ID: MARG_328

TitleEast Mersea Book: Thomas Abell 1558 ERO D/DRc M12
AbstractEast Mersea Book: THOMAS ABELL (finger pointing) (Essex Record Office. Document reference: D/DRc M12)

Transcriber: Trevor Hearn 19th October 2020
There is a translation to Modern English further down the page

1H.6.25/It is inRouled that Rauf martill senn[ior] w[hi]ch held of the L[ord] to him & his
2heyers in Feo[ffment] etc / one Tenement & iij acres Land Custom[er]ie
3w[it]h the Apurtnances with one marshe Custom[er]ie to the same tene[me]nt
4belonginge, sum[m]tyme Galfrye Atte Stone: etc / To the use of
5Raufe the sonn[e] of John martyll / & others to the full
6fyllinge of the Last wyll of the sayd Raufe martell thelder etc.
7H.8.5:p[re][se]nta[tum] that Matild Aldwyn lat the wyf of John Tymeot whiche
8of the Lord held to hir & hir heyers at will of the Lord etc : a mesuage
9Grossum[m]     and one acre of Land Custum[er]ie w[it]h the Apurt[ena]nces called Samaunes
10xijd dyed befor this cou[er]t therof sole seazed. And that Thomas Tymeot
11Samonsis sonn & next heyer unto the said Matild & John w[hi]ch is hear
12in Cou[er]te & craveth to be Admitted: And because it Apereth etc
13he is Admitted therof tenant. To hould to him his heyers & assignes. At
14will of the Lord acordinge etc by the aunshiant rents etc
15& payeth his F[i]n[e] & Fealt[y]
16H.8.9.ad hanc curi[am] : cometh Tho: Tymeot & doeth fealtye for one tene[me]nt
17and one acre of Land called Samansacre w[hi]ch he had after
18Fin ijsthe death of Matilda his mother and renteth by the yeare
19to the Lorde iiijd and houldeth by copie of Cou[er]te / etc
20H.8.26It is p[re]sented t[ha]t Tho: Abell Clark who of the Lord held to him & his heyers
21etc : One Tenement \cust[u]m[erie]/ & certayn Lands Cust[u]m[erie] w[it]h thapp[urtenances] Called
22tresonStone Land; whoe befor this cou[er]t was Accused and by Acte
23of p[ar]lament Convictd of Treason. etc. Agaynst o[ur] sov[er]aign Lord
24the Kynge, and for that cause he is in the Tower of London
25in prison: And that he hath Forff[eit] into the hands of the L[ord]:
26his Lands & tenements Custom[er]ie aforsayd which ware
27valued by the yeare in all p[ro]ffit[es] besydes all rents services and
28Customs therof etc xxs which is comanded to be Seazed, etc
29And the sayd Issues to be payed to the L[ord]: etc
30Eliz: iAnd in the First year of Quene Elizabeth it was by hir Ma[jes]ties
31especiall warrant to hir Stiward of this mann[er] directed
32It was agayne restored to Jo[hn] Abell his Brother. etc
33And at the same Cou[er]t the sayd Jo: sould & Surr[endrered] the same to Miche[al]
34middellton: etc.


Modern English Translation - Page 1

Transcriber: Trevor Hearn 19th October 2020

1H.6.25 [Note 1] It is enrolled that Ralf Martill, senior, who held from the lord for himself and his
2heirs in feoffment [Note 2] etc. one tenement [Note 3] and 23 acres of customary [ Note 4] land
3with the appurtenances [Note 5] and one customary marsh belonging to the same tenement,
4known as Galfrye Atte Stone, etc., to the use of
5Ralf, the son of John Martill and to others, fulfilling
6the last will of Ralf Martill, senior.
7H.8.5 [Note 6]It is presented: That Maltida Aldwyn, lately the wife of John Tymeot, who
8held from the lord for herself and her heirs, at the will of the lord, etc. a messuage [Note 7]
9and one acre of customary [Note 8] land with the appurtenances called Samans,
10died before this court, being the sole legal posessor of that property. Thomas Tymeot,
11the son and next heir of the said Matilda and John, is present
12in court and desires to be admitted to the tenancy. As the claim appears valid
13he is granted the tenancy to be held by him, his heirs and assignees, at
14the will of the lord and upon payment of the established rents,
15payment of the fee and swearing an oath of loyalty to the lord.
16H.8.9 [Note 9] To this court comes: Thomas Tymeot and swears an oath of loyalty for one tenement
17and one acre of land known as Samans Acre which was transferred to him after

Modern English Translation - Page 2

18the death of his mother, Matilda, and pays annual rent
19of 4 pence to the lord holding it by copy of the court agreement.
20H.8.26 [Note 10]It is presented that Thomas Abell, priest, who held from the lord for himself and his heirs
21one customary tenement and certain customary lands with the appurtenances known as
22Stone Land, before this court was accused, and by Act
23of Parliament convicted, of treason against our sovereign lord,
24the King; and for that cause he is imprisoned in the Tower of London.
25He has forfeited to the lord
26his customary land and tenements aforesaid which were
27valued for profits, rents, services and
28customs at a total annual amount of 20 shillings; this property is to be confiscated
29and the said amounts are to be paid to the lord.
30Elizabeth 1 [Note 11]
31special warrant addressed to her steward of this manor
32the property was restored to John Abell, brother of Thomas.
33At the same court hearing, the said John Abell sold and transferred the property to Michael
34Middleton.


Note 1 This is the 25th year in the reign of King Henry VI which equates to 1446-47 depending on the exact date
Note 2 Feoffment is the act of granting a fee (the area of jurisdiction of a lord of the manor) in trust; a gift or conveyance in fee of land; or the deed conveying the grant
Note 3 Tenement is a holding consisting of a house and land
Note 4 Customary land is land which is owned by indigenous communities and administered in accordance with their customs, as opposed to statutory tenure
Note 5 An appurtenance was common land which was attached (in fact though not quite in legal theory) to a house, rather than to ancient arable land.
Note 6 This is the fifth year of the reign of King Henry VIII, i.e. 1513-14
Note 7 A messuage is a dwelling house and its appurtenances, i.e. outbuildings, garden, and in some instances land (Source: The Local Historian's Glossary of Words and Terms by Joy Bristow.
Note 8 Customary designates a system of landholding by manorial or other custom, typically requiring the tenant to render services periodically to his or her lord
Note 9 The ninth year of the reign of Henry VIII i.e. 1517-18
Note 10 The 26th year of the reign of King Henry VIII i.e. 1534-35
Note 11 The first year of the reign of ELizabeth I i.e. 1558

Read More
Mersea's Catholic Martyr: Blessed Thomas Abell by Sue Howlett

Published1558
SourceMersea Museum
IDMARG_328