Page:VCH Derbyshire 1.djvu/516

 A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE foresters who appeared were John Curzon, William Kniveton, and William Bradburne, esquires, and John Brockshaw, gentleman. John Brockshaw also appeared as guardian of the wards of Duffield and Colebrook, with John Roger, as guardian of Hulland, and William Beardsley, of Belper ; the same gentlemen are also entered as agisters and collectors of their respective wards. As to the parks, Thomas Johnson was entered as parker of Mansell, William Kniveton of Ravensdale, John Curzon of Postern, Robert Spencer of Shottle, and Hawkins Varney of Morley. Henry Butler held the joint sinecure offices of bowbearer and axebearer, whilst Richard Clarke was the ranger. A large number of vert trespassers were fined, chiefly in sums of ifd. and 6d. ; in various cases the offenders are described as taking horseloads, sleighloads, or ' les backburdens ligni.' l As matters ripened in Derbyshire against the arbitrary actions of Charles I. and his advisors, the crown claims over the district of Duffield Forest, more particularly in the old ward of Colebrook, were more resisted and became more difficult to establish. A singular agreement was come to between the duchy and one Richard Neville to the effect that he should have such land as by prosecution he could recover for the crown in Uttoxeter Ward, Need wood Forest, and in Colebrook Ward, Duffield Forest, at a rental of izd. per acre. Neville succeeded in recovering much land in and around Colebrook ward for the crown as part of the old royal frith of Duffield. He was, however, not only put to heavy legal costs, but his attempts to enclose were naturally resisted, leading to many riots and disorders. In December, 1639, Neville petitioned the crown for an abatement of the covenanted rent, as he not only found much of the land barren, but he was still exposed to daily damage and interruption. 8 On 20 February, 1640, Richard Nevill, who is described as gentleman of the bedchamber to the Prince, obtained a formal grant in fee farm of the common or waste called ' Milshay or Millmore, or Milshayward de Colebrookward,' parcel of Duffield Frith, and other lands recovered by his prosecutions, charged with a rent of 45 3*. per annum ; but at the same time 550 acres of Millhay were assigned to Edward Potterell and others as trustees for the commoners and tenants of Alderwasley and Ashleyhay at a rent of 2s. an acre per annum. 8 Probably the crown, in accordance with the usual disafforesting arrangements of this reign, took one-third of the common, the other two-thirds being reserved for the commoners. The statements appended to a Parliamentary Survey of this forest give a clear insight into the action of the crown as to the commoners during this reign. A survey of the 'Royaltye of the late disforrested Forest or Chase called Duffield Frith. . . late parcell of the possessions of Charles Stuart, late king of England,' was made in July, 1650, by order of Parliament.* The chief rent due from several adjacent townships for liberty of commonage amounted to 56;. 4^. ; the royalty, including waifs, strays, felons' goods, hawking, and hunting, 401. ; of cottages on encroachments, 24 13*. id. ; and 'the mines delfes or pitts of coale now in use or hereafter to be digged. . . with liberty of ruckeing and stackeing of such coales. . . and of erecting of cottages for the habitacion of collyers with free passage for horses, carts, and carriages passing to and from the said coale delfes,' 30. The commissioners let the benefits of the royalties and of the coal for a year to John Mundy of Allestree and Thomas Newton of Duffield. The report cites the grant of 4 September, 1634, when a third part of Belper ward, 561 acres, assigned to the king by the Duchy Council in the previous year, was transferred to Sir Edward Sydenham at a yearly rent of zis. Sd. At the same time it was proposed to assign to the king a third part of Chevin ward, to be chosen by lot, the remaining two-thirds to be granted to the commoners at 2s. per acre for all they enclosed, being discharged of their old rent of 56;. 4^.; but only 31 commoners agreed to this proposal, upwards of 400 being opposed to it. Nevertheless a decree was passed for division in the Duchy chamber, and the king's commissioners took what part they liked best without any casting of lots, taking in all ' tacke courtes ' were held in addition to the woodmote, ' at Lukes day and Martinmas,' and the tack dinner when each man had a hen in his pie was still maintained. This interesting local poem was printed in full in the Reliquary (Vol. xxiii. 69-74), where the date 1588 is wrongly given. Anthony Bradshaw, who was born in 1545 and died in 1614, was a benefactor to Duffield ; he had two wives and twenty-three children ; his remarkable monument is in Duffield church. See Cox, Churches of Derbyshire, iii. 1389, and Derb. Arck. Journ., xxv. 30-31. 1 Ibid. //,. The records of other interesting woodmotes of a little later date will be found under number jW* an d jVV- 4 Duchy of Lane. Parl. Surveys, no. 4. 4.20
 * S. P. Dom. Chas. I. ccccxxxv. 30. s Ibid, ccccxlvi. 41.