Knights of Edward I
Extracted from the Knights of Edward I Volume I (A to E) (1929) and Volume V (T to Z) 1932 both published by the Harleian Society. Men holding certain offices seem to have usually been Knights, such as Sheriffs, Escheators, Constables of Castles, those summoned to Military Councils, many of the Judges, and probably all the Knights of the Shire. Several of the Fideles of Ireland, summoned in or about 1302, were certainly of knightly rank. The King also has a right to distrain for Knighthood all who have £20 p.a. in lands or a Knight's Fee worth £20 p.a."| Adam de Brus | Peter de Brus | William le Constable | |||
| Robert le Constable of Burton | Robert le Constable of Flamborough | Simon le Constable |
Sources referred to
The Patent Rolls (P.R.), which begin 1201, contain a record of the patent, i.e. open or public letters of the King or his ministers directed to various persons, and include grants of land or of offices, deeds of various kinds, and an enormous collection of miscellaneous matter. The Parliamentary Writs (P.W.) contain summonses to Parliament, to Councils, or to military service, and many other matters. Most of the knights about whom anything is known, and many lesser men are named in these. The Close Rolls (C.R.), dating from 1204, and also largely calendared and printed, contain a summary of the closed, sealed up, or more personal letters sent out in the same way much of the information being of like character with that found in the Patent Rolls, but with the addition of a good deal that might be described as family history, since they not infrequently state that certain persons have desired matters of interest to themselves to be entered upon the Close Roll The Fine Rolls (F.R.) are in the main, though sometimes indirectly, concerned with the passage of money to the King. They record the deaths of tenants in capite, when death duties in the form of fees paid for " relief " became due, and they note the appointment of many officials, such as sheriffs, constables of castles, and guardians of estates, many of whom gave money for their privileges, besides the sums exacted for breaches of the law and for various forms of licence The Charter Rolls (Cart.R.) contain a record of charters of the King or of others, grants of land and or of such privileges as markets and fairs, and much other information, and are particularly useful to those engaged in tracing the history of parishes or of manors. The Inquisitions record (Inq.) enquiries made after the deaths of tenants in capite as to what lands they held, of whom, by what tenure, their value, the names and ages of the next heirs and sometimes of sub-tenants, with occasional reference to marriage settlements and other family matters. They include also Proofs of Age, with the names of many who were present at or who remembered the birth enquired into, and not a little amusing testimony