A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



St. Andrew and St. Matthew" ^5 July, 30 Novem- 

 ber and 2 1 September). Evidently, however, the lair 

 was extended beyond the actual feast of St. Matthew, 

 rightfully or not, for in 1661 Samuel Pepys visited 

 Baldock on 23 September and records that there was 

 a fair held on that day, and adds 'we put in and eat 

 a mouthfull of pork which they made us pay \\d. 

 for, which vexed us much.' ls Two years later he 

 visited the town on September 21, and noted that 

 the fair was 'a great one for cheese and other such 

 commodities.' " The fairs seem to have been altered 

 again, as in 1792 there were live fairs ever) year,'' 

 horse fairs being held on 7 March, the last Thursday 

 in May, 5 August, 1 1 December, and a horse and 

 pleasure fair on 2 October. These are still con- 

 tinued." In the 14th century the fairs seem to have 

 been the scene of considerable disturbance. In 1312 

 it is recorded that when Geoffrey de la Lee, the ting's 

 custodian, approached the town of Baldock to collect 

 the tolls and other profits of the fair, various persons 

 ' at night assaulted him and his men and servants and 

 took and carried 1 

 complaint was nude thai 



bers of the 





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fedcracies of di 

 lating and imprisoning men 11 

 other places, and that these li 

 prevented the men and senar 

 from collecting the tolls and 

 assaulted them so that their li 

 wickedly killed William de My 

 1, whom the king had 



mlting, 1 



fairs and markets and 



rfy comir 

 1 of Walt, 



the fair and . 



A fair was also granted 

 of St. Mary Magdalene at 

 king should come of age. 

 ind feast of St. Barthol, 



to Baldock 

 de Manny 

 profits of his fair, 

 ; despaired of, and 

 the king's scrjeant- 

 p his pence at 



i Brothel 



doer found the 



Idock in 12 

 I was held 

 " (*3-M August). 



Henry III declared himself of age in 1227, when he 

 reached his twentieth year, the fair presumably lapsed 

 in that year. There is no evidence of its renewal. 



A market at Baldock was granted to the Knights 

 Templars in 1 199,™ and con- 

 firmed in 1227 with certain 

 liberties, namely, 'that they 

 shall have three deer and the 

 feet of the deer every year ; 

 and they can take them where 

 they wish either in Essex or 

 in Winder Forest by the 

 view of the Foresters. And 

 all their horses are to be quit 

 from tolls or passage money. 

 And they are not to be dis- 

 turbed under penalty of 

 £10.*" In 1+92 the market, 

 to be held on Friday, was con- 

 firmed to the Knights Hospitallers." By the grai 

 to Thomas Re vet t in 1566 the day was altered 1 

 Saturday. 16 In 1 792 the market was held c 



W 



Arg.m 



*,/ 



Thursdaj 

 It is not 



' but befor 

 jw held. 



changed to Friday." 



The Master of the Templars in 1187 claimed in 

 Baldock view of frankpledge and freedom from shire 

 and hundred courts for all pleas. He also claimed to 

 have his own gaol 'from time immemorial,' with 

 gallows, tumbrel, pillory, infangentheof and amend- 

 ment of the assize of bread and ale." Earl Gilbert, 

 when he gave them land on which to build Baldock^ 

 granted them the right of judgement by fire and 

 water and by battle.- 



It is recorded in 1312 that when Geoffrey de la 

 Lee, custodian of the Templars' lands, * approached 

 the town to hold a view of Frankpledge there, as 

 was customary, and had attached by Robert Legat 

 and John atte Water, known bailiffs, measures and 

 weights found in the town to examine them at the 

 view, various persons resisted the attachment and 

 forcibly carried oft the weights and measures from 

 the bailiffs.'- 1 



Baldock is now governed by an urban district 

 council. The chief industries of the town are 

 malting and brewing. 



Gilbert de Clare's grant was confirmed 

 MANOR to the Knights Templars at the beginning 

 of the 13th century by William Marshal, 

 Earl of Pembroke, the husband of Gilbert's grand- 

 daughter Isabel/* The Templars continued to 

 hold Baldock until the dissolution of their order 

 309, when their lands fell to the Crown." 



They were first committed 

 William Inge, 3 * and a few 

 Geoffrey dc la Lee, who was 

 Shortly afterwards Baldock v 

 other lands of the Templars 

 by the Knights Hospitallers. 

 In 1335 the Hospitallers 

 granted the 'Court' of Bal- 

 dock to John dc Blomvill for 



stody of 

 ears afterwards to 

 ustodian in IJH U 

 acquired with the 



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The 

 3 hold 



w 



ten years, and he i 

 granted it for two ye 

 Walter de Mauny. 88 

 Hospitallers continued t 

 Baldock until 1 540,'" when 



it again came into the king's T „ ( KhllGHT , 



hands by the dissolution of Hdipitallim. Gulat 

 their order, and it was granted "■"» argent, 

 in 1542 to John Bowles upon 



his surrender of a lease of twenty-one years from the 

 Hospitallers, dating from IC22. W He seems, how- 

 ever, to have immediately conveyed it back to the 

 Crown, for he died in 1543 seised of only a small 

 portion of it. 3S The manor was granted in 1544 to 

 John Allen and others as security for money lent to 

 the king to be repaid in one year." Later in the 

 same year it was granted to Sir John Aleyn, Sir John 

 Champneys, and Ralph Aleyn, aldermen of London." 

 In 1556 Sir John Champneys conveyed Baldock 10 



*> Djgdaie, Man. vii, 820. 

 ''Ca/.Par. 1307-11, P . 5js. 



15 Du S J 3 | e , M, n , vii, g 20 . 



