The Enclosure Awards.
The ancient system of land tenure is described in "the English Village Community" by Seebohm, Longmans. It goes back to the 4th century. A parish was divided into one part pasture and three parts arable for the triennial rotation of crop. The arable was divided into "shots," each a furlong in length and breadth, separated by "balks," unploughed paths. Each "shot" was subdivided into strips, each one furlong by four rods, an acre, separated by "balks" of two unploughed furrows. The ploughman's goad or rod of 16½ft. was the measure. Each bundle of 30 strips was a yard land, 30 acres. The ploughing was done by teams of eight oxen, four abreast, subscribed by the different commoners and after ploughing the acre strips were allotted to the commoners who had subscribed the oxen and one each to the ploughman, the driver, the faber or blacksmith and the carpenter. After the crops were gathered the commoners turned each a fixed number of animals to graze on the stubbles and fallows.
The Enclosure Award of the "Township or Liberty of Sutton St. Ann's" is dated 16th March, 1775. It recites the open lands "Standard" "Rundle," "Park Lane" and "Nether" Fields and other lands containing fifty-and-a-half yardlands, in all about 1,200 acres, the Lords of the Manors, the Patrons and the Rectors and principal owners by name: orders highways to be set out 60ft. wide; to allot to the Rectors land equal in value and area to the Glebe and common rights and land equal in value to one seventh of the land liable to tithe and to one tenth of the Gardens, Orchards and other enclosed land liable to tithe; the land so allotted to the Rectors to be fenced at the public cost: the residue to be divided among the persons entitled having regard to value and contiguity to houses and estates. The Rectors received
|
|
a. |
r. |
P- |
The Rector of St. Anne's : |
for Glebe lands |
69 |
1 |
16 |
" " " |
Tithes |
55 |
2 |
24 |
The Rector of St. Michael's |
: for tithes |
103 |
2 |
24 |
The principal allottees were Earl Ferrers, 221a. 2r. 19p., Duke of Newcastle 62a. 2r. 13p.; Thomas Roos, 94a. lr. 7p., Mary and Elizabeth Bainbridge 85a. 0r. 4p., and five persons name Berridge, who got about 250 acres in all. There were twenty others. Total enclosed, 1110a. 0r. 5p.
The Enclosure Award of "The Township or Liberty of Sutton St. Michael's" is dated 14th May, 1777, and recites the open lands "Standard," "Stag Close" and "Nether" Fields and other lands of thirty-two yard- lands, in all about 800 acres. After a similar recitation it allotted to the Rector of St. Michael's in lieu of tithe 134a. lr. 4p.
Each award has a map. In St. Anne's Award the area allotted to each is set out in the margin, but in St. Michael's Award only the numbers on the map are set out in reference to a schedule at the end, which is mostly illegible, but I make out Sir Thomas Parkyns, 177a. 3r. 30p. Loughborough Feoffees 93a. 3r. 7p. John Chamberlin 65a. lr. 28p., and — Bennet 72a. 2r. 39p. Total 852a. 2r. 16p., and 22a. lr. 25p. in the Roads.
I conjecture that the Staunton Estate, which came to the three sisters who married Haselrig, Turvill and Wilne, eventually came, one part to the Fieldings, who sold to Grey, one part to Shirley, Earl Ferrers, and one part to Tate of Coventry. Henry Tate in 1698 sold his part to Sir Thomas Parkyns, 1st Baronet, of Bunny, who allowed his son Beaumont Parkyns to reside here. Beaumont Parkyns married Jane Cotton of Beresford, and died in 1714, aged 47, leaving nine children, all of whom died when grown up at ages between 28 and 65, unmarried and were buried at Bunny. About 1830, Sir Thomas Parkyns sold to Mr. William Paget, grandfather of the late Sir G. Ernest Paget. In 1832 the estate of Earl Ferrers was also sold to Mr. William Paget. With the exception of part sold to Major Tennant, the estate of Mr. William Paget has descended in two parts to Sir G. Ernest Paget and Mr. William E. Paget.
The two maps attached to the awards show the boundaries of the two townships of St. Anne's and St. Michael's, but it is doubtful where these were the ecclesiastical boundaries of the two parishes. It is odd that the Rector of St. Michael's had so much Glebe allotted in St. Anne's Township, and the register show that St. Michael's formerly had much the larger population. However, on the advice of Dr. Ridding, Bishop of Southwell, the boundaries shown on the maps are now adopted by the two Rectors.
The Schools and Charities.
The Endowed Church of England Schools were founded in 1718, to teach the children of Sutton Bonington "to read, write and cast accounts and the Latin tongue," Charles Parkyns, son of Beaumont Parkyns, gave the site, Henry Tate and William Tate built the School, Charles Livesay, Rector gave £100 and others £111 13s. 0d., with which land was bought at Barrow-on- Soar. An Indenture dated October 18th, 1837, appointed as ex-officio Trustees the Rectors of St. Michael's, Hathern, Gotham, Stanford, Rempstone and Costock, with others to be co-opted, not less than eight nor more than sixteen in all. There was also land in Sutton Bonington in all 24a. 3r. 37p. All this land has been sold and the proceeds are held by the Charity Commission, Board of Education. In 1849 Edward Bacon bequeathed £100 to the School, which was used to pay off a mortgage on the land at Barrow, then let at £42, per annum. A new School Room has been built at some time and the School is now worked under the Education Act, 1902, Final Order 607, taking the Infant's and Standard I.
The Old National Schools were built by subscription in 1844, at the cost of £450. The Trust deed is missing, but is enrolled at the Record Office. There is a copy in the Minute Book. Robert Meek gave a bit of Glebe as the site to the Rector of St. Anne's and the Rector of Kegworth for a School in Union with the National Society under the control of the Rector of St. Michael's. Failure to meet the requirements of the Board of Education caused the School to be closed in 1907.
The Charities of Sutton Bonington.
An old account book at St. Michael's Church contains accounts of the Churchwardens, Overseers, Constable and Highways 1731-1803.
In 1731 William Buttery and others called in ten charities for the Poor and two for the School then out on bonds and notes of hand. The largest was that of George Mugg. The total was £110 with which a cottage and close at Hose in Leicestershire were bought. This was converted into six acres at the enclosure. The rent £15 is distributed by the Parish Council to poor persons, except £1 0s. 0d., the share of the School to the Notts. Education Committee.
Three small charities of 15/- a year from cottages have been lost.
The Charity of Mrs. Jane Pick, £5, formerly distributed in bread, and Mrs. Mary Bramley, £5, is now held by the Charity Commission.
Bartholomew Hickling's Charity, 1683, gives a Bible to poor children in Sutton Bonington and fourteen other places.
Goddard's Charity, £200, is distributed to poor persons by the Churchwardens of St. Michael's.
Mrs. Annie Burrow's Charity, £15 0s. 0d. is distributed in tea by the Rector and Churchwardens of St. Anne's.
The Churchwarden's Accounts, 1731, show expenses £8 6s. 4d., and levy £5 14s. 6d., and vary from £4 0s. 0d. to £16. Details are only given in 1731 and 1732 and include "Pentecost Offerings." "A Dog-whip," "Whiping ye dogs," "Sticking ye Church" (? decorating with boughs), "Washing ye surplus," and "ye tapel lining " ; "Bedd and wine at Crismas" and "at Ester."
The expenses of the Overseers were £31 12s. 5d. The rateable value was £970. Relief was given in money 6d. to 1/6 and clothes. Children were boarded out at £2 12s. a year. There was a furnished Workhouse. Children were apprenticed at £4 or £5 premium. In 1795 new Poor Laws pauperized the labourers, as farmers reduced wages, and relief was given to make up to able-bodied men, hence enormous families. In 1800, sixty persons received weekly relief and rates went up to 18/- in the pound and expenses to £1043 11s.2d. No man could leave the parish without a bond.
Napoleon was threatening invasion from Boulogne, so there are many entries referring to the Navy and Army and Militia and conscription and payments for substitutes and bounties.
In 1733 the Highways cost £5 3s. 1d. and rose slowly, but then roads were repaired by compulsory labour of the inhabitants, who had to provide men, horses and carts.
Many entries throw light on the customs of the times, which must have been very primitive and hard on the working class.