308 



Andover and Us Neighbourhood." 



summonses for escapes, Henry VIII. granted to the town a charter 

 dated November 20th, 2nd year of his reign (1510), confirming 

 one by Edward IV. In the 27th year of the reign of Elizabeth, 

 the town was summoned to return burgesses to parliament and 

 when the borough was about to act in obedience to the Queen's 

 command, the Earl of Leicester, then high steward, addressed the 

 following letter to the bailiffs : — 



" After my hearty commendations — whereas it hath pleased her Majesty to 

 appoint a parliament to be presently called ; being steward of your town I make 

 bold heartily to pray you that you will give me the nomination of one of your 

 Burgesses for the same and if minding to avoid the charges of allowance for 

 the other Burgesses you mean to name any that is not of your town, if you will 

 bestow the nomination of the other burgess also upon me, I will thank you for 

 it, and will both appoint a sufficient man and see you discharged of all charges 

 in that behalf ; and so praying your speedy answer herein I thus bid you heartily 

 farewell. From the courte Oct. 12 1584 



*' Your loving friend, 



"R. Leicester." 



" P.S. — If you will send me your election with a blank I will put in the names." 



"To my loving friends the Bailiffs Aldermen and the rest of the town of 

 Andover." 



My late friend, Mr. S. Shaw, informed me that this letter was given 

 to Lord John Russell, shortly after the passing of the Reform Bill, 

 by Mr. Mann, with the permission of the Town Council. 



The town of Andover was burnt in the time of Henry VI. (about 

 the year 1440). In the Patent Rolls we have a deed of license for 

 obtaining one hundred marks on the land, by reason of the losses 

 sustained at the burning of Andover and New Alresford. The losses 

 caused by the fire made it almost impossible for the inhabitants to 

 pay their public rates and dues. The inhabitants of the town and 

 of the hundred without, had been accustomed to pay annually a fee 

 farm rent to Edmund, formerly Earl of Kent, and his heirs, of £104 

 sterling at the feasts of Easter and St. Michael the Archangel, of 

 which sum £30 125. \\\d. had been apportioned to Lord Tankervill 

 as his share. This sum, with arrears, his lordship generously re- 

 mitted by deed, and for twenty years one hundred shillings were to 

 be deducted from the gross sum due to him. The deed is now in 

 the possession of the Corporation. 



