trespass against the assize of beer and because the lord's
grain has been ill kept at the mill. Pledges, John Orped and
Joce Serjeant.

33. Noah gives 2s. in the same way for an inquest as to one
acre. Afterwards they submit themselves to arbitrators, who
adjudge that the said Robert shall pay 3s. to the said Roger
and 6s. to the said Gilbert and 7s. to the said Noah, and
that he will do so [Robert] finds pledges.

34. Ralph Bar in mercy for having beaten one of the lord's
men. Pledges, Herbert Rede and Ralph Brunild.

35. For the common fine of the township, a half-mark.

36. John Boneffiant found pledges, to wit, William Smith and
William of Bledlow, that he will not eloign himself from the
lord's land and that he will be prompt to obey the lord's
summons.

- - - Chapter 8 - - -

- The Times: 1272-1348 -

King Edward I was respected by the people for his good government,
practical wisdom, and genuine concern for justice for everyone. He
loved his people and wanted them to love him. He came to the
throne with twenty years experience governing lesser lands on the
continent which were given to him by his father Henry III. He
spoke Latin, English, and French. He gained a reputation as a
lawgiver and as a peacemaker in disputes on the continent. His
reputation was so high and agreement on him as the next king so
strong that England was peaceful in the almost two years that it
took him to arrive there from continental business. He was
truthful, law-abiding, and kept his word. He had close and solid
family relationships, especially with his father and with his wife
Eleanor, to whom he was faithful. He was loyal to his close circle
of good friends. He valued honor and adhered reasonably well to
the terms of the treaties he made. He was generous in carrying out
the royal custom of subsidizing the feeding of paupers. He visited
the sick. He was frugal and dressed in plain, ordinary clothes
rather than extravagant or ostentatious ones. He disliked ceremony
and display.

At his accession, there was a firm foundation of a national law
administered by a centralized judicial system, a centralized
executive, and an organized system of local government in close
touch with both the judicial and the executive system. To gain
knowledge of his nation, he sent royal commissioners into every
county to ask about any encro