Vol 1: The Bluets - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Bluets 110
and on 28 th May the commission was appointed.
This was a busy year for John, he was also involved with an inquisition in
Devizes 471 ; earlier in 1315 the parson of Devizes, Thomas de Yucflel
had petitioned the king for tithes he said were owed to him by Queen
Margaret 472 because “she held the park of Devizes and was
responsible for the tithes due on the pasture therein”. Three local men
were commissioned 473 to make the enquiry – John de Foxley, John
Bluet and William de Harden 474 and the inquisition took place in
Devizes. 475
They found that
The late King Edward 476 and his ancestors from time
beyond memory paid tithe of the meadow in the park of
Devizes. The said late king, in the 10th year of his reign
[1282] caused the said meadow to be changed to pasture by
Ralph de Sandyesthen constable of Devizes castle, and from
that time no tithe has been paid therefore. The yearly value
of the tithe of the said meadow was 22s
471
Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous vol 2 no 206 p49 year 1315
472
Marguerite of France (born in Paris in 1282 and died at Marlborough Castle 14
February 1317) the second consort of Edward I. They married in 1299 when she was
17. She and Edward had three children - Thomas of Brotherton; Edmund of
Woodstock and Eleanor of England who had died aged 5 in 1311
473
Commission dated Wednesday March 5th 1315
474
William de Harden appears frequently in the Patent Rolls around this time as a
commissioner as here; interestingly in one of them he is the subject - in a
commission issued September 10th 1299 Henry Spygurnel (Spigurnel) and John
Durelwere tasked with looking into an appeal by Agatha de Wedone in
Northamptonshire, concerning Theobold prior of Okenurn, Willam de Harden,
Henry Botneyand Henry de Okeburn sometime bailiff of Wedone touching the
death of her son This doesn‘t mean that they were accused of killing him, it is
likely the named men were the commissioners who investigated the death of William
de Wedoneand that Agatha wasn‘t happy with the result. (Calendar Patent Rolls Edw
I vol 3 [1292-1301] p 474)
475
Thursday the morrow of St Barnabas ie June 12th 1315
476
Edward I, died July 7th 1307