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| [Dec. 5.] |
67. Account addressed to [Lord Burghley as Master of the Court
of Wards] of the state of Sir Henry Unton's lands and inheritance, who died without issue, leaving two sisters, Ann, married
to Valentine Knightley, who had issue Elizabeth and Anne, and
Mary, now a minor, and Cicely married to John Wentworth, who
had issue a son named John. The case, as pleaded in the Court of
Wards by John Wentworth to the information of Valentine
Knightley, states that Sir Henry being seized in fee of certain
manors and lands uamed in cos. Berks and Oxford, conveyed them
to Sir Thomas Wroughton, Sir John Harrington, and others, to
his own use for life; remainder, except Hatford and Shellingford, to
Lady Dorothy his wife, for life, as jointure; remainder to the
said trustees, to enable them to pay his debts, until some of the
issue male of the said Cicely Wentworth had attained 21, then to
such issue and his issue male, with remainder to testator's right
heirs. |
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Hatford and Shellingford manors were left to the feoffees for
payment of debts, with remainder to Cicely Wentworth and her
heirs male; Lady Unton, yet living, is seized of the other manors
and lands, and Wentworth and his wife took letters of administration,
and entered into possession of these two manors. |
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This conveyance Valentine Knightley seeks to impeach, for the
benefit of his daughters by his deceased wife, but no office has
been found since Sir Henry's death, the evidence not having been
brought into the Court of Wards, that all parties might agree
upon an office. Sir Henry's debts, said to be 20,000l. at least, are
partly to be paid by his goods, and partly by his lands; but his
goods are only worth 4,000l. or 5,000l.; his lease of Wadley in
Berkshire, worth 500l. or 600l. a year, is alleged by Knightley to
be assured to him, and cannot go towards payment of such debts,
but the validity of that assurance, and to what use it was made,
is shortly to be determined in Chancery. |
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Nicholas Payne, Sir Henry Unton's business agent, may know
more of the estate. Mr. Churchill says that no livery has been sued
of Mr. Wentworth's lands, since Lady Maltravers sued hers after
the death of her father, Sir John Wentworth, as both this
Mr. Wentworth and his father claimed as purchasers. |
|
Sir Henry died seized of the manors of Aston Rowant, co. Oxford,
and Worth, co. Berks, which it is alleged were not assured by him,
but descended to the daughters of Valentine Knightley, and to
Wentworth's wife, as his heirs. [2 pages, noted by Burghley.] |
| [Dec. 5.] |
68. Abstract of grants, deeds, conveyances, &c., relating to Sir
Henry Unton, of manors and lands mentioned, from 31 Hen. VIII.
to 3 Nov., 37 Eliz., including the conveyance named in the preceding
paper, which was dated 1 Nov. 1595. [5 sheets.] |
| Dec. 5. |
69. Account of the estate of Sir Henry Unton's conveyance, made
at his going into France in 1595; with particulars of his rentals
from Farington manor, &c., 737l. 13s. 4d.; Shellingford and Hatford, 670l.; Wadley, 600l.; debts, 23,000l., and sums received
by Mr. Wentworth on sale of goods, for payment thereof, 8,483l.
[1 sheet, endorsed by Burghley.] |
Dec. 9/19.
London. |
70. Giovanni Basadonna to Sir Ant. Perez, counsellor of the most
Christian King, Paris. I have not heard from you so long, that I
thought you had forgotten me. My Lord [Earl of Essex] since
his return, has given way to an extraordinary melancholy at his
house, Essex house, where you lived, and is so retired that he will
neither attend to business, friends, nor servants, nor even go to the
rooms of Mr. Bacon; at which that poor gentleman, besides the
infirmity of the gout, is much afflicted. I have written already the
cause of his retirement, and do not wish to repeat it; I only add
that it is hoped that he will shortly be restored to those honours
in the Court of which his virtues are worthy. Our King's ambassador came to see him the other day, but my Lord would not
meddle in the affair. I think these ambassadors have not power
to give security on what they treat. |
|
The Queen is cheerful, and the rest of the Lords well. Essex
inquired particularly after you. Lopez also complains of your
silence. I want tidings of you to give my Lord. Lopez may be a
more convenient instrument, but not more faithful and loving.
Mr. Bacon seems low, and would have written but for his gout
and many occupations. [2½ pages, Italian.] |
| 1596 ? |
71. Notes on the diversities of wools, yarns, &c. The spinning of
wools are of three sorts. viz. either upon the great wheel, which is
called woollen yarn; or upon the small wheel, which is called
Guernsey or Jersey yarn, because that manner of spinning was first
practised in those isles; or upon the rock, which is called worsted
yarn, by 1 Edw. VI., because that manner of spinning was first
practised in Worsted, co. Norfolk. Particulars of the manufacture
of these several sorts of yarn, &c. [1 page, in the handwriting of
Thos. Cœsar.] |
|
72. Interrogatories [for the examination of John Poytew of
Wood Street ?] as to how many threads were set for the warp of
the worsted, the calendaring of mixed stuffs, the searching of the
several stuffs by the wardens of the worsted weavers and other
companies, &c. [1 page, in the same hand as the preceding.] |
|
73. Particulars of losses sustained by Her Majesty and her subjects,
on each piece of broad cloth made beyond the usual length; viz., the
weaver, 10s., the man who mills it, 4s., the carrier of it to London, 1s.,
the hospital in London relieved from cloth, 3d., the cloth worker, 5s.,
the dyer, 10s., and Her Majesty in customs, 3s. 4d. It is computed
there are at least 1,200 such pieces made annually. [1 page.] |
|
74. Bill in Chancery between Wm. King, Jas. Sutton, Anth.
Brickerstaff, and other copyholders of the manor of Cobham, plaintiffs, and Robert and Francis Gavell, defendants. The plaintiffs
claim by prescription that they and their ancestors have been lawfully
admitted to their copyhold lands held of the said manor, for the
fine of two years' rent to the lords and owners; notwithstanding
the defendants, or one of them, being lord of the said manor, now
exact certain fines at pleasure. |
|
The plaintiffs used to take at pleasure, without assignment of the
lord, the timber growing upon their copyholds, for repairing and new
building their tenements, &c.; former lords have never taken such
timber, notwithstanding Robert Gavell has lately violated such
custom, by carrying away divers trees growing on the copyholds. |
|
When any copyholder demised his or their copyhold, they had
licence so to do for a term of years, paying to the lord the fine
of 4d. per year, but the defendants exact uncertain fines for licence
to demise their said copyholds, which if the copyholders refuse to
pay, they are denied such right. |
|
The defendants, not confessing any such custom, say that the fines
due by surrender or decease of copyholders, are uncertain, and also
the fines for licences to demise copyholds, and to be assessed at the
pleasure of the lord of the manor, as may appear by the Court
rolls; that as to the timber, the copyholders recorded their custom in
a Court held upon the manor three years since in this manner; viz.,
that they claimed timber only for reparations. The defendants know
nothing of any custom of felling timber trees; these new found
customs have been contrived by King, one of the plaintiffs, a copyholder, by the long suffering of Robt. Gavell, in respect of divers
injuries offered him by King, as well in making as in maintaining
burrows for conies, and storing them in his copyhold lands, they
being prejudicial to the charter warren of the said manor. With
notes of replications, rejoinders, and proofs from the examination of
witnesses. [3¼ sheets.] |
|
75. Copy of the first sheet of the above. [1 sheet.] |
