EARLY HISTORY TO A.D. 1300. 27 
rightly termed a manor, but nearly the whole of the property was 
very early alienated by the Abbot of Ghent. 
With regard to manorial jurisdiction, the Manor of Lewisham 
was paramount over the whole, and persons from the whole 
area appear to have attended the Manor Courts. Separate 
Courts for Bankers and Shrafholt were held, however, with those 
for Lee, and there is also evidence that quit rents were paid by 
tenants within the Manor of Bellingham to their own lord. 
The quit rents paid to the Lord of the Manor of Lewisham for 
the various tenures were :— ae a 
For Bankers wig B3cit 
», Shratholt ae 17 44 
», Bellingham ... go: |x 
3. @attord:... se 22 II 
The glimpses we have of Lewisham life in the 13th century are 
chiefly contained in the Assize Rolls. If these present us with the 
worst side of the life of the times, they also give us the customs 
which are the foundation of much of the procedure of to-day. 
Blackheath, as in after years, appears to have been a 
particularly perilous place to cross, several of the cases referring to 
murders committed thereon. Thus in 1254, certain malefactors 
unknown assaulted Hamo de Cherewood and Roger le Juuene on 
the Heath, Roger was slain, and Hamo, as being present, was 
attached to answer for the crime, but was not suspected. The law 
then required that on the death of a man by violence it was 
necessary for the district to prove he was not a Frenchman. This 
was not done in the present case, and the Hundred in which the 
murder took place was accordingly fined. The township of 
Greenwich was also fined for burying the dead man without 
holding an inquest and the neighbouring townships of Lee and 
Charlton were fined for not aiding in the prosecution of the 
murderers. 
Another interesting case in the same year was a quarrel, 
between Geoffrey le Bidelede and Margery, daughter of Roger 
David, on the one hand, and Agnes, daughter of Roger le Biche, 
on the other. Geoffrey and Margery between them beat Agnes to 
death, and being apprehended they were placed in the prison of 
the Prior of Lewisham. Margery effected her escape and fled to 
Lewisham Church, and having thus taken sanctuary she was 
permitted to abjure the realm before William Scot, the Prior’s 
bailiff. Her companion in crime, Geoffrey, was taken to Rochester 
Castle, but escaping, he was declared exiled, outlawed and con- 
demned to death. For having allowed the felons to escape the 
township of Lewisham was fined. ‘The episode took place in that 
part of the Manor represented at the Manor Court by Adam de 
Catford. 
Another case may be taken from the Assize Rolls for 1278. 
Matthew de Pontefract and James, son of Henry de Brocole 
