LXXVII. 26 January 1467

Edward, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland ; to all to whom the present letters shall come — Greeting. 

We have inspected a certain petition presented to us, in our Parliament at Westminster, summoned on the ninth day of April in the third year of our reign, and continued by various prorogations and adjournments until the twenty- first day of January in the fourth year of our reign, by the Mayor and Commonalty of our town of Dover, one of the towns of Cinque Ports, on the said twenty-first day of January, and remaining on the files of our Chancellary, in these words : 

To the Kyng our liege Lord, mekely shewen unto youre Highnesse youre humble and feithfuUe liegemene, the Maier and Comminalte of youre Toune of Dovorre, oon of the Tounes of youre V Fortes, in the Counte of Kent, that, whereas after that the l^oune of Caleis was wonne and con quered by youre noble progenitour, Kyng Edward the thirde, by auctorite of a parlement hoiden the ixth yere of his reigne it was graunted and ordeyned, in relief and com fort of the said Toune of Dovorre, that no marchaunt, pilgryme, nor none other persone or persones, hors or beest, should have or take eny passage towards the Toune of Caleys fro no porte or place within the Counte of Kent, but onely fro the porte of the said Toune of Dovorre, and also that no marchaunt, pylgrymc, nor none other persone or persones, hors or beest, shuld come fro Caleis to none porte in Kent, but onely to the said porte of the said Toune of Dovorre, except souldeours, and marchaunts comyng and goyng with their shippes freight with marchaundises, with oute that it were by youre commaundcmcnt, or elles that they were drevyn or compelled to take some other place or porte by tempest ; and also it was ordeyned and established by auctorite of an other parlement, holden in the xiiith yere of the reigne of Kynge Richard the Secunde, that all passage shuld be kepte at the said Toune of Dovorre in the maner and fourme afore reherced, and in none other place within the same shire of Kent, with passage fro thens, as hereto hath ben used and accustumed by reason of the pre misses unto late daies passid, and this notwithstandyng divers pilgrymes, marchaunts, and other persons, which beene noo souideours, with hors and other beestis, of late tyme have commonly used to take their passage towards youre said Toune of Caleys at divers places, and in the same shire of Kent, and to come fro Caleis into Kent at divers portis and places in the same, other than in the said Porte of Dovorre, contrarie to the grauntes and ordinaunces aforeseid, to the great hurte, enpoverisshing, and desolation of the same toune, and likely by contyniaunce to be cause and jupardy or losse of the same toune, the castell there, and of the cuntre adjoynyng. Hit please youre highenesse these premyssez considered, and houghe youre said toune is sett in the utterest place of this youre Reame next unto youre ennemyes, and hath noo meane of comfort nor relese, but onely by meane of the said passage ; to ordeyne, establissh, and enacte in this youre highe Courte of Parlement by the advis and assent of youre lordes spirituell and temporell in the same assembled, and by auctorite thereof, that noo pil gryme, marchaunt, nor none other persone or personcs, hors or beest, excepte souideours and marchaunts with their mar chaundises, in the maner and forme afore reherced, from hensforth take their passage at noo place or port withyn the said shire of Kent, but onely at the said port at the said Toun of Dovorre, if they may have sufficient shippyng and passage there, and also that noo pylgryme, marchaunt, nor none other persone or persones, hors or beest, come fro Caleis into noo porte or othir place within the said shire of Kent, but onely to the said porte of the said Toun of Dovorre, except souideours and marchaunts with their merchaundises, withoute that they have and shcwc youre commaundement by writyng so to doo, or ellis that they be compellid and drivene to somme other place or porte by sodeyn tempest, and that every persone of what estate, degree, or condicion he be of that willyngly do the contrarie of this acte or ordinaunce, forfeit for every tyme that he soo dothe V. marcs : ye Souverayn Lord to have the one moite therof, to be emploied uppon the reparacion of your Castell of Dovorre, by the oversight of the Constable or his lief tenant ther, and what persone or persones of the said Tonne of Dovorre that woll commence or sue an accione thereof ayenst the said offendour to have the other moite, and that every persone or persones of the said toune or castell, fFreemen of the said Toune of Dovorre, in his owne name may have hereafter ayenst every persone that willyngly dothe contrarie of this acte or ordenaunce a general accioun of dette of the said somme of v. marcs, and to declare specialy uppon the same acte or ordenaunce, and that processe of outlawry and all other processe and determyna cion be had in the said accioun as is had and used in other generalle accions of dette, and also the maister of every shippe or vesselle that willyngly the contrarie to this acte or ordinaunce comiyeth to any place or places, any pylgryme, marchaunt, or other persone or persones, hors or beest, forfalte in like wise at every tyme he soo dothe v, marcs, in the maner and fourme aforesaid, to be sued, had, recovered, levyed, and employed, and at the reverence of God and in salvacion and comfort of the same toune. 

We have also inspected a certain assent to the said petition by the Commonalty of our Kingdom of England present at the same Parliament, made and specified in the same petition in these words : 
To this bill the Commons have assented. 

We have furthermore inspected a certain response to the same petition by us, with the advice and assent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal likewise present in the said Parlia ment, and also with the authority of the aforesaid Common alty of the said Parliament, made and inserted on the back of the said petition, in these words : 
Be it done as is desired. 

We therefore have caused the tenor of the petition the assent and of the reply aforesaid to be exemplified by these presents at the request of the Mayor and Commonalty aforesaid. 

In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. 

Witness myself at Westminster on the twenty-sixth day of January in the sixth year of our reign. 

A portion of the seal remains.