[I have done my best to decipher the Latin, which is written in
court hand, and have left abbreviations intact]
Carolus scndus dei grat Angl Scotie
Franc et
Hibern Rex Fidei Defensor ad Rob to Clarke et uxeri et
Jonathan Davyes
et servientibus agentibus operat laboratoribus et
assign suis et
eorum ___ salutem OSTENSUM erat nobis in cur
cancellar nro duodecimo
die Feb . insta ________ Lingen Topp querens
Cum idem quer jurat quandam suam
queremon in Cur
nra predict nuper exhib tent quoddam
Stabilimentum re____ pearunt ad
qui quidam queremon vero prefat def
respondistissea modo vasta
et spolia super premissis in questione per succisionem arborum materem
_______ subboscorum super iisdem premissis existen perpetrastis et
perpetrare mina? nunc inste ut dicit.
NOS ad hec consideracionem herentes? VOBIS igitur
prefat Roberto Clarke et uxeri et Jonathan Davyes ac vobis
prefat
servien agen operat laborator et
assign suis et vostram ____ sub
pena mille librarum de terr bon et cattall
vrs et ____ vrm ad opus
nostrum levand firmiter iniungendo precipimus quod ab omni
vastiori
succisione vel perstracoem? arborum materen vel subboscorum
super
iisdem premissis crescen vel existen ac quod ab omni
vastioricommissione vel perpetratione alianus vasti sive spolii de vel
super premissis perdictis vel aliqua inde parte sive
parcell ac
quod ab omni asportatione arborum materem vel subboscorum modo _______
a premissis desistatis et quilibet vrm desistatt omnis.
Et hec sub pena predct nullatenus omittas
necomitat (nec omittat?) vrm aliquis quodismodo.
Teste me ipso apud Westm xxii die
febr anno regni
nostri xxii.
[Chancery seal]
Loose translation:
Charles the
second, by the grace of God, king
of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith.
To Robert Clarke and his wife and Jonathan Davyes and their servants,
agents, workers, assigns, Greeting.
It was SHOWN to us
in our court of Chancery on the
twelfth of February by plaintiff Lingen Topp, who has sworn on his
complaint and exhibited in our aforesaid court a certain Stabiliment
(stay) to which complaint the aforesaid defendants answered, but it is
said that they now have perpetrated and continue to perpetrate waste
and spoliage on the premises in question by cutting down trees and wood
and underwood.
WE now in
consideration of these matters therefore
firmly enjoining command you and the aforesaid servants, agents,
workers, assigns to desist from all cutting or taking away of trees,
wood, and undergrowth from the aforesaid premises, or to commit any
other waste or spoliage, under penalty of 1000 pounds to be levied
against your land, goods, and chattels for our use.
And this under the
penalty aforesaid you should in
no way omit to do.
Witness I myself
in Westminster the 22nd day of
February in the 22nd year of our reign.
Source: private
collection.