did not live to see the completion of it. It involved the buying up of several different estates and interests in the property, and actually covered a period of thirty-seven years, the first purchase being made in 1585 and the last in 1622. Moreover, there were difficulties about the title, and towards the end of the 16th century the Corporation became involved in legal proceedings concerning certain closes known as the "Frith Closes." They contained about 60 acres of land, which had been the reputed property of the Newarke College for very many years; but after their bargain with Francis Hastings and the Crown the Leicester Corporation still had difficulties with this part of the estate. In 1598 a petition was sent up by them complaining against a Lease of these closes being granted by the Duchy of Lancaster to one Robert Worship They obtained a general stay of further proceedings, but not without difficulty. About the year 1601 there was a suit with one Lister about the same closes, which cost the town a large sum of money.
The Corporation's case seems to have been that, when Henry VIII disforested the Frith, the Dean and Chapter of the Newarke College produced a Charter proving their common of pasture in the Frith for more than 24 beasts, 7 mares and one stud horse. The King thereupon granted them rights of pasture in common with other tenants, in 120 acres of the land; but afterwards he divided the 120 acres, specially granting one half, being the closes in dispute, to the Newarke College, and the other half to other tenants. The Corporation claimed that these closes, so allotted to the College, passed to them with the rest of the Grange estate. But it appears that the special grant from Henry VIII to the College was missing, and the Corporation were advised that, unless it could be found, their case was "very hard in law," and that they could only rest on "equity and good conscience," although they had given "great sums" for the closes. Search was made for the missing document at the Tower, at the "Old" and the "New" Chanceries of the Duchy of Lancaster, at the Augmentation Office, and at the Savoy and Gray's Inn, but it does not appear to have been found.
Other important services which Thomas Clarke rendered
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