A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE 



foresters who appeared were John Curzon, William Kniveton, and William Bradburne, esquires, 

 and John Brockshaw, gentleman. John Brockshaw also appeared as guardian of the wards of 

 Duffield and Colebrook, with John Roger, as guardian of Hulland, and William Beardsley, 

 of Belper ; the same gentlemen are also entered as agisters and collectors of their respective 

 wards. As to the parks, Thomas Johnson was entered as parker of Mansell, William Kniveton 

 of Ravensdale, John Curzon of Postern, Robert Spencer of Shottle, and Hawkins Varney of 

 Morley. Henry Butler held the joint sinecure offices of bowbearer and axebearer, whilst 

 Richard Clarke was the ranger. A large number of vert trespassers were fined, chiefly in sums 

 of ifd. and 6d. ; in various cases the offenders are described as taking horseloads, sleighloads, or 

 ' les backburdens ligni.' l 



As matters ripened in Derbyshire against the arbitrary actions of Charles I. and his 

 advisors, the crown claims over the district of Duffield Forest, more particularly in the old ward 

 of Colebrook, were more resisted and became more difficult to establish. A singular agreement 

 was come to between the duchy and one Richard Neville to the effect that he should 

 have such land as by prosecution he could recover for the crown in Uttoxeter Ward, 

 Need wood Forest, and in Colebrook Ward, Duffield Forest, at a rental of izd. per acre. 

 Neville succeeded in recovering much land in and around Colebrook ward for the crown 

 as part of the old royal frith of Duffield. He was, however, not only put to heavy legal 

 costs, but his attempts to enclose were naturally resisted, leading to many riots and disorders. 

 In December, 1639, Neville petitioned the crown for an abatement of the covenanted 

 rent, as he not only found much of the land barren, but he was still exposed to daily damage 

 and interruption. 8 



On 20 February, 1640, Richard Nevill, who is described as gentleman of the bedchamber 

 to the Prince, obtained a formal grant in fee farm of the common or waste called ' Milshay or 

 Millmore, or Milshayward de Colebrookward,' parcel of Duffield Frith, and other lands 

 recovered by his prosecutions, charged with a rent of 45 3*. per annum ; but at the same 

 time 550 acres of Millhay were assigned to Edward Potterell and others as trustees for the 

 commoners and tenants of Alderwasley and Ashleyhay at a rent of 2s. an acre per annum. 8 

 Probably the crown, in accordance with the usual disafforesting arrangements of this reign, 

 took one-third of the common, the other two-thirds being reserved for the commoners. 



The statements appended to a Parliamentary Survey of this forest give a clear insight 

 into the action of the crown as to the commoners during this reign. 



A survey of the 'Royaltye of the late disforrested Forest or Chase called Duffield 

 Frith . . . late parcell of the possessions of Charles Stuart, late king of England,' was made 

 in July, 1650, by order of Parliament.* The chief rent due from several adjacent townships 

 for liberty of commonage amounted to 56;. 4^. ; the royalty, including waifs, strays, felons' 

 goods, hawking, and hunting, 401. ; of cottages on encroachments, 24 13*. id. ; and 'the 

 mines delfes or pitts of coale now in use or hereafter to be digged . . . with liberty of 

 ruckeing and stackeing of such coales . . . and of erecting of cottages for the habitacion 

 of collyers with free passage for horses, carts, and carriages passing to and from the said coale 

 delfes,' 30. The commissioners let the benefits of the royalties and of the coal for a year to 

 John Mundy of Allestree and Thomas Newton of Duffield. 



The report cites the grant of 4 September, 1634, when a third part of Belper ward, 561 

 acres, assigned to the king by the Duchy Council in the previous year, was transferred to 

 Sir Edward Sydenham at a yearly rent of zis. Sd. At the same time it was proposed to assign 

 to the king a third part of Chevin ward, to be chosen by lot, the remaining two-thirds to be 

 granted to the commoners at 2s. per acre for all they enclosed, being discharged of their old 

 rent of 56;. 4^.; but only 31 commoners agreed to this proposal, upwards of 400 being 

 opposed to it. Nevertheless a decree was passed for division in the Duchy chamber, and the 

 king's commissioners took what part they liked best without any casting of lots, taking in all 



' tacke courtes ' were held in addition to the woodmote, ' at Lukes day and Martinmas,' and the tack 

 dinner when each man had a hen in his pie was still maintained. This interesting local poem was 

 printed in full in the Reliquary (Vol. xxiii. 69-74), where the date 1588 is wrongly given. Anthony 

 Bradshaw, who was born in 1545 and died in 1614, was a benefactor to Duffield ; he had two wives 

 and twenty-three children ; his remarkable monument is in Duffield church. See Cox, Churches of 

 Derbyshire, iii. 1389, and Derb. Arck. Journ., xxv. 30-31. 



1 Ibid. //,. The records of other interesting woodmotes of a little later date will be found 

 under number jW* an d jVV- 



* S. P. Dom. Chas. I. ccccxxxv. 30. s Ibid, ccccxlvi. 41. 



4 Duchy of Lane. Parl. Surveys, no. 4. 



4.20 



