STRAY NOTES, PREHISTORIC, SAXON, AND NORMAN. 227 



again, lay it in order, and use it in every degree as the Lord of Ruckwood Hall 

 hath done &c. . . . [Here I omit the various other Watches.] 



This is called Navestock Watch. 



Wednesday following the same is yearly presented to the Lord of the Manner 

 of Loft Hall in Navestock &c. The Watch is kept in Three Wants Lane. 



Morant goes on to say : 



" This procession seems to have been a yearly muster of fencible men who 

 were appointed to guard the Hundred against murders and robberies for both of 

 which it was liable to pay a fine. If by preventing these the King receives no 

 harm as in the loss of a subject or the felonious breach of his peace the subject 

 escapes a fine otherwise due for suffering a murderer or thief to escape." 



The ceremony began at Abbasse Roothing, as we have seen, as 

 at the extremity of the Hundred, went on to Chigwell, the other 

 extreme, and returned to High Laver, which is in the neighbourhood 

 of Ruckwood Hall. At one of these two Manor Houses we may 

 suppose it deposited, with due regard to Royal authority. What we 

 learn from the records concerning the design of this ceremony of the 

 Wardstaffe is — that it was to represent the King's person and to keep 

 the King's peace, as is illustrated by the following records : 



Inquisition 15 Henry 8. Margaret Nynge held 4 acres of pasture 2 of meadow 

 & 3 of wood in Bobbingvvorthe of our Lord the King by the service of keeping 

 the Rod of our Lord the King called the Wardstaffe at Bobbingworth annually 

 when it shall come there by which particular the person of the King is 

 represented. 



Some lands were held by the service of finding two men to watch with the 

 Wardstaffe : others of keeping the Wardstaffe and of paying Wardsilver and 

 doing white service at the Wardstaffe. Thus John Wright. 6 Jas. 1st held the 

 manor of Kelvedon Hatch of Robert Lord Riche as of the Wardstaffe and by the 

 the service of finding 2 men to watch with the aforesaid Staffe for all services. 



Reginald Rysmere 22nd Henry 7th held the manor of D.iweshall in Lam- 

 bourne of the Duke of Buckingham as of the Castle of Ongar by fealty and the 

 payment of 2s. per annum called Wardsilver and to make white service for the 

 Lord Duke at the Wardstaffe. 



Cecelia Walls 23rd Henry 7th held the Manor of Madale in Epping of the same 

 Duke by the service of keeping the Wardstaffe and this in lieu of all other 

 services. 



Lastly, Morant, quoting from the Rolls of Assize 36 Henry 3rd, tells us that 

 the wardstaffe was to be cairied through the Towns and Hundreds of Essex a- 

 far as to a place called Atteuode near the sea, and be thi own there into the sea. 



The only light thrown upon this account of the ceremony that I 

 have been able to meet with is that furnished by Sir Francis 

 Palgrave in his " Rise of the English Commonwealth," from which 

 work I have gathered the following information. 



