The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-04-05


"The knight of Taillebois," retorted the 9th
er, can put in no such charge, seeing that h
is not of the blood of the man alleged to b.
murdered"
"Ha! how say you to that, Sir Yvo de Table
bois 2"
81 say, my lord, replied de TailIebois, tina
in this as in all else, Sir Foulke dolly lies il
his teeth and in his throat; and that am O
the blood of Sir Philip de Morville, by him mos
foully and most treacherously murdered. May
please you, my lord, call Clarencieux, king-a
arms"
"Ho! Clarencieux, what knowest thou of thi
kindred? of these houses?"
ave find, my lord" replied Clarencieux
"that in the reign of Duke Robert, father O
King William the Conquerer, Raoul, count o
Evreux, in the Calvados, gave his daughte
Sybilla in wedlock to Amelot, lord of Taillebois
in the Beauvoisis. The son of this Raoul o
Evreux was Stephen, invested with the ief O
Morville, in Morbihan, who fought at Hastings
and for good service rendered there and else
where received the fef of Waltheofstow in Sher
wood. The son of. Amelot of Taillebois ant
Sybilla was Hugo de Taillebois, who tough
| likewise at Hastings and for good service per
formed there aud elsewhere was enfeoffed O
| the lordships of Coniston and Yewdale; as his
son became seized, afterward, ofthose of Hawks
head and Kendall in right of his mother, daugh
ter and sole heiress of Yvo de Tallebois, frs
Norman lord of Kendall. Therefore, this Ste
| phen de Morville first Norman lord of Walthe
| ofstow, was maternal uncle to Hugo de Taille
bois, first Norman lord of Coniston and Yew
dale. Now, Philip de Morville, deceased, was
fourth in descent, in the direct male line, from
Stephen who fought at Hastings; and Yvo de
Taillebois, here present, is third in descent, in
4 fba 10 81
Stephen, who also fought at Hastings as is set
| down in this parchment roll, which no man can
gainsay. Therefore, Sir Yvo de Taifebois is OF
| the blood of Sir Philip de Morville, deceased
| and IS competent to put in charge of the muir
| der of his kinsman"
son what evidence does he charge me?"
"On that of an eyewitness" exclaimed Sir
| Yvo de Taillebois. "Let them call Eadwulf
| the Red"
"a fugitive serf deer slayer, and murderer"
cried Sir Foulke de'Oilly.
But under the Kings safe conduct, here in
| court" said Sir Ranulf, sand under proclama-
ton of liberty and free pardon of all offences if
by his evidence conviction be procured of the
| doors of this most foul murder"
Then Eadwulf was produced in court, mis-
erably emaciated and halfstaryed, but resolute
of mien and demeanor, and obstinate as ever
He had been discovered, by mere chance, in a
| cavern among the hills, half-frozen and more
| than halfstarved, by the foresters Of High
Yewdale, who had been instructed to keep a
lookout for him; and, having been with diff
Guilty resuscitated, and made acquainted with
the tenor of the kings proclamation, had been
| forwarded, in litter, by relays of horses, in
order to give evidence to the murder
But, as it proved, his evidence was not
needed for, so soon as he saw him in court,
Sir .Foulke dolly pleaded not guilty. flung
| down his glove, and declared himself ready to
| defend his innocence with his body.
"The matter is out of my jurisdiction" said
Constable, and you, Earl Mareschal of England,
it is before your Court of Chivalry"
"Sir Yvo de Taillebois is the appellant"
said the High Constable. "Do you take up
the glove, and are you ready in like manner to
defend your charge with your body?"
Il am ready, with my own body, or with
that OF my champion; for, unless the wager by
battle be deferred these two months, may not
brook the weight of thy armor, or WELD sword,
as my leech has herein on oath testified :" and,
with the words, he handed scroll to the court
Thou hast the right to appear by thy cham
pion. To defer the trial were unseemly," said
| the Constable, after moments consultation
with the Mareschal. "Take up his glove, Sir
Yvo de Tailleboi."
De Taiebois took it up; and both parties
being called upon to produce their pledges, Sir
Yvo de Tailebois gave Lord Dacre and Sir
Hugo lie Norman, and Sir Foulke dolly, Sir
Reginald Maltravers and Sir Humphrey Bigod,
who became their godfathers, as it is termed,
for the battle. Whereupon, Sir Humphrey de
Bohun, the High Constable, thus spoke, and
the herald, following his words, made procla-
nation:
"Hear We, Sir Yvo de Taillebois and Sir
Foulke dolly, appellant and appellee; we shall
present yourselves, you Sir Yvo de Taillebois,
appellant, in your own person, or by your cham
pion, to be by this court approved, and you Sir
toulke dolly, appellee, in your person, in the
tltyard of this castle of Lancaster at ten clock
of the morning of the third day hereafter, to do
battle to the uttermost on this quarrel. And
the terms of the battle shall be these-on foot
shall We fight; on spot of dry and even ground
sixty PAGES in length, and forty in breadth, en-
closed with barriers seven feet high, with no
one within them, to aid or abet you, save God
be long sword and a short sword, and dag
ger, but your arms offensive may be at your
own WILL and We shall fight until one of you
be slain, shall have yielded, or until the stars
be seen in heaven. And the conditions of the
battle are these: if the appellee Stay the APPEL
liant, or force him to cry 'craven,' or make
good his defence until the stars be seen in
heaven, then shall he, the appellee, be acquit-
ted of the murder. But if the appellant say
the appellee, or force him to cry CRAVEN or if
the appellee refuse to continue the fight, then
shall he, the appellee, be held convicted of the
murder. And whatsoever of the two shall be
slain, or shall cry craven or shall refuse to
continue the fight, shall be stripped of his
armor, where he lies, and shall be dragged by
horses out of the lists, by passage made in the
one of the angles, and shall be hanged, in the
presence of the Mareschal and his escutcheon
| shall be reversed, and his name shall be de-
clared infamous forever. This is the sentence
OF this court, therefore: that on the third day
hence, We do meet in the tilt-yard of this castle
OF Lancaster, at ten o'clock of the morning,
ana there do battle, in this quarrel, to the ut
termost And so may God defend the right !"
Before the court adjourned, messenger
came into the hall from the grand jury, and
henric was re-conducted into the presence, still
| ironed, and in the custody of officers.
Sir Ranulf de Granville opened the parch.
ment scroll, and read aloud, as follows:
/" In the case of Kenric surnamed the Dark.
| accused of deerslaying, against the forest
statute, and of murder, or homicide. both al
legged to have been done and committed in the
forest of Sherwood, on the 18th day of Septem.
Der last passed, the grand inquest, now in ses-
sion, do find that there is no bill, nor any cause
OF process.
this 9th day of October, in the year of Grace
1854. WALLERAN DE VIPoyr,
"Forensan Of ye Grand Inquest"
"Why, Of course not" said Ranulf de Clan,
vile. mot shadow of cause. Strike off
those irons He stands discharged. in all inno-