http://www.british-history.ac.uk:80/report.asp?compid=53623
My Google alert for ‘Hundelby’ [sic] throws up some interesting items occasionally.
The link above takes you to British History Online, in particular a list of disputes and/or agreements about land. Frankly, I find working my way through old documents rather dry and boring work, but there is the odd intriguing nugget.
This one is a list of ‘final concords’ (agreements, I assume) for Lincolnshire during the reign of Henry III. Henry was the son of King John and, although he reigned a long time, is probably the one king of England about whom no-one knows at least one fact.
But it was during his reign that one of the most important events in our history occurred, namely our first Parliament. It wasn’t his idea, of course. Simon de Montfort put a sword to his throat.
These particular cases are dated 34 Henry III, in other words the 34th year of Henry III’s reign, 1250. Acts of Parliament are still dated in this way. Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony and his mates have decided unromantically that it’s out of date. Imagine abolishing the office of Lord Chancellor! But I digress.
One of the settlements involves a prior from ‘Kattele’ (Catley, near Digby) and a couple from Digby itself over land and a church. It’s a nice touch that when the dispute is settled, the prior gives them a ‘sore’ sparrowhawk. Sore?
The words used are rather strange. The people involved are often called ‘querents’, which I assume means ‘petitioner’ and ‘impedients’, the other side. And the agreements often involve ‘bovates’ of land. I’ve discovered that a bovate was the amount of land that could be ploughed with one ox in a year (bos is Latin for ox) and was one eigth of a ‘carucate’, eight being the normal number of oxen in a team or yoke. A carucate, from the Latin caracus meaning plough, was nominally 120 acres, an acre as we all know being one furlong (furrowlong) by one chain, still the length of a cricket pitch. Wake up at the back!
The link above takes you to British History Online, in particular a list of disputes and/or agreements about land. Frankly, I find working my way through old documents rather dry and boring work, but there is the odd intriguing nugget.
This one is a list of ‘final concords’ (agreements, I assume) for Lincolnshire during the reign of Henry III. Henry was the son of King John and, although he reigned a long time, is probably the one king of England about whom no-one knows at least one fact.
But it was during his reign that one of the most important events in our history occurred, namely our first Parliament. It wasn’t his idea, of course. Simon de Montfort put a sword to his throat.
These particular cases are dated 34 Henry III, in other words the 34th year of Henry III’s reign, 1250. Acts of Parliament are still dated in this way. Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony and his mates have decided unromantically that it’s out of date. Imagine abolishing the office of Lord Chancellor! But I digress.
One of the settlements involves a prior from ‘Kattele’ (Catley, near Digby) and a couple from Digby itself over land and a church. It’s a nice touch that when the dispute is settled, the prior gives them a ‘sore’ sparrowhawk. Sore?
The words used are rather strange. The people involved are often called ‘querents’, which I assume means ‘petitioner’ and ‘impedients’, the other side. And the agreements often involve ‘bovates’ of land. I’ve discovered that a bovate was the amount of land that could be ploughed with one ox in a year (bos is Latin for ox) and was one eigth of a ‘carucate’, eight being the normal number of oxen in a team or yoke. A carucate, from the Latin caracus meaning plough, was nominally 120 acres, an acre as we all know being one furlong (furrowlong) by one chain, still the length of a cricket pitch. Wake up at the back!
By this time, of course, the terms were rather loose and could apply to land that never saw a plough.
‘Tofts’ are often involved, meaning a farmhouse or homestead, sometimes including the surrounding land.
There were no surnames fixed at this time, apart from the aristocracy, and the description of Gilbert and Anthony as ‘de Hundleby’ simply refers to their home, not that they were brothers or are related to me.
Despite what I said earlier, these old records can be fascinating. They show an efficient legal system, functioning well despite political turmoil, with judgments accepted, compromises made and appropriate gifts given and received.
You get an impression of a very agricultural way of life, with hints of the feudal social structure, such as the mentions of ‘scutage, lordship and foreign service. Payment is in ‘marks of silver’ and sometimes shillings sterling. There are disputes over ‘dowers’ and women feature quite prominently. There is one case of a lady, widowed, in dispute with the Knights Templar - thanks to Dan Brown, we all know who they were -over lands which she claimed were her dowry. She agreed to renounce her claim in return for 20 shillings a year for life.
‘Tofts’ are often involved, meaning a farmhouse or homestead, sometimes including the surrounding land.
There were no surnames fixed at this time, apart from the aristocracy, and the description of Gilbert and Anthony as ‘de Hundleby’ simply refers to their home, not that they were brothers or are related to me.
Despite what I said earlier, these old records can be fascinating. They show an efficient legal system, functioning well despite political turmoil, with judgments accepted, compromises made and appropriate gifts given and received.
You get an impression of a very agricultural way of life, with hints of the feudal social structure, such as the mentions of ‘scutage, lordship and foreign service. Payment is in ‘marks of silver’ and sometimes shillings sterling. There are disputes over ‘dowers’ and women feature quite prominently. There is one case of a lady, widowed, in dispute with the Knights Templar - thanks to Dan Brown, we all know who they were -over lands which she claimed were her dowry. She agreed to renounce her claim in return for 20 shillings a year for life.
Even at this distance of time I don't think she got a very good deal.
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