Sources 1520-1529

Hastings family deeds (1100-1600)

John Harley of the Historical Manuscripts Commission was invited by Reginald Rawdon Hastings to examine his family's extensive archives at the Manor House, Ashby de la Zouche, in Leicestershire. Harley produced a detailed calendar, of which is the first volume, published in 1928, Hastings himself having since died, and Harley having been killed at Gallipoli. This volume covers four categories of the records: the Ancient Deeds; Manorial and other Documents; Accounts and Inventories; and Miscellaneous Papers. Most, but not all, of the material is mediaeval. About half of the deeds relate to the family property in Leicestershire; then there are sections for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, London, Wiltshire, Somersetshire, Devonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, &c. The manorial section includes a partitions of the estates of the Earls of Leicester and Wilton about 1204 and 1277; manor court rolls are mentioned, but not extracted. Choicer items from the family accounts and inventories are copied in extenso for 1596 and 1607, and thereafter summarised. Most of the later material is merely dipped into for curiosities.
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Penshurst Manuscripts (1150-1580)

C. L. Kingsford prepared a calendar of the papers of Lord de L'Isle and Dudley at Penshurst Place in Kent for the Historical Manuscripts Commission, of which this first volume was published in 1925. The material is presented in eleven sections: I. 39 deeds relating to the Sydney family's Surrey and Sussex estates from about 1150 to 1502; II. Summary notes on deeds from these and other English counties (mainly Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire) and from Wales and Ireland; III. Documents relating to Robertsbridge Abbey in Sussex (charters and deeds; rentals; court rolls; reeve's accounts at Footland; and bursar's accounts) from 1160 onwards; IV. Deeds and documents relating to the church and college of Tattershall in Lincolnshire (deeds; statutes and ordinances; miscellaneous papers; court rolls; and accounts (warden's, steward's, precentor's and impositor's, receiver's, bailiffs', and building and post-dissolution accounts); V. Family papers and estates accounts of the Cromwells of Tattershall (general accounts and wills; accounts of stewards of the household; building accounts of Tattershall castle; estate accounts); VI. Summary lists of various rolls, rentals, surveys and accounts, from various counties (mainly Kent and Lincolnshire); VII. Documents relating to Penshurst and its owners; VIII. Sydney family papers; IX. Accounts of the ironworks at Robertsbridge and in Glamorgan; X. Papers relating to the Council of Wales, 1526 to 1580; and XI. Irish Accounts, from sir Henry Sydney's terms as Vice-Treasurer and Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1556 to 1578.
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Clergy and benefactors of the bishopric of Moray (1250-1540)

The mediaeval diocese of Moray comprised the shire of Elgin and Forres (or Moray), Nairnshire, and a large part of the shires of Inverness and Banff, in the sheriffdom of Elgin and Forres (Moray). The cathedral was attacked and burned by the Wolf of Badenoch (Alexander earl of Buchan and lord of Badenoch): but about 1400 an attempt was made to piece together surviving archives into a bishop's register. The Liber Episcopi contains the canons and constitution of the church, and charters relating to episcopal privileges and properties; the Liber Decani is the dean and chapter register. A fair copy of these records, plus later charters and writs, was made in 1540 and is called the Red Book of the Church of Moray. These manuscripts, together with other material to as late as 1623, were collated for the Bannatyne Club and printed in 1837.
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Tradesmen of York (1272-1558)

No man or woman could trade in the city of York without having obtained 'freedom' of the city.Their names were recorded on the 'Freemen's Roll', or Register of the Freemen of the City of York, which contains about 19,900 names for this period. A list of names was prepared for each year, the year being here reckoned as starting at Michaelmas (29 September) until 1373, and thence at Candlemas (2 February). Each annual list starts with the name of the mayor and the camerarii or chamberlains. The chamberlains were freemen charged with the duty of receiving the fees of the new freemen; of seeing that only freemen traded in the city; and of preparing this roll, which was compiled from the names on their own account books from the receipts for the fees. There are three groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; and those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase or gift from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen.
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Tradesmen of Lynn in Norfolk (1292-1836)

Lists of admissions of freemen of Lynn from the earliest surviving records to 1836 were published by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society in 1913. These lists were extracted from the tallage rolls of 1291 to 1306; the Red Register of Lynn from 1342 to 1395; from the assembly rolls for the reigns of Henry IV and V [1399 to 1422]; from the hall books from 1423; and from a list of freemen starting in 1443 in the Book of Oaths (but itself abstracted from entries in the hall books). Freedom of the borough, necessary to practise a trade there, could be obtained by birth (in which case the father's name and occupation are usually given); by apprenticeship to a freeman (the master's name and occupation being given); by gratuity; or by purchase. Both the freemen and the masters listed are indexed here. The main abbreviations used are: B., freedom taken up by right of birth; A., freedom taken up by right of apprenticeship; G., freedom granted by order of assembly (gratuity); and P., freedom acquired by purchase.
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Inhabitants of Ripon (1354-1609)

In 1888 the Surtees Society published, as the 3rd volume of Memorials of the Church of SS Peter and Wilfrid, Ripon, a collection of extracts from a variety of sources relating to the minster - a copy of the appropriate section from the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535-6; chantry certificates of 1546-7; ministers' accounts of 1547-9; fabric rolls (giving accounts of expenditure on the buildings) from 1354 to 1542; a paper book of about 1520; treasurers' rolls from 1401 to 1485; chamberlains' rolls from 1410 to 1558; an inquisition of 1609 (from the Duchy of Lancaster archives); and extracts from the diocesan archives of 1567 to 1580. The people that appear in these records are not only the clergy, but also workmen maintaining and repairing the fabric, local tenants, and the names of the deceased whose obits incurred small payments to the church.
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Testators and legatees in London (1358-1688)

The Court of Husting of the city of London sat (usually on a Monday) each week: among its functions was the enrolment of deeds and wills relating to citizens of London. In their strictest technical sense the terms 'will' and 'devise' are appropriate to real estate, and the terms 'testament', 'bequest' and 'legacy' to personal estate, but this distinction is lost sight of in ordinary usage. This calendar of wills proved and enrolled in the Court of Husting was edited by Reginald R. Sharpe, records clerk in the office of the Town Clerk of the City of London, and printed by order of the corporation in 1890. The date of the court is given in italics, with the year in bold in the margin. The testator's name is given in capitals (surname first, in bold), and then a brief listing of substantial bequests, with the names of legatees, and then the date of making of the will, and reference. The bulk of the wills in this volume are from before 1600.
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Bury St Edmunds area testators and legatees (1370-1650)

A number of wills proved and registered in the courts of Bury St Edmunds Commisary and Sudbury Archdeaconry were selected by Samuel Tymms 'more with a view to illustrate the peculiar customs and language of the period than the topology or genealogy of the district' and transcribed for publication by the Camden Society in 1850. Most of those after 1450 are in English.
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Traders in Canterbury (1392-1592)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, transcribed and privately printed in 1904 the lists of the Intrantes - those persons, not being free of the city, who paid the annual fine to trade - for the period 1392 to 1592. The names are arranged by ward (Burgate, Newyngate, Westgate, Worgate and Northgate, and give full name, (sometimes) occupation, and fee paid.
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Freemen of Canterbury by Apprenticeship (1392-1800)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, produced this extract of the names from 1392 to 1800, and the volume was privately printed in 1903. There are five groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; those who married a freeman's daughter; those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase; and those who were honoured by a gift of the freedom from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen. Cowper published his lists divided into the five categories: the sample scan is from the list of those who obtained freedom by marriage. This is the index to those who gained their freedom by apprenticeship.
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Freemen of Canterbury by Birth (1392-1800)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, produced this extract of the names from 1392 to 1800, and the volume was privately printed in 1903. There are five groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; those who married a freeman's daughter; those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase; and those who were honoured by a gift of the freedom from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen. Cowper published his lists divided into the five categories: the sample scan is from the list of those who obtained freedom by marriage. This is the index to those who gained their freedom by birth.
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Wives and Masters of Freemen of Canterbury (1392-1800)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, produced this extract of the names from 1392 to 1800, and the volume was privately printed in 1903. There are five groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; those who married a freeman's daughter; those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase; and those who were honoured by a gift of the freedom from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen. Cowper published his lists divided into the five categories: the sample scan is from the list of those who obtained freedom by marriage. This is the index to all the stray names in the records: the wives and father-in-laws by whom freedom was acquired; the masters of apprentices; and other persons mentioned by the way in the record.
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Freemen of Canterbury by Gift (1392-1800)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, produced this extract of the names from 1392 to 1800, and the volume was privately printed in 1903. There are five groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; those who married a freeman's daughter; those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase; and those who were honoured by a gift of the freedom from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen. Cowper published his lists divided into the five categories: the sample scan is from the list of those who obtained freedom by marriage. This is the index to those who gained their freedom by gift.
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Freemen of Canterbury by Marriage (1392-1800)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, produced this extract of the names from 1392 to 1800, and the volume was privately printed in 1903. There are five groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; those who married a freeman's daughter; those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase; and those who were honoured by a gift of the freedom from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen. Cowper published his lists divided into the five categories: the sample scan is from the list of those who obtained freedom by marriage. This is the index to those who gained their freedom by marriage.
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Freemen of Canterbury by Redemption (1392-1800)

No man or woman could trade in the city of Canterbury without having obtained 'freedom' of the city, unless they paid an annual fee to do so. Admissions of freemen were recorded on the Chamberlains' Accounts of the city, which were prepared annually from Lady Day (25 March) to Lady Day until 1752, and thereafter each set runs from 1 January to 31 December. The accounts for 1392 are incomplete, but thereafter until 1800 there is a complete series except for the years 1455 to 1457 and the year 1552-3. Joseph Meadows Cowper, Honorary Librarian to the Corporation, produced this extract of the names from 1392 to 1800, and the volume was privately printed in 1903. There are five groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; those who married a freeman's daughter; those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase; and those who were honoured by a gift of the freedom from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen. Cowper published his lists divided into the five categories: the sample scan is from the list of those who obtained freedom by marriage. This is the index to those who gained their freedom by redemption.
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Tradesmen of Chester (1392-1805)

Lists of admissions of freemen of the city of Chester from the earliest surviving records to 1805 were compiled by J. H. E. Bennett and published by the Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society from 1906. These lists were extracted from the mayoral yearbooks (dating back to 1392) and twelve freemen's rolls covering 1538 to 1612 and 1636 to 1805; and a list of admissions for 1505-1506 in Harleian MS 2105 (British Library). The record does not become more or less continuous until about 1490: in all, 12,426 freedoms are recorded. Freedom of the city, necessary to practise a trade in the city, could be obtained by birth (in which case the father's name and occupation are usually given); by apprenticeship to a freeman (the master's name and occupation being given); or by order of assembly. Both the freemen and the masters listed are indexed here. The main abbreviations used are: B, freedom taken up by right of birth; I, freedom taken up by right of indenture; M. B., Mayor's Book; *, freedom granted by order of assembly.
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Burgesses of Preston, Lancashire, and other members of Preston guild merchant (1397-1682)

Freedom of the borough of Preston was necessary to trade in the town. The guild merchant maintained rolls of the burgesses, which were renewed every Preston guild, held every twenty years. The surviving rolls from 1397 to 1682 were edited by W. Alexander Abram, and published by the Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society in 1884 (volume ix). Each roll contains, firstly, a list of In-Burgesses, i. e., burgess inhabitants of the town, with the names of any adult sons eligible by way of inheritance to the freedom; then Foreign Burgesses (Burgenses Forinseci), i. e., those persons living outside the town who had acquired the freedom, plus the names of any adult sons; finally, there is a list of those who were not burgesses by inheritance, but had purchased freedom of the town. The only women to appear in these lists are three ladies in 1397, who were perhaps widows of burgesses. The text covers the rolls for the guilds merchant held in 1397 (20 Richard II: pages 1 to 7), 1415 (7 Henry V: 7-11), 1459 (37 Henry VI: 11-15), 1542 (34 Henry VIII: 15-19), 1562 (4 Elizabeth: 20-31), 1582 (24 Elizabeth: 31-46), 1602 (44 Elizabeth: 46-65), 1622 (20 James I: 65-94), 1642 (18 Charles I: 94-123), 1662 (14 Charles II: 123-159), and 1682 (34 Charles II: 160-202).
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Inhabitants of Aberdeen (1398-1570)

Extracts from the first 27 surviving volumes of Aberdeen burgh (borough) records were made by John Stuart for the Spalding Club and published in 1844. Although it is believed that the town records were preserved on parchment rolls until about 1380, and in book form thereafter, by 1591 the town clerk remarked that there existed of the earliest records only 'peces and partis of four ald imperfyt and informall buikis conumitt and eitten be mothes, for aldnes and antiquite euill to be red, yit to be keipit for a monument be resoun of the antiquite'. The regular series of books surviving comprised 61 folio volumes from 1398 to 1745, and these contained the proceedings of the Council of the Burgh, of the Baillie Court, and the Guild Court.
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Merchants and traders in Aberdeen (1399-1631)

A. M. Munro searched the council registers of the royal burgh of Aberdeen, and compiled this list of burgesses admited to the borough. The entries prior to 1591 were contained in lists engrossed in the council registers at the close of the minutes for the year ending at Michaelmas, but after that date in addition to the annual lists, which are continued, there is almost always a separate minute of admission under the respective dates. The records before 1591 are not only sparser, often with no more than a name, but are also lacking for 1401-1405, 1413-1432, 1434-1435, 1518-1519, 1557 and 1562-1564 - other blanks were filled in from the guildry accounts where such existed. Guild burgesses were allowed unfettered trading rights in Aberdeen; simple burgesses could only deal in Scottish wares (so being barred from the lucrative English and Flemish imports and exports); trade burgesses were limited to their own particular trades; and the council was able ex gratia to create honourary burgesses, who were accorded the full privileges of burgesses of guild and trade, and among whom numbered members of almost every family of note in Aberdeenshire. Burgesses could thus be created by descent, by apprenticeship into a trade, or ex gratia, and in the later portions of this roll the precise circumstances are usually given, sometimes also with the name of a cautioner or surety. Burgesses, masters and cautioners are all indexed here.
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Inhabitants of Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire (1406-1535)

The Hospital of the Holy Cross was founded in 1269; in time this fraternity became a social and religious gild. 'The Register of the Gild of the Holy Cross, the Blessed Mary and St John the Baptist of Stratford-upon-Avon' was edited by J. Harvey Bloom, rector of Whitchurch, and printed in 1907. The register is a record of admissions to the gild, an account of the fines paid by new members, and the names of those in arrear. Each year's record usually starts on the Monday after Ascension Day (the sixth Thursday after Easter), when the new aldermen, master and proctors of the gild were elected, all duly named. Then follow the admissions to the gild, including payments for prayers and candles (lights) for the faithful dead; and the names of the sureties for these payments. Interspersed with this are occasional proclamations and memoranda concerning the fraternity. A peculiarity of this publication is that the years given at the head of each page (e. g. 1502-3) are those of the regnal year (in that case 18 Henry VII) in which the Monday after Ascension Day fell. The regnal years of Henry IV, Henry VI, Richard III and Henry VII all started after that day in the calendars of 1399, 1422, 1483 and 1485; so the gild registers during those years actually cover the following year to that shown in this printed text (in that case, 1503-4).
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Lawyers and officers of Lincoln's Inn (1422-1586)

Lincoln's Inn is one of the ancient inns of court in London exclusively invested with the right to call lawyers to the English bar. The Black Books of Lincoln's Inn are the main administrative records of the society, containing the names of those filling the different offices year by year; the annual accounts of the Pensioner and the Treasurer; regulations; punishments and fines for misdemeanours. This edition, printed for the Inn in 1897, covers the first five surviving volumes.
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Home family archives (1424-1671)

William Fraser of the Historical Manuscripts Commission examined the archives of the Earl of Home at Hirsel (near Coldstream in Berwickshire), and prepared this calendar, published in 1891.The most detailed account is of 'Documents, more or less of a Personal Nature relating to the Principal Members of the Family of Home' (pp. 87-107), and 'Old Charters and other Documents still in the Charter Chest at Hirsel, relating to Lands formerly possessed by the family' (107-170), with deeds relating to Auldcambus, Aldcathy, Arbirlot, Bedshiel, Bogend, Braidley, Brigham, Brighamshiels, Chirnside, Coldingham, Cowdenknowes, Crailing, Dalswinton, Derington, Dunglas, Eccles priory, Eltrive, Eskdale, Ewesdale, Fogo, Gordon, Greenlaw, Greenwood, Haddington, Harden, Hassington, Hassendean and Horsliehill, Hoscoat, Howlaws, Howpasley, Huntlywood, Jedburgh, Lambden, Lauder, Letham, Leyacres, Luchheild (in Fife), Mawdristoun (Manderston), Maw (in Fife), Mawes (in Perthshire), Mellerstain, East Nisbet, Samuelston, Smailholm, Sprouston, St Bothans (St Bathan), Swynset, Thornton, Tinneis (in Yarrow), and Upsetlington. Fraser was then allowed to inspect the family charters held by their law agent in Edinburgh in nine charter chests, and gives abstracts of the early items that he considered important. This volume also contains his calendar of some of the muniments of the Duke of Athole at Blair Castle, Blair Athole, concentrating on family correspondence from 1473 to 1721: this is also included in this index.
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Boys at Eton (1441-1698)

King Henry VI founded a college at Eton in Buckinghamshire in 1440, 'to the praise, glory and honour of the Crucified, the exaltation of the most glorious Virgin His mother, and the establishing of holy Church His bride'. From this foundation has evolved the modern public school. Sir Wasey Sterry compiled a register for the college from 1441 to 1698, from a variety of surviving records, and including groundwork from his 'A List of Eton Commensals' of 1904, and R. A. Austen-Leigh's 'A List of Eton Collegers' of 1905. This resulting 'Eton College Register' was published in 1943. Because of the variety of underlying materials, the entries vary greatly in depth: some names survive only as a surname of not too certain date. In the fullest entries, the surname (often with a variant spelling) is given first, in bold, followed by the years of entry and leaving. The christian name is given next; then birthplace, and name of father. The initials K. S. (King's Scholar) indicate a scholar on the foundation. There will then follow a summary of the man's career, death, burial and probate; and the sources for the information, in italics, at the end of the entry.
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Inhabitants of Salisbury (1443-1704)

A collection of transcripts of churchwardens' accounts from the parishes of St Edmund and St Thomas in Sarum (Salisbury in Wiltshire) by Henry James Fowle Swayne, the Recorder of Wilton, was published by the Wilts Record Society in 1896. The greater part of these accounts relate to expenditure to workmen on the church fabric, and income for rent of pews and the tolling of bells and obsequies for parishioners. There are several sources covered: the churchwardens' accounts for St Edmund's for 1443 to 1461; for St Thomas's 1545 to 1690, and some notes from 1704; and accounts of the stewards of the Fraternity of Jesus Mass founded in St Edmund's.
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Inhabitants of Nottingham (1459-1538)

There were two ancient religious gilds in the church of St Peter in Nottingham, the gild of St George and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The accounts for the former from 1459 to 1546 (pages 17 to 112) and the latter from 1515 to 1538 (112 to 123) survived in a single book; the text was translated by Lieutenant-Colonel R. F. B. Hodgkinson, and published, posthumously, in 1939. Apart from the wardens and chamberlains of the gilds, the individuals mentioned are tenants, workmen, and the dead for whom obits were said.
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Murderers sheltering in Durham Cathedral: and their victims (1464-1524)

Criminals could evade pursuit by claiming sanctuary in Durham Cathedral. Persons who took refuge fled to the north door of the cathedral, and knocked for admission. There were two chambers over the door in which men slept, for the purpose of admitting fugitives at any hour of the night. As soon as anyone was so admitted, the Galilee bell was immediately tolled, to give notice that someone had taken sanctuary. The offender was required to declare before witnesses the nature of his offence, and to toll a bell in token of his demanding the privilege of sanctuary. He was then provided with a gown of black cloth with a yellow cross, called St Cuthbert's Cross, upon the left shoulder. A grate was provided near the south door to sleep upon, and for 37 days sufficient provisions and bedding were provided. But within 40 days he had to appear before the coroner, clothed in sackcloth, and be branded on his right hand with the sign of the letter A. This signified that he was swearing to abjure the realm: he was then free to leave the country unhindered. The petitions for immunity were entered in the diocesan registers, usually with the marginal note 'Peticio Immunitatis': those from 18 June 1464 to 10 September 1524 (the privilege was finally abolished in 1624) were edited and printed by the Surtees Society in 1837 under the title Sanctuarium Dunelmense. Some of the criminals came from a considerable distance: the great majority were murderers or homicides. Each entry usually gives full name, original address, (often) trade, a brief description of the crime, often with date, and usually the name of the victim, as well as the witnesses to the petition. This index covers all the surnames given.
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Murderers sheltering in Beverley Minster: and their victims (1478-1539)

Criminals could evade pursuit by claiming sanctuary in the church of St John in Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This liberty of the minster extended a league in every direction from the church door, and was divided into six sections, each giving greater sanctity to the rights of sanctuary, the sixth and innermost section being the presbitery or chancel. Near the altar there was a stone chair called the Frith Stool, seated on which an accused could claim total immunity. The bailiff would receive the oath of the fugitive, and a clerk recorded 'what man he killed, and wher with, and both ther namez'; the bailiff receiving a fee of 2s 4d, the clerk 4d. Sanctuary was afforded for 30 days, with food and lodging, after which the fugitive was protected to the borders of the county. But within 40 days he had to appear before the coroner, clothed in sackcloth, and be branded on his right hand with the sign of the letter A. This signified that he was swearing to abjure the realm: he was then free to leave the country unhindered. At Beverley the clerks kept a separate register of fugitives' petitions, which survives from 1478 to 1539 in Harleian Manuscript 560. It was edited and printed by the Surtees Society in 1837 under the title Sanctuarium Beverlacense. Some of the criminals came from a considerable distance: the great majority were murderers or homicides. Each entry usually gives full name, original address, (often) trade, a brief description of the crime, often with date, and usually the name of the victim. This index covers all the surnames given.
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Merchants and traders in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1480-1770)

The society of Merchant Adventurers of Newcastle-upon-Tyne consisted of those who had obtained freedom of the city (allowing them to trade there) by birth as a son of, or apprenticeship, to a freeman: and within that, freedom of one of the three 'trades', i. e. boothman, draper or mercer. F. W. Dendy prepared extracts from the merchant adventurers' records, the first volume, published by the Surtees Society in 1895, containing extracts from the ordinances of the society through to 1894, the great majority being, however, from the 16th to 18th centuries. The Merchants' Company was founded with a series of enactments for their guidance and governance. But Dendy remarks that "Experience soon convinced them of the need of other laws, and these were framed from time to time. But during a very considerable period the members of the Society seem to have been influenced by a love of legislating, and their bye-laws increased to an unnecessary and perplexing extent." Indeed, many of the later ordinances amount to no more than minutes of particular orders aimed at particular people.
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Inhabitants of Calais, and visitors (1485-1543)

Richard Turpyn, a burgess of Calais, the English enclave on the French coast, compiled (or possessed) a chronicle of events there from 1485 to 1540, a copy of which survived among the Stowe manuscripts in the Harleian collection in the British Museum. This was edited for the Camden Society, together with a number of other papers relating to events in Calais in that period, by John Gough Nichols, and printed in 1846. Many of the persons named in the resulting book are knights and noblemen attending king Henry VII and king Henry VIII when on the Continent on diplomatic or marital business; but there is also a muster roll of the garrison of Calais of 1533 (136-139).
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Inhabitants of Nottingham (1485-1547)

The muniments of the borough of Nottingham include extensive mediaeval archives. A selection from these from the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII was prepared and edited by W. H. Stevenson for the Corporation, and printed, with translations of the passages in Latin, in 1885. The principal sources used are the borough Court Books, largely dealing with civil cases, for which an almost complete series survives for this period; Sessions Rolls (92 survive for the two reigns), in which crimes and misdemeanours are recorded; a Mickletorn or Leet jury roll; detailed chamberlains' and bridge-wardens' accounts; and the Hall Books, or council minutes. There are lists of burgesses enrolled; bakers admitted to bake; and fines for licences to trade. A subsidy roll of 1523-4 lists householders by street, and there is an appendix of local deeds, including some material dating back to the 14th century.
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London and Middlesex Feet of Fines (1485-1569)

Pedes Finium - law suits, or pretended suits, putting on record the ownership of land in London and Middlesex.
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Somerset testators and legatees (1501-1530)

Somerset was almost coextensive with the diocese of Bath and Wells, which exercised local probate jurisdiction through its consistory and archdeaconry courts: but superior to the diocese was the province of Canterbury. Somerset testators who also had property outside the county had their wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC). The Somerset Record Society embarked on a program of publishing genealogical abstracts of the registered copy wills of Somerset testators in the PCC archives, and in 1903 (volume xvi) printed abstracts edited by the Reverend F. W. Weaver from the PCC registers 1501-1503 (register Blamyr), 1504-1506 (Holgrave), 1506-1508 (Adeane), 1508-1511 (Bennett), 1511-1514 (Fetiplace), 1514-1517 (Holder), 1517-1520 (Ayloffe), 1520-1522 (Maynwaryng), 1523-1525 (Bodfelde), 1525-1528 (Porch) and 1529-1530 (Jankyn). In addition, the volume includes abstracts of 48 Somerset copy wills in the registers of the Archbishops of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace Library from 1363 to 1491. The heading of each abstract gives the year of making the will (not the year of probate) and the testator's name in bold. Below that is the quire number and name of the PCC register. Date and details of probate are given at the foot of each abstract. Spellings of surnames are preserved as they appear in the registered copy wills, and may vary within a single document.
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Inhabitants of Cambridge (1504-1635)

Cambridge comprised fourteen ancient parishes, plus the university (which was extra-parochial), in the diocese of Ely. The church of St Mary the Great (as opposed to St Mary the Less) in the Market Place (juxta forum) has churchwardens' accounts surviving from 1504 onwards. Those from 1504 to 1635 were transcribed by J. E. Foster for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society and published in 1905. The two churchwardens were chosen annually: the previous year's churchwardens each chose another parishioner: those two then each chose three other parishioners: the resulting eight then chose the new year's churchwardens, the wardens of the Light of the Rood, and the wardens of the Mass of Jesus. Auditors were also chosen, usually out of the eight, to examine all the wardens' accounts at the end of the year. The churchwardens' accounts are largely concerned with the costs of repair of the church and its furnishings, and include the names of tradesmen and workmen. Each Easter a rate called Easter money was raised was raised from all householders in the parish, and additional rates are occasionally levied for unusual expenses, such as steeple reconstruction. These 'Easter book' lists give a complete list of householders for the parish, excepting the poor. The church's income also included the rents from some houses in the parish, and the names of the tenants appear. The offices of the Light of the Rood and the Mass of Jesus were abolished during the Reformation. The accounts of the Light of the Rood, i. e., for candles burnt before the crucifix, often include a list of sums received for funerary diriges (dirges) for the year, from which the year of death of the more prosperous parishioners can be traced in this early period.
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Citizens of Oxford (1509-1583)

These selections from the Oxford city records were printed in 1880 under the direction of the Town Clerk. Much of the material comes from the council minutes: 24 common councillors were elected out of the citizens at large each 30 September. Apart from the general administration of the city, a large number of cases involve people brought before the Council for using improper language, or other misbehaviour. There is an almost unbroken series of hanasters, or admissions to freedom of the city, listing the names of those who by purchase, birth or apprenticeship were admitted to the guild merchant.
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Anglo-Scottish relations (1509-1589)

The State Papers Relating to Scotland is the collection of English government documents dealing with relations with Scotland when the latter was still an independent country.
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Knaresborough testators, legatees and witnesses (1510-1606)

Knaresborough in the West Riding of Yorkshire lay in the ancient diocese of York, but was part of a large separate probate jurisdiction or peculiar encompassing the parishes of Burton Leonard, Farnham cum Scotton, Fewston, Great Ouseburn, Hampsthwaite, Knaresborough, South Stainley, Staveley, and some small adjoining areas. Grants of probate and administration, as well as copies of wills, were recorded on the Knaresborough court rolls. Dr Francis Collins prepared abstracts of all enrolled wills, grants of administration, and of tuition, from the 2nd year of the reign of king Henry VIII to the 3rd and 4th of James I, 'no matter how insignificant in life the testator may have been or how uninteresting the will', and these were published by the Surtees Society in 1902.
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Merchants and traders in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1515-1898)

The society of Merchant Adventurers of Newcastle-upon-Tyne consisted of those who had obtained freedom of the city (allowing them to trade there) by birth as a son of, or apprenticeship, to a freeman: and within that, freedom of one of the three 'trades', i. e. boothman, draper or mercer. F. W. Dendy prepared extracts from the merchant adventurers' records, the second volume, published by the Surtees Society in 1899 containing extracts from the minute books relating to the history of the merchants' court, an account of the long-standing dispute between the Newcastle company and the London company, some extracts relating to the relations between the Newcastle company and the Eastland Company (who had a monopoly of the trade with Russia and the Baltic), copies of the oaths used by the Newcastle company, the London company and the Eastland Company, and (pages 185 to 381) a list of the apprentices enrolled in, and of the freemen admitted to, the Newcastle company. This list is arranged in a table of seven columns: Name of Apprentice; Name of Father of Apprentice and Observations (particularly, instances where an apprentice is passed over to a new master during his apprenticeship); Master; Boothman (B.), Draper (D.) or Mercer (M.); Date of Indentures: Enrolment: Admission. All the dates are normalised to New Style, i. e. to the modern calendar. Finally, there is a list of sons and apprentices of members who, having thus acquired the right of freedom of the city, took up the freedom, but did not assume the freedom of any of the three trades. The index covers all the contents of the volume, not just the apprentice and freemen lists.
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Harley Correspondence (1516-1774)

Part of the Portland collection of manuscripts was transferred to Longleat in Wiltshire after the marriage in 1759 of Thomas Thynne, late Marquis of Bath, with the eldest daughter of the 2nd Duke of Portland. These included the papers of her maternal grandfather, Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford. Mrs S. C. Lomas prepared this calendar for the Historical Manuscripts Commission, published in 1907. These letters had been chosen in an earlier age from the Harvey family correspondence, and bound in two volumes as 'Select Autograph Letters, &c., 1516 to the middle of the 18th century,' and from among these Mrs Lomas in turn chose hitherto unpublished material that seemed of historical interest.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1520-1520)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Ash juxta Sandwich Wills (1520-1520)

Testators, legatees and witnesses in abstracts by Arthur Hussey of wills of parishioners of Ash by Sandwich, Kent, from Book Wingham.
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Buckinghamshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Essex Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Herefordshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Hertfordshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Kent Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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London Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a very general sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become standard until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Norfolk Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Oxfordshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Shropshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Somerset Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Staffordshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Suffolk Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Surrey Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Sussex Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Welsh Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Yorkshire Charters (1520-1529)

A large accumulation of documents preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, formerly constituted the antiquarian collections of Anthony a Wood, Roger Dodsworth, Ralph Thoresby, Thomas Martin of Palgrave, Thomas Tanner bishop of St Asaph, Dr Richard Rawlinson, Richard Furney archdeacon of Surrey, and Richard Gough. A calendar of these was prepared by William H. Turner and published in 1878 under the title 'Calendar of Charters and Rolls preserved in the Bodleian Library'. The word 'charters' is here used in a rather loose sense, including virtually any manuscript or copy of a manuscript, but the bulk of the contents consists of mediaeval deeds of conveyance. Turner's calendar deals with each briefly, naming the principal parties and the nature of the deed, but hardly ever lists the witnesses. Many of these charters were undated (dating of deeds did not become general until around 1350) or so damaged or defective ('mutilated' is Turner's usual description) as no longer to display a legible date. However, he contrived, from the style of the script and/or the nature of the contents, to estimate dates in such cases. The sample scan is from the start of the Bedfordshire list.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1521-1521)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Owners and Tenants in Surrey (1521-1521)

Owners and tenants mentioned in deeds of grants and leases of lands, houses and offices registered in the Liber Irrotulamentorum.
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Ash juxta Sandwich Wills (1521-1521)

Testators, legatees and witnesses in abstracts by Arthur Hussey of wills of parishioners of Ash by Sandwich, Kent, from Book Wingham.
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London Marriage Allegations (1521-1610)

London, Essex and part of Hertfordshire lay within the diocese of London. In the later 17th century the individual archdeaconry courts issued marriage licences, but for this period the only surviving material is from the overarching London Consistory court. The main series of marriage allegations from the consistory court starts 7 December 1597, and these were extracted by Colonel Joseph Lemuel Chester; Colonel Chester then discovered earlier material, back to 5 January 1521, in Vicar-General's Books of the Principal Probate Registry. The notices in these books were much briefer, but as well as extending back so much earlier, they included additional material for 1597 onwards. All this he collated with the consistory court extracts, and the text was edited by George J. Armytage and published by the Harleian Society in 1887. A typical later entry will give date; name, address and occupation of groom; name, address and condition of his intended bride, and/or, where she is a spinster, her father's name, address and occupation. Lastly we have the name of the church where the wedding was going to take place; or the words Gen. Lic. signifying a general or open licence.
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Norfolk Wills: Testators (1522-1522)

Henry Harrod prepared these extracts of early Norfolk items from the registers of wills of the Archdeaconry of Norwich, for publication by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society in 1846.
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Persons Mentioned in Norfolk Wills (1522-1522)

Henry Harrod prepared these extracts of early Norfolk items from the registers of wills of the Archdeaconry of Norwich, for publication by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society in 1846. This is the index to those persons other than legatees mentioned in the wills - including witnesses, overseers, and executors.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1522-1522)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1523-1523)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Inhabitants of Suffolk (1524-1524)

The lay subsidy granted by Act of Parliament in 1523 was a tax on the laymen (as opposed to clergy), levied on householders, landowners, those possessing moveable goods worth £1 or more, and all workmen aged 16 or over earning £1 or more per annum. Real estate was taxed at a shilling in the pound; moveable goods worth £1 to £2 at fourpence a pound; £2 to £20 at sixpence a pound; and over £20 at a shilling in the pound. Wages were taxed at fourpence in the pound. Aliens were charged double; aliens not chargeable in the above categories had to pay a poll tax of eightpence. The records of the assessment for the county of Suffolk, mostly made in 1524, survive in 64 rolls in the National Archives. From 42 of these a compilation for the whole shire was printed in 1910 as Suffolk Green Book x. This includes a list of defaulters of 1526 and a subsidy roll of 1534 for Bury St Edmunds.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1524-1524)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Taxpayers in Sussex (1524-1525)

By Act of Parliament of 1523 (14 & 15 Hen. III, c. 16) a general subsidy was raised, spread over four years, from laymen, clergy and peers. In each of the first two years 1s in the £ was raised from annual income from land; 1s in the £ on capital goods worth over £2 and under £20; and a flat payment of 4d on goods worth from £1 to £2, and also by persons aged 16 and upwards in receipt of £1 per annum in wages. In the third year a further shilling in the pound was payable on land worth £50 and upwards a year; and in the fourth year a shilling in the pound on goods worth £50 and upwards. To raise this revenue, returns were required from every hundred, parish or township. In Sussex, the returns for 1524 and 1525 cover the city of Chichester (divided into Estrata, Westrata, Southstrata, North[strata] and Palenta), the borough of Midhurst, and then the rest of the county divided into rapes, within those into hundreds, and within those into boroughs, tithings, liberties, townships or parishes. It is important to note that the cinque ports of Hastings, Rye and Winchelsea were exempt from the subsidy, except for alien inhabitants; and that the town of Westbourne was also exempted 'as the town was lately destroyed by fire'. Aliens are noted as such, sometimes with nationality; and Brighthelmstone (Brighton), which had been burnt by the French in 1514, is only represented fragmentarily. The Sussex Record Society published this transcript and edition by Julian Cornwall of the 1524 and 1525 returns: the 1524 return was used for the main transcript where possible, names peculiar to the 1524 lists being marked with an asterisk, and those with amendments in 1524 with a dagger. At the foot of each 1524 return the new names from 1525 are given. Only the amount of the assessment is printed (m. = marks). Letters prefixed to the sum give the basis of the assessment, no letter (or G) meaning that it was on goods - A, annual wages; D, annual wages of day-labourers; F, fees or salaries of office; L, lands; P, profits; W, wages; x, no basis stated.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1525-1525)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Inhabitants of Canterbury (1525-1525)

The churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St Andrew, Canterbury were transcribed by Charles Cotton and printed in Archaeologia Cantiana. Apart from the churchwardens themselves, the people mentioned are largely tenants, parishioners dying whose obits and bequests augmented the church funds, and workmen tending to the fabric of the church.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1526-1526)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Inhabitants of Canterbury (1526-1526)

The churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St Andrew, Canterbury were transcribed by Charles Cotton and printed in Archaeologia Cantiana. Apart from the churchwardens themselves, the people mentioned are largely tenants, parishioners dying whose obits and bequests augmented the church funds, and workmen tending to the fabric of the church.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1527-1527)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Inhabitants of Canterbury (1527-1527)

The churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St Andrew, Canterbury were transcribed by Charles Cotton and printed in Archaeologia Cantiana. Apart from the churchwardens themselves, the people mentioned are largely tenants, parishioners dying whose obits and bequests augmented the church funds, and workmen tending to the fabric of the church.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1528-1528)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
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Ash juxta Sandwich Wills (1528-1528)

Testators, legatees and witnesses in abstracts by Arthur Hussey of wills of parishioners of Ash by Sandwich, Kent, from Book Wingham.
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Inhabitants of Canterbury (1528-1528)

The churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St Andrew, Canterbury were transcribed by Charles Cotton and printed in Archaeologia Cantiana. Apart from the churchwardens themselves, the people mentioned are largely tenants, parishioners dying whose obits and bequests augmented the church funds, and workmen tending to the fabric of the church.
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Hastings family correspondence (1528-1699)

John Harley of the Historical Manuscripts Commission was invited by Reginald Rawdon Hastings to examine his family's extensive archives at the Manor House, Ashby de la Zouche, in Leicestershire. Harley produced a detailed calendar, of which this is the second volume, published in 1930, Hastings himself having since died, and Harley having been killed at Gallipoli, the work being completed by his colleague, Francis Bickley. This volume covers four categories of the records: correspondence of the Hastings family 1528 to 1699; newsletters sent by professional reporters in London 1669 to 1693; papers relating to the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, of which Theophilus 7th earl of Huntingdon was captaon, 1677 to 1685; and correspondence of the Rawdon family, 1641 to 1694, including papers of George Monck, afterwards Duke of Albemarle, when commanding in Ulster.
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Stockport Court Leet (1529-1529)

The Court of Great Leet for the manor of Stockport was held on August 12th in the 21st year of king Henry VIII. The court record, in Latin, lists the jury for the Great Inquest, and proceeds to narrate the details of three civil suits heard before them.
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Stockport Court Leet (1529-1529)

This Court of Great Leet for the manor of Stockport was held 4th November in the 21st year of king Henry VIII. The court record, in Latin, lists the jury for the Great Inquest, and proceeds to give their findings on recent trespasses, largely petty matters such as breach of the assizes of bread, ale and meat, and minor affrays. The court elected the mayor, bailiff, tasters of ale, overseers of the market, and four barleymen for the coming year.
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Jurors of Stockport Court Leet (1529-1529)

This Court of Great Leet for the manor of Stockport was held 30th September in the 21st year of king Henry VIII. The court record, in Latin, lists the jury for the Great Inquest, but gives no further details.
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Morebath Churchwardens' Accounts (1529-1529)

The churchwardens' accounts of Morebath in Devon from 1526 to 1530 are supplemented by a list of wardens and donations to the church from 1520 to 1531.
>> Search this source

Ash juxta Sandwich Wills (1529-1529)

Testators, legatees and witnesses in abstracts by Arthur Hussey of wills of parishioners of Ash by Sandwich, Kent, from Book Wingham.
>> Search this source

Inhabitants of Canterbury (1529-1529)

The churchwardens' accounts of the parish of St Andrew, Canterbury were transcribed by Charles Cotton and printed in Archaeologia Cantiana. Apart from the churchwardens themselves, the people mentioned are largely tenants, parishioners dying whose obits and bequests augmented the church funds, and workmen tending to the fabric of the church.
>> Search this source