Court roll of Chalgrave manor 1278-1313

Court roll of Chalgrave manor 1278-1313

This book presents records of the fifty courts held in 23 of the 35 years covered by the roll.  The introduction to the book describes the roll (held by Bedfordshire Archives) the Loring family (who were lords of the manor and whose pedigree is included), court procedure and the business conducted by the court. Drawing on other sources, the editor presents an account of landholding, service and some of the families living on the manor. The extent, drawn up after Sir Nigel Loring’s death, gives a detailed description of a late fourteenth century manor house and its surroundings. The court rolls, in Latin with parallel English translation, provide an overview of life on the manor, albeit the activities that got people into trouble, eg ‘… John … cut down one ash tree with the lord’s licence to repair his house and afterwards he sold it for 15d so that the said house as yet remains unrepaired.’