Alice Gerard. James de Langton, clerk, occurs in 16 Hen. VI. (1437-8) as one of the executors of the will of Edmund ffrere, Abbot of Vale Royal.[1] And James de Langton, probably the same, was admitted to the prebend of Stotfold, in the cathedral church of Lidifield, on 5th July, 1442.[2]
The litigation with the Standishes was still pending several years later, and had now assumed a different form; for James de Langton, parson of Wigan, makes his petition to the Lord Chancellor with reference to the matter formerly in dispute between the Langtons, on the one part, and Lawrence de Standish and Alexander, his son and heir apparent, on the other, concerning the right of patronage to the church of Wigan, which had been submitted to the arbitration of Alice, late wife of John Gerard of Bryn, by Sir Ralph Langton, knight, and Lawrence de Standish, Esq. "By her award it was deemed that Sir Ralph Langton should grant an annual rent of 40s. out of his lands and tenements to Lawrence, but, because all the lands and tenements of the said Sir Ralph were entailed, a fine and recovery was necessary to secure by law the said rent of 40s. And the said Alice prayed the petitioners, James, brother to Sir Ralph and a feoffee, and the said Lawrence, in order to prevent any bad consequences in the event of her award not being carried into execution, to be bound in a statute merchant[3] of £1,000 to abide by such award as she should give; and, upon the trust and assurance that they had in the said Alice, they delivered to her their obligations of statute merchant, under condition to abide her award in reformation of the payment of the said rent of 40s., without any defeasance of this condition put into writing. After which Alice and Lawrence died before the award was given or reformation of the payment made, and upon her death the said Alexander, who had married Constance, daughter of the
- ↑ Chancery Rolls, Lanc., 16 Hen. VI. No. 181.
- ↑ Le Neve's Fasti.
- ↑ A statute merchant was allowed by King Edward I. in favour of people engaged in trade; by which the charging of land was allowed for the payment of debts contracted in trade. The statute was afterwards extended to all debts indiscriminately.
