Public Record Office, Coroners’ Rolls ( J.I.2) 46

Summary

[This roll is now sewn in Exchequer fashion, but was originally sewn in Chancery fashion as the stitching holes at the foot of every membrane but the last prove. All the cases are cancelled by a line drawn from the top to the bottom of each membrane, and No. 8 by a second line parallel to the first. The dorses are blank with the following exceptions. Membrane 1 is endorsed in a thirteenth-century hand: Rotulus G. Rouland coron’. Hundr’ de Bereford. After coror’ a much later hand has inserted: in com’ Huntingdon et Bed’ ann’ r’ r’ Henrici fil’ reg’ Joh’ 49°, 50°, 51°, 52°, 53°, 540°, 55° et 56°. Membrane 5 is endorsed in a thirteenth-century hand: Hundr’ de Bereford.]

BARFORD HUNDRED

Membrane 1

• 1. At vespers on 26 July 1265 Henry son of John of Brytvilles of Great Barford, aged ____, went into his father’s court-yard at Great Barford to play, fell into a ditch and drowned by misadventure. His father promptly searched for him, found him, lifted him from the water and thought to save him, but could not, and he immediately died. John found pledges, John of Blunham and Robert of Bolnhurst, both of Great Barford.

• Inquest before G. Roulaund, coroner, by Great Barford, Roxton, Renhold and Wilden: as above. Printed in Gross, p. 1.

• 2. At twilight on 1 Aug. 1265 Margery wife of Thomas of Beach ampstead, her sister Margaret and Thomas’s son John were coming from St. Neots market to the leper hospital at Sudbury, when John son of Richard Herebert of Gamlingay, his concubine Helewise of Abbotsley, William son of Nicholas Prechur of Huntingdon, clerk, and his sister Edith came and assaulted them and tried to rob them. At length the hue was raised and followed to Sudbury. The felons fled to Hail Bridge below Sudbury on the boundary of Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire, where William the Shepherd of Sir William of Sudbury joined the hue; and on the bridge John son of Richard Herebert struck him on the right side of his head with a fauchun’ (sc. a falchion or sword), cutting off part of his head with the brain and right ear, so that he immediately died there.