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Extract from rentals and surveys (Public Records Portf. 25. No. 42. Brit. Mus.)
Summary
1544
Interrogatories on the King's behalf against George Staveley (concerning the lands etc. of John Staveley in the township of Lynbie).
Interrogatories in the case of James Meyryng v. John Staveley (concerning lands etc. in the lordship of Lyndby).
Inquisition taken at "Sowthwell," co. Nottingham, 22 April, 35 Henry VIII (1544) in accordance with the writ from the Court of the General Surveyors of the King's Lands by the oath and depositions of jurors.
i) John Staveley's lands and tenements in 'Lynby' are worth £43/3/4 a year. (i.e. the township).
ii) He inherited a quarter of Sir Nicholas Stirley's (Strelley) property in the Lordship, as his cousin.
iii) He purchased the rest, i.e. three parts of the town, from the three sisters who were heirs to Sir Nicholas.
iv) He has 19 messuages, 14 cottages, 9 gardens, 30 oxgangs, 2 acres and 3 roods of land in the town, by copy of Court Roll.
v) The copyhold land is held of the King of his manor of 'Lynby,' Staveley pays him £7/2/61/2 rent a year, but how much is copyhold is not known.
vi) He has sold 430 oaks and ash in all, within 2 years, but no one can divide the copyhold lands from the charter held lands or the domains.
vii). Copyholders may sell woods.
viii) The value of the trees is £12.
ix) Staveley occupies domain land in the town worth £13/6/8 a year.
x) Staveley has 154 oxgangs and 8 acres in his occuration, and the tenure of his farmers within the 'Ringge hedge' of Lynby, at 9 acres to the oxgang 8 acres which Sir John Chaworth claims; and a close called 'Berdley,' which Sir John Bvron has bought of the King as part of the revenues of Newsted, and 'Lynby Hay,' part of the Lordship.
xi) He has no freeholds in the town.
xii) The only liberties he has in the town are trees on copyhold and freehold, and cqnjmon for cattle. His ancestors kept courts at 'Lynby' in their own names.
xiii) He occupies in the township twelve closes, namely: "newe closse, Myll close, the Intake, eightmans Medowe, Myll Dame, the Pightell, Mill Closse, the new Medowe, the Convogrey Litle oldham and Miche oldham and the Parke which was fowre Little closses Called Litle hay, Obe Medow, Newparke, and the Hall Orcharde."
xiv) The Crown has always been reputed chief lord of one moiety of the town.
xv) They cannot tell of the domain lands of the king's moiety, hut by the Book or Register of the Forest of Sherwood it appears that the King has 40 oxgangs of land, 41/2 cottages and half of a Mill Damme in the Township, and according to the Barons of the Exchequer it says in the Roll of the second year of King John that he hadxa farm in the town called 'Lynby Ferme,' rented at £15/4/0 a year.
xvi) The whole lands of Linby are in the occupation of Staveley.
xvii) The Courts of Lynby were kept in the second, third and fourth years of the present King's reign (i.e. by the King).
xviii) They know of no court kept in the King's name since.
xix) They know of no other farms or lands belonging to the King in the town.
xx) The freeholders are in the holding of Staveley and he answers for the King's rents.
xxi) They think that Staveley has all the copyholds in Lynby although the quantity is not known. The custom is that the copyholders should find a "Constable, a Reve or grave. Freborowes a Woodwarde and Probacions of Testamentes, Fynes for Alyenacions or Entries which ar incydent to the Kinges Moytie."
xxii) There are no shpep courses or fishings in the Township. As much of the town as is within the perambulation of the Forest of Sherwood is the" King's free warren; they do not know about the rest. They know no woods except the trees and hedgerows growing upon the lands, pasture and common occupied by Staveley. All liberties are the King's.
xxiii) The King is patron of the parsonage of Lynby by the attainting of the monastery of Lenton; yearly value 106s. 8d.
xxiv) An account of Sir Nicholas Stirley, then Grave of the town, signed by William Berners, auditor, shows the yearlv value of the King's part of the town of Lynby to be £7/2/6.
xxv) No woods have been sold other than those sold by Staveley's order, but they cannot tell how much was sold on the King's moiety or Staveley's moiety, because the moieties cannot be divided.
xxvi) Two messuages and five cottages decayed in the town of Lynby in Master Stirley's time, but they do not know whether they were copyholds.
On the Interrogatories on the part of John Staveley esquire:—
i. By a deed of 40 Edward III Edmond de la Polenfeoffed Thomas Hunt of the moiety of the Manor of Lynby; William Hunt released to Thomas all his right therein.
ii. Staveley occupies 30 tenements and cottages with 57 oxgangs of land and appurtenances arrented to the value of £20/16/8, the Mill 66s. 8d., the Newe medowe 33s. 4d., Little Oldham and Muche Oldham £4, in all £29/16/8 besides £13/6/8 for the domains, (i.e. all arrented in the Lordship).
iii. The township pays for the herbage of the residue of the Hav of Lynby: 6s. 8d.
iv. Thomas Hunte and other ancestors of Staveley have purchased of Charterhold and Copyhold 37 messuages and cottages, 13a gardens, 38 oxgangs 12½ acres of land, a toft and a croft, a parcel of meadow called "parson pingill," 2 "lees" of land, and "all the land by reason of ii oxgangs" and all the land of Richard Standolohe in "Stobbing," and Thomas Hunt bought all the meadow in Olde Medowe between the "Croftes" and the "Broke" from 19 different people, and all their lands, common and pastures between the foresaid brook and "Wigghay hedge." with the liberty to erclose. "And besides all suche lardes as was purchased bv Generall Wordes as all the landes and tenements etc."
v. There are now 30 messuages and cottages besides 7 messuages and cottages in decay and 1403 acres of land, meadow, pasture and wood, as measured by Edmond Wedoson of Lowdam, besides 8 acres of ground that Sir John Chaworth claims, and the waste ground in the "Hay of Lynby," and Bradley Close which was in the holding of the late Prior of Newstead.