n John, son of John de Bentley, by no less than thirty
assailants. Among those implicated may be noted the names of five
members of the Leveson family, namely, Geoffrey, Moses, John, Simon, and
Simon the younger; also the names of William, son of Robert atte Pirie,
Andrew atte Mere, John le Harpere, Richard Coletes, Richard Colyns, and
several others which have occurred before in these pages. The Leveson
family continue to make many appearances in the records of Willenhall
litigation at this early period. In 1347, Andrew, the son of Simon
Levesone, of Willenhale, was sued for the treading down and consuming of
the corn of Andrew in le Lone at Willenhale, with his cattle, and by
force of arms, and for cutting down his trees, and beating and wounding
his servant.

In the following year, Geoffrey Levesone, of Willenhale, brought a
somewhat similar charge of trespass against John Oldejones, of
Wodnesfeld. In 1362, Roger Levesone, of Willenhale, was successful in a
suit for recovering two acres of land at Wolverhampton. About the same
time Juliana Levesone, of Willenhall, married William Tomkys, a member of
one of the leading families of Bilston.

In 1369, John de la Lone, of Wolverhampton, sued John Levesone, of
Willenhale, for forcibly taking his fish, to the value of 100 shillings,
"from his several fishery in Willenhale."

In 1394, Roger Liefson (Leveson), of Wylenhale (who has been previously
mentioned in Chapter VII.), was at law with Thomas Colyns, of the same
place, for forcibly taking away from Willenhall twelve oxen belonging to
him. Immediately after, one William de Chorley was attacked for taking
away from Great Wyrley, also with a display of armed force, three oxen
and two cows, the property of Richard Leveson, of Willenhall. If these
two cases were not reprisals, they at least show a state of disturbance
and insecurity.

Another exhibition of lawlessness is brought to our notice in 1429, when
Richard Leveson is found suing Robert Dorlaston, weaver, Richard Colyns,
lorymer, William Brugge, and William Bate, yeomen, all described as "of
Wylenhale," for violently and forcibly breaking into his close at
Willenhall.

A similar case of forcible entry into the close and houses of James
Leveson, at Willenhale, by one Roger Waters, a Willenhale lorymer, was an
outrage which occupied the attention of the law courts in 1433.

Three years later (1436) another law case shows the same James Levesson
suing John