369

hides^-thc^

system,1 At a second rim'tln^^

selTOTjVes of, tlie sfiires were present and a S^nf-jv^gmiit,

a fifteenth ft!5'' waTlirranid, In 12^3,

Iwo^ety peculiar as-stmhlk'x Mot of fBe nobies
with toe fang on thu t^el-;h campa^:; ii/nee the
first, which in jarnar; in t;vn divl.-'iori-, rne at Yor&
the other at^scrtha.ir^t-j.n. \v;i - without, lh^^3£on§gc.
It Csf representative ?t r,f th- shin > r;n;l l.oroughs.
To these were addv/1 repasen::itivi- of tlij -i-rith viral
clergy. The purp^.^e ci this ^sras undoubtf dly finjir.cial;
it was characteristic of Edward L, who aimed at a brcxid
r^r^genjaiixe^ha^.to and wai- con-
sistent .jwith the, whole representative naovenieBt of the
thirt^nti century. The two places of meeting, nortk
souSirseem to been suggested by the CcnvocaJ
tions of Canterbury and York/ It i> interesting ir
was as MtW^w^K,Sordinary for, knights
to meet^and do business in the ab^n^e o£the
no^^y. A assembly of this year met in Sep-
tember, at Shffissbury on the Welsh border. Thus the
nobles, who still under arms against the Welsh,
could be present, to them were added representatives
of the sMres of certain specified boroughs. The
object mentioned in the writs was to judge4 David of
Wales, but it was added that "other matters"' were
toTBe attended to. The Stalute^De^Mercatori^as of
Acton^iapiell October the twelfth at .Acton
Bumell, and was the oT the
burgeges who had withdrawn to that place from the
Shrewsbury assembly. But its retained the
stereotyped form, s<the king by himself and Ms council
hath ordained/* etc.3 This assembly of j[£83
1 See below, pp. 405-411.
a Perhaps there were other reasons. Professor Pollard believe?, that
there was a real danger of the development of provincial estates instead
of one national assembly. See Erolution of Parliament, pp, Wv •
s A. and S., document 41. In this use of the wcrd eonrrrll, TATere ff-ft-
vm swms x«ally to mean a body of men rather than the counsel which