single mb (Answer of John Marchall to complaint)
This is the answer of Roger Marchall to
the byll of Complent of Roger Dyngley and Thomas Rise
The seide Roger seith that the seide byll is insufficient and vncerten to
be answerd vnto only feyned a yenst hym of pure males for his grete trobull and vexacion and losse of his goodes
and also the mater yerof is determinable be the
comen law to the wich he preieth to be reme<....> neuer the lesse forther
declaracion of the trewth yerof he seith he se<.>th yat he aresed not nor
riotuosly assembled hym self with any
persons in armes nor he is not gylty of any ryot or any other
missedemyner as be the same bill is alegged a yenst hym and as for the
cummyng to the seide fere of Wylnehale he seith that hit hath byn of olde tymes
vsed and accustumed on the seide fere day that lyth
the Inhabitantes of the sede Town of Hampton
Weddesbury and Walshall haue comyn
to the seide ffere with ther capitanns called the Abot of Marham or Robyn Hodys to the intent to gether money
with ther disportes to the profight of the
chirches of the seide lordeshipes wherby grete profet hath growen
and cummyn to the seide Chirches in tymes past Wheropon the seide Roger
Marchall with his compayny at the speciall desire of the
inhabitantes of the seide town of Weddesbury cam in peysabull
maner to the seide ffeer acordyng to ther seide olde Custum and
ther yey <....> ‸⸢met⸣ with vn Iohn walker of walsall a fore seide and diuerse other of the seide
Town and then and ther they made as gud chere vnto them as they shuld do to ther
lovyng neyburs with out yat wiliam harper and william wylkes or any of them Commaunded the
seid Roger Marchall or the inhabitantes of Weddesbury thet they shuld not come at the seide
ffeer of Wilnehale and
without yat yat the seide Roger and his
compayne came Riottuosly to the seide ffeer or assembled them self to the
seide ffeer but in peysable maner after the forme
and custum of olde tymes vsed and without yat
yat he or any of his company commanded to stryk downe of the seide Towne of
Walsall or yat they or any of them entended to put any of the seide towne
of Walsall in Iepardy of his lyfe as be the seide byll of Complent
is allegged all wich matter the seide Roger Marchall is redy to Prove
single mb dorse
Rogger Marshall sworn and examyned deposith and saith that the contentes of this byll of the mair of Walshale is vntrew as farforth as it tochyth this deponent. for he as he saith dyd noo thing the day and tyme specified in the said bill otherwis þen is in this answer contaigned by his oth
There are also records of an Abbot of 'Marham' game – apparently a variety of May game – in Shropshire in 1520–1 and 1532–3, in 1542–3 where the figure is termed Abbot of 'Mayroll' or 'mareall,' in 1547–8 as the Abbot of 'Marall' or 'marrall,' and in 1551–2 as the Abbot of 'marram' (see J. Alan B. Somerset (ed), Shropshire, vol 1, REED (Toronto, 1994), 176, 191, 200–1, 203).
Record title: Roger Dyngley v. John Beamont et al
Repository:
TNA
Shelfmark: STAC 1/2/95
Repository location: Kew
This complaint about an affray and its aftermath is brought by Roger Dyngley, mayor of Walsall, and Thomas Rice against a number of defendants.
1499; English; parchment; 2 membranes sewn onto modern paper binding strips; 298mm x 210mm and 300mm x 535mm respectively. Bound in 19th-c. cloth in a large volume containing cases from STAC 1/2/51–135 inclusive; numbered 95.