Kings Chamber a fur of Grise Mansfeild Woodhouse Sir Robert Plumpton Knight was seized of one Bovat of Land in Mansfeild Woodhouse in Com. Nottingham called Wolfhunt Land held by the service of winding a Horn and Chasing or Frighting the Wolves in the Forest of Shirewood Over Colewick Reginald de Colewike held Lands in Over Colewick in Com. Nottingham of the King in Capite by the service of paying him twelve barbed Arrows when he should come to Nottingham Castle Burton John Burdon held Four Bovats of Land in Demain in Buron in Com. Nottingham of the Honour of Tickhill by the service of finding one Horse and one Sack when the Constables of Chester marched into Wales in the Kings service Worksop King Henry the Eighth granted to George Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury the Scite and Precinct of the Monastery of Wirksop cum pertin in Com. Nottingham to be held of the King in Capite by the service of the tenth part of a Knights Fee and by the royal service of finding the King a right hand Glove at his Coronation and to support his right Arm that day as long as he should hold the Scepter in his hand and paying yearly 23 l. 8 s. o d. ob Whichnor Sir Philip de Somervile Knight held the Mannor of Whichnour in Com. Stafford of the Eirle of Lancaster then Lord of the Honour of Tutbury by these memoable services viz. by two small Fees that is to say when other Tenants pay for Releef one whole Knights Fee one hundred shillings he the said Sir P. shall pay but fifty shillings and when Escuage is alsessd throgheout the Land or Apde for to make the eldest Son of the Lord Knyght or for to marry the eldest Doughter of the Lord the sayd Sir Philip shal pay bot the moty of it that other shal paye Nevertheless the sayd Sir Philip shal fynde meynteinge and susteigne one Bacon Flyke hanginge in his Halle at Wichenore ready arrayed all tymes of the yere bott in Lent to be given to everyche Mane or Womane married after the day and yere of their mariage be passed and to be given to everyche Mane of Religion Arch Bishop Prior or other religious and to everyche Preest after the year and day of their Profession finished or of their Dignity reseyved in forme following whensoever that ony such before named Wylle come for to enquire for the Baconne in there owne person or by any other for them they shall come to the Bayliff or to the Porter of the Lordship of Whichenour and shal say to them in the manere as ensewethe Baylife or Porter I doo you to knowe that I am come for my self or if he come for any other shewing for whome one Bacon flyke hanging in the Halle of the Lord of Whichenour after the forme thereunto belonginge After which relation the Bailiff or Porter shal assigne a daye to him upon promise by his feythe to return and with him to bring tweyne of his neighbours and in the meyn time the said Bailif shal take with him tweyne of the Freeholders of the Lordship of Whichenoure and they three shal goe to the Mannour of Rudlowe belonging to Robert Knyghtleye and there shal somon the foresaid Knyghtley or his Bayliffe comanding hym to be ready at Whichenour the day appoynted at Pryme of the day with his Cariage that is to say a Horse and a Sadyle a Sakke and a Pryke for to convey and carry the said Baconne and Corne a journey owt of the Countee of Stafford at his Costages And then the sayd Bailiffe shal with the said Freeholders somon all the Tenaunts of the said Manoir to be ready at the day appoynted at Whichenour for to doe and performe the services which they owe to the Baconne And at the day assigned all such as owe services to the Baconne shal be ready at the Gatte of the Manoir of Whichenour frome the Sonne risinge to None attendyng and awayting for the Comyng of hym that fetcheth the Baconne and when he is comyn there shal be delivered to hym and his felowys Chapeletts and to all those whiche shal be there to doe their services deue to the Baconne And they shal lede the seid demandant wythe Tromps and Tabours and other manner of Mynstralseye to the Hall dore where he shal fynde the Lord of Whichenour or his Steward redy to deliver the Baconne in this manere He shal enquere of hym which demandeth the Baconne if he have brought tweyne of his neghbours with hym which must answere They be here redy And then the Steward shal cause theis two neghbours to swere yf the seid demandant be a weddyt Man or have be a Man weddyt and yf syth his marryage one yere and a day be passed And yf he be a freeman or a Villeyn And yf his seid neghbours make Othe that he hath for hym all theis three poynts rehersed then shall the Baconne be take downe and broght to the Halle dore and shal there be layd upon one half a Quarter of Wheatte and upon one other of Rye And he that demandeth the Baconne shal kneel upon his knee and shal hold his right hande upon a Booke which Booke shal be layd above the Baconne and the Corne and shal make oath in this manere Here ye Sir Philip de Somervyle Lord of Whichenour mayntayner and giver of this Baconne that I A. syth I wedded B. my Wife and syth I had her in my kepyng and at my wylle by a yere and a daye after our marryage I wold not have chaunged for none other farer ne fowler richer ne powrer ne for none other descended of gretter lynage slepyng ne waking at noo tyme. And if the seid B. were sole and I sole I wolde take her to be my Wife before all the Wymen of the Worlde of what condytions soevere they be good or evyle as helpe me God and his Seyntys and this Flesh and all Fleshes And his neghbours shal make oath that they trust verily he hath said truely And yf it be founde by his neghbours before named that he be a freeman there shal be delyvered to him half a Quarter of Wheatte and a Cheese And yf he be a Villein he shall have half a Quarter of Rye withoutte Cheese and then shal Knyghtley the Lord of Rudlowe be called for to carry all theis thynges to fore rehersed And the sayd Corne shal be layd upon one Horse and the Baconne above yt and he to whome the Baconne apperteigneth shal ascend upon his Horse shal take the Cheese before hym if he have a horse and yf he have none the Lord of Whichenour shal cause him have one Horse and sadyl to such tyme as he be passed his Lordshippe And soe shal they departe the Manoyr of Whichenour with the Corne and the Baconne to fore him that hath wonne ytt with Trompets Tabourets and other manoir of Mynstralce And all the Free Tenants of Whichenour shal conduct him
gave Sir Ralph de Pichford the little Burgh near Bridgnorth to hold by the service of finding dry wood for the great Chamber of the Castle of Burgh i. Bridgnorth against the coming thither of his Sovereign Lord the King Whittington Beneath Whittington in Shropshire one Wrenoc Son of Meuric held Lands by the service of being Latimer that is Trucheman or Interpreter between the English and the Welshmen Kinwaldmersh Nicholas filius haeres Nicolai de Longford Chivalier tenet quatuor Messuagia 40 acras terrae deeem acras prati lx s. redditus cum pertinentiis in Kinwaldmersh de Rege in Capite per Servitium inveniendi unum Equum unum Saccum unum Pryk in guerra Walliae quandocunque contigerit Regem ibi guerrare Langewath Vniversis Capitulum Beati Petri Ebor. concessisse ad firmam J.S. totam Hayam nostram de Langewath cum solo ejusdem Hayae bruera marisco omnibus aliis pertinentiis Reddendo inde annuatim nobis tempore Pinguedinis unum damum Fermisonae tempore unam damam c. Dat. 13. Calend. Januar. Anno M CC LXXIX Brokenerst Petrus Spileman finem fecit cum Rege pro terris quas dictus Petrus tenuit per Seriantiam inveniendi unum servientem cum Hambergello per 40 dies in Anglia inveniendi Literam ad Lectum Regis faenum ad Paleefridum Regis quando Rex jacuerit apud Brokenerst in Com. Southampton Rodeley Certain Tenants of the Mannor of Rodeley in Com. Glocester do pay to this day to the Lord thereof a Rent called Pridgavel in duty and acknowledgment to him for their Liberty and Priviledge of fishing for Lampreys in the River Severn Plompton In King Henry the third's time Walter de Plompton held certain Lands in Plompton in the Parish of Kingsbury and County of Warwick by a certain Weapon called a Danish Axe which being the very Charter whereby the said Land was given to one of his Ancestors hung up for a long time in the Hall of the Capital Messuage in testimony of the said Tenure Hildesley Ad istam Curiam Johannes Rede fecit finem cum Domino pro Tenemento suo Per servitium octo solidorum unius Bederip in Autumno Stamford William Earl Warren Lord of this Town in the time of King John standing upon the Castle Walls saw two Bulls fighting for a Cow in the Castle Meadow till all the Butchers Doggs pursued one of the Bulls madded with noise and multitude clean through the Town This sight so pleased the Earl that he gave the Castle Meadows where first the Bulls duel began for a Common to the Butchers of the Town after the first Grass was mowed on condition that they should find a mad Bull the day six weeks before Christmas day for the continuance of that sport for ever Homet King Henry the fifth granted to Sir Walter Hungerford the Castle and Barrony of Homet in Normandy in special Tail rendring to the King and his Heirs one Lance with a Fox-tayl hanging thereat yearly upon the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and finding ten men at Arms and twenty Archers to serve him or his Lieutenant during his Wars with France Nedding and Kettilherston William de la Pole Marquess of Suffolk had a Grant from King Henry the Sixth of the Mannors of Nedding and Kettilberston in Com. Suffolk to hold by the service of carrying a Golden Scepter with a Dove on the head of it upon the Coronation day of the Kings heirs and Successors As also a Scepter of Ivory with a Golden Dove on the head of it upon the day of the Coronation of the Queens of England Isle of Man Sir John Stanley of Hen. IV. had a Grant in Fee of the Isle of Man with the Castle Pele Pelam Patronage of the Bishoprick with all the Regalities and Franchises thereto belonging To be held of the King his Heirs and Successors by Homage and the service of two Falcons payable on the day of his or their Coronation Brayles In King Edward the Firsts time Adam Vnderwood held one Yard land in Brayles in Com. Warwic of William Earl of Warwick paying therefore seven bushels of Oats yearly and a Hen and working for the Lord from Michaelmas till Lammas every other day except Saturday viz. at Mowing as long as that season lasted for which he was to have as much Grass as he could carry away with his Sythe and at the end of Hay-harvest he and the rest of his Fellow-Mowers to have the Lords best Mutton except one or xvj d. in money with the best Cheese saving one or vj d. in money and the Cheese-Vat wherein the Cheese was made full of Salt From Lammas to Michaelmas he was to work two days in the week and to come to the Lords Reap with all his houshold except his Wife and his Shepherd to cut down one Land of Corn being quit of all other work for that day That he should likewise carry 2 Cart-loads and an half of the Lords Hay and 7 Cart-load of Stones for 3 days and gather Nuts for 3 days And in case the Lord kept his Christmas at his Mannor of Brayles to find three of his Horses meat for three nights That he should plough thrice a year viz. 6 Selions and make 3 Quarters of Malt for the Lord and pay for every Hog he kept above a year old j d and for every one under a halfpeny And lastly that he and the rest of the Tenants of this Mannor should give 12 Marks yearly to the Lord at Michaelmas by way of Ayd and not marry their Daughters nec filios coronare i. nor make their Sons Priests without license from the Lord. Bainton In 2. Ed. 2. Peter de Manley was found to be seized of the Mannor of Bainton with the Advowson of the Church by the service of finding two Knights and four Esquires in the Kings Army for 40 dayes in time of War and to provide a Steward to do suit for him at the Kings Court at York from six Weeks to 6 weeks Wiltshire The County of Wilts antiently paid to the King ten pounds for a Hawk twenty shillings pro Summario a Sumpter Horse one hundred shillings for Hay and in Money five Ores Fernham The Barons Furnival held Fernham in Com. Bucks now called Farnham-Royal by service of finding their Sovereign Lord the King upon the day of his Coronation a glove for his right-Hand and to support his right Arm the same day whilst he held the Regal Verge or Scepter in his Hands From the Furnivals this Mannor came to the Talbots who though they exchanged it with King Hen. 8. Yet they reserved this honourable Office to them and their heirs for ever Fingrey and Wulfelmelston The Earls of Oxford by the heir of Sandford antiently held the Mannors of Fingrey and Wulfelmelston in
yearly and carrying it up and down the Town in great jollity on Midsomer Eve to which they added the Picture of a Giant was in all likelyhood first instituted Ensham It has been the Custom at Ensham in Oxfordshire for the Towns people on Whit-Monday to cut down and bring away where-ever the Church-Wardens pleased to mark it out by giving the first Chop as much timber as could be drawn by mens hands into the Abby-yard whence if they could draw it out again notwithstanding all the impediments could be given by the servants of the Abby and since that by the Family of the Lord it was then their own and went in part at least to the reparation of their Church And by this Custom as some will have it they hold both their Lammas and Michaelmas Common Bosbury W.M. Tenet novem acras terrae Custumariae in Bosbury in Com. Heref. quoddam Molendinum aquaticum ad voluntatem Domini debet quasdam Consuetudines viz. Tak Toll Faldfey sanguinem suum emere Lodebrook In the Mannor of Lodebrook in the County of Warwic whereof the Catesbyes were heretofore Lords each Tenant paid Swarf-money yearly which was one peny half-peny It must be paid says the Rental before the rising of the Sun the party must go thrice about the Cross and say The Swarf-Money and then take witness and lay it in the hole And when he hath so done he must look well that his witness do not deceive him for if it be not paid he giveth a great forfeiture thirty shillings and a white Bull. Chester In the time of King John Randle the third sirnamed Blundevil Earl of Chester having many Conflicts with the Welch was at last distressed by them and forced to retreat to the Castle of Rothelent in Flint shire where they besieged him who presently sent to his Constable of Chester Roger Lacy sirnamed Hell for his fiery spirit that he would come with all speed and bring what forces he could for his relief Roger having gathered a tumultuous rout of Fidlers Players Coblers and other debauched persons both men and Women out of the City of Chester for 't was then the Fair there marched immediately with them towards the besieged Earl The Welch perceiving a great multitude coming raised the siege and fled The Earl coming back with his Constable to Chester gave him power over all the Fidlers and Shoemakers of Chester in reward and memory of this service The Constable reteined to himself and his heirs the authority and donation of the Shoemakers but John his Son conferred the Authority over the Lechers and Whores on his Steward which then was Dutton of Dutton by this his deed Sciant praesentes futuri quod ego Johannes Constabularius Cestriae dedi concessi hac praesenti Carta confirmavi Hugoni de Dutton haeredibus suis Magistratum omnium Leccatorum Meretricum totius Cestershiriae sicut liberius illum magistratum teneo de Comite Salvo jure meo mihi heredibus meis Hiis testibus Though this original Grant makes no mention of giving Rule over Fidlers and Minstrels yet ancient Custom has now reduced it onely to the Minstrelsey for probably the Rout which the Constable brought to the Rescue of the Earl were debauched persons drinking with their Sweethearts in the Fair the Fidlers that attended them and such loose persons as he could get Anno 14 Hen 7. a Quo Waranto was brought against Laurence Dutton of Dutton Esquire to shew why he claimed all the Minstrels of Cheshire and the City of Chester to appear before him at Chester yearly on the Feast of Saint John Baptist and to give him at the said Feast quatuor Lagenas Vini unam Lanceam i. Four Flagons of wine and a Lance and also every Minstrel then to pay him four pence halfpeny and why he claimed from every Whore in Chesshire and the City of Chester Officium suum exercente four pence yearly at the said feast c. Whereunto he pleaded prescription The heirs of this Hugh de Dutton enjoy the same power and Authority over the Minstrelsy of Cheshire even to this day and keep a Court every year upon the Feast of Saint John Baptist at Chester being the Fair day where all the Minstrels of the County and City do attend and play before the Lord of Dutton upon their several Instruments He or his Deputy then riding through the City thus attended to the Church of St. John many Gentlemen of the County accompanying him and one walking before him in a Surcoat of his Arms depicted upon Taffata And after Divine Service ended holds his Court in the City where he or his Steward renews the old Licences granted to the Minstrels and gives such new ones as he thinks fit under the Hand and Seal of himself or his Steward none presuming to exercise that faculty there without it But now this Dominion or priviledge is by a Daughter and heir of Thomas Dutton devolved to the Lord Gerard of Gerards Bromley in Staffordshhire And whereas by the Statute of 39 Eliz Fidlers are declared to be Rogues yet by a special Proviso therein those in Chesshire Licenced by Dutton of Dutton are exempted from that infamous Title in respect of this his ancient Custome and priviledge Esseburn Juratores dicunt quod in principio quando Mineratores veniunt in Campum Mineria quaerentes inventa minera venient ad Ballivum qui dicitur Berghmanster petent ab eo duas Metas si sit in novo Campo habebunt unam scil pro inventione aliam de jure Mineratorum unaquaeque meta continet quatuor Perticatas ad foveam suam septem pedes unaquaeque Perticata erit de 24 pedibus c. dicunt etiam quod Placita del Bergmote debent teneri de tribus septimanis in tres septimanas super minerias in Pecco c. Berk-holt Homines de Berkholt in Com. Suffolk dicunt quod tempore Regis Henrici Avi Domini Regis nunc solebant habere talem Consuetudinem Quod quando maritare volebant filias suas solebant dare Domino pro filiabus suis maritandis duas Oras quae valent xxxij Denarios Warham By the Custom of Warham in the County of Dorset both Males and Females have a right equally in the partition of Lands and Tenements Tenementa in Warham sunt partibilia inter Masculos Faeminas says the Record And is so unusuall a Custom that perhaps it may be hard to find the like elsewhere in England Honington The Tenants of the Mannor of Honington in the County of Warwic were by antient Custom to perform several services to the Lord every other day from Midsummer to Michaelmas To pay six shillings and eight pence yearly for maintenance of the Lords Corn-Cart and none of them to sell his Horse-Colt without licence from the Lord. Hampton Tenentes de
it a Scealfing-stole i. Cathedra in qua rixosae mulieres sedentes aquis demergebantur Reg. Priorat de Cokesford Pla. in Itin. apud Cestriam 14. H. 7. Pelf or Pelfre appears here to signify such a quantity of goods and Chattels as are here expressed which to this day in common speech we call worldly Pelf What Attaniatos may signify I am to learn Et totum brasium infra unum Quarterium and all the Mault except one quarter De quolibet Tasso bladi clamat habere Groundstal integrum of every mow of Corn be claimed to have as much as would cover the ground or floor where the Corn lay Carruca cum tota apparura is a Plow with all its furniture Reg. Prâ—rat de Thurgarton Nat. Hist of Ox. sh fo 203. Ibid. fo 348. Nat. Hist of Ox. sh Liber niger Heref. fo 158. I suppose this Faldfey might signify a Fee or Rent paid by the Tenant to his Lord for leave to Fold his Sheep on his own ground And by sanguinem suum emere was meant that the Tenant being a Bondman should buy out his Villainous blood and make himself a Freeman Ex. Antiq. Rentali ejusd Man I know not what this Swarf-money may signify unless it were miswritten for Warth-money or Ward-money Sir Pet. Lâ—yc Hist. Antiquities of Chesshire Inter Placita apud cestriam 14 H. 7. Stat. 39. Eliz. cap. 4. Esc de anno 16 E. 1. N. 34. Derby Pla. coram Rege Mich. 37 H. 3. rot 4. Here those Ores which was a Saxon Coyn are declared to be in value of our money 16 d. a peece but after by the Variation of the Standard they valued 20 d. a peece And this Fine for the tenants marrying their Daughters was without doubt in lieu of the Merchera Mulierum or first nights lodging with the Bride which the Lord anciently claimed in some Mannors Pla. de Jur. Assi de Anno. 16. E 1. Inq. per H. Nott. Lib. niger Heref. * These Tenants were bound to get yearly six Horseloads of rods or Wattles in the Hay-Wood and to bring them to Hereford for the making of Hurdles to pen sheep in at the Fair. For Cleta I suppose is made a latin word from the French word Claye which signifies a hurdle or watled Gate E monumentis Roffenfis Ecclesiae sub anno 1200. * This Judgment to carry hot Iron to try the guilt or innocency of the criminal was according to the Ordalian Law not abolished here in England till King Henry the thirds time * Chacherellus Hundredi is thought by the learned Spelman to signify the Steward of the Hundred from the French Cachereau i. Chartularium Rot. Pat. 3. H. 3. m. 5. Antiq. Supervis Honorii de Clun Reg. Priorat it de Dunmow Liber de Consuetud Eccl. Roff. fact 1314. * For Provendeâ— These Spigurnelli were Sealers of the Kings Writs for King Henry the third appointed Geofry de Spigurnel into that Office and perhaps the first in it or for some other eminency in him it was that these Officers were afterwards for some time called Spigurnels Pat. 11 H. 3. M. 7. Castumar de Bello in Com. Sussex Ad tassum furcare i. to pitch to the Mongh Liber niger Heref. * For driving Deer to a stand in order to shooting them or into Buckstalls or Deer-Hays for taking them Domesday Rot. de Quo War 20 E. 6. 1. Heref. This Domesman is one of those that sit in the Court in Judicature with the Steward for Dome in Saxon signifies Judgments And there are nine of these Domesmen continued to this day in Irchenfeild and were so from a long and unknown beginning of which see Taylors History of Gavelkind Domesday tit Heref. Stabilitionem in sylva is the same with Stabliamentum pro Venatione expounded above Masuras dwelling houses Inewardos I suppose may signify such as guarded the Kings person Pecunia is here used for Cattle and goods for of old Pecunia pro pecude often occurs see Law Dictionary Inq. temp E. 1. de Hundr de Langtre in Com. Ox. Ex Regist de Tutbury * 1 H. 6. The Erle of Devonshire is now Prior ab H. 8. * Cabossed Ears Single or tayle Brow-antler s. The present Steward is the Duke of Ormond Mr. Edw. Foden his deputy The Earl of Devon is Prior.