A letter from Henry III (08/03/1253)

Translated letter:

Grant to Ebulo de Montibus and Joan his wife that out of all the lands late of Godfrey de Craucumbe, sometime husband of the said Joan, they may recover the dower of the said Joan according to the law and the custom of the realm; unless in the lifetime of the said Godfrey she quitclaimed her dower, and made acquittance to the king of the said lands, or did any other thing whereby she ought not of right to recover her dower, as may be seen by a scrutiny of the rolls of the Exchequer; and mandate to Queen Eleanor and R. earl of Cornwall, to cause the dower of the said Joan to be assigned to them out of the said lands so far as these pertain to the king, or out of other lands to the same value.

Historical context:

When he left to deal with a rebellion in Gascony, Henry left the government of England in the hands of Eleanor, with the counsel of his brother, Richard of Cornwall.

Scholarly notes:

(1)After the first two volumes of the Patent Rolls published in Latin, the editors shifted to English translations, explaining that the "language tends gradually to become more formal and verbose."

Printed source:

Calendar of the Patent Rolls, Henry III, 1247-58, 4.220; summary in English.(1)

Date:

08/03/1253