Lesbury Parish, by the late George Tate, F.G.S. 445 



Daund held arable lands lying separately in the common 

 fields of Lesbury, at one time parcel of lands called Hippes- 

 bourne Hill, at a rent of 7s. 10d.* 



In the sixteenth century, Copyholders, who had been 

 developed from the Bond-men and Cot-men of earlier times, 

 were a numerous body in Lesbury. According to an enroll- 

 ment, at a court held at Alnwick in 1586, thirty five copy- 

 holds were in that vill, all held on the same tenure, but 

 differing in the extent of land belonging to them. One 

 class, anciently called Bond-men, had besides a built tene- 

 ment and a croft, a husbandland usually from twenty four 

 to thirty acres or more ; but the other class, anciently called 

 Cot-men, is described as having a cottage and croft, and 

 sometimes a garden, but with only one or two selions or 

 ridges of land ; both however enjoyed rights over the com- 

 mon, which belonged to the township. Each paid, according 

 to ancient usage, a quit rent yearly, and on the alienation 

 of the property, either by inheritance or sale, a fine was 

 paid to the lord, the amount of which, fixed by ancient 

 usage, was for the larger holdings, about three times the 

 annual quit rent, and for the smaller, a sum ranging from 

 4s. to 7s. The following list of Copyholders will shew the 

 names of the inhabitants of Lesbury three centuries ago : — 



John Fiffe 



..39 



4 



Will. Haryston. . . 



.41 



10 



James Renwyck . 



.35 



10 



John Tailor 



.44 



6 



Will. Wilkinson . 



.40 







Tho. Ladyman . . . 



.32 







Rob. Christine . . . 



.49 



5 



John Rumpeth. . . 



.40 







Tho. Tailor 



,.40 







Thos. Slegge 



.23 







Tho. Elder 



,.44 



6 



Edw. Smyth 



.43 



6 



Geo. Templyn . . . 



.41 



10 



Will. Harrison . . . 



.40 



2 



Rob. Grene 



,.49 



6 



Tho. Page 



.40 



2 



Will. Mylne ... 



..40 



2 



Rob. Atkinson . . . 



.41 



2 



Tho. Armourer 







John Oarr 



.43 



1 



Edw. Slegge . 



[.39 



3 



Will. Lawson . . . 



. 2 



4 



Will. Wilkinson , 



.. 1 







Isabella Robynsor 



i 2 



6 



John Todde 



.. 1 



4 



Tho. Milne 



. 



4 



Rob. Tomlinge. . , 



,. 



10 



Tho. Shepheard . 



. 



2 



John Harkus . . 



.. 1 



3 



"Will. Harry son. . . 



. o 



7 



Matthew Smart 



.. 



7 



Will. Cowper . . . 



. 2 



8 



John Beropp 



,. 1 



3 









and rendered yearly to the lord, 9d ; but the old rent was 2d ; as a tenant at 

 will, the vicar of Lessebury, held one messuage, and 1 husband land (42s), 1 

 cottage (5s), and a cottage (2s 6d), and rendered yearly at Michaelmas and 

 Whitsuntide, 99s 6d.— Dickson's History of Alnmouth, p. 36.] 



* Humberston Survey, p. 39. [In 40 Eliz. William Toppin leased Lesbury 

 mill to Sir John Forster. (Calendar of Leases.)] 



