Ioh(ann)es Dei gratia rex Angl(ie) dominus Hibern(ie) et dux Aquit(anie) et com(es) And(egauie) iustic(iis), vicecom(itibus) et omnibus ball(iu)is et fidelibus suis salutem.  Noueritis quod de mandato Gaufr(idi) fil(ii) Petri com(itis) Essex’ iusticiar(ii) nostri accepimus quod cum prior de Spalding’ tempore reg(is) Ricard(i) fratris nostri in cur(ia) sua apud Westm’ clamauisset versus abbatem Croiland quoddam mariscum in Spalding’ et Croiland’ idem abbas fecit quoddam essonium infra summonicionem de malo lecto suo detinebatur apud Croiland’, et cum per iudicium cur(ie) quatuor milites venirent ad videndum ipsum abbatem et infirmitatem eius apud Croiland’, eum ibi non inunenerunt, et ita per defectum eius recuperauit sepedictus prior saysinam predicti marisci per iudicium curie.  Postea predictus abbas accessit ad regem Ricard(um) fratrem nostrum et dedit ei intellegi quod ipse occasione fratris sui cancellar(ii) ab Angl(ia) tunc fugati et quorumdam fratrum suorum captorum non ausus fuit comparere sed aufugit, et impertrauit ab eo quod ipse ei defectum illum warantizauit et ita resaisitus fuit dictus abbas de prefato marisco.  Et quia visum fuit cur(ie) nostre sicut predictus iusticiar(ius) nob(is) mandauit quod rex Ricardus frater noster satis licite potuit talem warentiam facere et nos similiter qui eandem habemus potestatem, predicto abbati defectum illum warantizamus, mandantes ne de cetero pro defectu illlo aliquod dampnum incurrat nec ipse nec monachi abbatie sue de Croiland’.  T(estibus) etc. apud Montemfortem primo die Aprilis anno regni nostri tercio.

Notification that the king has received a report of Geoffrey fitz Peter, earl of Essex and Justiciar, that, when the prior of Saplding, in the time of King Richard, in the king’s court at Westminster, claimed against the abbot of Crowland a marsh in Spalding and Crowland, the abbot essoined himself de malo lecto at Crowland, and when, by the judgement of the court four knights came to view the abbot and his infirmity at Crowland, they did not find him there, and so by his default the prior recovered seisin of the marsh by judgement of the court; and that afterwards the abbot came to King Richard and gave him to understand that he, on account of his brother the chancellor in exile from England and of certain of his brothers who were captive, did not dare to appear but had fled, and he begged the king that he would warrant to him the default and restore to the abbot seisin of the marsh. And the Justiciar has informed the king that King Richard was lawfully able to provide such a warrant, and that the king has the same power, the king has warranted the default to the abbot, ordereding that no loss should be incurred by the abbot and monks of Crowland on account of the default.