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, that Edward III agreed to discontinue purveyance for military use. Under Henry V When Henry V 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. 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 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, which finally abolished purveyance and other feudal charges. See also Eminent domain References Real property law English property law Medieval English law English monarchy Corruption in the United Kingdom Eminent domain Monarchy and money