Court Officials and Attendance
| Lord of the ManorThe Lord of the Manor was the landowner with legal and economic control over a manor. They collected rents, administered... In full. | William Whitchurch (Esquire) |
| SeneschalThe seneschal was the principal legal and administrative officer of a manor, representing the lord's authority. By the seventeenth century,... In full. | James Wickham (Gentleman) |
| HaywardThe hayward was a manorial official appointed to protect the fields during growing and harvest seasons. Duties included maintaining hedges,... In full. | Robert Kember |
| The HomageHomage referred to the sworn body of tenants who served as the jury of a manor court. Selection for the... In full. | Thomas Serjeant, Robert Bullen (foreman), Thomas Hobbs senior, Bernard Chamberlin, Ambrose Serjeant, William Lush, Thomas Hobbs junior |
| Did not Attend | Free SuitorIn the manorial system, a tenant's obligation to attend the manor court was called 'suit of court'. Suit of court... In full.: William Weston (Esquire) Tenants: Abraham Forrester (gentleman), Sara Cook (widow), Richard Snook, Robert Langman, Nicholas Farvis, Andrew Loader, Robert Kember, John Durant (by marriageJure uxoris ('by right of wife') was how a husband gained rights over his wife's property. In the English property... In full.), John Loder, Elizabeth Hellier, Henry Snook, Robert Jolliffe, Mary Hellier (widow), Robert Hancock, Robert Chaffey, Joseph Snook, James Carter, Margaret Miles, Jane Jolliffe (widow), Elizabeth Clark (widow), George Snook, Elizabeth Crosse, John Smith (by marriage), Samuel Cave (gentleman), John Paviatt, Margery Coombs, Hugh Drake |
presentments by the Homage
| PresentmentPresentments constituted the formal declarations and findings submitted by the Homage at each sitting of the manor court. The Homage... In full. | Individuals, Relationships and Roles | Premises & Land or Rights |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to do Free SuitIn the manorial system, a tenant's obligation to attend the manor court was called 'suit of court'. Suit of court... In full. AmercedAn amercement was a monetary penalty imposed by the court for breaching custom. The origin of the word reflects the... In full.: 5s | William Weston esquire | |
| Failure to do SuitIn the manorial system, a tenant's obligation to attend the manor court was called 'suit of court'. Suit of court... In full. Amerced: 6d | All tenants who have not appeared at court. | |
| Customary RightsThe rules, rights and obligations by which a particular manor was governed/administered. These customs acquired legal force through long usage... In full. | Tenants have the right to firebootBoot (or Bote) was a customary right allowing tenants to take timber for designated purposes. Categories included: Fireboot (deadwood for... In full. without assignmentManorial custom might require agreement (assignment) to use common resources, such as wood for building or repairing houses (houseboot). In full. and housebootBoot (or Bote) was a customary right allowing tenants to take timber for designated purposes. Categories included: Fireboot (deadwood for... In full. and ploughbootBoot (or Bote) was a customary right allowing tenants to take timber for designated purposes. Categories included: Fireboot (deadwood for... In full. with assignment | |
| Customary Rights | No tenant is allowed to take any agistmentAgistment was an arrangement whereby landowners or tenants permitted others to pasture their livestock on lands for a specified fee.... In full. sheep to the commonLand over which manorial tenants held shared rights. These typically included common of pasture (grazing), turbary (cutting turf for fuel),... In full. and let them lodge or couchIn manorial usage, 'to lodge or couch' on the common means that animals grazing there remain resting or lying, typically... In full. there. They are to be penned, and if not penned by the tenant who allowed them onto the common, any other tenant is free to pen them. | |
| Death HeriotHeriot was a duty the lord of the manor collected at the end of a tenancy. It traditionally consisted of... In full.: Best Goods | John Banger | Has died since the last court. |
| Death Heriot: Best Goods | Richard Bishopp | Richard Bishopp has died since the last court. |
| Maintenance and Repair | Elizabeth Hellier (widow) | Her house is IN need of repair and she is ordered to repair it by Michaelmas next on pain of'On pain of' was a phrase in presentments specifying the penalty for non-compliance with a court directive. When the court... In full. 10s. |
| Customary Rights | The way from Thomas Serjeant’s Layes to Bernard Chamberlin’s ground called Erridge and to Elizabeth Hellier’s Erridge, Thomas Hobbs the elder’s Erridge, Thomas Bullen’s ground called West Wood, and John Loader’s ground called Erridge, is turned out of its ancient place by John Hobbs. |