HENRY THE SIXTH

Summary

1422.

In the Parliament held on Monday before St. Martin, complaint was made by the Commons, of divers manslaughters, murders, rapes, robberies, and other felonies, riots, conventicles, and other offences done in the counties of Oxford, Berks, Wilts, and Buckingham, by people born in Ireland repairing to the town of Oxford, and there dwelling, under the jurisdiction of the University. An act was thereupon passed, requiring all natives of Ireland to depart the realm within a month after proclamation, with certain exceptions, amongst which were graduates in the schools. And it was enacted, that these graduates should find surety of their good abearing, and should not take upon them the principality of any hall or hostel, but remain amongst the English scholars, under the principality of others. That scholars of Ireland not being graduates, and being of the King's obeisance, should find surety of their good abearing in like manner as the graduates. That all scholars of Ireland, then in England, which would dwell here, should bring to the Chancellor of England, before the feast of St. John Baptist then next, letters under the seal of the Lieutenant or Justices of Ireland, testifying that they were of the King's obeisance, or they should be treated as rebels to the King.