in the Portmanmote Court about 1260, and who, on one occasion, "claimed the Court of the Lord Abbot and had it."
In the year 1271 the two largest tax-payers in Leicester were Robert de Scharneford and Henry de Rodington. Robert of Sharnford acted for some years as Receiver for the Guild Merchant, and when he died, some time before 1276, the town owed him one mark, which they paid to his executor, Roger the Chaplain. The Robert of Sharnford, who was one of the two first Parliamentary Representatives of the Borough in 1295, and afterwards Receiver of Guild moneys, may have been his son. There were several Sharnfords living at Leicester at the end of the 13th century. Three persons of that name, Robert, John and Gervas, were each fined in 1292 for using false yard-measures. Again in 1299 Robert was charged with contravening the rules of the Guild Merchant. He had traded in partnership with the Sisters of St. Leonard's Hospital, who had lent him their money, although they were excluded from the Guild. To this offence he pleaded guilty. Another Sharnford, William, entered the Guild in 1273, and a record of one of his business transactions is interesting, and throws some light on mediæval shopping and on the importance of mediæval dress. In the year 1300, William Sharnford sold a garment for £5 13s. 4d. The fur lining cost £2 more; and there were also some extra payments, which included a gratuity of 13s. 4d. given to the vendor's brother Philip, the same amount bestowed on his clerk Adam, and one shilling to each of their four grooms. The total expense of the purchase was no less than £9 5s. od., equal to more than £100 of present money.
Henry of Rodington, who is sometimes described as a Vintner, was also, like the Sharnfords, a dealer in clothes. He once sold three "russets" to the community, to be presented by them to the Earl of Leicester, which cost as much as £9 9s. 0d. He was appointed Mayor of the Borough by the Earl, "per dominum Comitem," as it is expressly stated, on January 23rd, 1258, and held the office longer than any other Mayor — for twelve years in succession. He used to advance considerable sums of money to enable the community to pay
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