1594 Dec 26 Neville to William Cecil
Source
Title: 32. Mr. Henry Nevill, to' Lord Burghley; of the Queen's copyhold at Donnyngton, Berks, Dec. 269 1594; with a certificate of one John Cecil, a Sadler, concerning tenantship of the same, Feb. 25, 1594.
Collection Area: Western Manuscripts
Reference: Lansdowne MS 76/32
Creation Date: 1594
Original Spelling Transcription
Transcription by John O'Donnell.
Right honnorable and my singuler good lorde. Yt pleased your lo. of late to write your letter vnto mr John Dolman (who in my fathers time tooke the paines to keepe courtes vnder him for the honnor of Donnington, and doth now continewe to do the like for me) and therein to send him a peticion exhibited vnto your lo. by one Ioane wheeler widdowe, wherein she complaines that he hath wrongfully graunted a reversion of a Copihold which she and her husband possessed, vnto one Thomas Head, and hath refused to admitt her tennant vnto it, as by the custom, and by the presentment of the hommage he ought to have don: Whereof your lo. required him well to consider, and to do her iustice therein, that she might not have cause to renew her complainte. For answere wherevnto, because the matter doth rather concerne my father and my self, then him who was but a deputy in the office, I have made bold to offer vnto your lop. a true relacion of the matter as it standes, accordinge to the informacion I have receaved from him/Richard Wheeler somtime husband to this petitioner, beinge tennant of this copihold, and havinge therein no more but his owne life, with a possibilitie of a widdowes estate vnto his wife accordinge to the custom of the mannour if she survived him, yt pleased your lo. to write vnto my father, to graunte a reversion thereof for two lives vnto one Cicill: who having the said graunte accordingly made vnto him, offered his Interest for a reasonnable consideracion vnto the said Richard Wheeler. But the said Wheeler havinge no children of his owne, would not deale with it him self, but gave his consent that Thomas head her maties farmour of Winterborne, should buy the said Cicills interest in it: who therevppon compounded with Cicill, and tooke a coppie thereof in reversion to him selfe and Henry head his son. Richard Wheeler since is dead: and his wife this peticioner, hath ever since inioyed her widdowes estate in the said hold, accordinge to the custom, vntell the laste courte and law daye holden aboute michellmas last past. At which courte, it was prooved and presented by the hommage, & confessed by her self, that she was married to another husband and so had bin divers yeeres. Wherevppon her widdowes estate beinge determined and forfeited, by the custom of the mannour, and the next in the Coppy havinge right to enter, the said Henry Head (who was next in the graunte) prayed to be admitted tennant to the hold, and was admitted: as of right he ought to be, and without any wronge to her, seinge she had forfeited her widdowes estate by her marriadge. And whereas in her said complainte she pretends, that by the custom of the mannour, the tennantes children ought of right to be admitted to their fathers holdes, and for want of children the next of kinne, and no other, I assure your lo. there is neither any such custom indeede, nor claimed by the tennants there. But the contrary is to be prooved, by the continuall practice and graunts in all stewardes times, aswell by warrant of letter from your lordeshipp and those which have held your place, as otherwise by the stewardes themselves when the[y?] sawe occasion. Neither indeede (in my poore opinion) can such a custom be affirmed and allowed, without manifest preiudice to her matie, who thereby should be more restrayned in this mannour, then common parsons are in their mannours of like tenure and custom. But therein, for the time to comme, I submitte my selfe to be ordered accordinge to your lops. good pleasure. In the meane time, I hope your lo. will not disadvow this graunte to Cicill & from him to Head, beinge made by my father vppon your lops. owne letter and commandement. And whereas she affirmeth, that divers of the hommage did present that she had right to the hold, mr Dolman assureth me, and requesteth me so to signifie vnto your lop., that it is vtterly vntrew. And so hopinge I have sufficiently satisfied your lop. in this matter, with my humble duty to your
honnor, and my prayers to god for your good health, and long continewance in all honnor & happines, I humbly take my leave. this xxvi of December 1594.
Your Lops. most bounden and ready to be commaunded Henry Nevill
