Morden Manorial Court Rolls

A number of manorial court rolls survive, though many are missing. Those covering the period 1296-1300 and for 1327-28 are in the Muniment Room at Westminster Abbey, while the British Library has those for 1378-1422, 1435-58, 1461-1503, 1507-9, 1512-29, 1534-43, and 1655. Extracts from 16th-century court rolls can be found at the British Library, at Lambeth Archives and at Surrey History Centre, which also holds the court rolls from 1594 to 1901 and a 1535 Steward's memorandum of the rents and other payments made at the manorial courts.

The manorial court primarily existed to maintain the rights of the lord of the manor over his tenants, so the rolls record infringements of these rights and the fines or 'amercements' due to the lord for such infringements. These might include failure to attend court; failure to ensure that every male over the age of 12 was sworn into a tithing; failure to maintain buildings, bridges, ditches and highways; breaches of the assize of bread and ale, especially by using illicit measures or by selling inferior products; and breaches of the peace.

The transfer of tenant land also gave rise to the payment of entry fines for customary properties and 'reliefs' for freehold properties, as well as the payment of heriot, normally the best beast, on the death of a tenant. These records therefore supply a great deal of useful information on local properties and their descent.

Tenants served as jurors, to inquire into the rights of a case, and were also elected into various official capacities, as ale-tasters, constables, and head-tithingmen (also called chief pledges). There were two tithings in Morden - East Morden and West Morden - and a separate tithing for the tenants of the abbey's Morden Fee in Ewell, each with its own elected officers.

Tenants also used these courts to settle differences between neighbours, such as trespass, debt, theft and acts of violence, the lord taking an amercement over and above the payment of damages to the injured party. In later years the courts also issued by-laws relating to agricultural practices and the use of common grazing.

In 14th- and 15th-century Morden, courts were usually held two or three times a year, one of which included the View of Frankpledge, at which the Common Fine, set by custom at 6s 8d, was paid to the manorial lord. Later they were less frequent.

Latin was used for court rolls until 1732, except during the Commonwealth period, so this project has been extended to include translations of all Latin rolls to 1732, and transcripts of the earlier English rolls.

 

The translations are by Peter Hopkins under the guidance of Maureen Roberts, and countless extracts have been checked and corrected by Dr Mark Page.


Last updated: 21 April 2010