1920 EABLDOM OF CHESTER 49 been returned to the sheriff. For pleas and assizes arising after the earl's death the new justiciar was to provide his own writ under the king's seal. He was to be friendly to the ' barons ' and commonalty and observe their liberties carefully. The mills (doubtless the earl's mills of Dee, an unpopular source of large revenue) had on the death of John Scot been damaged ; they were now to be repaired by those who overthrew them and punishment given. Any of the earl's lands occupied or disposed of by others since his death were to be taken into the king's hand, and the demesne cultivated out of the earl's revenues. His com was to be taken over from his executors at a fair price, and valuations made of arms and tallies or countertallies found in the castles and local exchequers. Rents paid to the earl were not to be exacted again. The countess of Chester was to be honourably treated until the king's wishes were known as to the provision for her future. The retention of the existing staff of officials was left to the discretion of the commissioners. The king wished John Mansel, his clerk, to be associated with the settling of all these matters and a report was to be made to the king by Audley, Mansel, and Wakelin de Ardeme in person. All these constitutional and wise provisions go far beyond what would have been necessary if only a temporary custody of the county palatine in the king's hand until the recognition of a new earl had been contemplated, and sufficiently disclose the king's intention to assume effective, if not permanent, control of the coimty. But here again there was no such violent assumption as has often been supposed. Only a few weeks elapsed before Audley was superseded by John de Lacy, the earl of Lincoln, who was appointed custos of the whole county and its castles, and was allowed to lease the demesne and the mills for terms of one year.^ A number of orders relating to the payment and custody, for the royal use, of the revenues of the county point to one of the real reasons for these actions of the necessitous monarch. All these matters were before the verdict for partition, but that decision made but little difference in the future of the county palatine, which, there can be little doubt, was really decided beforehand. The appearance on the Pipe Roll of 22 Henry III of the revenues of the county palatine is interesting. Hitherto glimpses of them had been afforded only by entries made during the minority of the earls of Chester. Lacy's first account ^ as custos is from 29 August 1237 to the same date in 1238, during which » Cal. of Pat. Rolls, 10 July and 7 September 1237.
- The heading of the account refers to the issues from the death of the earl to
29 August 1237, but the account below is for the period mentioned. Lacy was appointed cuatoa on 10 July, so little is missing. VOL. XXXV. — SO. CXXXVII. E
