CC.) is: 'contra muros ville, salva nobis potestate domos ibidem ad opus nostrum construendi, secundum quod parie|tes (ibidem ad domos construendas incepte) se extendunt': i.e. Godstow reserves right of building on foundations laid there for houses.] the walles of þe towne: Savyng to them power to make ther houses to ther nede after that the walles (there be-gonne to howsis to be made) strecch them-self: To be had and to be hold, to the forsaid Petir and to his assignes, fro the fest of Seynt Mathie the Appostle, the xxvij. yere of the reigne of kyng Edward, vnto the ende of x. yere next folowyng fully I-complete, yeldyng therof yerely, to them and to ther successours in ther house of Godestowe, ij. shillings of siluer at the fest of the Annunciacion [folio 155b] of oure lady; to the which paiyng of the forsaid rente, to them and to theire successours, in the forsaid terme, euery yere truly to be do, the forsaid peter bound hym-self and all his tenementis in the forsaid towne to the constreynyng and distreynyng of all ther baillifis, that they may streyne [In Latin: 'quod possint eum distringere.'] hym in all his tenementis, and hold the distreynynges, tille hit were fully I-satisfied of the arreragis of the forsaid rente, yf ther were ony, with the harmes [In Latin: 'una cum dampnis.'] . And hit shold be lawfull also to take ayene to them the forsaid Curtilage into ther hondis, yf the forsaid rente were be-hynde by one monthe in one tyme be-yonde the day I-sette of the paiyng. And the forsaid Petir was I-bound to repaire and hold vp the erthe walles [In Latin: 'muros mundales': possibly a slip for 'bundales,' bounding or en|closing. See Boase, Reg. Coll. Exon. (O.H.S.), xvi. 293.] aboute the Curtilage, with his owne costis. Into witnesse, & cetera [Among the witnesses are Robert of Wormenhall, maior of Oxford, Thomas of Sowy, Andrew of Pyrye.] .
