Kent Hundred Rolls
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PROJECT KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY KENT HUNDRED ROLLS 2007/1 KENT HUNDRED ROLLS PROJECT Text © 2007 Bridgett Jones Layout © 2007 Kent Archaeological Society THE KENT HUNDRED ROLLS – INTRODUCTION The Kent Hundred Rolls of 1274-5, preserved in the National Archives, provide a mine of information for local historians. Many were printed by the Record Commission in the early nineteenth century, but the two bulky volumes are only to be found in major libraries and the rolls are printed in abbreviated Latin. This new website edition by the Kent Archaeological Society comprises the complete rolls for Kent, in the original Latin and in an English translation by Dr Bridgett Jones. The Kent Rolls are remarkably complete, although there are a few omissions. The major liberties are only mentioned incidentally, namely the lowy of Tonbridge and the hundred of Wachlingstone, in the hands of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford; Wye, in the hands of the abbot of Battle abbey, Sussex; and the Cinque Ports which had their own privileges. In addition, there is no return for Sheppey or Ospringe. Edward I returned from crusade in 1274 to a kingdom where the crown had been weakened by civil war during the baronial reform period of 1258-65, and where there was extensive local government corruption. According to the heading of the Kent Hundred Rolls, inquiry was to be made into the king’s rights which had been usurped by lay and ecclesiastical lords, and into the excessive demands of sheriffs, escheators and coroners, and also of bailiffs and other officials, whether royal or seigniorial. Many of the encroachments on royal rights, often dating from c.1258-65, were the result of the expansion of royal government and justice in the thirteenth century. As new royal procedures developed, lay and ecclesiastical lords did their best to take them over for their own use, in order to strengthen their hold over their tenants. Henry III had ordered an inquiry into franchises in 1255, and Edward I throughout his reign was intent on building up the rights and powers of the Crown. He and his lawyers considered that all judicial rights belonged to the Crown, and any private liberty or franchise had to be backed up by royal warrant. He was, moreover, a reformer of law and justice, and realised that discontent among his subjects might lead to protest and rebellion. On the other hand, justice and good government would increase his prestige and his revenues. The procedure for the Hundred Roll inquiry was similar to that of many other royal inquiries of the thirteenth century. Commissioners were appointed, two for each group of counties, who carried out their work between November 1274 and March 1275. The sheriff was ordered to empanel juries for each hundred who were to appear before the commissioners on a set day and place. The names of the Kent hundred jurors, together with those for Canterbury, Rochester, Brasted and Dartford, are recorded on the rolls (see pages 161-66). Judging by the returns for Blackheath and Axtane hundreds (see pp. 153-160), the jurors were unable to answer all the articles of the inquiry. The Blackheath jury, however, had plenty to say about franchises in private hands, recent encroachments on royal rights, the tax of one-twentieth on movable property, and the waste committed by the escheator when the vacant archbishopric of Canterbury was in his custody (1270-2). Their longest complaint concerned the so-called gifts taken by sheriffs, bailiffs and coroners under various pretexts. Dr Jennifer Ward has written a Commentary on the Kentish Hundred Rolls which will appear in Archaeologia Cantiana, CXXVII (2007). The description above is drawn from the introduction to that paper. The Kentish Hundred Rolls contain a very large number of place-names not readily identifiable – these are shown in italics in this edition. It has not been possible to undertake an exhaustive study of these unidentified names and is hoped that all with local knowledge, will be able to help in locating as many as possible. Another issue is the identification of personal names. Please inform the staff at the KAS Library of any such identifications and supporting evidence: by email to: [email protected] header ‘Hundred Rolls Project’ by mail to: KAS Hundred Rolls Project, Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery, St. Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH THE KENTISH ROLLS - ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF HUNDREDS Membrane Page Hundred Lathe Jury p. M10 118 Aloesbridge Shepway 161,63 M13, M14 147, Axtane Sutton at Hone 166 156 m5 dorso 59 Barkley Scray 161 M3 28 Bewsborough St Augustine’s (Hedeling) 163 m4 dorso 46 Bircholt Barony Scray 163 M9 113 Bircholt Shepway 162 Franchise (half) m5 dorso 57 Blackborne Scray 161 M12, M15 135, Blackheath Sutton at Hone 165 153 M1 1 Bleangate St Augustine’s 161 M4 41 Boughton Scray 164 M12 135 Brasted Sutton at Hone 164 m7 dorso 88 Brenchley Aylesford m1 dorso 9 Bridge St Augustine’s 162 M12 144 Bromley Sutton at Hone 165 M5 52 Calehill Scray 163 M2 13 Canterbury St Augustine’s 161 M5 55 Chart Scray 164 m7 dorso 91 Chatham and Aylesford 165 Gillingham M12 142 Codsheath Sutton at Hone 165 M3 26 Cornilo St Augustine’s (Hedeling) 162 m5 dorso 60 Cranbrook Scray 164 M13 145 Dartford Sutton at Hone 166 m2 dorso 20 Downhamford St Augustine’s 163 M3 31 Eastry St Augustine’s (Hedeling) 162 m7 dorso 95 Eyhorne Aylesford 165 M4 36 Faversham Scray 162 m4 dorso 42 Felborough Scray 162 M9 108 Folkestone Shepway 161 m2 dorso 24 [Great] Barnfield Scray 162 M10 122 Ham Shepway 163 M10 123 Heane Shepway 161 m7 dorso 83 Hoo Aylesford 166 m1 dorso 11 Kinghamford St Augustine’s 162 M7 78 Larkfield Aylesford 164 M12 135 Lesnes Sutton at Hone 165 M12 141 Little Sutton at Hone 166 m6 dorso 70 [Little] Barnfield Scray 164 (half) m2 dorso 23 Littlefield Aylesford 166 M5 49 [Chart and] Scray 163 Longbridge M9 110 Longport (half) Shepway 163 m10 dorso 125 Loningborough Shepway 161 M7 76 Maidstone Aylesford 165 M7 82 Malling Aylesford 164 M6 63 Marden Scray 162 M6, M6 65 Milton Scray 161 dorso m10 dorso 128 Newchurch Shepway 163 m6 dorso 70 Newenden Scray 161 ------ Ospringe M9 107 Oxney Shepway 162 m1 dorso 7 Petham St Augustine’s 162 M1 4 Preston St Augustine’s 163 M2 18 Ringslow St Augustine’s 162 M8 102 Rochester Aylesford 165 m6 dorso 73 Rolvenden Scray 161 m13 dorso 150 Ruxley Sutton at Hone 166 M6 62 Selbrittenden Scray 162 m7 dorso 92 Shamwell Aylesford 164 ------- Sheppey M12 138 Somerden Sutton at Hone 165 M10 121 St Martin Shepway 162 M9 113 Stowting Shepway 161 m10 dorso 131 Street Shepway 162 m4 dorso 47 Tenham Scray 164 m6 dorso 71 Tenterden Scray 165 m7 dorso 86 Toltingtrough Aylesford 164 ------- Tonbridge Lowy M8 100 Twyford Aylesford 164 ------- Wachlingstone M12 138 Westerham Sutton at Hone 165 m2 dorso 22 Westgate St Augustine’s 161 M1 6 Whitstable St Augustine’s 162 m3 dorso 33 Wingham St Augustine’s (Hedeling) 162 M9 115 Worth Shepway 164 M7 79 Wrotham Aylesford 165 ------- Wye Kent Hundred Rolls 1274-1275 Inquisiciones facte per preceptum domini regis in Inquisitions made by the lord king’s command in the comitatu Kancie de juribus et libertatibus domini regis county of Kent about the lord king’s rights and liberties subtractis et excessis vicecomitatum coronatorum which have been taken away and the excessive escheatorum et aliorum ballivorum domini regis demands of the sheriffs, coroners, escheators and other quorumcunque aliorum ballivorum alioquo modo of the lord king’s bailiffs and of any other bailiffs dominum regem spectantibus anno regni regis whosoever appertaining/belonging to the lord king in Edwardi tercio. any way, in the third year of King Edward’s reign 1274-1275. m.1 Hundredum de Blengate lastus Sancti Agustini m.1 Hundred of Bleangate, the lathe of St Augustine de comitatu Kancie in the county of Kent Jurati dicunt quod hundredum de Blengate solebat The jury say that Bleangate hundred used to be tradi ad firmam cum lasto Sancti Augustini et demised at farm with the lathe of St Augustine and Hedeling pro xxiiij libris a tempore Reginaldi de Hedeling for £24 from the time of Reginald of Cobham Cobeham vicecomitis. the sheriff. Item dicunt quod hundredum de Blengate est in manus Then they say that the hundred of Bleangate is in the domini archiepiscopi Cant’ sic una medietas et altera hand of the lord archbishop of Canterbury, thus one medietas in manu abbatis Sancti Augustini set a quo moiety and the other moiety is in the hand of the abbot tempore aut quid valet nesciunt. of St Augustine’s but they do not know from what time or what it is worth. Item dicunt quod dominus archiepiscopus Cant’ habet Then they say that the lord archbishop of Canterbury returnum et extractum brevium placita de namio vetito has the return and extract of writs, pleas of wrongful wreccum maris et alias libertates que ad coronam distraint upon goods, wreck and other liberties which pertinent et abbas Sancti Augustini Cant’ habet furcas pertain to the crown and the abbot of St Augustine’s et assisam panis et cervisie set a quo tempore aut quo Canterbury has a gallows and the assize of bread and warento ignorant. ale but from what time or by what warrant they are ignorant. Dicunt eciam quod archiepiscopus predictus habet They say also that the aforesaid archbishop has free liberam chaciam et warennam de antiquo et abbas chace and warren from ancient times and the abbot of Sancti Augustini Cant’ clamat habere warennam quo St Augustine’s Canterbury claims to have warren but warento nesciunt.