The following is a translation of
King John's charter
to the Borough of Marlborough
granted in 1204
taken from J. Waylen's
'History of Marlborough';

John, by the grace of God, King. Know ye that we have retained in our hands our Borough of Marlborough with all things pertaining to it. And have there established, given, granted, and by this present charter confirmed the Fair at Marlborough to be held every year for eight days, at the feast of the assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary, that is to say, on the eve of the said feast and seven days following. And we have granted that all men of all lands as well our own as others, who are in in our peace, may resort to our aforesaid fair, and shall go and return well and in peace, and shall enjoy all the quittances and liberties which they possess in the fairs of Winchester or Holyland or elsewhere in our land. And we have granted that our burgesses of Marlborough and their heirs shall hold a market within their borough every week throughout the year on two days, to wit, on Wednesday and on Saturday, with all the liberties and free customs which our our citizens of Winchester or of Oxford or others in our dominions hold or ought to hold in their markets. And we have granted that the aforesaid borough of Marlborough and all our burgesses therein being tenants of it and dwellers in it and their heirs shall be quit and free of all toll arising from pannage, pontage, passage, pedage, paage, pesage, stallage, and lastage, whether in shires or hundreds, and from the suits of shires and hundreds. And from the summons and aids of Sheriffs and their servants, and from all the pleas and plaints (foreign to the borough) except pleas of the Crown. And they shall be free of murder and blood-wite, and of fight-wite, and of lecher-wite, and of church-shot. Also from fosterlean, and from scotale, and from the redemption of widows, and from brewingable. and they shall not be required to attend on the forest guard, or regard, or sale. And they shall be quit of all other secular exactions as well by sea as by land, whatsoever part of our dominions they may traverse. And we have granted that the aforesaid borough of Marlborough and our burgesses there holding and dwelling and their heirs shall have and hold their houses and possessions of us and our heirs, with quittance of soc and sac of tholl and thea, of infangthef and outfangthef, throughout our demesnes, and with all liberties and free customs; so that they, as well and in peace and as freely and quietly may have and hold their possessions and liberties, as do our citizens of Winchester or Oxford, or as others of our subjects (if any such there be) holding them in still more free and undisturbed enjoyment. And we have granted to our said burgesses of Marlborough their own guild-merchant, prohibiting them however from decisions by duel, according to the laws of Winchester. And if any customs shall have been unjustly levied in war, let them be abolished, saving to us and our heirs our talliages, rents, and customs, not mentioned in this present charter. And wherever debts shall be owing to our saidburgesses, and in whatever bailiwick, they shall have the power to compel payment through the bailiff, where they can show reasonable cause. And we have granted that no one of them shall be subjected to destraint throughout our dominions for the debt of another, unless he be a surety or the capital debtor. And we forbid that he shall be put to suit concerning any tenement of the said borough unless such plea be heard within the borough; and this shall be conducted according to the law of our city of Winchester. And we forbid on penalty of forfeiture that any one disturb them in anything touching the premises: for we have granted all these things to them, excepting in every respect the liberty of our city of London. Dated at Winchester, 20th June, 1204.