Catalogue description Court Book of Assemblies and Hundreds

The book comprises ii + 345 paper folios. Modern foliation in pencil has been followed as the original foliation is erratic. The cover bears an 18th-century label 'Hundred Book (6)'. A brief index appears on folio 345v and a further index, incomplete, on the end-papers.

Much less business is now entered in the court books than in previous volumes and while a great deal of interest for the history of the town can be found in this and subsequent volumes no attempt has here been made to carry out even the limited calendar of contents previously given The contents fall within the categories given for WIN/53.

Folio

1v memorandum of act of Richard [Sampson], bishop of Chichester, ordering the amalgamation of the parishes of St Thomas and St Giles in Winchelsea, which was confirmed by the patron, John Guldeford, esq; 18 Sep 1541

3v indictment of James Leves of Winchelsea bricklayer for theft of 7 bundles of laths, two posts and three rails, and 50 billets from Thomas Bromfield of London, gent, at Winchelsea; 1598

4v cellar once let to Lawrence Botting now let to Nicholas Botting at 4d; 1598

5 grant to Thomas Pelham of the pendents against his house which he now leases at 12, for 12d; 1598

5 John Milward the elder to have a lease of the garden at Cooks Green for as long as he has Plomers, at 8s 0d [?for both]; 1598

7v Mr Henry Brown claims the ferry and the salts; 1598

9 three victuallers; 1598

12 licence to Jasper Rogers to carry 10 tons of rough stone out of the town; 1598

14 William Poglass, poor, fined for victualling without licence; bound not to do so in future; 1598

17 town sold Saverys Field and Tinkers Garden to Mr [Christopher] Mocket [in 1581], who sold to Mr White of Northiam, and he to Thomas Pelham, from whom it has been recovered by Champion Brickenden; town will pay White £10 to release the warranties given to Christopher Mockett; 1598

28v licence to Edward Gery to continue to keep shop out of the butchery; 1591

29 three victuallers; 1599

31 Thomas Pont tenant of a small piece at Strand; 1599

31 Pipewell and St Leonards Well to be mended and the way down to Friars Well; 1599

35v Michael Bieson of Winchelsea lighterman; poor; 1599

40 three victuallers; 1600

46v chamberlains to distrain for the landscot and queen's rents of Quarter 38 and Quarter 4 [?Q34]; 1601

48 town has rented the tithes for 7½ years from Mr Poole [after litigation about tithes of the commons]; 1601

56 licence to Giles Davey to carry four tons of rough stones out of town; 1601

58v The bridgeman's house to be joisted, punchioned and planked sufficiently; a privy to be made in it for the ease of the prisoners that shall be put therein; 1602

59v salts beside the ferry to be inned; 1602

61v licence to Mr Wymond to carry half a ton of hewed stone and 10 tons of rough stones out of town; 1602

62 licence to John Burdet to carry ten tons of rough stones; 1602

62v three victuallers, called innkeepers; 1602

66v deodand of five tons of iron from one Breket who hanged himself; Bartholomew Martin disenfranchised for embezzling one and attempting the rest; 1602

67 town to re-enter for non-payment: storehouse and two tenements once granted to John Vincent, piece of ground and a vault let to Thomas Swallow and tenement and piece of void land let to Michael Bieson; 1602

69 one of the tenements in the last entry to be granted to the tenant Edward Weston in fee-farm; storehouse, other tenement and tenement and void land all let to Michael Beison; the ground and vault ex-Swallow to remain in the town's hands; 1603

75 three victuallers; 1603

77 Thomas Golding of Winchelsea musician; 1603; later called fletcher

83 lease to Mr Standen of the Bartholomew Field for 21 years at 42s 8d; 1604

83v licence to John Eglestone to make a well in the land at the corner of Mrs Sampson's field hard by the footway to Icklesham; 1604

95v two innkeepers; 1605

101 presentment of Thomas Standen of Winchelsea yeoman for an encroachment at Strand; Ralph Gurr of Winchelsea yeoman for encroaching the pendents S of the Windmill Hill by Newgate; 1605

102 William Riall of Winchelsea shipwright; 1605

105 town to re-enter Neighbours Orchard; 1605

105 Mr Hankin have licence to remove 16 tons and Robert Masters 30 tons of rough stones; 1605

105v lane between Thomas Standen's ground into the fresh marsh granted to TS at 6d; to revert if it be claimed as a lane again; 1605

106v Neighbours Orchard to be granted to John Eglestone; 1605

109 two innkeepers; 1606

110 pump to be built beside the pillory; 1606

113 brewing and malting re-established in Winchelsea; John Hobjohn brewer; 1606

121 licence to Mr Wymond for one ton of hewed stones; 1607

125 John Vincent of Winchelsea jurat bound to give evidence against Thomas Slye of the lighthouse beside [Camber] castle; 1607

134 resolved to enclose a bowling-place at Monday Market; 1608

135 any man may convey ragstones out of town for a year without penalty; 1608

140 porches standing in the street to pay 1 d a year; 1608

148 two innkeepers; several decrees concerning the office of jurat; 1609

151v copy of a decree by the Lord Warden for the reform of mayoral elections; 1609

152 ratification of the above decree, to which the signatures of all freemen are to be subscribed; 6 May 1609; in 1641, no room being left for further signatures, they are continued on f340

154 to survey a piece of land near the channel to set an iron-house and cottage on; 1609

154v the sink between Mrs Sampson and Mr Whitton to be mended; the well near the brewhouse to be covered; 1609

155v Thomas Isted to be granted land called Plummers which he now has in lease; 1609

157v three victuallers; 1609

158v licence to Francis Whitton to set a row of trees in the street at the E end of his garden wall, not above four feet from the wall; 1610

161 licence to George Sampson of Udimore to carry away the stones which Mrs Sampson has set out in the street; 1610

163 grant of 20 Caen stones to Sir Henry Guildford; 1610

163 grant of six loads of ragstones to the surveyors of the almshouses at Icklesham; 1610

163v three victuallers; 1610

167v St Leonards churchyard to be laid open to the commons, and the town to pay Mr Eglestone the yearly rent of 7s 0d for it; 1610

169 oath taken by all inhabitants; names of 66 people [?all adult males]; 1611

172 four victuallers; 1611

175 confused entry: Mr Convers has a fee-farm in Winchelsea which is owned by his wife's daughter [by a former husband; ?Francis Bolton - they're both lawyers] to whom he is guardian; the town agrees that he can give up his property, for which the fee-farm is 13s 4d, in return for giving up any right in the house and garden, paying the arrears of fee-farm, letting the town have the building-material and the use of his neighbouring piece of land for as long as his guardianship lasts, he paying only the out-rents; Jeremy Odiarne to have all the building materials and the town's ground in fee-farm at 13s 4d, and to have the adjoining bit mentioned before on the same terms as the town has it; 1611

175 John Beeson son of Michael Beeson deceased to take the town's house at Strand on the same terms as his father had it; 1611

175v should the town pay tithe on the ferry-house?; 1611

175v Mr Tompson's house rent due; to be paid by the chamberlains until a new grant is made; 1611

176 Sir Henry Guildford may have the use of that part of the court house allotted unto him for a prison, if he wish, repairing it and paying a rent of 6s 8d; 1612

176 lease to Stephen Lye for 21 years at 4s 0d of the town's ground at his backside near Cooks Green; 1612

176 John Hobjohn failed to collect rent of the brewhouse when he was its tenant, whereby £6 13s 4d lost; he also tried to pay the king's rent out of the town's assets; disenfranchised; 1612

176v anyone may sell to John Sampson of Peasmarsh such ragged stone as he needs for making his chimney; 1612

178 four victuallers; 1612

179 bowling ground to be laid open; 1612

181 lease to William Thorpe from year to year at 12d of that part of Pook Lane which now lies as a lane open to the commons; 1612

183 oath of supremacy taken by 35 named persons, many women; 1613

186 to begin an action against those who have cut wood and reed in the town dyke against the strake by Coney Field; 1613

189 grant in fee-farm at 6d to John Day of Winchelsea tanner of all his encroachment at the Strand from Blackwell to the channel, keeping the channel wall; 1613

189 Mr Cooper to lay open his late encroachment at the Strand; 1613

189 grant in fee-farm at 10s 0d to John Day of the little house and land at the Strand late Beeson, entry-fine £4; John Beeson to be forgiven his arrears; 1613

191v three victuallers; 1614

191v mayor to ride to Battle to show the justices; 1614

192v Cooks Green to be enclosed for a sporting-place; 1614

194v Anthony Mitchell of Winchelsea glover; 1614

195v indictment of Thomas Drinker for entering the stable of Nicholas Parker kt within the jurisdiction and stealing the horse of Nicholas Rootes esq; guilty of petty larceny, to be flogged round Quarter 7; 1614

197 John Overington of Winchelsea glover; 1615

197v release to John Golding's widow of money which he owed the town on condition that she leave the ferry, and the ferry house with the loft, glass, cove, boards, joists and other things belonging, as it now is, on Easter Monday; 1615

200v town advances as security for a loan the ferry house, the ferry, the new-inned salts there, the furze bank between the channel and the Stone Mill Green; 1615

203 Robert Butler gent, lieutenant of Camber Castle, and his son Thomas Butler gent; 1616

206v strake between Coney Field and the Mill Bank near Newgate let at 6d to Timothy Foster [blacksmith and innkeeper]; 1616

206v part of Pook Lane occupied by William Thorp let to him at 2s 0d; 1616

210 stone mill green with adjoining ditch used as security for a loan; 1617

211v licence to John Beeson to lay his tan upon the end of the town dyke between his land, the pendents and Mr Evernden's, at 2d a year; 1617

212v Stone Mill Green and adjoining ditch, lying to the friars wall and the same green, again security; 1617

213 apportionment of £50 fee to the muster-master of the ports between the ports and members; Winchelsea lowest (at £1 7s 6d); Seaford and Deal & Walmer (£1 16s 8d each), Fordwich with Beaksbourne, Folkestone and Pevensey (£2 5s 10d each); Rye = £3 13s 4d, Hastings £3 4s 2d; 1617

213v murder of Thomas Standen, gaolkeeper [and victualler] by Arthur Honiss [of Winchelsea, in gaol since 1615]; guilty, to hang; 1617

218 John Egleston gent has encroached on the common by setting the wall at the S end of the town dyke beside the Stone Mill; to have it for 12d, and to maintain the wall; 1618

218v licence to Jeremy Tolhurst to remove the timber of a ruined house/building belonging to the capital house late Thomas Pelham, which JT bought from TP's widow Marion; 1619

218v renewal of lease of Bartholomew Field to Giles Waters for 21 years; 1619

221 Feoffment from William Morley of Lewes, esq, to Thomas Roberts of Lewes, gent, in trust for WM's son Anthony Morley the younger, 28 Jul 1586

1 messuage, croft and barn in Lewes All Saints, lately acquired from William Butcher

2 messuage and two gardens in the 13th quarter of Winchelsea in the parish of St Thomas abutting on the street on the W and S, the lands of the rectory of St Thomas on the E and N, lately acquired from Francis Bolton

3 plot of land (1r 11p) called Idleys in the 19th quarter of Winchelsea, lately acquired from Thomas Tokey

4 messuage adjacent to 3, lately acquired from William Burdet, having the street on W and N, and land of the heirs of Thomas Holden and land of John Pyrle on the S and the street called the Butchery on the E, now occupied by Thomas Stephens, butcher

5 field called Crekesdene in Ringmer

6 Lands (9a) in Myddleham wyshe in Ringmer

To hold to TR to the use of WM for life, remainder to AM

Witnesses to livery in Lewes: Thomas Coxe, John Pryor, Robert Stuckell, Thomas Carew; Witnesses to livery in Winchelsea: Henry Peck, Phillip Durrant, Francis Bollton Certified a true copy by Robert Plumer, mayor, 1619

222v three victuallers; Drew Matthew of Winchelsea mason and Francis Westbourne of Winchelsea brewer among bondsmen; 1619

224 Bartholomew Pett [lighterman] wants to have a piece of waste near his house at The Strand to fee-farm; 1619

231 hundred court for electing freemen: election takes place in the chamber, and the electors then descend into the court to announce their votes; 1620

241-2 long ordinance concerning misgovernment and the election of jurats; 1621

243 three victuallers; 1621

244v order [to discourage town victuallers buying beer from Rye]; 1621

245v-7v tax of all the inhabitants of the town for a cess towards providing ships for putting down piracy in Algiers and Tunis, 26 Feb 1619

249 grant of Bartholomew Field and adjoining town dyke to Mr Waters in fee-farm at 2d, entry-fine £35; 1622

256 part of Kings Green (3a) pledged for a loan (S: Coney Fields; W: the old mill and Mr Eglestone's lands; N: the rest of the Kings Green; E: pendents of the hill); 1622

258v part of Kings Green (1a) pledged for a loan (abuts Coney Field and the 3a as above); 1622

261 five victuallers; 1623

262v licence to Mr John Taylor to pull down the house which was Mr Tindall's adjoining Mr Lawrence Ashburnham's in the Middle Street; he is to set up a stone wall towards the street there; 1623

267 39 men at assembly; 1623

267-8 long ordinance on mayoral elections, and (f269) a certificate of these proceedings to the Lord Warden, 9 Aug 1623. A succession of disputed elections follow to the end of the volume, concerning the disfranchisement and restitution of John Collins, including an original parchment decree by Theo[philus Howard] Earl of Suffolk, Lord Warden, 1628.

274 'our town of Winchelsea but weakly peopled'; 1623

275 dispute about strength of fences between pasture or corn fields and the commons; 1623

277v licence to William Wood, cooper, to plant ashes against his house to defend it against the weather; not to annoy the highway; 1624

278 licence to Bartholomew Pett [lighterman] to lay iron and other commodities of his own on the town's land; 1624

278 piece of land (6p), under which there is a vault and on which was a little hovel, [space for bounds but not filled in, except that it's a corner plot] granted to Henry Hartwell in fee-farm at 2d; 1624

281v John Egleston's hedge against Holy Rood Field; Daniel White annoys the street with dung against his barn near his house; George Sampson of The Friars for allowing his stone wall to lie upon the town's land and for not making his hedge against Mr Tharp's field; 1624

282 four victuallers; 1624

287v John Bett of East Guldeford apprenticed by the overseers to John Botten of Winchelsea tailor; 1624

291 licence to John Botting [= Botten] of Winchelsea to take down a wall at the W side of the common pound for the better receiving of the sun into his orchard or garden, providing that he leave the wall at least 8 feet high for the strength of the pound; 1624

291v Thomas Geery of W, apprentice to Drew Matthew of W, mason [and victualler], acquitted of felony, but apprenticeship terminated; 1624

293 four innkeepers; now they are rated differently, so perhaps possible to trace individual inns; 1624

313 five victuallers; 1626

326 lease to Bartholomew Pett, [lighterman], of the tolls on the floating or landing of iron laded or landed at the ferry; 1627

328 Jeremy Jorden, despite being a resident and called upon to be made a freeman, went off to Rye and was elected a freeman there, while remaining a Winchelsea resident; fined £10; 1627

329 mill-house, its ground and another long slip called the town dyke let to Robert Hayward for 21 years at 10s; to make the mill-house tight and tenant-like; 1627