SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



and other places and along the high roads ; also for right of way through 

 Eywode in two places and through Faunton Wood. The abbot's coun- 

 cillors found this petition to be identical with that of 138 i (as it is, with 

 very significant omissions), and with this discovery they struck terror into 

 the villeins, who stood amazed and said no more for that time.*" The 

 important feature in both these cases is that the demands had been growing 

 less and less ever since 1274. They had now reached the lowest stage — 

 freedom of tenure and preservation or perhaps extension of common rights. 

 These, too, are rights more useful to the agriculturist than to the merchant, 

 suggesting that the towns were already suffering from the decay which is 

 very apparent at Hertford at this time. 



In the 15th century the Hertfordshire towns were not buying privi- 

 leges. Possibly the wars affected them. They were poor and half-populated. 

 It was not until the 1 6th century that they began to seek charters again, this 

 time from the king. After 1563 economic advantages under the Statute of 

 Artificers were obtained from incorporation. This was probably one of the 

 reasons why the men of Berkhampstead procured a charter in 1 6 1 6.°^ 



At the beginning of the 15th century the population was very scanty 

 both in urban and in rural districts. In 1428 Codicote, Graveley, Chesfield, 

 Ayot Montfitchet and Digswell each had less than nine householders.^^ At 

 Bygrave there were seven, at Clothall six, at Radwell seven, and eight at 

 Throcking.^* Bramfield and Wakeley were apparently depopulated."* Of 

 urban parishes Stapleford had only nine householders, Eastwick seven, and 

 even around St. Albans, in the district of St. Julian's Hospital, there were 

 very few."^ The parishes of St. Mary and St. Nicholas at Hertford had not 

 twenty householders between them."^ Hertford did not recover its prosperity 

 until far into the i6th century, as the decay of the markets and fairs shows. 

 The same tale is true of Hitchin. In 1526 the tolls were let for ^7. i2j. 8(3'." 

 Thirty years later they only fetched 20j.*^ Hitchin was a ' great thorough- 

 fare and scattered parish with over a thousand houselyng folk.' *' At 

 Berkhampstead the May Fair died out''"; at Markyate, too, from 1480-1 

 no fair was held, and in 1526 the market tolls were worthless." In 1548 

 the market town of Baldock was much decayed.'^'' The towns on the east 

 of the county seem to have struggled along better than those on the west. 

 Owing to the traffic on the Great North Road, in 1545 Ware was ' a great 

 parish to the number of 1,200 houselyng people.' ^^ At Stortford there 

 were 500 housling folk, being a great thoroughfare." 



In the 1 5th century one would look for gilds in the town records, and 

 there were plenty in Hertfordshire. In most instances, however, we only 

 find reference to their religious side. There may have been a gild merchant 

 at Berkhampstead from the 12th century ; but it is merely surmised from 



^^ Amundesham, Ann. Mon. S. Albant (Rolls Ser.), i, 187. As late as 1601 the men of St. Albans still 

 ground at the 'Abbot's mill.' In 1556 ten men had set up mills of their own, to the queen's loss 

 2^16 13/. i^d., although in the abbot's time they had ground at his mill. 'Let it be well looked to' 

 (flerts. and St. Albans Archit. and Arch. Soc. Trans, ii, 15 ; Aug. Off. Misc. Bks. cccxci, fol. 243 et seq.). 



" V.C.H. Herts, ii, 172. 62 Feud. Aids, ii, 454. «=* Ibid. 



^ Ibid. «6 jbid. 456, 459. 66 Ibid. 461 ; v.s. borough. 



6^ Mins. Accts. 18 & 19 Hen. VIII, no. 1584. 68 ^ug. Off. Misc. Bks. cccxci, fol. 3 83. 



6^ Chant. Cert. 27, no. 14 ; 20, no. 72. ^^ y^Q.H. Herts, ii, 173. 



'1 Mins. Accts. bdle. 1123, no. 6. '2 Chant. Cert. 27, no. 14. 



" Ibid. .20, no. 66. ^i Ibid. no. 67. 



207 



