Purveyance was an ancient
prerogative right of the
English Crown to purchase provisions and other necessaries for the
royal household, at an appraised price, and to requisition horses and vehicles for royal use.
[{{Cite book , title=Osborn's Law Dictionary , publisher=Sweet & Maxwell , year=1983 , editor-last=Bird , editor-first=Roger , edition=Seventh, isbn=0-421-29680-1] It was finally abolished in 1660.
History
Under Edwards I–III
The right was developed in England over the course of the late eleventh through the fourteenth centuries. In theory, the king's prerogative allowed him to collect goods needed for both household and military use, but the latter was discontinued in 1362. The primary problem with the system was that it was open to abuse from
corrupt officials, who would often requisition goods and sell them for profit or use
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
and other means to obtain items or money that was not passed on or divulged to the king. Accordingly, English kings established numerous, though somewhat ineffectual, statutes in an attempt to limit the corruption.
When
Edward I and the English Army invaded Scotland, with little
agricultural productivity
Agricultural productivity is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to inputs. While individual products are usually measured by weight, which is known as crop yield, varying products make measuring overall agricultural output difficu ...
, they used purveyances. The English court had, of old, a right of customary purchase of food for the poor. The right was called prise. Edward took this and grossly expanded it to make the institution called purveyance. The
sheriffs would buy food at a set price in the shires and the sellers had to sell at the government price. The government then created a system to store the food. Edward created a
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
system to move mountains of food from the English Midlands to southern Scotland, which the English controlled. Administrative historians say this was a real triumph in organizational power of government, but also a
racket because Edward paid late and low.
[Discovery Media:]
About Purveyance
" Retrieved on September 24, 2010
Edward I also employed purveyances for his many
Welsh campaigns, utilizing the produce of both the
Isle of Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island, ...
and Ireland. Purveyance was largely the cause for intense dissatisfaction over Edward's campaign in
Gascony of 1294–8, and in 1298, a nationwide investigation was held into abuses of royal administrators, including purveyors.
Purveyance continued to be the favoured method of the English kings for obtaining food and other necessities for feeding their armies, supplying their castles and garrisons, and supporting their itinerant households. Both
Edward II and
Edward III used the system heavily: the former in his unsuccessful campaign against Scotland and then in the civil war against
Thomas of Lancaster
Thomas of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl of Derby, ''jure uxoris'' 4th Earl of Lincoln and ''jure uxoris'' 5th Earl of Salisbury (c. 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman. A member of the House of Pl ...
and the latter in his relatively successful campaign against Scotland and then in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
during the
Hundred Years' War.
It was under Edward III that the issue of corruption and abuses that accompanied the collection of goods for military use particularly came to a head. Complaints reached such a feverish pitch in the opening years of the Hundred Years' War that Edward III launched another nationwide investigation, and effectively removed most purveyors from office. However, purveyance was too valuable a royal privilege to surrender, and it was only in 1362, under intense pressure from
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
, that Edward III agreed to discontinue purveyance for military use.
Under Henry V
When
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...
was preparing for war against France during the Hundred Years' War, he ordered the continuance of purveyance for military purposes, but with the supposed order for all purveyors to be fair and reasonable, not to take any goods from church property, and to pay a fair price. However, many of the purveyors behaved notoriously badly, extorting many foodstuffs from the peasants and either buying at a low price and selling at a high price for a profit, or not paying at all.
Faced by a purveyor with armed men backing him, most peasants did not dare to resist. King Henry, acknowledging the corruption of his purveyors, included in a proclamation that anyone harassed or aggrieved by any captain or soldier should present themselves to the
seneschal of the king's treasury. Complete justice, the king proclaimed, would be given on his arrival at Southampton.
[Agincourt, Juliet Barker, Abacus, 2006] The retention of purveyance as a tool for supplying the growing royal household would eventually come under fire with the
Stuarts.
Abolition
In the 17th century, purveyance was worth about £40,000 per year to the crown. However, Parliament wanted to put an end to it, though
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
would not relinquish that control without financial compensation. Parliament feared this would lead only to further corruption and no changes were made to the system during the reign of James I. During the Commonwealth an ''Act for taking away Purveyance and compositions for Purveyance'' was passed 12 December 1656 and given assent 9 June 1657. Since all laws of that period were declared null and void upon the
Restoration, it would be the
Tenures Abolition Act 1660
The Tenures Abolition Act 1660 (12 Car 2 c 24), sometimes known as the Statute of Tenures, was an Act of the Parliament of England which changed the nature of several types of feudal land tenure in England. The long title of the Act was ''An act ...
, which finally abolished purveyance and other feudal charges.
See also
*
Eminent domain
Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
References
Real property law
English property law
Medieval English law
English monarchy
Corruption in the United Kingdom
Eminent domain
Monarchy and money