Crown dispute with the Bishop of Durham re. Ship seized, dated 1583. Exchequer bill of Hilary Term 26 Elizabeth (early 1584), concerning the complaint of Bishop Richard Barnes of Durham, through his attorney Arthur Salway, against four royal officials - Robert Dudley, Henry Anderson, Henry Mitford and William Frankelin- who had seized a vessel anchored in the River Tees off Stranton, late in 1583 for the Queen's benefit. The Bishop claims that Durham 'as an ancient County Palatine where no writ of our Lady the Queen runs' and that Bishops have so long as anyone remembers received 'all the fortified goods and chattels of felons and pirates and wreckers and also wreckage of the sea within the county palatine'.
The document is written in Latin and is incomplete. It is signed 'Ja: Savile'. Also contained is a contemporary note about the document.

Administrative / biographical background
Robert Dudley and Henry Anderson were collectors of customs, Henry Mitford was a comptroller of the port of Newcastle on Tyne and William Frankeline was the Queen's customer searcher. The vessel in question was suspected of piracy and taken to Hartlepool port; the vessel was found to have French wine and cod on it.