Wards, aldermanries and parishes
THE CITY is divided, for the civil government of
it, into SIX WARDS, each named from one of the six
principal gates above-mentioned. The whole city, as
appears by the survey of Domesday, as mentioned before, being in the Conqueror's time esteemed but as
one hundred, called the hundred of Canterbury.—
Each of these wards had an alderman, who presided
over it, and kept within his ward, a court, holden
every three weeks, called a wardmote. Their office,
from their name, was called an aldermanry, which
seems was not, as now, elective, but held by persons
in fee, as an inheritance, (fn. 1) and descended by will as to
the next heir at law; some of them continuing in one
name and family for several generations; as that of
Burgate, in the Chiche's; of Northgate, in the same
family, and in the Polres and Pollers; of Ridingate, in
the Handloe's; of Newingate, in the Diggs's; of
Worthgate, in the Cokyn's, and afterwards in the
Tierne's; and of Westgate, in the Browne's. (fn. 2) In the
2d year of king John, Baldwin de Warewal had a
charter for this aldermanry of Westgate, (fn. 3) but it appears by the pleas of the crown, before the justices
itinerant, in the 21st year of king Edward I. anno
1293, in relation to the sergeantrys in this city, that
William de Lynstede, rector of the church of Stureye,
then held the aldermanry of Westgate of the king
in capite, by the fergeantry of one Sore sparhawk, and
that it was worth ten marcs; and in like manner
John, son of John Handlo, held the aldermanry of
Redingate of the king in capite, which was worth
yearly two shillings, performing nothing further to
the king yearly from thence; and in like manner Ed
mund de Tyerne held the aldermanry of Worthgate,
worth yearly two shillings, of the king in capite, performing nothing further yearly to the king from
thence; and in like manner Thomas Chicch held the
aldermanry of Burgate, which was worth forty pence
yearly; and Stephen Chicch held the aldermanry of
Northgate, which was worth two shillings yearly,
and John de Holt held the aldermanry of Newingate,
which was worth two shillings yearly, performing nothing further to the king from thence yearly; but by
what right each of them held the same, was not
known; upon which, on writs of quo warranto, the
said Stephen Chicch, and the others, except master
William de Lynstede, pleaded, that the aforesaid aldermanrys were belonging and annexed to the ferme
of the city, viz. sixty pounds, which they paid to the
king for the city yearly; all which was accordingly
found by the jury; and the aforesaid master William
de Lynstede pleaded, that he held the aforesaid sergeantry of one William de Godstede, paying to him
from thence yearly one hundred shillings, which William, last-mentioned, pleaded, that he held the said
sergeantry of the commonaltie of the city, paying
from thence yearly forty pence to the ferme of the
city, and this from time which was beyond the memory of man. (fn. 4) All which was allowed by the jury
before the said justices, J. de Berewyk and his sociates
itinerant, at Canterbury as aforesaid. (fn. 5)
These aldermanries were at first held of the crown
in capite, and continued so till king Henry III. granted
the city to the citizens, to hold in fee ferm, as has
been noticed before, to hold in capite by burgage;
from which time these offices being annexed, and appertaining to the fee ferm above-mentioned, became
vested in the citizens, of whom they were held in like
manner afterwards, and continued so till these offices
were in course of time all bought in, or otherwise became the property of the city; from which time they
became eligible by the mayor and commonaltie, with
this difference, that in future they were held only by
those who were freemen and inhabitants of the franchise; whereas before they were held neither by one,
nor the other, to the great inconvenience of the city;
but this does not appear to have been until about the
time of the new ordination, made by Henry VIII.
which appointed two aldermen to every ward, making
in number, twelve, as they continue at this time.
The six wards above-mentioned, were divided into
twelve parishes, as they remain at present, in which are
the several churches of All Saints, St. Alphage, St.
Andrew, St. George, St. Mary Bredin, St. Mary
Bredman, St. Mary Magdalen Burgate, St. Mary
Northgate, St. Mildred, St. Margaret, Holy Cross
Westgate, and St. Peter, by which names the twelve
parishes are called. Besides these there were formerly
five other churches, within the walls, viz. of St. Edmund. St. John, St. Mary de Castro, St. Mary Queningate and St. Michael Burgate, all long since demolished, and the profits united to the other churches
and there are now in the suburbs the three parishes
and churches of St. Dunstan, St. Paul, and St. Martin; the first of which is not within the bounds of
the city; all which will be further mentioned hereafter, under the ecclesiastical account of this place.