Court Book of the Manor of Kingsbury

 

In this extract Walter Alyn has been brought to court accused of felling trees and damaging a house. It is written down that he has to make proper repair to the house.

Hertfordshire archive and local studies

 

Ref: XDOA

Hertfordshire archive and local studies

 

Hertfordshire archives and local studies

Written records of manorial courts did not become widespread until the second half of the 13th century. This book, carefully written by monks at St Albans Abbey, records the business of the Abbot’s manorial court at Kingsbury, which was situated in the parish of St  Michael. It details events such as changes in tenant of the monastic lands and the bringing to court of couples who were accused of marrying without the Abbot’s permission, and shows how disputes were settled between tenants. It also shows how justice was dispensed.

The covers of the volume are made of oak boards covered in vellum. It once contained records from all of the manors under the control of the Abbot, such as Hexton and Cassio. The volume was torn apart at the Dissolution of the Monastery in 1539 and its pages were distributed amongst the new owners of the monastic lands. The pages were the vital evidence they needed to prove their ownership.  Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies now holds many of these separate pages which have come back together again in one place from a variety of sources.