Page:Massingberd - Court Rolls of the Manor of Ingoldmells in the County of Lincoln.pdf/16

xvi a court temp. Edward I, another temp. Edward II, a third temp. Henry IV, and then lastly a fourth temp. Elizabeth.

It will be found that on the earlier rolls pleas of debt and agreement, conveyancing entries, and police cases, all appear together in such a manner as to lead to the inference that the later legal distinctions between the various courts were then disregarded in practice. And the villeins appear in the same court with the freemen, serve on the same juries, join in the same presentments, and form with the freemen the court which ﬁnds the judgments. And so the important question is—‘What were the powers of the court of Ingoldmells?’ The lord of Ingoldmells certainly had a view of frank pledge, and the right of gallows, he had the assize of bread, and of ale, he had rights of wreck and of taking royal ﬁsh at Ingoldmells and Skegness, he had rights of warren and of taking waifs and estrays, besides the ordinary jurisdiction over his free and bond tenants which belonged to every lord of a manor. And his tenants had certain immunities from paying toll, and being summoned to other courts.

As regards the business, at ﬁrst the largest part of the rolls is taken up with pleas of debt and trespass, but as time goes on the conveyancing entries fill more and more space, and at the view of frank pledge held twice a year the presentments occupy considerable space also. These presentments were made at ﬁrst by the townships, and sometimes Ingoldmells, Skegness and Burgh presented separately.

In 13 Edw. II 12 jurors presented, and so at times until the end of the reign of Edw. III, though still the townships sometimes presented. In the reign of Rich. II two juries appear to present at the views, one of freemen and the other of villeins, but in the other courts the elected presenters of the manor present. There could have been no serious difficulty here in finding sufficient freemen to present, and serve on the inquisitions, and in the fifteenth century the second jury presented certain offences and the first jury affirmed that what they said was true, but I cannot show that the system of double presentment, whereby one jury presents that a man is suspected of an offence