The Bewdley Charter from pages 11 - 12 of Dickon Independent issue 65

Wording of the Bewdley Charter

Edward by the Grace of God KING OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE AND LORD OF IRELAND TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING: Know ye that at the humble supplication of our dear lieges the Burgesses and Inhabitants of our town of Beaudeley, and on account of certain considerations specially moving to us, of our special favour, and certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have conceeded and by these presents do concede for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies, that our town aforesaid with its precincts may be a free town for ever. . . . . And that the Burgesses of the said town and their successors should be incorporated by the name of the Burgesses of the Town of Beaudeley and the precincts thereof, And that they should have perpetual succession and a common seal . . . . And that the said Burgesses and their successors should be persons fit and capable in law, And that they and their successors should be able to purchase lands and tenements, rents, services, and reversions to be held by the said Burgesses and their successors for ever. And of our further Grace we have conceeded to the said Burgesses and their successors , that each of the aforesaid burgesses for the time being should be quit through and within the whole of our Kingdom of England and our dominion, of toll, bridge taxes, ferry-payments, tenure between parceners, harbour tolls, tolls for weighing goods, duties paid by ships on anchoring, payments for feeding swine in a forest, land taxes, payments to the owner of the soil for breaking ground to erect booths, tolls paid for a road through a forest, tolls paid for repairing town walls, contributions for making ditches, tolls paid by travellers, tolls for unloading goods at a wharf, and of all other customs of and for all their goods and merchandise in all places within our Kingdom and dominion aforesaid, as well by land as by sea and fresh water for ever. In testimony whereof we have caused these letters patent to be made. Witnessed by me at Westminster on the 20th day of OCTOBER, 1472.

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