John, by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy
and Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, to the Arch- bishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls,
Barons, Justiciars, Sheriffs, and all Bailiffs, and to his faithful subjects,
Greeting.
Know ye that we have granted and by our present charter have confirmed that
our borough of Helston be a free borough, and that our burgesses of the same
town have a gild merchant, and quittance throughout our whole land from toll,
pontage, passage, stallage, lastage, and soilage, saving, in all things, the
liberties of the city of London. We grant also to them that they shall not
be compelled to plead, except within their own borough, of matters or tenements
belonging to their town, except in pleas belonging to our Crown, and in pleas
concerning lands outside the borough. We will, also, that they have all the
other liberties and free customs which our burgesses of the castle of Launceston
had in the time of King Henry our father, with the proviso that none of the
aforesaid burgesses, unless he be resident in the aforesaid town of Helston,
shall have these liberties. These are the witnesses: W. Earl of Salisbury,
W. Briwer, Robert of Turnham, Robert of Tregoz, Simon of Pateshull, Ralph
of Stoke, Eustace of Fauconberg. Given by the hand of Simon, Archdeacon of
Wells, at Cranborne, on the 15th. day of April in the second year of our reign.