BOROUGH.
King John's charter to William
Brewer in 1200 declared Bridgwater to be a free
borough, in which William might levy tolls of
all kinds on outsiders and whose burgesses were
to be free of tolls beyond the borough except in
London. The charter was confirmed in 1318,
1371, 1381, and 1400. (fn. 3) The lordship of the
borough descended with the chief manor in two
shares, (fn. 4) and from the 15th century was represented by a rent or fee farm. (fn. 5)
Bridgwater appeared as a borough before the
justices in eyre by 1225. (fn. 6) In the later 14th
century the borough paid its lords rents for
burgages and stalls, tolls from port, markets, and
fairs, and perquisites of courts. (fn. 7)
In 1468, allegedly because of the town's decline, the Crown granted a charter which
incorporated the borough with a mayor, two
bailiffs, and an unspecified number of burgesses. The charter confirmed to the mayor and
bailiffs the right to pay a reduced rent to the lord
of one third of the borough as a fee farm. During
her lifetime they were to pay £3 each year to
Cecily, duchess of York, and after her death £10
to the Crown. (fn. 8) The fee farm was paid at the
Exchequer until 1630, when it was part of the
jointure of the queen, Henrietta Maria, and was
still being claimed in 1646-7. (fn. 9)
The rent of the remaining two thirds of the
borough, occasionally called a fee farm, (fn. 10) belonged to the Zouche share of Haygrove manor
until 1485. (fn. 11) Giles Daubeney, Baron Daubeney
(d. 1508), was succeeded by his son Henry (cr.
earl of Bridgwater 1538, d. 1548). Henry retained the rent from the borough until 1544 or
later, but by 1547 it was being paid to Richard
Zouche (succ. as Baron Zouche in 1550, d.
1552). (fn. 12) Richard settled the rent, then amounting to £10 16s. 8d., on his two younger sons,
Richard and Charles. Richard conveyed his
share in 1558 to his eldest brother George, Lord
Zouche (d. 1569). (fn. 13) George's share was paid to
his widow Margaret 1572-7 and in 1578 to his
son Edward, Lord Zouche (d. 1625). (fn. 14) Charles
Zouche in 1566-7 received his share, which by
1572 had passed to John Byflete. (fn. 15) Byflete was
succeeded in 1621 by his son Robert, and Robert
in 1641 by his son Thomas. Thomas's heirs were
paid in arrears in 1652 (fn. 16) but no further payments
have been traced.
The borough received a new charter in 1587,
modified in 1628, and another in 1683. The
corporation established under the Act of 1835
was dissolved in 1974, though the town retained
a titular mayor. (fn. 17)