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 |
| HaywardThe hayward was a manorial official appointed to protect the fields during growing and harvest seasons. Duties included maintaining hedges,... In full. | Thomas Hobbs |
| The HomageHomage referred to the sworn body of tenants who served as the jury of a manor court. Selection for the... In full. | John Loder, Robert Jolliffe, Bernard Chamberlin, Ambrose Serjeant, William Lush, Robert Chaffey |
| 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, John Carter, Robert Langman, Thomas Serjeant, Richard Farvis, Andrew Loader, Robert Kember, Robert Bullen, 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.), Elizabeth Hellier, Henry Snook, Thomas Hobbs senior, Maria Hellier (widow), Robert Hancock, Joseph Snook, James Carter, Eleanor Bishop, Margaret Miles, Jane Jolliffe (widow), Elizabeth Jolliffe, Thomas Hobbs junior, Elizabeth Clark (widow), George Snook, John Smith (by marriage), Samuel Cave, Hanna Banger (widow), widow Paviatt, Margery Combs, 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 3d | All the tenants who did not appear | |
| 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 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 | |
| Death and AdmissionAdmission was the legal process granting a new tenant rights to copyhold property. The court 'admitted' someone following a previous... In full. HeriotHeriot was a duty the lord of the manor collected at the end of a tenancy. It traditionally consisted of... In full.: 4s | John Paviatt (deceased) widow Paviatt (wife of John, admittedAdmission was the legal process granting a new tenant rights to copyhold property. The court 'admitted' someone following a previous... In full.) | John Paviatt died since the last court, and there happened to the lord for a heriot. John’s widow is declared next tenant and is admitted. |
| Antisocial Behaviour | Widow Banger Nicholas Farvis | widow Banger and Nicholas Farvis are reported for serving [grazing] their cattle in Weston CommonLand over which manorial tenants held shared rights. These typically included common of pasture (grazing), turbary (cutting turf for fuel),... In full., but have no right to do so. |
| Maintenance and Repair | Robert Langman | His fence in the ditch between his Orchard and Robert Kember’s should be repaired within one week, 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. |