Its owners and some historical connections - Lackham Countryside ...

The Manor of Alderton 3 rd edition
Throughout most of its history the Manor was the major administrative unit for
the village. The transfer of tenancies and copyholds between people, and their
inheritance from one generation to the next, had to be approved by the Court
and this invariably involved paying the Lord of the Manor. For example in 1659
275 Thomas Cox, one of the copyholders of the manor and who appears in the
Manorial Court records as far back as 1632, died. His son, also Thomas, paid
“four pounds in lieu of heriot” 276 . to take up his father’s copyhold.
The court was also active in maintaining the Lord of the Manor’s rights and
privileges, just as it had from the time of the Conquest. For example in 1663
the same Thomas Cox jun appeared before the court and the record contains a
Memorandum that upon the third day of July 15 Cha 2 nd AD 1663
Thomas Cox one of the copy holders of the manor aforesaid did
come and personally Acknowledge unto Thomas Gore esq Lord of
the Manor aforesaid his great fault and oversight in selling
timber belonging to his messuage within the aforesaid manor &
did humbly petition the said lord of the manor to pardon his said
offence & not to take advantage thereof & promising never to
offend in the same manner again &d the said Thomas Gore
thereupon pardoned and remitted unto him the conversion of the
said Tymber by the said Thomas Cox paying unto the said
Thomas GoreT en Shillings of Good and Lawfull English money
being the like summe he did sell the tymber for. In witness
thereof the aforesaid Thomas Cox hath himself set his hand the
Day and yeare above written
In the presence of Charles Gore William Knock? George ? The
mark of Tho Cox X
This is a formulaic layout; exactly the same wording was used when Gyles
Bushell appeared before the court 3 days later for the same offence 277 . He
was fined only two shillings.
Thomas and Mary had two sons and at least one daughter (see Fig. 17 above).
Their first child was Mary, who was born in February 1663 278 . When Mary
275 W&SHC 1305/1 Manor of Alderton Court Rolls 1416-1676
276 Heriot was an inheritance tax that heirs had to pay to their lord to receive their
parent’s property.
277 W&SHC 1305/1 Manor of Alderton Court Rolls 1416-1676
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