A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



APPENDIX I 



MATERIALS FOR THE ECONOMIC HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



The materials available for the economic history of Middlesex are neither copious nor 

 consecutive. Of the Hundred Rolls usually such a valuable source of information only 

 two fragments are extant, 168 " and yield little or nothing to the purpose. The first membrane 

 contains a list of persons holding land to the value of 20 who are not knights ; and 

 on the second, Kensington is the only manor described with any particularity. The majority 

 of the Court Rolls at the Record Office are too late to be interesting, and it is only for the 

 one manor of Harmondsworth that there is a consecutive series long enough and early 

 enough to be valuable. 



While the earliest roll of this manor belongs to the reign of Edward I and contains 

 nothing of interest, there is a complete series of eighteen rolls, extending from I Richard II 

 to 21 Henry VIII, 183 which, with a couple of custumals and some rentals and ministers' 

 accounts, give with some detail an interesting history of an interesting manor. There is a 

 very complete custumal of the time of Henry I, and rentals of the reign of Edward III, 

 Richard II, Henry VI, and Henry VIII ; and although the two earlier compotus rolls, of 

 dates in the reigns of Edward II and Richard II respectively, yield little beyond prices and 

 wages, a third, dating from the time of Henry VII, contains a full account of the tenants' 

 services. 164 



Seeing the paucity of the available material, it is particularly regrettable that the fine 

 custumal and almost complete series of Court Rolls of the manor of Isleworth, belonging to 

 the duke of Northumberland at Syon House, are not accessible for research. Only a rather 

 disjointed account of the manor can be derived from the brief summary of the Syon Manu- 

 scripts published by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, 166 and the materials at the Record 

 Office, where there are Court Rolls for periods in the reigns of Edward III, Henry VI, 

 Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry VIII, besides some useful ministers' accounts for the 

 reigns of Edward III and Richard II. An inquisition of 28 Edward I would afford much 

 valuable information as to the tenures, were it not unfortunately so badly torn and dis- 

 coloured as to be practically useless. Another Isleworth inquisition throws light incidentally 

 on one of the indictments of the Peasants' Revolt. 166 



Teddington is the only other manor of which we have any consecutive account ; and 

 that only for the reigns of the three Edwards, in a series of compotus rolls extending with 

 a good many breaks from 3 Edward I to 50 Edward III. 167 These are usefully supplemented 

 by a rental of 3 Richard II, and a custumal of the manor in a Westminster Abbey custumal 

 of the time of Henry III, in the British Museum, 168 which also contains accounts of the 

 tenants and services on the manors of Paddington and Knightsbridge, Greenford and Hayes. 

 For no other manors are there more than isolated documents, and for many only rolls too 

 late to be of any use. The Domesday of St. Paul's, published by Archdeacon Hales for the 

 Camden Society, includes two Middlesex manors Sutton and Drayton and for both there 

 are later Court Rolls, and for Sutton a minister's account, in the library at St. Paul's 

 Cathedral, which by the kindness of the librarian I was permitted to examine. The numerous 

 prebendal manors, held in Middlesex by canons of the cathedral, are not included in the 

 Domesday. 



For the period of the Black Death we are practically reduced to such information as 

 may be derived from one Court Roll of the manor of Stepney, and from some compotus rolls of 



"*" In the Public Record Office. They have not been printed. 



10 P.R.O. Ct. R. bdle. 191, Nos. 13-31. 



164 P.R.O. Rentals and Surv. ptfo. 11, No. 20 ; rot. 443, 444, 446, 449 ; Mins. Accts. bdle. 

 1 1 26, No'.. 5, 6, 7. 



164 Hiit. MSS. Com. Rep. vi, Appendix 232 (Syon House MSS.). 



'** P.R.O. Ct. R. bdle. 191, Nos. 33-40; Inquisitions, 41 Edw. Ill, No. 49 and I Ric. II, \\6a ; 

 Mins. Accts. bdle. 916, Nos. 17-20. 



167 P.R.O. Mins. Accts. bdle. 918, Nos. 1-25 ; bdle. 919, Nos. i-n : Rental No. 456. 



'B.M. Add. Chart. 8139. 



102 



