Guildable Manor of Southwark

Granting the "Town of Southwark" alias the "Guildable Manor"
to the
City of London

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"Edward, by grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine; to all to whom these present letters shall come, greeting.

Know ye, that whereas our beloved, the citizens of our city of London, by their petition exhibited before us and our council, in our present parliament at Westminster assembled, have given us to understand that felons, thieves, and divers other malefactors and disturbers of the peace, who, in the aforesaid city and elsewhere, have committed manslaughters, robberies, and divers other felonies, secretly withdrawing from the same city, after having committed such felonies, flee to the town of Southwark, where they cannot be attached by the ministers of the said city, and there are openly received; and so for default of due punishment are emboldened to commit more such felonies; and they have besought us, that, for the conservation of our peace within the said city, bridling the wickedness of these same malefactors, we would grant unto them the said town, to have and to hold to them, their heirs and successors for ever, for the yearly farm therefor due to us, to be paid at our exchequer.

We, having given consideration to the premises, with the assent of the prelates, earls, barons, and commons of our kingdom, being in the parliament aforesaid, have granted, for us and our heirs, to the same citizens, the said town of Southwark, with the appurtenances, to have and to hold, to them and their heirs and successors, citizens of the aforesaid city, of us and our heirs for ever, paying to us yearly at the exchequer of us and our heirs, at the accustomed terms, the farm therefor due and accustomed. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent.

Witness myself at Westminster, the sixth day of March, in the first year of our reign."