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) |
| The HomageHomage referred to the sworn body of tenants who served as the jury of a manor court. Selection for the... In full. | Richard Snooke, John Carter, Thomas Serjeant, Robert Bullen (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, Robert Chaffey |
| Did not Attend | William Weston (Esquire) Thomas Cooke, Robert Langman, Nicholas Farvis, Andrew Loder, William Kember, John Durrant (by marriage), Edward Hellier, Henry Snooke, Thomas Bingham, Robert Hobbs, George Jolliffe, Thomas Hobbs, William Clarke, George Snooke, George Crosse |
Property Transactions
| Transaction | Individuals, Relationships and Roles | Premises & Land |
|---|---|---|
| AdmissionAdmission was the legal process granting a new tenant rights to copyhold property. The court 'admitted' someone following a previous... In full. Thomas Hobbs junior claimed for life part of a tenementA tenement was any holding of land with at least one building. A customary tenement was held according to the... In full. after the death of his mother Mary (based on the terms of the court roll of May 1681). | Thomas Hobbs junior (son of Thomas senior, new tenant) Thomas Hobbs senior (father of Thomas junior) Mary Hobbs (mother of Thomas junior, deceased, previous tenant) | A tenement as documented in the Court Roll of May AD 1681. (Land and premises not stated in the current court record, details being in the court roll of May 1681.) |
| Death and Admission Robert Bullen claims a tenancy for life after the death of William Loder, the previous tenant. | William Loder (deceased, former tenant) Robert Bullen (new tenant, admittedAdmission was the legal process granting a new tenant rights to copyhold property. The court 'admitted' someone following a previous... In full.) | A tenement (detail not stated). |
| SurrenderSurrender was the formal procedure of returning a copyhold tenancy to the lord of the manor. It served several purposes:... In full. and Admission for 3 lives Robert Hobbs and William his son surrender premises and land which is then taken to be held by Bernard Chamberline and Robert and William his brothers for their joint lifetimes in succession on the financial terms below with Bernard admitted as the first tenant. Rent 2s HeriotsHeriot was a duty the lord of the manor collected at the end of a tenancy. It traditionally consisted of... In full. 10s FineA fine was a customary payment made to the lord of the manor upon changes to tenancy arrangements. It acknowledged... In full. £15 | Robert Hobbs (surrenderer) William Hobbs (son of Robert, surrenderer) John Snooke (former tenant of part) Jane Hobbs (widow, deceased, former tenant of part) Bernard Chamberline (new tenant, admitted) Robert Chamberline (second life) William Chamberline (third life) | One enclosure of meadow called Ricksbedd of about three acres (John Snooke former tenant) One enclosure of arable land called Little Lands End of about one and a half acres of customary tenementA tenement was any holding of land with at least one building. A customary tenement was held according to the... In full. (held once by Jane Hobbs) |
| Surrender and Admission for 3 lives Robert Chaffey and Mary his wife surrender their rights (and the rights of John Chaffey) to premises and land, which is then taken to be held by Robert and his daughters Susanne and Mary for the term of their joint lifetimes in succession on the financial terms below with Robert admitted as the first tenant. Rent 25s HeriotHeriot was a duty the lord of the manor collected at the end of a tenancy. It traditionally consisted of... In full. when due Fine £78 | Robert Chaffey (surrenderer, first life, admitted) Mary Chaffey (wife of Robert, surrenderer) John Chaffey Susanne Chaffey (daughter of Robert, second life) Mary Chaffey (daughter of Robert, third life) | One messuageA dwelling house with outbuildings and surrounding land. In full. or customary tenement, sixty acres of meadowland and pasture, and communal pasture for one hundred sheep in the commonLand over which manorial tenants held shared rights. These typically included common of pasture (grazing), turbary (cutting turf for fuel),... In full. of the manor. |
| Admissions in ReversionThe automatic transfer of a tenancy upon the termination of the current tenant's interest. In manorial practice, reversions were commonly... In full. Ann and Jane, daughters of Robert Chaffey, take the reversion of premises and land (as detailed) for their joint lifetimes on the financial terms below, to come into effect on the end of the current tenancy of Robert Chaffey. Rent 3s 4d Heriot: 20s Fine £12 | Ann Chaffey (daughter of Robert) Jane Chaffey (daughter of Robert) Joan Locke (deceased) Grace Snooke (nearby occupant) Robert Chaffey | Part of a tenement recently in the tenure of widow Joane Locke (now deceased), namely the west part of the dwelling house, part of the entry leading into it, a small stable near the house recently Grace Snooke’s, all parts to the west of The BacksideRefers to the small area of land at the rear of a property. There is one example where the size... In full. belonging to the tenement as already divided, plus one small part of the garden, also as currently divided. One enclosure called Eastward Close (part of the tenement) and communal pasture for ten sheep (part of the communal rights) and all premises recently in the tenure of Robert Chaffey. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
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 are allowed to take 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. 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 common 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. | |
Maintenance and Repair | The gate presented at the last court adjoining to the farm is still not repaired and therefore the persons previously named have forfeited 10s each. They are ordered to complete the repair before 24th of June 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. 20s each | |
| Maintenance and Repair | George Crosse (offender) Robert Bullen (neighbour) | George Crosse is to scour the brook at the lower end of his Woollons against Robert Bullen’s Woollons by Michaelmas next on pain of 10s |
| Maintenance and Repair | Robert Longman (offender) William Kember (neighbour) | Robert Longman’s ditch needs to be scoured from his house to the corner of his orchard over against William Kember’s house by Michaelmas next on pain of 10s |
| Death and Tenancy Change | William Loder (deceased, tenant) Robert Bullen (next taker) | William Loder has died since the last court and the heriot has been paid. Robert Bullen is the next taker to that tenement |
| Tenancy Change | Thomas Hobbs the younger | Thomas Hobbs the younger to be taken tenant to the tenement his mother was in possessed of when she died. |
| Maintenance and Repair | Thomas Serjeant | Thomas Serjeant must scour his ditch from the gate at the corner of his garden to Lippyat Elm by Christmas next on pain of 10s |
| Maintenance and Repair | Thomas Cooke Edward Hellier (neighbour) | Thomas Cooke is to make a sufficient fence across the brook between his ground called Erridge and Edward Hellier’s ground called Erridge by midsummer next on pain of 5s |
| Customary Rights | The tenants customThe rules, rights and obligations by which a particular manor was governed/administered. These customs acquired legal force through long usage... In full. is to fetch water at the well at the lower end of the meadow that was William Loder’s and our way is from the boundstone by the footpath straight to the well | |
| 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. / 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. 6d each | William Weston Esquire, Thomas Cooke, Robert Longman, William Kember, George Snooke, Henry Snooke, Nicholas Varvice, Thomas Hobbs, Edward Hellier, John Durant, George Crosse, Robert Kember | |
| Maintenance and Repair | Andrew Loder | Andrew Loder has not maintained a sufficient fence at his ground called Downe against the Common and has driven the cattle to Caundle pound from their manor when all the tenants of this manor ought to pound cattle at the pound belonging to this manor. We order the fence to be repaired by midsummer next on pain of 10s |