Text 76: From Thomas Usk’s Appeal, 1384 (i)

I Thomas Vsk… knowleched thes wordes & wrote hem with myn owne honde.
… Also, that day that Sir Nichol Brembre was chose mair, a non after mete kom John Northampton to John Mores hows, & thider Kom Richard Norbury & William Essex, & ther it was accorded that the mair, John Northampton, sholde sende after the persones that thilk tyme wer in the comun conseil of craftes, and after the wardeyns of craftes, so that they sholde kome to the goldsmiths halle on the morwe after, & ther the mair sholde speke with hem to loke & ordeigne how thilk eleccion of Sir Nichol Brembre myght be letted; &, nad it be for drede of our lord the kyng, I wot wel eueri man sholde haue be in others top. And than sente he Richard Norbury, Robert Rysby, & me, Thomas Vsk, to the Neyte, to the duk of lancastre, to enforme hym in thys wyse: ‘ Sir, to day, ther we wolden haue go to the eleccion of the mair in goddes peas & the kynges, ther kom jn an orrible companye of criers, no man not whiche, & ther, with oute any vsage but be strength, chosen Sir Nichol Brembre mair, a yein our maner of eleccion to forn thys vsed; wher fore we preye yow yf we myght haue the kynges writ to go to a Newe eleccion.’ And the duk seide: ‘Nay, certes, writ shul ye non haue, auise yow amonges yowr selue.’ & her of I appele John Northampton, John More, Richard Norbury, & William Essex.

I, Thomas Usk, acknowledged these words and wrote them with my own hand. Also that day that Sir Nichol Brembre was chosen mayor, soon after meat (food) came John Northampton to John Mores houses, and there came Richard Norbury and William Essex, and there it was accorded that the mayor, John Northampton, would send the persons that were at this time in the common counsel of craftsmen, and after the guardians/protectors of the craftsmen, so that they would come to the Goldsmiths hall on the morning after (the following morning) and there the mayor would speak with them, in order to look after and regulate how this election of Sir Nichol Brembre might be granted; and if it had not been for you, I know that every man would have been at each other’s throats. And then he sent Richard Norbury, Robert Rybsy and me, Thomas Usk, to the Neyte, to the Duke of Lancaster, to inform him in this way: ‘Sir, today we would have gone there to the election of the mayor in the peace required by God and the kings, there came in a horrible company of hecklers who no-one knew and there without any right other than that of force chose Sir Nichol Brembre mayor against the electoral procedures we have used in the past; therefore, we pray/ beg you if we might have the kings’ writ to go to a new election’. And the Duke said: ‘No, certainly you will have no writ; sort out the matter among yourselves’. And here I accuse John Northampton, John More, Richard Norbury and William Essex.