STOKE ST MARY, SOMERSET, ENGLAND
STOKE ST MARY HISTORICAL RECORDS
THE WINCHESTER PIPE ROLLS
The period between 1066 and 1485 is often called the Middle Ages. During this time the Manor of Taunton, which covered much of the same land as the current Taunton Deane, was held by the Bishops of Winchester. Other than for a couple of parishes [which luckily Stoke was one] there are no records of Taunton parishes in the Doomsday Book, they all come under a general heading of land belonging to the Bishop.
However, once in the ownership of the Bishops, documents do appear giving quite detailed descriptions of holdings in each parish. Pipe rolls, Lay Subsidy Documents, Tithings to name but a few. Some just give total amounts paid by the Parish, others list names and holdings.
A fair number of the Bishops’ tenants were personally unfree and held customary holdings by villien tenure. This meant they were legally tied to the land, could not dispose of their holding as they pleased were required to work for the Bishop in return for the land. The Bishops’ courts ruled their lives. There were also some freemen and some landless villien.
What work did they do for the Bishop. Well a list of manual work for the Bishops gives us some idea:-
Mowing demesne meadows
Reaping, binding and shocking corn
For one rook-
At the barn
Mattocking demesne for winter sowing
Boy leading harrow
Harrowing
Making “grips”
Spreading manure
Mending hedges round corn
Removing rotten hay
Reaping the lord’s corn
At the mills
And of course, carpenters, millers,
Mowing and harrowing was usually owed by tenants who had oxen. Horses tended to be used for pulling carts. Those who had no horses were probably allowed to substitute mattocking.
In the 13th and early 14th century in the Taunton manor [which included Holway] 56% of the tenants had under 15 acres each and only 7.6% had more than 30 acres. Many had only 2-
Those rich enough could sometimes exchange the work they were meant to do with a payment to the Bishop.
In the 13th and early 14th century [even very small patches] tended to be past from father to son/daughter down generations but not always. The importance of widows in land ownership must not be forgotten
A young man (young that is by medieval standards) wanting to set up a home of his own and tired of waiting for the paternal holding, or an inheritance from some distant relative without heirs of his own, would find in marrying a widow his only chance of deliverance.
With luck she might be old enough to die after a reasonably short period of waiting, leaving him free to marry somebody young and attractive, for there can be little doubt that to the majority of men who married widows the widow's holding must have been her chief or only attraction.
So a relatively young man married a woman considerably older than himself, after whose death, himself already an aged man, he would marry a girl very much younger than himself, who, in turn, on his death would still be young enough to re-
TJ Hunt wrote in his notes [held in Somerset Archives]
In an area where there were few free tenants and no ready market in free land the status of the villein tenant can hardly have caused any strong feelings. That freedom could be purchased is clear from entries in the pip rolls but whether that freedom was worthwhile to any established and reasonably prosperous peasant is another question – for personal freedom without a means of livelihood offered no attractions. It was possible to secure land which owed no service obligations – the over land mentioned in the pipe rolls and again the in the 14thC which was almost certainly newly enclosed lands but this was normally attached to villein tenements. It was possible also on occasions to secure freedom from villein obligations by the payment of a rent for all services though there are very few references in this in the accounts.
Although villien tenants, they could act as a community. The “homage” could lease pasture collectively and could make general bargains with the lord. The Community could decide that a tenant was not looking after the land properly and he could be thrown out.
The pipe rolls list a vast number of fines paid by those living in the Holway manor. Fines for transgressing against the lord [Adam de Stok was guilty of this as was Gilbert de Helfnaked -
There were Fines for concealing landless men outside the tithing [Stoke St Mary tithing was fined for this]. They were also fined if they inherited land, gifted land, married a daughter either within the Tithing or outside. Adam de Rihsham was fined for having an inquest and Stephen de Shireford for unjustly raising the hue. The Reeve who collected the fines was not above the law and was fined if he didn’t do his job properly.
Women seemed able to hold land, especially widows and two ladies were fined for reaping corn badly.
Before the Black Death, between 1263 and 1349 Holway, Pitminster and Staplegrove were among the 10 most populous Bishop’s manors.
The Winchester Pipe Rolls are enrolled accounts, a fair copy of the year’s account from Michaelmas to Michaelmas for the whole of the bishopric estate.
The Winchester pipe rolls are among the very greatest monuments to medieval English administration and record-
The Somerset estate included the areas of Nailsbourne, Staplegrove, Taunton, Bishops Hull, Poundisford, Otterford, Rimpton and last, but not least. Holway.
Stoke [St Mary] Tything was part of Holway.
Somerset and Hampshire Record Societies between them have produced translations of the following rolls:-
1208 -
1210 -
1301 -
1409 -
Other sources have produced names of men and women who lived in the Tything of Stoke.
Stoke St Mary
Holway Manor – Taunton Hundred
1208-
Et de iiijs. de Godefrido de Stocli[es] pro filia sua danda.
4s from Godfrey de Stoke for a dowry for his daughter?
Et de xvs. de Mauricio de Stoch[esj. pro falso dicto.
15s from Maurice of Stoke for falsely speaking
Et de iijs de Giliberto de Soredich pro a acre prati habenda.
3s from Gilbert of Shoreditch for 1 acre of land he holds
Et de xijd. de Mauricio de Stokes pro bosco.
12d from Maurice of Stoke for firewood
1210-
De 1 marca de Alexandro de Stokes pro vidua et terra Rogeri Fleke.
1 mark from Alexander of Stoke for the widow & land of Roger Fleke
1210 to 1300
1256-
Robert de Stokes paid 6s for land from Walter Godefrey
1271-
John Onger de Stoke paid 2s.
1273-
Beatrice de Stok had land that passed to Avelina fil Elie Cad
1276-
Edith Onger of Stoke to retain her husbands land
Ric Onger de Stoke – 2 acres in Lang Lane – from Edith demised
1277-
Adam de la Pole land from Elie le Petylhir at Stoke
Elena de Stok land to retain
1299-
Will son of Adam atte Moor – a acre and a little more next to Haydewood from his brother John
-
SOMERSETSHIRE PLEA
Taken at Ilchester in the 10th year of the reign of King Henry, son of King John
[1236]
Tithing of Stoke next Holway
For the flight of Osbert son of John Fine – half a mark
-
Holway
Winchester Pipe Rolls -
2s. Adam de Stok’ and John Gon’ of Henlade
for transgression against the lord;
3d. Roger de Shordyhc
for trespass of pasture;
2s. Adam de Stoke
for transgression against Juliana le Hopero:
2s. the Tithing of Stoke St Mary
for concealing landless men outside the tithing;
From William, son of Adam atte Moore, to have 1 messuage and 1 virgate of land in Stoke St Mary
by surrender of Richard Moriz.
1326 Eva Atmore fined to retain the land of William, her husband.
1329 she married another William Atmore, who in turn died by 1332.
She then married Richard Moodey, the whole time retaining the estate inact.
-
STOKE ST MARY
Winchester Pipe Rolls -
1409 – 10
2d. for the increment of rent of John Bole for 1 parcel of land of the lord’s waste, containing ½day-
1s. 8d. from the hide sold of 1 ox in murrain; nothing from the issue of the tenement of John Shordych because he fined.
3s. 4d. from John Bricz to have 9 acres of villein land,
of which 3 acres lie in la Southefeld’ and
6 acres in la Northefeld’, and
1 acre of overland called Redeaer’ in the tithing of Stoke St Mary,
3s. 4d. from John Bole the younger to have
1 parcel of land of the lord’s waste, containing ½ day-
4s. from Alice Mareys to retain 4½ acres of overland in the tithing of Stoke St Mary which belonged to Richard Mareys her husband;
4s. from Thomas Durburgh’ to have Alice Mareys with her land, that is, 4½ acres of overland in the tithing of Stoke St Mary;
6s. 8d from John Shordych’ to recover 1 messuage ½ virgate of villein land and 2 acres of overland and 6 acres of overland meadow in the tithing of Stoke St Mary, which the same John forfeited both for being in arrears with rents and services and for laying waste and destroying the same and also for committmg contempt of the lord, saving always the terms of the previous grang therefor, for the term of 11 years. 13s 4d from William More to have 4½ acres of overland in the tithing of Holway, in exchange with William Goky for 4½ acres of overland in the tithing of Stoke St Mary;
5s. from William Goky to have 4½ acres of overland in the tithing of Stoke St Mary, in exchange with William More for 4½ acres of overland in the tithing of Holway;
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