The finances and government of the city and county of Canterbury in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF THE
CITY AND COUNTY OF CANTERBURY IN THE
EIGHTEENTH AND EARLY NINETEENTH
CENTURIES
F.H. PANTON
INTRODUCTION
In his book, Parish Affairs, Professor Keith-Lucas has drawn a
fascinating picture of the workings of local government in Kent in the
reign of George III, concentrating on the period from 1760 to 1790.
His work extends to a description of Municipal Corporations in the
County, including details of the constitution, scope and operation of
the Mayor and Commonalty of Canterbury. 1
This present paper examines the local government of Canterbury
in the light of the financial circumstances of the Burghmote, drawing
mainly on the accounts kept by successive Chamberlains in the years
from 1700-1815.2 The paper describes the resources of income
available to the Burghmote and the ways in which that income was
disbursed. The limitations, which financial constraints may have
placed on policy, are examined, and the further developments in the
government of the affairs of the City to which those constraints may
have led are described.
Throughout the eighteenth century, the local government of
Canterbury by the Burghmote derived its authority and structure
from a charter of James I, given in the first year of this reign.3 As
1 B. Keith-Lucas, Parish Affairs, The Government of Kent under George III, Kent
County Library 1986. See Chapter IV, The Municipal Corporations, of which
pp. 59-60, 61-66 deal particularly with Canterbury.
2 Canterbury City Chamberlain's Account Books, Canterbury Cathedral Library
FIA 31 (1700-1710) to FIA 40 (1790-1800).
3 Canterbury possesses some 23 royal charters, relating to the structure of the
government of the City, given in the years from Henry II to James I. The majority
served mainly to recite and confirm privileges and duties conferred by previous
191
F.H. PANTON
constituted by the Charter, the Burghmote consisted of a Mayor, a
Recorder, 12 Aldermen and 24 Common Councillors. Other officers
mentioned in the Charter were a Sheriff, a Chamberlain, a Town
Clerk, a Coroner, a Sword Bearer, four sergeants at Mace, a Gaol
Keeper and a Tollinger. Appointments not mentioned in the Charter,
but derived from the Burghmote were: a Clerk of Chamber, a Sergeant
of Chamber, a Billet Master, a Crier, a Mace Bearer, a Water Bailiff, a
Burghmote Horn Blower, a Pound Keeper, an Inspector of the
(Water) Conduit, 4 Feyhrers (building craftsmen), 6 Constables, 6
Borsholders and one Sheriff's Bailiff. Some of these appointments
were, from time to time, held in plurality. The whole structure
constituted the 'Mayor and Commonalty of the City of Canterbury'.
The Burghmote and its officers were, effectively, a self-perpetuating
body. Common Councillors were elected by the Council from
among resident Freemen, on the nomination of the Sheriff.
Vacancies on the Alderman's bench were filled by election by the
Aldermen on nomination by the Mayor from among the Councillors.
Once elected, Aldermen held the office for life. The Sheriff was
chosen by the Mayor on the day of his assumption of office, from
among the Councillors, subject to approval by the Aldermen. The
Recorder, usually a practising Barrister, was elected by the Mayor
and Aldermen, and the Town Clerk (usually a lawyer) by the
Burghmote from among the Councillors. The Chamberlain was
elected by the Aldermen and Councillors from among the Aldermen,
and generally held the job for life. He was required to pledge a bond
for £2000 with two sureties.
For the annual election of the Mayor, the Freemen, including
Councillors and Aldermen, voted on September 4th for one of two
Aldermen, nominated by the Aldermen. The Freemen of Canterbury
numbered between one and two thousand, and voting for the Mayor
usually brought some 500 of them to the poll. 4
The Burghmote met every month. Fines for persistent nonattendance
by Aldermen or Councillors were levied at a rate of £10
charters, but some, like that of Henry VI, 26th year, - which caused the city to be
governed by a Mayor rather than two Bailiffs - made radical changes. Charles II gave a
charter in the year after the Restoration. This was probably in substitution for the
enforced surrender of other charters, and was intended to re-establish Royal authority
after the Interregnum. However, this charter appears to have been renounced and
have become inoperative in the time of William III. Throughout the eighteenth
century, therefore, the Charter of James I was extant and operative.
4 According to the Report of the Royal Commission of 1835 (House of Commons
British Sessional paper 1835; Vo! XXIV 1-99, 685 onwards) money changed hands at
these elections. Voters usually expected ls., rising to 2/6d. by 1835. One Alderman
claimed that it cost him £70, and his friends much more.
192
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
and £5, respectively. The Burghmote had four standing committees
reporting to it, whose purview probably covered the range of the
Burghmote interest. These were: Surveys and Repairs ( of Corporation
property), Byelaws and Charters, Regulation of Markets, and
Conduit and Water Works.
The financial affairs of the Burghmote were in the hands of the
Chamberlain, who received whatever moneys were payable to the
Corporation, and made all payments due. He had authority to pay up
to £5 on any one order; other amounts required specific authority
from the Burghmote. The Chamberlain was in effect Banker for the
Burghmote; on any money he had to advance for the Burghmote's
affairs, he charged 5% per annum interest. The Chamberlain produced
a balance sheet each year at Christmas time, and this was
audited by a Committee of the Burghmote headed by the Mayor, but
no information was given to Freemen of the accounts or of the
pecuniary circumstances of the Burghmote.
FINANCES OF THE BURGHMOTE
The form of the annual balance presented by the Chamberlain varies
very little throughout the eighteenth century and is a simple statement
of income and expenditure under a dozen or so different
headings, with the items of each heading listed on separate pages in
the accounts book. Description of items is mostly brief and not very
informative; 'paid Mr ... his bill' is a typical description. Individual
bills to support the items are not available. Nevertheless, the
Chamberlain's Accounts Books present a fascinating record of the
scope and interests of the Mayor and his Burghmote.
In 1701-02, Income ('Charge') totalled £35 7-8-2d., while expenditure
('Discharge') came to £379-7-4½d., a debit balance on the year
of £21-19-2½d. Throughout most of the first half of the century , the
total income fluctuated around £5 00 a year. No large new sources of
income appear, but in the later part of the century the balance sheet
begins to top the £1000 mark. By 1799-1800, the balance sheet
showed Charges totalling £1888-7-4½d., Discharge £1865-0-Sd., with
a credit balance of £23-6-ll½d. This increase must be largely
attributed to inflation of the currency, consequent upon various
Colonial and European wars in which the country was involved.5
5 At Appendix A is given a summary of the City Chamberlain's Balance Sheets for
1701-02 and for 1790-91, and a summary of total income and expenditure year by year
for the whole of the eighteenth century, together with credit or debit balances for each
year.
193
F.H. PANTON
A basic problem (as we shall see) was that the yield of some of
the sources of income was unpredictable, and that some of the calls
for expenditure must have been equally difficult to provide for in
advance. The difficulty this caused Chamberlains may be seen from
the fact that in 40 of the years from 1700-1815 negative balances
were achieved, often for quite a number of years at a stretch. In
these circumstances, unfortunate Chamberlains had no option but
to carry the debit balances forward on their own resources, at
interest.
INCOME (CHARGE)
There is no evidence in the Chamberlain's accounts of any income by
direct levy or rate on the people of Canterbury. The main sources of
income of the Burghmote may be listed as follows:
Markets
The ownership and control of the various daily markets in the City
were vested in the Mayor and Commonalty, and tolls were levied for
stalls at the markets.
At the beginning of the century the markets included the Fish
Market, the Whitstable Market (for Whitstable women to sell fish),
Flesh Shambles, Corn Market and the 'Bullstake' Market (for
vegetables and other farm produce). Charges for stalls were by the
day or by the week. In 1740, for instance, Freemen were charged 8d.
a week for a stall in the Flesh Market, non-Freemen 1/- a week and
a typical attendance was 9 Freemen and 8 non-Freemen stalls. The
Fish Shambles charged 2d. a day, with attendance varying from 2 to
12 a day. The Tollinger was allowed one third of the total collected.
In 1700-01 the Markets brought in just over £50; the Flesh Shambles
£36-6s., Fish Market £4-1-0d., Whitstable Market £2-6-ld., Corn
Market £8-l-2d., and the Bullstake £4. By 1770, the total market
income was nearly £90; Flesh Shambles £54-10-0d., Fish £5-12-lld.,
Whitstable 10/7d., Corn Market £3-16-?½d. and Bullstake £24-1-
lO½d. The increase in the Bullstake tolls probably arose from the
fact that in 1700 the Tollinger paid a flat rate of £4 for collection, but
by 1770 he was handing over the tolls in return for one third of the
takings. Early in the nineteenth century, when a new Cattle Market
was constructed, collection of tolls for all the markets was put out to
tender, and a considerably increased income of some £300 per annum
was obtained from them.
194
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
Freemen
The election of Freemen was a regular item of business of the
Burghmote, and formed one of the main sources of income. There
were four ways of qualifying for election; by birth, by marriage, by
apprenticeship, or by straight purchase. A male born to a Freeman
father was entitled to be elected free of charge; males marrying
females born to Freeman fathers were entitled to be enrolled on
payment of ll½d.; apprentices on completion of their 7 years' training
could become freemen for 4/ld. Persons without those qualifications
could be elected Freemen on payment of £20, quite often by paying
£10 down and £5 in two following years. On rare occasions, the
Burghmote would grant Freemanship without qualification or
payment to persons sufficiently important to the City - for instance,
by virtue of being an MP for the City. Then, too, Honorary Freedoms
were granted from time to time to national figures such as Prime
Minister Pitt, or the Prince of Wales.6
To practise any trade or craft within the City, or to vote in
Parliament elections, it was, of course, necessary to become a
Freeman. Most years, the number of new Freemen admitted was
around 30 or 40, a handful of them by purchase. Freemen elections,
therefore, normally brought less than about £100 income a year.
However, in a parliamentary election year Freemen had votes to sell,
and the prospect of gaining a tidy sum this way obviously caused
many to apply for the Freedom who had previously neglected to do
so. The numbers elected in each of the 18 parliamentary election
years (or years immediately preceding the elections) in the eighteenth
and early nineteenth centuries are generally well over 100, much to
the benefit of the Burghmotes' income. For instance in 1761, 273
people were elected Freemen, giving the Burghmote £465-16s. for
the privilege. Similarly, in 1807, 230 were elected and paid £610-?s.
Pleasant though these windfalls must have been for the Burghmote,
the size of them could hardly be relied on in advance.
The control of the roll of Freemen and of the markets of the City
was a primary concern of the Burghmote. Occasionally, on payment
of £10 or £20 'Tolerance' money, a non-Freeman would be allowed to
carry on business in the City. This happened particularly in the case
6 These fees to the City's coffers did not represent the full cost of Freedom. The
Chamberlain, Town Clerk, Clerk of Chamber, Sergeant of Chamber, Sergeant at
Mace, all required payment on the side for services and there was also Stamp Duty to
be paid. As a result, becoming a Freeman by birth actually cost £1-12-0, by marriage
£1-14, by Apprenticeship £1-17s. and by Purchase £23-13s. By gift the cost was £8-Ss.,
but presumably in these cases the Burghmote stood the cost.
195
F.H. PANTON
of women, disbarred as they were from becoming Freemen.
Offenders against this control, hawkers or others, selling goods or
services in the City and not being Freemen, or selling products or
food not in the markets, were apprehended and punished by a
summary fine - 618d. for each offence. If the fine were not paid the
offenders goods could be distrained to enforce the penalty.
Despite the fact that rigid control had been seemingly well
established for centuries, a legal case in 1747 showed that the Mayor
and Commonalty were on somewhat shaky ground. In the Court of
Common Pleas at Maidstone (Hilary Term, 21GII, 1747) Moses
Levi, an itinerant hawker, accused Edward Jacob, Chamberlain of
the City of Canterbury, assisted by Richard Fuller, Sergeant at Arms,
and Charles Noble, of assault, imprisonment and unlawful seizure of
stock in trade. Jacobs, assisted by Fuller and Noble, had appropriated
by force a 'Great' and a 'Small' box full of Moses' goods, as
forfeiture for two unpaid fines of 618d. for hawking. Levi complained
that an assault on him on 27th May, 1747, when a hawking box was
taken from him, was so severe that his life was greatly despaired of,
and that on 28th May he was further assaulted and beaten by the
accused and another hawking box and contents stolen. Levi gave lists
of the contents of both boxes, claiming that each contained goods to
the value of £200.
It seems certain that distraint by force did take place, though no
doubt Levi exaggerated the amount of force and the value of goods
taken. Counsel's advice to the Corporation was that although Jacob
had a right to distrain, this did not derive from Byelaw or Custom,
but by an Act of 35 Henry VIII which in part read
'Act for Canterbury ... no persons or persons being Foreigners and not being Free
Citizens of the said City of Canterbury should not (sic) from henceforth ... sell any
manner of merchandize to or with any manner of person or persons foreigner and
not being free citizens of the said city not keep any open shop nor use any Mysteries
or Handycraft within the same City within licence of the Mayor and Aldermen ...
for every such offence 6/Sd ... Provided that the Act not extend to Butcher,
Fishmonger, Flesh, Fish or other Victual .. .'
A difficulty immediately arose from this somewhat obscure wording.
The witness, John Pilcher, chosen to give evidence that Levi had sold
him merchandize, was a Freeman at the City and, in order to qualify
him as a witness, it was found necessary for the Burghmote retrospectively
to remove him from the Freeman's roll. As to the distraint
of the boxes, Counsel's opinion was that
'as the case stands, it maybe quite hazardous to offer any evidence of the
circumstances attending the Caption of the Boxes other than what drops from the
plaintiffs own witnesses ...t he defence ...s hould be that Jacob acted as an officer
196
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
of the City and the Distress by him was the several sum of 6/Sd forfeited by offending
the Act'
Jacob should say about the assault that he
'gently hit Levi's hands in order to make him quit this hold but not in such a manner
as to cause him the least harm'
In the event, Levi won his action, and was awarded costs and
damages of £124-16-Sd. In total the action cost the Mayor and
Corporation nearly £200. Despite this debacle, Alderman Edward
Jacob remained Chamberlain for a further four years. Moreover,
there is no evidence in the Chamberlain's accounts for the rest of the
eighteenth century that this case caused any radical change to the
Burghmotes' approach to the matter of free trade within the City,
though it does not seem that force was again used in this connection. 7
Rents of Properties
The Mayor and Commonalty owned two portfolios of property, listed
separately as the City Farm Rents and St. Augustine Rents.
The City Fee Farm Rents derived from the grant by Henry III by
Charter in his 18th year (1225), to the citizens of Canterbury of the
Fee Farm of the City, in return for a payment of £60 a year. Edward
III in the 29th year of his reign granted £30 a year of this annual
payment to a William Candy, whereof the City in 1552 bought
of John Hales £7-l0s., and in 1555 purchased the other £22-lOs.
of Thomas Wootton. Edward IV in the first year of his reign, in pity -
for the poverty of the City, released the City from payment of
£16--13-4d., so that the tenancy liability of the City by 1700 was
£13-6-Sd. a year. This was allocated by the sovereign to be paid to
St. Nicholas Hospital, Harbledown, and this annual payment continued
into the twentieth century.
The City Fee Farm rents8 consisted of a portfolio of some 70
properties mostly on or adjoining or abutting the City wall. In effect,
they utilized the spaces which in medieval times would have formed,
with the wall, part of the defences of the City, but had become
available for living space or gardens. This included use of the wall
itself. At one time, no less than seven of the towers of the wall were
7 A fuller account of this case, drawn from the Chamberlain's account records for
1747, is given at Appendix B to this article.
8 A list of the City Fee Farm rents, taken from the City Chamberlain's accounts for
1740-41 are given at Appendix C. Fee Farm rents, a term used to describe a group of
Crown rents derived from land and property let on lease.
197
F.H. PANTON
let for living or commercial purposes, and properties were built
against the wall. At the beginning of the eighteenth century the total
income from the City Farm rentals was about £100. By 1740, this had
risen to £120, by 1780 to £160 and by the end of the century to £300.
The second portfolio of property and land, owned by the City
Fathers without encumbrance, the St. Augustine Rents, was acquired
by the City on the dissolution of St. Augustine's Monastery. The
portfolio numbered over 80 properties, mostly houses or tenements
inside the City, or outside the City wall in the area of Longport, close
to St. Augustine's. Some of the larger properties had been let for long
leases (600, 500 and 300 years) at a large initial premium but at low
annual rent. Some fifty of the properties were let at very low rents
indeed, totalling less than £20. In 1700, the total income from the
St. Augustine's rents was £35, rising to nearly £60 in the mid-1740s
and touching £90 in the 1790s.9
Perhaps the most valuable properties owned by the City were the
two mills on the main branch of the Stour within the walls; King's
Mill on the High Bridge, and Abbot's Mill, some 200 yards
downstream from King's Mill. The Mills were listed separately from
the two property portfolios, though King's Mill originally formed part
of the City and Abbot's Mill was part of St. Augustine's properties.
The two mills were always let together, at a substantial premium on
long lease, initially at a rent of £20 and towards the end of the
eighteenth century, at £40. In his rental of the mills, from 1791
onwards, Alderman James Simmons rebuilt Abbot's Mill in a splendid
fashion, and pulled down King's Mill, replacing it with a house on
the King's Bridge.10
Although the two portfolios remained essentially unchanged
throughout the eighteenth century, by the turn of the century their
total value was nearly £400 p.a. In 1797, the Burghmote, seeking to
rationalize their property holdings and to further increase income
from them, commissioned Alderman Cyprian Rondeau Bunce
(Mayor 1789) to do a study of them and to make proposals for their
future disposition. His study was in part preparation for the projected
expense of the then proposed extension of the Cattle Market and the
destruction of St. George's Gate.
Bunce's 'Memorial' put the properties into five schedules.
Schedule A contained properties he proposed to be sold absolutely;
Schedule B, properties to be sold to respective tenants holding a right
9 A list of St. Augustine's Rents, taken from the Chamberlain's accounts for
1745-1746 is given in Appendix D.
10 See F.H. Panton, 'James Simmons: A Canterbury Tycoon', Arch. Cant., iv (1988)
229-31.
198
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
to renewal of leases; Schedule C, properties held on long lease to be
sold to the respective tenants; Schedule D, several pieces of land
under or without the City Walls at Westgate to be sold by Public
Auction. Schedule E was a list of all other properties, to be retained
by the Council. Bunce's purpose was to rid the Council of properties
at low and uneconomic rents, and, or, those on very long leases on
which a better return could not be expected. In his summary, Bunce
noted that the total yearly rents in the Schedules (A to D) recommended
for disposal was £40-14-3d. while the properties in Schedule
E produced an annual rent of £302-12-S½d. He further noted that
Schedule E properties were in a state of such progressive improvement
as to give a fair prospect of a speedy increase in revenue.11
Bunce's recommendations were in the main accepted and he was
granted an honorarium of £200 for his labours in this and in other
matters for the Burghmote. In the early years of the nineteenth
century, the Chamberlain's accounts record the sale of most of the
properties recommended by Bunce for disposal.
Incroachments
Another regular source of income, though quite a small one, was
derived from sums levied year by year for encroachments of properties
on to the public streets. There are some 50 entries year by year
under Incroachments, totalling about £2.12 Typical are entries such as
Widow Duthant two lots of Poles before her house in St. Alphege
late Mr Dediers 4d.
Elizabeth Matras a window of her house in High Street called the
Chequers 2d.
The highest amount levied for one encroachment was Thomas Atwell
House late built in Hawkes Lane 2s. Od.
This was perhaps more a way of regulating nuisances rather than a
source of income. In any event, it ceased after 1787 when the
implementation of the Act for Paving, Lighting and Watching
Canterbury swept such nuisances away.
Casual
A fifth regular source of income appears under the heading Casual.
Fines for renewal of leases of Burghmote property would be entered
11 A full digest of Bunce's 'Memorial' of 1797 is given at Appendix E.
12 Given at Appendix F is a list of Incroachments taken from the Chamberlain's
accounts of 1721-22.
199
F.H. PANTON
under this heading, together with fines levied from members of the
Burghmote for non-attendance, or for refusal of office. Freemen who
refused election as Councilmen were subject to a fine of £10, rising to
£20 by the end of the century, and Councilmen refusing election to
Aldermen £20 increasing to £30. From time to time being a member
of the Burghmote seemed to become particularly unpopular.13
Other windfalls of money were included under this heading. In
good years, Casual entries might total more than £100, but were
usually less than that amount.
Apprentices
The standard charge for enrolling an apprentice was 2/ld. The
numbers registering were generally between 20 and 30 a year, so that
the income from this source was seldom more than £3.
Other Sources of Income
Apart from headings to allow Arrears of payment of the primary
sources of income to be separately noted, only two other minor
sources of income appec!r in the accounts. These are called Pipe
Money and Five Penny Fees. The derivation of the former term is
obscure, but the item concerned the rent of 3/4d., or later, 4/- for a
property let by the Burghmote called the Goat (Inn). Five Penny
Fees seem to relate to 5d. fines levied from Sergeants at Mace for
remunerative items, work given to them by the burghmote. the
amount entered under this item seldom amounted to more than £3 a
year.
EXPENDITURE (DISCHARGE)
Foreign Expenditure
This was a catch-all item, listing all Burghmote expenditure not
appropriately placed under other items. It included expenditure on
13 Instances of refusal of office occurred quite often, particularly in the middle years
of the century. In 1750, four people were fined for refusing Councillorship, two for
Alderman. In 1751-52, two Councillors were fined for refusing, and one Alderman. In
1754, there were no less than twelve refusals for Councillor at £20 fine each. Refusals
were sometimes temporary, and the fine was returned when the office was finally
accepted. An example is that of George Gipps, later Mayor and then MP for
Canterbury, who initially refused to be a Burghmote member, but was repaid his fine
on accepting in 1768.
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THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
cleaning the markets and keeping them in good order; keeping the
City Gates and roadways near and under them maintained; the
general upkeep of the Burghmote's property; the expenses of the
Mayor and Burghmote officers at meetings and official dinners, etc.,
particularly those expenses incurring in connection with the celebration
of national events. Then, from time to time would be
included relatively large items of capital expenditure, for instance,
for enlarging or resiting markets.
The total amounts spent under the Foreign Expenditure heading
varied somewhat from year to year. The basic minimum amount was
seldom less than £200, and in years when the extraordinary commitments
can be identified, the totals lie between £200-£350 a year. In
years when total expenditure under this heading greater than about
£400 was achieved, occasional items such as repayment of bonds
given to ex-Mayors in lieu of salary, or capital expenditure on
rebuilding markets, or rebuilding a bridge, or paying expenses
incurred in a law suit (such as in the case of Moses Levi, given
above), may be found. In 1752-53, for instance, Foreign Expenditure
was recorded as £854--0-8d., of which £500 was used to pay off
ex-Mayor's bonds for £100 each. The money to do this came
principally from a receipt of £400 as a fine for a new lease on
Burghmote property. In 1789-90, Foreign Expenditure reached
£947-5-9½d., of which £407 was a bill for the new Bullstake. In
1795-96, expenditure of £2739-3-ld. was recorded, which included a
sum of £650 for the purchase of the Cold Baths from Mr Baldock.
Other examples of large occasional expenditure are examined below,
in the section on balancing the yearly accounts.
The occasions for and the expense of the Mayor and Communalty
dining or drinking together throughout the year on the Foreign
Expenditure account are interesting. There was always a dinner on
the day in December on which a committee of the Burghmote met to
inspect the Chamberlain's annual statement of account. In 1703, for
instance, the bill for that dinner was £9-9-6d. Then, there were, in
the earlier years of the century, annual get-togethers, generally at the
Red Lion ( owned by the City, but rented out) in remembrance of the
'Great Delivery from the Gunpowder Plot (and likewise the happy
arrival of King William)'. In 1705-06, this cost £4--18-0d.
A thanksgiving to celebrate the Battle of Ramillies (1706,
£5-13-0d.) was held; for the Union of the Three Kingdoms
(£4--7-6d.); for the Victory at Oudenard (1708, £5-19-0d.); for Mons
(1709, £5-15-0d.). Perhaps a bumper year for this sort of thing was
1720-21 in which were celebrated the Accompting Dinner
(£15-10-4d.); Guy Fawkes and King William (£7-15-6d.); Restoration
Night (£6-7-l0d.); King George's Birthday (£4--17-0d.) and
201
F.H. PANTON
Accession to the Throne (£9-2-l0d.). In addition, there are many
small entries for drinks, etc., associated with meetings of Officers of
the Council. It would seem that Inns were favoured places for most
meetings other than formal Burghmote assemblies. Conviviality may
sometimes have gone beyond the reasonable. In 1773, John Taddy,
Mayor, died in office; from the after-effects of drinking six bottles of
wine, it was alleged.
Although the defence of the County of Kent (including Canterbury)
was a matter for the Lord Lieutenant, the Burghmote were
able and willing from time to time to make a contribution to the costs,
particularly in the later years of the century. In 1777-78 the
Burghmote paid Mr Edward Sanderson £50 towards raising a Volunteer
Company to the Militia, and in 1793-94, £105 was paid as a
voluntary subscription to equip volunteers for the defence of the
City. There are several entries over these years of travel costs
incurred by the Mayor and some of his colleagues, in meeting the
Lord Lieutenant for discussion on the defence of the area. In
1800--01, for instance, £6-7-0d. was expended for the Mayor and
three Magistrates to confer with the Lord Lieutenant on Public
Business of the County at Sittingbourne. However, it would seem
that the Corporation's support for the defence of the realm did not
extend to support for the Press Gang.
Keeping the peace in Canterbury itself was sometimes a problem,
requiring e?{traordinary measures, occasionally having recourse to
the military. In the 1779-80 Accounts, a payment of £2-2-0d. to the
Constables was recorded 'for Extraordinary Trouble watching in
consequence of the late riots in London', and 19-9d. was paid to
Sgt. Powel for Powder and Ball for City Volunteers who attended
with arms on the same occasion. In 1794-95, £1-6-0d. was paid to the
Volunteers on account of a Riot by Soldiers of the South Hampshire
Militia, respecting the high price of provisions, and £6 was paid to
fetch Gen. Greenfield from Dover to suppress the same Riot. In
1795, the Constables were paid £1-18-0d. for extra attendance
quelling a Riot at the Theatre, and, again in 1797, £3-2-6d. for
preserving the peace during the general illumination for Admiral
Nelson's Victory (Battle of the Nile).
The war years towards the end of the century brought in their train
an inflation in the price of foodstuffs, particularly hard on the poor.
The City Fathers from time to time made some effort to temper these
effects. In 1795, they gave a subscription of £21 to help reduce the
price of potatoes, and in 1799-1800 two subscriptions to the Soup
Establishment of £27-lO-Od. and £131-lO-Od. are recorded.
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Salaries and Allowances
The second largest item on the 'Discharge' side of the accounts was
the salaries of the officials. In 1761, for instance, the following
salaries were listed:
Mayor £100, Recorder £20, Chamberlain £10, Town Clerk £10, Mace
Bearer £8, Sword Bearer £8, Sgts. at Mace £4 each, Cleaning Cattle
Market £1, Cleaning Fish, Flesh, Butter, Markets £6-2-0d.,
Burghmote Horn Blower £1-6-8d., Gaol Keeper £5, Sgt. of Chamber
£1-6-8d. Total £175. These salaries remained stable throughout
most of the eighteenth century, though in the latter part of the
century they increased somewhat. By the early nineteenth century for
instance, the salary of the Chamberlain had risen to £35 and that of
the Town Clerk to £30. However, salaries as given in the Chamberlain's
accounts were basic amounts. To these would be added, in
the case of senior officers, fees and emoluments for specific services
rendered. In the case of the Town Clerk, in 1835 it was estimated that
his total average yearly income was £250. The junior officers similarly
increased their income with charges for services (for instance the Sgt.
of the Chamber claims 6-8d. in the £1 for all goods constrained in lieu
of rents collected), and some offices were held in plurality.
The Mayor was a somewhat special case. The hospitality, donations
and expenses expected of him it is believed generally exceeded
his salary by a considerable margin. He was expected inter alia to give
a dinner on his swearing-in day; to subvent emoluments of the
Sergeants, Mace and Sword Bearers, and to give breakfast every
week to the 16 scholars of the Bluecoat School. For all the eighteenth
century his salary was fixed at £100. In the early years of the
nineteenth century it became a matter of some controversy, partly, it
would seem, because of excessive demands on the Mayor for
entertainment expenses. In 1802, it was increased to £130 and, in
1808, raised to £210. In 1815, it was reduced to £60, with the
stipulation that no assumption of office dinner was expected of him.
In 1825, it was fixed again at £100. The only obvious 'privilege' which
seemed to be allowed the Mayor was the right to nominate a Freeman
free of charge. When this right was extinguished, he was allowed the
sum of £6 in lieu.
Other Headings of Expenditure
Relatively small amounts of expenditure were disbursed each year
under several headings. These included long-standing commitments
from charitable bequests to give a few shillings a year to 24 selected
poor women of Canterbury. The total amount spent under this
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F.H. PANTON
heading was £10-6-8d. a year. Robes of Office were bought regularly
every few years, for officers of the Council such as Sergeants at Mace,
and this could amount in some years to £20-40. The Burghmote paid
various sesses and taxes. In the latter part of the eighteenth century
this would include land tax for City properties, and payments to the
Pavement Commissions for streets in front of Burghmote property.
The amount of these payments was seldom greater than £50 a year.
Then, there were two regular payments for property owned by the
City; the first, St. Augustine's Tenths, in respect of property in the
manor of St. Augustine, and the second, the payment of £13-6-8d. to
St. Nicholas Hospital, Harbledown, in respect of the residual
payment for the City Farm rents.
BALANCING THE YEARLY ACCOUNTS
This was plainly a difficult matter. With no reserves of deposit
account or capital to draw on (apart from the property portfolios),
Chamberlains must have had a hard time containing yearly debit
balances to manageable amounts. The unpredictability of sources of
income such as Freemen's fees, and of occurrence of unexpected
expenditure, such as for royal visits, added to the difficulty. Then,
too, it was necessary from time to time to accumulate sufficient funds
for quite large items of capital expenditure. In 1758, a new Flesh
Shambles and Herb Market was constructed at an initial estimated
cost of £326-15-4d., though the final cost appears to have been over
£1100. In 1764, £100 was given towards the removal of St. Andrew's
Church from the middle of the main street. In 1769, the King's Bridge
was widened by public subscription, and by pulling down and using
material from the arches of a bridge near Abbot's Mill. The
Burghmote contribution to this was about £300. In 1780, Thos. White
was given licence to take down Burgate, to which the Burghmote
contributed £32-15-4½d. In 1789, the Burghmote rebuilt the Bullstake
Market at a cost of £407-6-8d. In 1790-91, £105 was contributed to
the fund for the new Canterbury Hospital building. In 1795-96, as
noted above, £650 was spent on buying a Cold Bath establishment.
In the middle years of the eighteenth century, balancing the
accounts became particularly difficult, and in order to reduce expenditure
somewhat, it became the practice to postpone payment of the
Mayor's salary. The result of this was that by 1749 a total of £1160
was owing to six different people. In years when income increased
(due mainly to enrolment of Freemen in election years) efforts were
made to reduce this debt, particularly in the mid 1750s, but by 1772,
£900 worth of ex-Mayor's salary was still outstanding. This deficit
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THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
effectively remained until 1791-92. In that year, Aldermen Simmons
and Royle paid a fine of £2450 for a thirty-year lease on the two mills
owned by the city. As a result a total of £1000 Mayor's salaries were
paid to Robert Stone, Richard Elwyn, John Jackson, Aid. Halford,
Edward Scudamore, and Aldermen Royle and Simmons themselves.
In addition, for the first time, the Burghmote created a deposit
account of £1200 with the local bankers. It has to be said, however,
that this deposit account was soon swallowed up in other items of
capital expenditure.
The largest single amount of capital expenditure by the Burghmote
from its own funds occurred in 1802-03, when the new Cattle Market
was erected, and, at the same time, St. George's Gate was demolished.
The total cost of this was the very large sum of £3881-3-0d.14
and even after selling some of the City's choice properties, it was
necessary to borrow £2009 to square the account. £1009 of this was
borrowed from the Canterbury Union Bank, and £1000 from Aid.
James Simmons. A further large item of expenditure occurred in
1805-07, when the New (Guildhall) Street was laid out between High
Street and Palace Street. This involved the demolition of the Red
Lion in High Street, owned by the Council, and of other properties
which they were forced to buy. The total cost escalated to about
£3000, and again the Burghmote obtained £1000 from Aid. James
Simmons in order to complete the job. The debts to Simmons were
not repaid to his executors until some years after his death in 1807.
By 1808, the debit balance on the Chamberlain's accounts reached
£822-6-?½d., and over the years to 1816 reached £2000. The increase
was due to a variety of expenditure demands, but basically in this
period income fell consistently short of expenditure. The Chamberlain,
Alderman Richard Halford, who had been in office since
1790, had of course to carry this debit balance on his own resources at
interest. In 1817, the Burghmote relieved him of this burden by
borrowing £4000 cash from Hammond and Plumptres Bank at 5 per
cent interest, creating a credit balance on the Chamberlain's account
of 1818-19 of £728-13-4d.
CORPORATION OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE POOR
No doubt the Burghmote felt obliged to pay for items such as the
Cattle Market out of its own sources of income. The management
and control of the Canterbury Markets was, after all, one of the main
14 See Appendix G for an extract from the Chamberlain's accounts for 1802-03.
205
F.H. PANTON
functions which the Burghmote's Charter(s) privileged it to perform.
However, when other, even larger commitments arose, which not
only entailed substantial capital expenditure but also involved continuing
and substantial financial commitments year by year, the
Burghmote found it necessary to promote Acts of Parliament which
enabled rates and or tolls to be levied, and money to be borrowed
against the rates and tolls. In 1727, an Act was obtained to set up the
Poor Priests' Hospital in Stour Street as the central Workhouse for all
the Canterbury Parishes. Queen Elizabeth I had made over the Poor
Priests' Hospital to the Mayor and Corporation of Canterbury, and it
had been used to house the Blue Coat School and as a Bridewell.
With the consent of the Mayor and Corporation, and indeed in part
at their instigation, the Act set up a separate Corporation (or Court)
of the Guardians of the Poor to take over and run the Hospital as a
Workhouse, but continuing to accommodate the Blue Coat School
and the Bridewell. The new Corporation consisted of 28 Guardians of
the poor, two each elected from the 14 Parishes in Canterbury. The
Guardians elected from amongst their number a President and a
Receiver (Treasurer). To maintain contact with the Burghmote, the
Mayor, Recorder and those Aldermen who were also Magistrates
were ex officio members of the Court. 15
With the Poor Priests' Hospital were transferred the revenues from
the lands and property with which it was endowed. In addition, the
Act enabled the Court to raise a poor rate throughout Canterbury, in
each of the parishes. The 1/- in the £1 rate first raised probably
brought in about £700 a year. Later in the century, the rate was raised
to 2/- in the £1. In the first year of the operation of the Act, the Court
borrowed £700 against its rates, to defray expenses in converting the
Hospital to a Workhouse. The cost of procuring the Act was over
£300.
15 See Minute Books of the Canterbury Court of Guardians, Cathedral Library. At
the first meeting of the Court of Guardians on 2 July, 1728, there were present:
Edward Jacob, Mayor; William Crayford, Recorder; nine Aldermen who were also
magistrates; and 28 Parish Representatives. John Hardres, Gentleman, of St. George's
Parish was elected President and Bradult Brandon of St. Peter's as Receiver (i.e.
Treasurer). A Committee was elected to meet (weekly if necessary) and transact
business between meetings of the Court. This consisted of the President, the Receiver,
Humphrey Pudney Esq. (the only other of the 28 Parish Representatives styled as a
Gentleman), the Mayor, Thomas Schindler (one of the nine Magistrates) and one
representative from each Parish. While, therefore, the Court of Guardians was a
Corporate entity separate from the Burghmote, the Mayor and Aldermen could
exercise influence over the Court. Not unnatually, differences of view no doubt arose,
and in these the Court could ultimately be its own master.
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THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
CANTERBURY PAVEMENT COMMISSIONERS
A second example of raising money for large capital and continuing
expenditure through an Act of Parliament occurred in 1787, when an
Act for 'Cleansing, Lighting and Watching the Street, Lanes and
other Public Passages and Places within the walls of the City of
Canterbury, etc.' was procured. Here again, a separate Corporation
was set up, with powers to levy tolls on traffic coming into Canterbury,
on coals being brought into Canterbury, and to levy rates on
householders and others in Canterbury. The Canterbury Pavement
Commissioners set up under the Act were somewhat similar to the
Trustees of Toll roads, and again, included the Mayor and some
members of the Burghmote as Trustees. Indeed, the prime mover
and first Treasurer of the Commissioners was Alderman James
Simmons who, in 1788-89, was also Mayor, The Commissioners were
empowered to raise loans of up to £10,000 against the tolls and taxes,
and they raised and spent that amount in two years. 16
After the first two or three years in which the streets were paved,
lighted and cleaned, the balance sheet of the Commissioners settled
down to an average expenditure of over £2000 a year; a sum which
the Burghmote would plainly have been unable to meet from its own
financial resources. The Pavement Commissioners were not disbanded
until the mid nineteenth century.
LAW AND ORDER
As we have seen, the Account books of the City Chamberlains
concern themselves almost entirely with the finances associated with
the privileges and duties of regulating and controlling the business life
of the Community. But Canterbury Charter(s) also constituted the
City of Canterbury as a County in its own right. The administration of
the law in the City17 was, therefore, vested in the Mayor, and those of
16 The Pavement Commissioners' financial arrangements included the interesting
use of 'running yard' rates - that is, a charge of so much a yard for the upkeep of the
pavement in front of particular properties, mainly those of the Church. For further
details of the Pavement Commissioners see F.H. Panton, 'Turnpike Roads in the
Canterbury Area', Arch. Cant., cii (1985), 179-83.
17 Several precincts of Canterbury within the walls were not within the jurisdiction
of the City and County. These areas included the Cathedral and its precincts; Ville of
St. Gregory, St. Augustine's, Stable Gate, the Castle, Eastbridge Hospital, St.
Lawrence's Hospital, St. John's; the Black Prince's Chantry; White, Black and Grey
Friars. The House of Lords Select Committee on Country Rates (1835) states that
207
F.H. PANTON
his Aldermen who had already served in the office of Mayor as
Magistrates, assisted by the Recorder. The Mayor with his Recorder
presided two or three times a year over a Court of General Sessions,
with powers in the County of the City of Canterbury similar to those
of Kent County Quarter Sessions. As late as 1815, for instance, there
was an execution for robbery, and in 1831, there were 23 committals,
with 11 convictions. In addition, the Mayor held Petty Sessions every
month to hear minor misdemeanours. Then, there was a Court of
Requests, to look into minor debts, of from 216d. to 40 shillings. This
was constituted of three Commissioners, chosen from a panel of two
Aldermen, five Councillors and one householder, serving for a three
month period.
The substructure in the Wards, underpinning the detection (or
suppression) of offences and the enforcement of law and order was
largely voluntary or rather, enforced voluntary. In each of six wards
of Canterbury (Burgate, Northgate, Ridingate, Newingate, Worthgate
and Westgate) a Court Leet met every year to elect a Constable
and a Borsholder for the Ward for the coming year, and to hear
presentments for nuisances committed, and (until about 1750) about
fines for alienation of property. As can be seen from Appendix H, the
calling of the Court Leet by the two Aldermen of the Ward was quite
a formal matter, in the King's Name, and required every householder
and male person over the age of twelve to attend. This could mean
200 or more people in each ward, but the records show attendances of
anywhere from 40-100. A Grand Jury was sworn in at the Court
Leet, consisting of a selection of Ward members present. The size of
the Jury was quite often more than twelve. The records show jury
sizes of up to about 40 members - probably the majority if not all the
Ward members present. Nuisances committed by people within the
Ward consisted of not keeping pavements clear of rubbish, etc., or in
good repair, of not keeping gutters in good repair, of fouling or
otherwise obstructing free passage in the streets. People committing
nuisances were given six weeks in which to 'reform' them, or else
Whitefriars, Blackfriars, Greyfriars and the Poor Priests' Hospital did not contribute
to the County Rate. All this made administration of the law within the walls of
Canterbury somewhat difficult. An extra complication was that parts of two parishes -
St. Paul's and Holy Cross, Westgate - were outside the City walls. For the purposes of
administration of the Poor, the Act of 1727 stipulated that those parts of the parish of
St. Paul's lying in the County of Kent should be under the control of the Canterbury
Guardians of the Poor. The Pavement Act of 1787 provided for the rating of the Ville
of Christ Church, the Archbishop's Palace, the Borough of Staplegate, the White
Friars, the Castle and the public buildings (including churches). The limits of
Canterbury for legal purposes were, therefore, somewhat different from that of the
Guardians of the Poor, and different again from that of the Pavement Commissioners.
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THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
proceedings would be taken against them by the Aldermen of the
Ward. The standard fine for pavements was 6d. a yard, and for every
other nuisance 216d.
At Appendix I is a typical record of a Court Leet ( that of Westgate
Ward, for 1757) and it will be seen that nearly 60 presentments were
made. How well this self-policing system worked may be open to
doubt: the same offences were complained about year after year,
with not much evidence that the offenders mended their ways. Some
nuisances complained of were perhaps more serious than dirt in the
street. In 1708, in the Westgate Ward Court Leet, Susan Franklin was
named for keeping a disorderly house in St. Peter's. Robert Fowler
was named for entertaining apprentices at the time of Divine Service
at his mother's house. In the same Ward, in 1776, Jas. Robinson
labourer, Geo. Blackman labourer and John Smith labourer, were
named as 'keepers of a disorderly house for one month past in
St. Peter's and for harbouring certain ill disposed persons as well as
women of evil name and fame and of dishonest conversation, there
remaining night and day whoring and misbehaving themselves to the
common nuisance of all his Majesty's subjects there dwelling'.
Perhaps the shame of being so openly arraigned might have caused
them to mend their ways.
There are many examples of nuisances caused by leaving dung or
other filth on the pavement or otherwise obstructing and it would
seem no one was spared. For instance, in 1745, in the Burgate Court
Leet Ald. Tolputt, one of the Ward's Aldermen, was named for
Laying Dung in the street. In the same Ward in 1791, it was recorded
that 'the footways and carriageways opposite the buildings now used
as temporary barracks in Burgate Lane, Church Street and Ivy Lane
are in a filthy state from the dirt and other stuff thrown thereon from
the barracks. Aldermen to state the same to the Commanding Officer
that these nuisances may be removed.' In a curious entry for the
Burgate Court Leet of 1745, the City Chamberlain is named for not
putting up stocks at Burgate Gate, and, in 1781, Dr Pack was the
subject of a presentment because of 'his cellar window and the steps
before the door A VERY GREAT NUISANCE'. These are but a
sample of the presentments contained in the records of the Court
Leet for the Northgate, Burgate, Westgate and Worthgate Wards in
the eighteenth century and for the early part of the nineteenth
century held in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives.
In addition to presentments for nuisances, the Court Leet listed
those alienations of property which had taken place in the ward for
the previous year, and levied a fine of 2/- for each. In the 1750s,
however, this practice seems to have been discontinued, and there
seem to be no entries about alienations later than 1758. After 1787,
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F.H. PANTON
although nuisances continued to be presented, the action on them
was generally passed to the Canterbury Pavement Commissioners.
The election of a Constable and his deputy, a Borsholder, was
perhaps the main business of a Court Leet. The office of Constable
was, on the face of it, quite an onerous one, as Appendix J, a copy of
the official warrant in the King's name to Henry Chalklen, Constable
for Newington Ward in 1779, shows. He was responsible for keeping
the King's Peace in his ward, and with executing without delay such
warrants as may come to him from the Aldermen of the Ward and
other JPs, and with reporting each month to the Justices of the Peace
presumably in the Court of Petty Sessions. In addition, Constables
and Borsholders of the six wards shared the duty of supervising the
nightly Watch throughout Canterbury, a duty which was confirmed in
the Pavement Commissioners Act of 1789. This meant that about
once a fortnight a Constable or Borsholder would have to be on
watch all night, or at least on call. It is said that the Offices of
Constable and Borsholder were so unpopular that elected Constables
and Borsholders paid substitutes to do the job for them, a state of
affairs which seems to have been accepted by the Aldermen.
The Courts Leet were social as well as legal occasions. The records
show that at the conclusion of business, those present, or those
present who wished to do so and could afford to pay, repaired to a
suitable Inn to have a communal dinner. The bills for many of these
dinners are carefully filed with the record of the Court Leet. Typical
is the Dinner Bill for the Westgate Court Leet in 1783. 35 people sat
down to dine and the total cost was £8-9-6d. or about 5/- a head. This
included 35 'ordinaries' at 116d. each, £2 for wine, and £1-12-0d. for
Punch. Obviously, these were convivial occasions.
LAW AND ORDER FINANCES
The City Chamberlain's accounts for the eighteenth century throw
little or no light on the cost of the Courts and of maintaining law and
order in the County of the City of Canterbury. Apart from entries in
the Chamberlain's accounts of £12 Ward expenses a year, £2 a year
each paid to Ward Aldermen, of small sums for expenses of grand
juries and of occasional fines received from sessional court cases or
for contravention of weights and measures, there seem to be no
relevant entries. There is no evidence in the Chamberlain's account
that the Burghmote levied a County rate for Canterbury, although it
could perhaps be argued that the royal Charter under which the City
and County were governed conveyed a right to levy rates. On the
other hand, Law and Order in the County of Canterbury was in the
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THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
hands of the Mayor as Chief Magistrate assisted by the Recorder and
those Aldermen who had served in the office of Mayor and had
therefore become JPs, rather than in the hands of the Mayor,
Aldermen and Common Councillors constituting the Burghmote.
The Chamberlain's accounts accordingly in the main restrict themselves
to those matters - markets, freemen and the control of trade,
maintenance of City estates, etc., - with which the Burghmote as a
body were concerned. To finance those activities the Burghmote
relied on its own revenues without recourse to a general rate.18
However, the Parliamentary Commission of 1835 in its report on
Canterbury, states that a County rate of ld. in the £1 was levied first
in 1773, and every year since, and produced £41 a year. The 1835
Report noted that the expenses of the Canterbury County Court in
1831 were £68-0-4d. with charges for each prosecution averaging £3.
At such a rate of expenditure allowing for inflation, it seems that the
levy of a ld. in the £1 rate yielding £41 in 1773 would come close to
defraying the sessional expenditure. The Courts Leet papers show
some evidence of the levy of ld. per head from each member of each
ward, in the later years of the eighteenth century, but it has not
proved possible so far to trace where that levy went to.19
In 1835, a Report by a Parliamentary select Committee on the
Expenditure of County rate gave details of such expenditure County
by County. For Canterbury, Mr R. Frend, Treasurer of the City,
provided a return of details of Income and Expenditure on the
County Rate for the years 1792 to 1823.
The amount received in 1792 was £72-18-lld., expenditure
£71-19-6d. In subsequent years the total sums received and disbursed
varied from about £100 to over £600, reaching peaks of expenditure
in 1815 of £555-5-9d., in 1818 of £584--11-0d., and in 1821 of
£576---0-l0d.
An appendix to the report contains a return by John Nutt, Town
Clerk of Canterbury, for the same years, of monies received by him
from the County Rate. He certified that no salary was received by the
18 Sir Francis Hill, in his monumental history of Lincoln, notes that a similar
situation existed in the City of Lincoln in the 18th Century. He wrote 'there being no
borough rate, the Common Council had to make do for general purposes with its own
revenues'. See 'Georgian Lincoln', C.U.P, 1966, 239-58.
19 The County Rate would have been levied by the Poor Law Guardians, on the
order of the Magistrates in County Session. A complicating factor here was that the
Poor Law Act extended obligation to pay Poor Law rates to areas of Canterbury which
were excluded from the jurisdiction of the County of Canterbury. In consequence, a
Poor Law rate of 1/- in the £1 for Canterbury would bring in £800, while a County rate
of the same would collect about £500.
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F.H. PANTON
Town Clerk out of the County Rate; sums so received were almost
entirely for the orders of the Sessions granting the rates, and for
warrants and precepts to collect the same. For fourteen of the years
between 1792 and 1823, Nutt stated that no monies were received
from the County Rate. In other years the annual sum varied from £1
to £9.
The return from the Treasurer, Mr Frend, listed the items under
which expenditure on the County Rate was incurred. These included:
repairs to Gaols, Prisons Maintenance and Conveyance, Vagrants,
Prosecutors, Coroners, Militia, Kings Bench and Fleet prisons,
Printing, Stationery, etc., and Incidental expenses. 20
Mayoral Duties
The duties of the Mayor were plainly considerable and diverse, and
he was the lynchpin holding together the various corporate bodies
concerned with the governance of Canterbury. He chaired the
Burghmote meetings and would invariably have had the last word in
all its affairs including the making of Bye Laws. In addition he was
responsible for inspecting and regulating weights and measures. He
was a Pavement Commissioner under the Act of 1787, and a member
of the Court of Guardians of the poor under the Act of 1727. He was
a Commissioner of Sewers. He was Escheater for Canterbury. As
Chief Magistrate for the County of the City of Canterbury he sat with
the Recorder and other magistrates at County Sessions two or three
times a year, and he held a Petty Sessions Court every month. He was
a Commissioner under the Court of Requests Act. In addition, of
course, his presence at all manner of civic and public functions would
be obligatory. In 1835, the Parliamentary Commission estimated that
his considerable duties would occupy him for about 4 hours a day,
especially during the winter months.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The City Chamberlain's accounts in the period under study demonstrate
that the Burghmote's main business was the regulation and
control of the Commerce of the City of Canterbury (freemen,
markets, apprentices) using its own resources (rents of property,
freeman's fines, market dues, etc.) without recourse to direct rating
20 Select Committee on the Expenditure of County Rates. Report 21 June 1825.
British Sessional Paper H. of C. 1825 Vo! vi, p. 1 onwards. See Appendix K for a
summary of Frend's Return.
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THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
of the populace. The defence of the City was a matter for the County
of Kent, through the Lord Lieutenancy, but the Burghmote contributed
a little from time to time to the costs, and generally kept in
touch with national affairs.
The level of income was somewhat variable and the Burghmote
was often stretched to meet its commitments, in many years achieving
a negative balance. The non-payment of the Mayor's salary by giving
him a bond instead of cash was a device frequently used to reduce a
negative balance, and the admission of new freemen in parliamentary
election years, or the receipt of large fines for renewal brought in
welcome occasional additions to income.
The Burghmote had no reserves of capital (apart from its portfolios
of property) with which to finance extraordinary items of expenditure.
Nevertheless they were able from time to time to undertake
quite large new capital ventures out of their yearly income. Among
these were the building of a new fish market, a new Bullstake market,
widening High Bridge, taking down Burgate and Ridingate, and
building a new Cattle Market (including the demolition of
St. George's Gate). In some of these instances, public subscription
supplemented Burghmote expenditure, and in some, particularly in
the case of the Cattle Market, a large debt was incurred, which
remained unpaid for a number of years.
For larger ventures requiring capital and continuing resources
beyond those available to the Burghmote, Acts of Parliament were
procured. These set up Separate Corporations with their own powers
to raise money through rates and tolls and with powers to borrow.
The Act of 1727, to set up a Workhouse in Canterbury, constituted a
Corporation of the Guardians of the Poor, and the Act of 1787 for
Paving, Cleansing, Lighting and Watching Canterbury set up a
Corporation of the Pavement Commissioners. Both these Corporations
were distinct from the Burghmote with their own sources of
income and financial responsibilities, though linked to the
Burghmote through the Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen as members
of the Court of Guardians, and as Commissioners of the Pavements.
Law and Order in the County of the City of Canterbury were in the
hands of the Mayor and those Aldermen who were also Magistrates,
assisted by the Recorder. Canterbury kept its own Court of General
Sessions two or three times a year, with powers equivalent to those of
the Kent County Justices sitting in Quarter Sessions. Additionally,
the Mayor also held Petty Sessions every month to hear minor
misdemeanours and there was a Court of Requests to look into minor
debts. A Court Leet was held yearly for each of the six Wards, to
regulate for and control nuisances of all types, and to appoint
a (unpaid) Constable and Borsholder for each Ward each year to
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F.H. PANTON
maintain the King's Peace. The two Aldermen of a Ward presided
over the Court Leet, and the Constable reported to them on at least a
monthly basis.
The Chamberlain's Accounts throw little, if any, light on the
financing of Law and Order in Canterbury. However, the Parliamentary
Commission of 1835 stated that a County rate was first levied
in 1773, and produced £41 a year, and that in 1831, the expenses of
the Canterbury County Court were £68. The Report of the Parliamentary
Select Committee of 1825 on the expenditure of County
Rates gives a return of income and expenditure on the County Rate
for Canterbury for the years 1792-1823. The sums disbursed annually
amount to a few hundred pounds.
In sum, at the beginning of the eighteenth century Canterbury's
local government was carried on by one Corporation of the Mayor
and Commonalty, with a Burghmote budget of about £500 p.a.
By the end of the century the total cost was nearer £6,000 p.a.,21
disbursed by three distinct but somewhat interlocking Corporations.
Burghmote expenditure in the Chamberlain's accounts was running
at about £2000 p.a.; the Pavement Commissioners disbursed about
£2500 p.a.; and the Court of Guardians liabilities were over £1000
a year. Both the Court of Guardians and the Pavement Commissioners
levied rates on inhabitants of the City, but the Burghmote
continued to run its business on its own resources. Additionally,
there was expenditure of County Rate on Law and Order amounting
to a few hundred pounds, for which the Mayor, Recorder and those
Aldermen who were also Magistrates would be responsible.
21 It may be of interest to know that over the same time-scale the revenues of the
Central Government rose from £3,800,000 to £37,000,000; a comparable tenfold
increase.
214
APPENDIX A
CANTERBURY CITY CHAMBERLAIN'S ACCOUNTS
1701-1702
tI1
z
Charge £ s. d. Discharge £ s. d. ►
z
MILLS 20 0 0 FOREIGN EXPENDITURE
(j
159 5 9 tI1
FISH SHAMBLES 5 0 4 CONDUIT 2 0 0
u,
►
WHITSTABLE MARKET 2 1 2 POOR WOMEN 10 6 8 z
FLESH MARKET 36 7 4 CHARGED BUT NOT 0
FREEMEN 57 7 6½ RECEIVED: CITY RENTS Q
APPENTICES 3 8 9 ST. AUG. RENTS 0
CITY FARM RENTS 99 17 11½ INCROACHMENT 10 1 3 tI1
VI ST. AUGUSTINE RENTS 34 15 5½ TOLERATION :;,::i
z
INCROACHMENTS 1 13 9 SESSES 6 14 0 B:::
PIPE MONEY 4 0 GOWNS 27 10 0 tI1
TOLERATION 7 0 ST. AUG. TENTHS 2 17 8½
z
CASUAL RECEIPTS 28 14 8 STIPENDS 146 13 4 0
ARREARS HARBLEDOWN 13 6 8 "r:I
FREEMEN 31 17 6 (j
►
ST. AUG. RENTS 1 19 10½ z
FIVE PENNY FEES 2 8 4 379 1 4½
CORN MARKET 7 4 6 :;,::i
BULLSTAKE MARKET 4 0 0
to
C
DEBIT BALANCE 21 13 2½
357 8 2 357 8 2
1790-1791
Charge £ s. d. Discharge £ s. d.
MILLS 40 0 0 FOREIGN EXPENDITURE 588 15 3¼
FISH SHAMBLES 6 15 5 CONDUIT 1 0 0
WHITSTABLE MARKET - - - GOWNS 24 11 0
FLESH MARKET 70 6 0 POOR WOMEN 10 6 8
BULLSTAKE MARKET 23 8 5½ CHARGED BUT
CORN MARKET 8 5 0 NOT RECEIVED:
WEIGH BRIDGE 54 13 9 CITY RENTS 14 1 0 "Ij
FREEMEN 100 10 1 ST. AUG. RENTS 7 7 ::i::
APPRENTICES 2 14 2 TAXES AND SESSES 42 14 10½
N '"O ..... CITY FARM RENTS 155 13 7½ ST. AUG. TENTHS 2 14 O½ ►
0\ ST. AUGUSTINE RENTS 50 13 10½ STIPENDS 125 10 9 z
PIPE MONEY 3 4 HARBLEDOWN 13 6 8
CASUAL RECEIPTS 237 9 6 CREDIT BALANCE 145 1 O¼ z
ARREARS
FREEMEN 10 0 0
CITY RENTS 4 0 0
ST. AUG. RENTS
LAST YEARS
CREDIT BALANCE 203 18 8½
968 11 11 968 11 11
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
SUMMARY 1700-1815
Year Charge Discharge Balance
1701-1702 357 8 2 379 7 4½ -21 19 2½
1702-1703 347 15 9½ 342 7 9 5 8 0½
1703-1704 344 8 5 339 7 11 5 0 6
1704-1705 368 6 2 371 14 5½ 3 8 3½
1705-1706 286 3 6 271 7 8½ 14 15 9½
1706-1707 454 1 9½ 337 6 3½ 116 15 6
1707-1708 505 0 1 401 18 8½ 103 1 7½
1708-1709 447 12 5½ 235 13 7½ 211 18 11
1709-1710 784 17 10½ 603 6 5 67 2 5½
1710-1711 655 10 5½ 358 4 8½ 297 5 9
1711-1712 602 5 7½ 600 14 6½ 1 11 1
1712-1713 391 17 4½ 375 17 2½ 16 0 1½
1713-1714 443 2 4½ 457 1 6½ -13 19 2
1714-1715 370 10 7 431 14 9 -61 4 2
1715-1716 576 3 2 598 8 6 -22 5 3
1716-1717 416 19 8 470 10 6½ -53 10 10½
1717-1718 649 13 5 508 18 10 140 14 7
1718-1719 631 6 3½ 462 9 10½ 168 16 8
1719-1720 551 19 9½ 465 9 4½ 86 10 5
1720-1721 524 5 5½ 412 4 2 112 1 3½
1721-1722 430 6 1½ 439 6 6 -9 0 4½
1722-1723 442 8 7 473 0 6 -30 11 11
1723-1724 359 13 7½ 424 10 2½ -64 16 7
1724-1725 436 15 4 489 19 0½ -53 3 8½
1725-1726 406 17 6 473 15 3 -66 17 7
1726-1727 469 18 9½ 606 8 2½ -136 9 7
1727-1728 459 12 11 471 17 5 12 4 6
1728-1729 511 4 4¼ 504 19 3½ 6 5 0¾
1729-1730 415 11 10¾ 404 9 6¼ 11 2 4½
1730-1731 423 16 9¼ 447 5 6½ -23 8 9¼ 1731-1732 394 10 3½ 522 5 5¾ -127 15 2¼
1732-1733 447 18 3½ 551 1 8 -103 3 5½
1733-1734 473 7 3½ 490 12 3¼ -17 5 0¼
1734-1735 403 3 3 455 1 7½ -51 18 4½ 1735-1736 493 18 1½ 564 7 5¼ -70 9 3¾
1736-1737 634 4 8 655 8 10½ -21 4 2½
1737-1738 953 6 9 741 8 3 211 8 6
1738-1739 643 9 4½ 648 6 4 -4 16 11
1739-1740 684 11 4 775 19 9½ -91 8 5½
1740-1741 497 18 10 540 9 0 -42 10 2
1741-1742 460 12 8 423 7 6 37 5 2
1742-1743 695 9 5¾ 581 3 0 114 6 5¾
1743-1744 648 13 5½ 587 10 9½ 61 2 8
1744-1745 525 10 0 505 6 6½ 20 3 5½
1745-1746 555 5 11½ 552 8 10½ 2 17 1
1746-1747 530 13 0¾ 537 12 2½ -6 19 H
1747-1748 511 3 9½ 570 13 11¼ -59 10 11¾
1748-1749 541 2 7 530 1 9¼ 10 0 9¾
1749-1750 582 2 11¼ 377 1 8¼ 205 1 3
217
F.H. PANTON
Year Charge Discharge Balance
1750-1751 861 4 9 733 9 8 128 0 1
1751-1752 731 12 2¾ 616 13 6½ 114 18 8¼
1752-1753 749 15 4½ 633 8 0 116 7 4½
1753-1754 851 4 10 812 13 5½ 38 11 4½
1754-1755 1319 9 1H 1143 13 8½ 175 16 3
1755-1756 778 11 6½ 772 13 8½ 5 17 10
1756-1757 725 7 5½ 713 8 1¼ 11 19 4¼
1757-1758 483 9 9¾ 509 19 7½ -26 9 9¾
1758--1759 549 10 4¾ 645 18 6½ -51 8 1¾
1759-1760 658 2 5½ 684 5 0 -26 2 6½
1760-1761 893 9 9 835 5 9 58 4 0
1761-1762 525 14 9 564 16 3 61 4 6
1762-1763 609 11 2 511 11 H 98 0 0½
1763-1764 652 8 9¼ 764 19 11 -112 11 H
1764-1765 745 10 10½ 700 7 3¾ 45 3 6¾
1765 1766 707 7 9¼ 547 1 3il 160 6 5½
1766-1767 748 16 2¼ 530 9 lOi! 218 7 4½
1767-1768 847 15 8 648 12 9¾ 199 2 10¼
1768--1769 759 6 lOi! 641 11 0½ 108 17 10¼
1769-1770 628 12 H 626 16 7½ 1 15 6
1770-1771 523 12 0¼ 473 2 10½ 50 9 1¾
1771-1772 577 18 1 497 16 2½ 80 1 10½
1772-1773 789 6 2 687 10 1 101 16 1
1773-1774 803 0 11 659 14 7½ 143 6 3½
1774-1775 715 2 8½ 404 14 0¼ 310 8 8¼
1775-1776 789 2 H 487 4 H 301 18 0
1776-1-777 936 0 6½ 654 11 4½ 281 9 2
1777-1778 871 19 8 870 16 4i/ 1 3 3¼
1778--1779 554 12 Si/ 434 0 8 119 11 9i/
1779-1780 712 7 Sil 723 13 6½ -11 5 9i/
1780-1781 584 3 H 600 16 9½ -16 13 8
1781-1782 746 4 8 599 1 11¼ 145 2 8¾ 1782-1783 736 13 8½ 546 4 11¾ 189 8 8½
1783-1784 821 6 3½ 623 4 2 198 2 H
1784-1785 723 15 7½ 683 10 0½ 40 5 7
1785-1786 635 4 3 589 8 9 45 15 6
1786-1787 637 4 9¼ 472 3 4¾ 165 8 4½
1787-1788 846 12 3½ 680 10 4¾ 166 1 lOi!
1788--1789 988 0 2½ 487 0 9½ 460 19 5
1789-1790 1448 0 5 1244 1 9½ 203 18 8½
1790-1791 968 11 11 822 10 10 145 1 H
1791-1792 1 2678 12 5 2783 10 0½ -104 17 7½
1792-1793 3147 8 4½ 3094 1 4 53 7 0½
1793-1794 625 15 5½ 851 5 9 -225 9 3½
1794-1795 867 0 0 1123 0 6 -256 0 6
1795-17962 1057 2 11½ 1270 10 3½ -213 7 4
1 The large income in 1791-92 includes the £2450 premium paid by Simmons and
Kirkby for their lease on the mills. (See Appendix G).
2 The accounts of 1795-96 include the purchase of the Cold Baths from Mr. Baldock
for £650.
218
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
Year Charge Discharge Balance
1796-1797 990 14 7½ 948 8 3 42 6 4½ 1797-1798 1064 9 7¾ 770 7 8¾ 293 11 11
1798-1799 1404 16 1H 736 2 4½ 668 14 7
1799-1800 1888 7 4½ 1865 0 5 23 6 11½
1800-1801 1315 3 2 1328 0 0 -12 16 10
1801-1802 1349 13 0 1636 15 9½ -286 12 9½
1802-1803 7831 4 3½ 7908 3 1 -77 4 1
1803-1804 1177 11 0½ 1423 19 7½ -246 8 7
1804-1805 1767 13 H 1746 14 11 20 19 0½
1805-1806 1187 14 11 1013 11 0½ 174 3 10½
1806-1807 1343 16 1 1495 3 2 -152 7 3
1807-1808 973 13 2½ 1165 0 9½ -291 7 7
1808-1809 1285 11 9½ 2107 18 5 -822 6 7½
1809-1810 1045 11 9½ 2152 9 6½ -1106 17 9
1810-1811 1083 17 5½ 2220 2 11½ -1136 5 6
1811-1812 972 5 6 2458 4 2½ -1455 18 8½
1812-1813 1851 8 11 3349 18 3 -1498 9 4
1813-1814 1004 18 3 2958 7 1 -1943 8 10
1814-1815 1375 7 0 3336 15 4 -1961 8 2
APPENDIX B
The Case of Levi Moses and Edward Jacob and Charles Noble and Richard Fuller
An interesting and somewhat amusing case which illustrates the lengths to which the
Burghmote and its agents were prepared to go to protect the privileges of Freedom of
the city occurred in 1747 and is quite fully recorded in the Chamberlain's account
book.
In that year (21GII) in the Court of Common Pleas, Maidstone, Hilary Term, Levi
Moses, an itinerant hawker, accused Edward Jacob, Chamberlain of Canterbury City,
assisted by R ichard Fuller, Sgt. at Arms, and Charles Noble, of assault, imprisonment
and of unlawful seizure of stock in trade. Levi attested that on the 27th May, 1747, the
assault on him by the accused was so severe that his life was greatly despaired of; that
he was imprisoned for six hours; and that the accused took and carried away one
hawking box full of wares. Further, that, on the 28th May, he was further assaulted and
beaten by the accused, imprisoned for ten hours, and had another hawking box with its
contents stolen.
Jacob's reasons for his action was that it was Moses's common practice from time to
time to run about the City of Canterbury hawking his goods, going frequently to the
prison to sell his wares to prisoners. A specific offence alleged was that Moses did within
the City sell a pair of Buckles to one Wm. Harnett and offer goods to one John Kite. For
these reasons Moses had by law or same custom of the City forfeited several (two) sums
of 618d. Jacob as Chamberlain assisted by Fuller, therefore, took a Great and a Small
Box as forfeiture for the 1314d. as byelaw or custom gave them the right so to do.
In his evidence Moses claimed that the Great Box distrained on the 27th May, 1747,
contained goods valued £200, and the contents were listed as:
3 The accounts in 1802-03 include £4007 on both Charge and Discharge, for the
Cattle Market construction and destruction of St. George's Gate.
219
F.H. PANTON
100 silver buttons, 100 silver waistcoat buttons, 40 pair silver shoe buckles, 40 pair
silver belt buckles, 20 pair silver clasps, 20 silver shirt buckles, 40 pair silver stock
buckles, 10 silver watches, 6 metal watches, 40 pair silver buttons, 40 pair silver studs,
500 pair stone buttons, 20 pair silver punch ladles, 100 pair scissors, 200· knives, 200
forks, 200 pen knives, 200 razors, 100 pair spectacles, 100 French necklaces, 100 other
necklaces, 20 gold seals, 20 silver seals, 50 Pinchbeck metal seals, 50 steel seals, 50
other seals, 20 silver snuff boxes, 40 Japan snuff boxes, 40 steel snuff boxes, 50 steel
tobacco boxes, 20 tweezer cases, 100 watch keys, 100 watch springs, 500 pencils, 20
pounds of rhubarb, 100 tooth picks, 40 large silver spoons, 100 silver tea spoons, 40
pair silver tea tongs, 20 silver salts, 40 ivory pocket books with silver pencils, 40 silver
fountain pens, 100 other fountain pens, 100 steel watch chains, 20 silver punch
strainers, 20 silver clasps, 20 silver boats, 20 silver pap spoons, 10 pair silver spurs, 20
silver pepper boxes, 40 pair nippers, 100 smelling bottles, 20 cases of silver instruments,
20 cases of other instruments, 100 cork screws, 20 tweezer cases.
Moses further alleged that the second hawking box distressed on 28th May, 1747,
had contents also to the value of £200 and listed them as follows:
100 other silver coat buttons, 100 other silver waistcoat buttons, 40 other pairs of silver
shoe buckles, 40 other pair of silver knee buckles, 20 other pair of silver clasps, 20
other pair of silver shirt buckles, 40 other silver stock buckles, 10 other silver watches,
6 other metal watches, 40 other pair of silver buttons, 40 other pair of silver studs, 500
other pair of stone buttons, 20 other silver punch ladles, 100 other pair of scissors, 200
other knives, 200 other forks, 200 other penknives, 200 other razors, 100 other pairs
spectacles, 100 other pair of French necklaces, 100 other necklaces, 20 other gold seals,
50 other silver seals, 50 other steel seals, 50 other seals, 20 other snuff boxes, 50 other
steel tobacco boxes, 20 other tweezer cases, 100 other watch keys, 100 other watch
springs, 500 other pencils, 20 other pounds rhubarb, 100 other tooth pick cases, 40
other large spoons, 100 other silver tea spoons, 40 other pair silver tea tongs, 20 other
pair silver salts, other pocket book with silver pencils, 40 other tortoise shell pocket
books with silver pencils, 40 other silver fountain pens, 100 other fountain pens, 100
other steel watch chains, 20 other silver punch strainers, 20 other silver scrolls, 20 other
silver boats, 20 other silver pap spoons, 10 other pair silver spoons, 20 other silver
pepper boxes, 40 other pair steel spurs, 20 other silver nutmeg graters, 40 other pair
steel nippers, 100 other smelling bottles, 20 other cases silver instruments, 20 other
cases of other instruments, 100 other corkscrews, 100 other ivory perfume eggs, 20
other tweezers, 20 other tweezer cases.
The Corporation took advice from Counsel on how to proceed in the case. Counsel's
opinion, recorded in the Chamberlain's account book, held that as Levi was not free of
the City, Jacob had a right to distress. However, this right did not derive from Byelaw
or Custom but by an Act of Henry VIII, 35th year - in extract -
'Act for Canterbury ... no persons or persons being Foreigners and not being Free
Citizens of the said City of Canterbury should not (sic) from henceforth ... sell any
manner of merchandize to or with any manner of person, or persons, foreigner and
not being free citizens of the said City nor keep any open shop nor use any Mysteries
or Handycraft with the same City within licence of the Mayor and Aldermen . .. f or
every such offence 618d. Provided that the Act not extend to Butcher, Fishmonger,
Flesh, Fish or other Victual ...
The lawyers noted that John Pilcher was to give evidence that Levi made it a common
practice to hawk his goods in the City for a long time before the Distress and that 'in
order to qualify the witness John Pilcher (who was a Freeman) to give evidence in this
case he was disqualified at a Court of Burghmote ... as will appear in the Corporation
Book ... '
220
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
Counsel's advice further noted that 'as the case stands it may be quite hazardous to
offer any evidence of the circumstances attending the caption of the Boxes other than
what drops from the plaintiffs own witnesses'. The defence should be that Jacob acted
as an officer of the City and the Distress by him was the several sums of 6/Sd. forfeited
by offending the Act. The defence should put Levi to a proof of the goods and values in
the larger box which was locked when taken. Valuation subsequently was not a proof
of what was there at the time. As to the assault, the defendant 'gently hit Levi's hands
in order to make him quit his hold but not in such a manner as to cause him the least
harm'.
The City lost the case, though the settlement was considerably less than the 400 or so
pounds said to be the contents value of the boxes. Under 'Foreign Expenses' on the
'Discharge' side of the Chamberlain's Accounts for the year 1747-48 we find the
(Payments) items
'Paid Mr Ward, Attorney for the said Levi Moses his bill of
costs and damages for the above mentioned Action: £124-16--Sd.
Paid said Mr Ward more in full of his further demands in the
above mentioned case as per receipt: £10- 0-0d.
Paid Mr Thorn, Mr Hammond's agent for his trouble in
accomodating and settling the last mentioned bill: 11-Sd.
Mr Hammond his futher Bill for defending the said Action
brought by the said Levi against this Accomptant' £27-10-0d.
The goods in Levi's boxes were evidently dispersed somewhat, and the value of them
had to be recorded, as witnessed by these entries on the 'Charge' (receipt) side of the
Account Book for 1747-48:
'Received of Michael Lade for Plate belonging to Levi Moses
a Jew and distrained by this Accomptant for the said Jew's
hawking in this City for which there was an action brought
against this Accomptant by the said Levi Moses who got a
verdict on the said Action and thereby recovered the said
Plate and other things in Damages with cash on the said
Action - which said damages and costs were ordered by the
Court of Burghmote of the City to be paid by this Accomptant
out of the Revenues of this City.
Received of Charles Noble for goods of the said Levi Moses
distrained as above more of the said goods
Levi Moses as for costs on his Amending the Replication in
the above mentioned case'
£18-14-Sd.
5- 0-0d.
6-6d.
4- 6--6d.
Despite this debacle, Alderman Edward Jacob remained Chamberlain for a further
four years.
We may draw a number of tentative conclusions from the Chamberlain's records of
this case. First, the legal grounds on which the City prevented hawkers from selling
their wares within the City were by no means clear. The Act of Henry VIII as quoted is
obscure, in that it seems to imply that hawkers could sell their wares to Freemen of the
City; hence, presumably, the need to disenfranchise Pilcher before he could give
221
F.H. PANTON
evidence against Levi. Second, while Levi's account of the amount of force used was
obviously exaggerated - he seemed to be well enough to suffer a second attack on the
day after the first, which he claimed had caused his life to be despaired of -
nevertheless Counsel's advice indicates that more than reasonable force may have
been used. Third, the range, number and value of contents of the hawking boxes,
though presumably exaggerated by Levi, is impressive. Jacob most probably would
have known that the value of the contents of a box was out of all proportion to the
amount of the fine. He might possibly be forgiven for appropriating one box, but to go
back the next day and forcibly take another could hardly be justified. Fourth, we must
suspect that some at least of the contents of the boxes were dispersed to Burghmote
members privately. There is no evidence that the goods distrained were formally
received into the Chamberlain's accounts. Fifth, that Levi was a Jew might explain the
Cavalier fashion in which the Chamberlain acted.
However, it is a credit to the impartiality of English justice that Levi obtained a
favourable verdict. Sixth, and finally, there is no indication in the Chamberlain's
accounts for the rest of the eighteenth century that this case caused any radical change
to the Burghmote's approach to the matter of free trade within the City, though there
are no other records of the use of force for this purpose.
APPENDIX C
CHAMBERLAIN'S ACCOUNTS
Farm Rents of the City 1740-1741
£ s. d.
Sir John Hales Bart. Red Lion Inn; Land called Tythe Barn and
Kings Mead 32 10 0
Sir John Hales Bart. Cellar under Town Hall 2 10 0
William Wade Executors. Dungeon Ground 4 0 0
John Wade. Ground next to City Wall without Northgate 10 0
John Wade. Garden in (North) Lane and another thereunto
adjoining 12 0
Widow Caister Executors. Cornerhouse next to Duck Lane and
the Garden adjoining 2 10 0
Widow of - Sutton for the Cornerhouse near and without
Northgate and for the way leading to Breake Pott Lane and
four chimneys over the River and a Bridge and a small spott
of land near the same. 2 0 0
Samuel Hroumoult for a garden near and without Northgate 4
Theophilus Bullinger for a garden at Northgate 1 6
Richard Philpott. Tenement and Garden in Broad Street and
orchard thereto belonging 1 10 0
John Bush late Deborah Hammond for Picknott Alley now built
upon 1 0 0
Edward Saunders for the tower next to Postern Gate 2 10 0
Edward Brown for a Garden at Postern Gate now devised to him
with the mills 10 0
Mrs Elizabeth Gosling's heirs for Colkin's Lane in St. Peter's
Parish 10 0
222
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
£ s. d.
Widow Deoane for a Tower and Garden called Rosiers in the
Parish of Holy Cross 3
Heirs of Nathaniel Walker for an Annuity arising out of certain
0 0
lands in view of a certain Lane leading from Stower Street to
Castle Street 3 0
John Rigden for the Gravel Pits in Wincheap 4 0 0
Mrs Jane Hobb for part of the Town Dike in Wincheap 5 0 0
Samuel Lepine late William Clerk for the Dyers House next to the
Waterlock in Stower Street 4 0 0
Heirs of Madam Hardres for part of St. Austin's Friars Lane in St.
George's Parish 2 0
Sir Edward Dering Bart for a tenement and Garden near Burgate 4 0 0
Heirs of Mr John Sawkins Sons for Colton Ground next St.
Mildred's Churchyard 1 0 0
Heirs of William Turner Esq. for part of Saint Austin Fryers Lane
Robert Potens Heirs for an old Chapel and half an acre of land in
2 0
St. Mildred's Parish formerly demised for 300 years from 38
Henry VIII 1547 AD 1
Reverend Mr Forester for a Garden at the South End of Chappel
Church Yard 4
Mr Henry Waddell for a tenement in Northgate 5 0
Thomas Johnson for two tenements in Northgate 1 9½
Thomas Johnson for two other tenements in Northgate 1 8
John Howinson for a Garden in Ruttington Lane called Allops in
Northgate 4
Humphrey Pudner for a Garden in St. Mary Bredin 1
Reverend Dr Ayerst for a piece of ground next to the backside of
his Garden in Burgate 4
John Whitfield Esq. for a Garden in the Parish of St. Mary Bredin 0 0
Samuel Arnet part of the Town Dike between St. George's Gate
and Riding Gate and the Tower there 1 0 0
Heirs of John Pembroke for an Osier Garden called Little Britain 1 0
George Kidder for the Garrett over the Corn Market 10 0
Mrs Sandway for two tenements and a garden next the wall on the
west end of Northgate Church 6 8
Titus Rufford's executors for a Messuage now in Four Tenements
next to Riding Gate in the Town Dike and the Gardens
thereto adjoining
Executors of Martha Sandman Widow for a Messuage formerly
1 0 0
Salutation next to Whitstable Market 5 0
St. John's Hospital for a Garden near Broad Street
John Soddezy for part of the Black Dike and a small piece of
4
ground next the Postern Gate in St. Mildred's Churchyard 1 5 0
Elizabeth Blackburn late Sir William Bogs for one of the towers
next Newingate Lane the overseers of St. George's Parish
Solomon Cotton for the House formerly called the Woolsack in
5 0
the Same Parish 3 0 0
Mr Alderman Botting for Green Alley under the wall next to St.
Mildred's Churchyard 10 0
Simon Evernden for a tenement by the River next St. Mildred's
Churchyard
John Tapsell for Little Dungeon Hill now enclosed with a wall and
10 0
late Solomon Bates 5 0
223
F.H. PANTON
Executors of Susanne Hare for a Messuage next to Burgate and
for the Ground from there to Pastern Bridge next
Broadstreet
Thomas Rolfe for a room over St. Georges Gate
Heirs of Charles Lipyeatt for the ground betwixt St. George's
Gate and Burgate and the Buildings thereon
John Austen for a Messuage and Malthouse at St. Martin's Lane
Sir William Boys for a garden and Building thereon erected next
Newingate next City Wall
James Rowling for several tenements and the ground between St.
George's Gate and Burgate
John Austen for a garden next to St. Martin's Mill belonging to
the Malthouse to the City
Heirs of William Lake, Victuallers, for part of the Black Dike and
part of the Dungeon ground late John Sinds
Executors of Elizabeth Roberts for the Tower of the city Wall
near Browning's Mill
Richard Austen for a small piece of land next to the River where
the Whitingfield House formerly stood
Thomas Sivants for lands without Westgate lying between river
and the City Wall
Abraham Willsden for a tenement in Duck Lane late Peter
Webster's
William Hammond late Stephen Aldridge for part of Oaten Hill
to Manhill on
Heirs of Robert Jagger for a piece of ground next to the Castle
Dike near the Sessions House
Sampson Harman late Philip Goodhew for the Towers at Riding
Gate
Executors of John Pembroke for the Black Dike late in the
occupation of Mr Alderman Token
Nicholas Stoddy for part of Oaten Hill
James Six for a stable in Pound Lane next to the City Pound
Received of him more for a stable belonging to the keepers house
Mr Robert Brooke for a year's rent for the Wine Vault under the
new Market due Michaelmas 1741
William Symonds for a Tenement in Northgate falling to the City
by Escheat
TOTAL
(66 Rents in total)
Farm Rents of the Two Mills 1740-1741
One whole years rent due to Mayor and Commonalty received
from Mr Edward Browne for the Mills belonging to the City
called King's Mill and Abbott's Mill demised to the aforesaid
Edward Browne due at the feast of St. Michael last past 1741
224
£ s. d.
1 0 0
10 0
6 0
12 0 0
15 0
10 0
1 0
3 0 0
5 0
3 4
5 0
6 8
5 0
7 6
5 0
15 0
5 0
4 0
2 6
16 0 0
10 0
122 11 H
40 0 0
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
APPENDIXD
CHAMBERLAIN'S ACCOUNTS
St. Augustine's Rents; 1745-1746
£ s. d.
Francis Whitfield. Five Tenements from his Dwelling House to
Whitstable Market 5 0 0
Mrs Pembroke. Tenement in Mercery Lane 1 0 0
James Cooke. Tenement in Mercery Lane 6 8
Heirs of Richard Edburgh. Tenement next St. Mary Bredman 6
Mr Thomas Bassett. Tenement in St. Andrew's Parish called Old
Boar Inn 14 0
Thomas Tilboy. Corner House at Bullstake Market 6 0
William Raylstun. Tenement St. George's Street 4 0 0
John Hardres. Two Tenements in St. George's Parish in the
occupation of James Crowley 4½
John Simpson. House in St. George's 3 2
Thomas Thompson and wife. Tenement in St. George's Parish in
the occupation of James Crowley 9
Henry Sampson. Tenement St. George's Parish in occupation of
Mrs Hobday 2 4
Society of Drapers and Taylors. Corner House at end of Canterbury
Lane 2 0
- - Wallis. Corner House by St. George's Gate occupation of
Richard Austen 1 3
Philip Lane. Croft of Land next Ivy Lane 7 0
John Hobday's Heirs. Tenement sometime Mr Moor's 7
John Lollesdon. Tenement and Garden Ivy Lane 3
Henry Parker. Tenement Dover Lane 1 3
Henry Scrags. Tenement Dover Lane 1 11
Rist Fanner. Tenement, Star, without St. George's Gate 1 1
Widow Day and others. Two Tenements late the widow Kitchen
and a garden in Stower Street in St. Mildred's Parish with a
piece of ground called Bullock Lane 7 15 0
Carlo Winsky. Garden in St. Mildred's inclosed with Brick Wall 1
Joseph Rigden. Tenement in Castle Street 1 4
Samuel Froomoult. For part of Brewhouse at corner of St. John's
Lane in Castle Street 1 0
Mrs Taddy. Piece of land in parish St. Mary de Castro adjoining
dyke 2 6
John Lade. Land at end of Duck Lane 1 10 0
Richard Hudson. Late Aid. Bullock Tenement in St. Paul's Parish 4 0 0
John Sankey. Late John Harrison Tenement in St. Paul's Parish
called Maiden Head 2 0 0
Peter Webster. Croft of ground in St. Mary Bredman 6 0
Heirs of Thomas Upton. Ground next to North Holmes 13 4
Thomas Wells. Messuage formerly called the Ship in Ivy Lane 1 0
Mrs Doll. Messuage against town Dyke St. Paul's 2 0
Michael Pitey. Tenement in St. Paul's Lane Nicholas John East 4 0
Nathaniel Masey and wife. Tenement in St. Paul's Parish late
Elizabeth Roberts 3 0
225
F.H. PANTON
£ s. d.
Basil Harrison late Mrs Bullock. House without Burgate formerly
called the Christopher now in occupation of Mrs Petman 3 1
Church Warden St. Paul's. Tenement adjoining Vicarage of St.
Paul's 1 4
Mrs Fondale. Tenement formerly the Ship in St. Paul's Parish 1
Heirs of Benjamin Langley. Three tenements in St. Paul's against
Town Dyke 11
Prior of St. Nicholas Harbledown. Tenement in St. Paul's Parish 1 4
John Bean late Newmans. Corner House against St. Augustine's
Gate 5 8
Basil Harrison late Mrs Bullock. Part of Orchard back of her
house next Ivy Lane 1 2 0
Walter Clarke. House and land in St. Paul's 7
William Pembroke. Two Tenements and two Gardens in St.
Paul's Parish 1 0
Mrs Bullock for tenement in St. Paul's 8
Mr George Smith. Tenement Ivy Lane, Parish St. Paul's 3 11
Thomas Willesden. Alley in Duck Lane Parish of Northgate 2 0
Thomas Walker and Mr Flackton for two Tenements in Northgate
Parish 8
Warden of Jesus Hospital. Garden in Northgate Parish called
Boars Arse 2½
Edward Leharve. Two Tenements Parish Northgate against the
Mint 6
Bazel Harrison. Tenement West end Tuttington Lane 8
Bazel Harrison other tenement next adjoining 8
t)
Thomas Upton's heirs for Tenement in Ruttington Lane 1 2
Mr Warly late Hester Bridendon for a Messuage adjoining the
Parish Church St. Mary Bredman 6 8
John Rye for a Tenement called the Globe in Castle Street 1 0
Heirs of William Simmonds for a Tenement in Iron Cross, St.
Margaret's 1 6
Widow Love for Corner House next Burgate Gate 1 2
Thomas Walker. Dogs Head in the Pott in St. Peter's 1 0
John Walker Heirs. Two Tenements St. Georges 1 2
William Roberts Heirs. Tenement in Burgate 1 0
William Roberts Heirs. Tenement adjoining 3 4
Dr Pack. Messuage in Burgate 4
Stephen Durant. The Crown in Burgate 5 0
Mrs Hobday. Tenement in Burgate Carpenters Arms 8
Widow Taylor. Orchard near Abbott's Mill St. Alphege 4½
Abraham Sogrand. Tenement and piece of land in St. Alphege 4½
Widow Dullback, late the heirs of Arnold Facon. Tenement next
the Churchyard of All Saints 2 0
John Sharpey Late Widow Love. Messuage next the Ship in
Burgate 3 4
Peter Webster Gentleman. Messuage in Burgate Street 1 0
- - - Tull for Messuage adjoining Burgate Church 5 0
Mrs Fondall for Four Tenements in St. Paul's 4 0 0
Aid. Tolputt for Tenement in St. Paul's 1 16 0
Philip Busher. Piece of land next Parsonage in St. Mildred's on
which several Tenements built 4
226
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
Thomas Moore. Tenement in Ivy Lane late in occupation John
Bentley
Thomas White, Late William Holme for the like
Robert Turner for the like
John Haddeway Jun. for the like
William Friend for the like
William Brown for the like
John Wilcocks late Widow Rigen for the like
John Haddeway Sen. for the like
Thomas Adams late Widow Malpas for the like now with the
improved rent of 12 shillings
TOTAL of St. Augustine's Rents.
(80 rents in total)
NOTE:
Farm Rents of City
Include the rent of the following towers
next to Postern Gate
Tower; Rosiers in the Parish of Holy Cross
One of the towers next Newingate
Room above St. George's Gate
Tower of the City Wall near Brownings Mill
Towers at Riding Gate
Of the 66 Farm Rents of the City, about 30 are on the City Wall or
Gates, or on the Dike, or are land or buildings adjoining
St. Augustine's Rents
Only two refer to City Wall or Dike. Quite a number round St.
Augustine's, outside the City proper, and the remainder
tenements or properties inside the walls.
APPENDIX E
Bunce's Reorganisation of the City Estates
£ s. d.
1 15
1 16
1 15
1 15
1 10
1 15
1 15
2 2
2 2
56 14
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5½
2 10 0
3 0 0
1 5 0
10 0
5 0
5 0
In a 'Memorial' dated 19 September, 1797, Alderman Bunce1 reviewed the range of
the estates which the City held and made some sweeping proposals for maximising the
income from them, both in the short and long term. The occasion for Bunce
undertaking this work was that the Burghmote had voted to take St. George's Gate
down provided the public would subscribe £200. But no donations had been forth-
1 CYPRIAN RONDEAU BUNCE, MAYOR OF CANTERBURY 1789. Lawyer
and Antiquary, Cataloguer of the City and Burgmote records. Translator of several
Charters, etc., of Canterbury (viz. Edward IV, Henry VII, James I, Charles II) by a
'Citizen' of Canterbury, J. Grove 1791. Born 27 October, 1752, son of John Bunce,
vicar of St. Stephen's, Hackington. Buried 26 July, 1807, at St. Stephen's, Hackington.
227
F.H. PANTON
coming, after advertisement, and none were likely. Nor was the Court of Burghmote
likely to use any of its Capital Stock, depressed as the value of the Stock was at that
time.2 Other ways of meeting the cost had, therefore, to be sought.
Bunce referred to an Act procurred by the Corporation of Hereford in 1774, with
the concurrence of the Bishop and the Dean and Chapter, to enable all bodies
corporate, collegiate or ecclesiastic to alienate their properties within the city, and to
use the money so derived to purchase other freehold estates in the County. The
consequence had been that inhabitants, no longer college tenants on uncertain leases,
had vied with each other in the elegance of their buildings and in public improvements
such as the widening of narrow passages, etc. 3
He suggested that a similar Act could be obtained to enable the Archbishop and the
Dean and Chapter to pursue a similar course with their properties which form a
considerable part of one of our larger and most principal streets, extending from
Burgate to Worthgate and are otherwise intermingled with freehold of other inhabitants
in this city.
Leaving that suggestion on one side. Bunce went on to note that housing in
Canterbury was at a premium, since the Paving Act had given a great general
improvement, and the design of the government was to keep large bodies of Troops in
the city, making Canterbury the Central Rendezvous of soldiers for the protection of
this part of the Coast; hence a large increase in population.4
Bunce then went on to review the resources in property owned by the Burghmote in
the City, which they might apply to assuage this need and to their own advantage.
City 'Farm Rents'
Without the City Wall from Ridingate to Newingate, then the Burgate, then nearly to
Northgate and from Northgate to the end of Duck Lane, the Mayor and Commonalty
had various pieces of ground all under lease to tenants for terms not exceeding thirty
years, used mostly as gardens, 'little productive either to landlord or tenants'. From
Ridingate to Burgate, the land was well calculated for houses of a superior description,
and the land from the Church Pastern (where the Recorder's Garden ends) by the
whole of Broad Street to the South West end of the Street, and from Northgate by
Duck Lane to land belonging to the City let by Simmons and Royle, appeared to
contain sufficient width between the wall and the Street for houses of an inferior
description for letting to Journeymen and to the Poor at rents from £3 to to £10 a year.
Bunce proposed that the leases of these should be bought in and the Freehold should
be sold by public auction in lots as housing. Alternatively, should the Burghmote
object to buying the present leases, it could offer to extend the leases for sixty years or
other long term for a fine.
2 Unusually for them at that time the Canterbury Burghmote had £760-0-Zd.
invested in Capital Stock (yielding a dividend of £22-16-0d. a year) the remains of the
£2450 fine (premium) paid by James Simmons and Joseph Royle for the lease of the
Abbott's and King's Mills.
3 Bunce may have had in mind here the inhibiting effect tenancy of Church
properties in Canterbury had on such tenants' willingness to participate in the general
spirit of refurbishment liberated by the Paving of Canterbury under the Pavement
Commissioners Act of 1787. Hasted writing on this subject had noted that the short
tenure which some of the Canterbury householders held their property from the
church deterred them from hazarding more on such uncertain property.
4 A footnote to p. 3 of Gostling's 'Walks', 5th Ed. 1806, notes that Canterbury
increased in size from about 9000 to about 11,400 in the years 1792 and 1805.
228
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
St. George's and the Cattle Market
Bunce proposed that should the Cattle Market be taken further back southward some
50 ft. (using the land now demised to Mantle); St. George's Gate material when taken
down should be used as foundations for the Market and extension; also that the land
on each side of the Gate for about 50 ft. to the lane on the south-east corner of the
Market should be let with a fine.
Properties integral part of buildings or land
For properties such as Pikenot Alley, Cokins Lane, part of Mrs. Kersings house in
Burgate which are integral with other properties or land the fee simple could be sold to
the tenants.
St. Augustine's Rents
Bunce noted that the then Mayor and Commonalty after purchase of the Monastery
Estate in the fifteenth century (sic - presumably sixteenth century is meant] were
induced to let same properties at very long leases of 600, 500 and 300 years for a
valuable consideration reserving only nominal rents. At the same time, the then Mayor
and Commonalty bought of the King various small rents, late paid to the Monastery, in
number 57, and in yearly amounts totalling £8-11-lHd. The trouble in collecting such
amounts argued for selling the fee simple of the properties.
Other City Farm Rents
Bunce noted that the City owned sundry slips of land lying under the City Wall without
on each side of Westgate as part of the City Farm Rents. The slip on the south West
was let to John Southee, Tollmonger and expires Lady Day 1800 (Annual rent 1/-).
The long building on it had been converted to soldiers barracks. It had access through
the City Wall by the west end of the Church, and was useful to the Tollmonger and for
Tanning, Dying, etc. Lands northwards of Westgate are long narrow strips from the
Gate to land sold recently to Mr Parker and including the Tollmongers yard let to
Southee, and the square tower let to Parker, total amount £3-13-6d, being held by
their opposite tenants in North Lane at low rents on leases.
Bunce considered these slips should be sold to present lessees or neighbours.
Other Properties
Bunce did not recommend selling the Corn Market, which might be needed, if
Government policy swings to sale of corn on the open market. (In very ancient times,
Bunce remarked, the Corn Market was the prison and Common Speech House termed
the Guildhall). However, the Engine House could be let on a building lease for a time.
Land at Oaten Hill and at Barnacle Cross Wincheap should be sold for development.
SUMMARY
Bunce noted that the amount of yearly rents of all the several properties in the
schedules recommended for disposal was £40-14--3d. He further noted that those
estates not covered by his recommendations produced an annual rental of £302-12-5½d.
and were in a state of such progressive improvement to give a fair prospect of a speedy
increase in revenue.
229
F.H. PANTON
MEMORIAL OF CYPRIAN RONDEAU BUNCE, 19 SEPTEMBER, 1797
Schedule A
This schedule contains such of the Estates of the Mayor and Commonalty of
Canterbury as are proposed to them to be either sold absolutely or let on leases for a
term of years on a Rent and fine
Last renewal fine Description Annual Rents
£ s. d.
No fine taken A Messuage and garden upon the Town
Dike on the North side of Ridingate demised
to William Sankey on lease which is not
renewable and will expire 18 Oct. 1800 2 5 0
£3-12-0d. Two messuages with the Stable and Garden
on the Town Dike containing in front from
the Tower of Ridingate along the Street
towards the South 54 ft. and at the back part
from the Wall to the above premises let to
Mr Sankey North and East 46 ft. and from
the Tower to the Street 10 ft. demised to
Mary Bing on a lease which is not renewable
and will expire Lady Day 1803 8 0
£3-12-0d. One messuage lately two with the garden on
the North Side of Ridingate on part of the
Town Dike now occupied by the Widow
Sankey demised to Mr Sankey on a renewable
lease at the rent of 8 0
No fine taken The Town Dike and Garden from the above
mentioned premises to the Cattle Market
South to Mr Sankey's Estate, containing in
length by the Highway 27 Rods and in
Breadth 4 Rods (inclusive of the square piece
at the North West End) where it is four Rods
and one inch broad demised to John Mantle
on a lease expiring Michaelmas 1799 not
renewable 9 3 0
No fine taken A piece of ground and Buildings without the
Wall, extending from St. George's Gate to
the Tower demised to Thomas White on a
lease which is not renewable and will expire
at Michaelmas 1805. 4 1 0
£28-10-0d. The Houses and Garden ground from Christ
Church Pastern towards Northgate demised
to Jarman and Pilcher renewable lease. 5 0 0
£15-10-0d. Houses and Gardens adjoining extending
farther towards Northgate demised to John
Philpot renewable. 1 10 0
A piece of ground at the back of the Black
Swan in North Gate near the city Wall in
length 59 ft. and in Breadth at the West end
20 ft. and at the East End 10 ft. let to William
Baldcock renewable. 5 0
230
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
£ s. d.
£3-13-6d. A messuage and two gardens adjoining
Northgate Church under the wall by Duck
Lane demised to John Potter but now in the
hands of George Gipps, renewable 2 10 0
A small garden in Duck Lane at the West
end of the side two gardens of Potter let to
George Wolcot yearly tenant. 6 8
A garden in Duck Lane containing in length
from the City Wall to the Lane 15 yards and
a half and in breadth from the Garden let to
S and R to another
Garden demised to Potter 15 yards. A
garden between Northgate Church and the
Black Swan in length from the Church Wall
to the sewer adjoining the Swan 9 yards and
a half. Breadth from the land let to Mr
Baldock into the Highway 9 yards and a
stable thereon.
£12-0--0d. Also one garden formerly two gardens a little
above the East End of Northgate Church in
length from the West end Boundary of the
land Jet to Mr Baldock to the East End
boundary to the Garden let to St John's
Hospital 47 ft. and in breadth at each end
thereof from the City Wall to the sewer 21 ft.
Also the lower end of Breakpot Lane in St.
Peter's Parish of two dwelling houses small
piece of land a chimney adjoining. All the
above premises are demised on a renewable
lease to Rev. Charles Sutton at a yearly rent
of 2 0 0
No fine taken A piece of land 25 perches and one quarter in
Broad Street North to the Dean and chapters
land East to North Holmes and south to land
late Ockings with the house and other
buildings held by John Worthy renewable
expires Michaelmas 1800 3 10 0
TOT AL amount of Rent in Schedule A 31 15 0
Schedule B
This schedule contains such of the estates of the Mayor and Commonalty as are now
proposed to be absolutely sold to the respective tenants thereof who claim a right of
renewal of their lease:
Last renewal fine Description
£2-lO--Od. A piece of land called Picknott Abbey in St.
Andrew's formerly a common passage from
231
Annual Rent
£ s. d.
F.H. PANTON
£ s. d.
the High Street to the Back Part of the
Whitstable Market on which part of the
Dwelling House of Mr John Nutt now stands
continuing from his shop and washhouses 24
ft. long and 6 ft. wide now demised to John
Nutt on a renewable lease for 30 years. 1 0 0
£1-15-0d. Cockins Lane in St. Peter's formerly a way or
passage on which part of the dwelling house
of Mr John Cheavale now stands extending
from the Street to the River on the south end
and in breadth 6 ft. now demised to Mr
Cheavale on a renewable 21 year lease. 10 0
No fine taken A messuage Garden and Land in Burgate
Street from the North part adjoining the wall
of the Convent Garden into the forepart next
the Street in length 95 ft. and in breadth at
that end 37 ft. and between the Tenement of
the Dean and Chapter and the tenement
formerly of John Lee 31 feet and in breadth
at the North end between the Garden of the
Dean and Chapter and the Well House
appertaining to the said Lee's House 33 ft.
North to the Tenement of the Dean and
chapter demised to Mrs Herring West to the
Street South to the said Lee's House and the
said West House now forming a part of the
premises in Occupation of Mrs Elizabeth
Herring and demised to her on a renewable
lease for 30 years. 4 0 0
(This lease is discovered since not to be
renewable)
TOT AL Annual Rent
Schedule B 5 10 0
Schedule C
This schedule contains such of the Estates of the Mayor and Commonalty of
Canterbury as are proposed to be sold to the respective Tenants who hold the same for
long terms of years at nominal rents not subject to renewal nor bound by any covenant
to build or repair.
1. A piece of ground one rod in St. Mary Bredin's South to the Highway to lands
formerly of the Heirs of Aid. French West to lands of William Diggs Gent. North
and to land sometime of James Hales East and held by William Scott Esq. under a
lease to Thomas Nutt at rent of ld. From 1 April 1595 for 300 years to 1 April
1895.
2. A parcel of land in St. Mildred's East to the Street South to the parsonage house of
St. Mildred's West to the Dean and Chapter's lands and North to the Highway
being the ground on which buildings stand on the West side of Church Lane from
Rosemary Lane to the Parsonage House held by Aid. De Lasaux under a granted
thereof and of the 3 following estates to John Freeman under the years rent of
232
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
2-?½d. which has been appointed as is stated in the first column. From 1544 2 July
for 500 years to 2 July 2044.
3. Two messuages and a Garden in St. Paul's to the Street West being opposite the
Recorders Garden now held by Richard Hayward late Pembrook under a lease
granted to William Sammon (but which was formerly included in the above lease
to John Freeman and surrendered to that estate by Richard Gaunt). From 17
September 1745, for 99 years to 17 September 1844.
4. Three messuages one Garden and half a water well in St. Paul's opposite the
Recorder's Garden now held by Abraham Short under the said lease to said John
Freeman now included thereon paying lld.
5. A messuage and Garden with Garden adjoining Mr Hametts Garden and is either
in St. Alphege or Northgate. To the Garden appertaining to the Princes Press
South and to the Highway North which (tho' not in the City rental) is held under
and is now included in the above mentioned lease granted to John Freeman for
when as is charged on the other side 4½d. (part of the rent of 2-?½d.) ought to be paid
but which by a mistake has been paid for many years past for the house in St.
Alphege here occupied by Mr Thomas Storr.
TOTAL 2-?½d. for 2-5
6. A messuage and Garden in St. Paul's opposite to the Town Dike to the Street
West now occupied by Mr John Dering and by him held under a lease granted to
Nicholas Harrison at the yearly rent of 8d. From 28 August 1599 for 300 years to
1899.
7. Two messuages and a little piece of land in St. Paul's to the Street North and being
adjoining the Vicarage and now in the occupation of the Church Wardens of St.
Paul's who hold under a lease granted to Rev. John Clerk at a yearly rent of 1-4d.
From 29 June, 1544, for 500 years to 29 June, 2044.
8. A messuage and Garden at St. Martin's now called the Ship and in the occupation
of William Cobb held by Messrs Fenner Fleat and Lythers on a lease granted to
Mark Berry at the yearly rent of 4d. From Michaelmas 1597 for 257 years to 1854.
9. A piece of land of half an acre in St. Mildred's to the Highway South to the
Parsonage of St. Margaret and land of the Dean and Chapter West held by Mrs
Castle under a lease granted to George Webb at the yearly rent of ld. From 30
April 1551 for 300 years renewable for 300 years to 2151.
There is also a piece of land in Northgate called the Boar's Arse let on lease for 500
years at a rent of 2½d. but it is in the hands of the Prior of Jesus Hospital and must
remain so.
TOTAL rental value of these properties 5-Hd.
Schedule D
This schedule contains a description of several pieces of land under and without the
city Walls at Westage the property of the Mayor and Commonalty of Canterbury which
233
F.H. PANTON
are proposed to them to be sold by Public Auction (or otherwise) subject to the present
leases.
Last renewal fine Description
No Fine Taken
£2-10-0d.
No Fine Taken
No Fine Taken
Schedule E
1. A piece of ground under and without the
City Wall on the south Side of Westgate with
the Buildings standing upon the same now
used for Barracks for soldiers and late as
Tollmongers yard held on lease by John
Southee whicq is not renewable and expires
Lady Day 1800.
2. A small piece of ground formerly an
Osier ground under and without the City
Wall between St. Peter's Postern and Westgate
extending from Mr Parker's fence at the
end of the slip of land which he purchased of
the Mayor and Commonalty by the riverside
Westward to the Square Tower being in
length from the Fence to the Tower 145 ft.
3. Also one other small piece of land
offending from the same tower by the river
Westward towards Westgate from the
Square Tower to other ground demised to
Mr Slaughter 132 ft. which with the Square
Tower are held by the Dean John Parker
under a renewable lease for 21 years from
Michaelmas 1795. (Note: This is an error.
The lease has expired.)
4. A piece of ground adjoining the last
piece containing in length from East to West
149 ft. and in Breadth 16 ft. with Buildings
thereon let on lease to William Slaughter not
renewable which expires in 1811.
5. A piece of ground containing in length
131 ft. and in breadth 15 to 18 ft. with
buildings thereon let on lease to Lewis Deccafour
not renewable expiring Michaelmas
1800.
TOT AL Annual Rent
In which the rent of the Square Tower let to
Mr Parker is included and which is not
proposed to be sold.
Annual Rent
£ s. d.
1 0
3 0 0
7 6
2 6
3 13 6
A general schedule containing all the estates of the Mayor and Commonalty of
Canterbury which are not included in the four other schedules preceding and yearly
rents payable for the same in the year 1797.
234
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
£ s. d.
The Kings Mill let to Messrs Simmons and Royle 20 0 0
Black Dike and Garden by St. Mildred's Postern Thomas MarseiIIe
10 0
A garden by St. George's Gate South Westward Mrs Sladden 15 0
Messuage and Garden let to Charles Robinson 1 5 8
Saracens Head and Gardens let to Nutt and Sankey 21 0 0
Messuage without and Northward of St. George's Gate John
Jackson 3 4
Messuage adjoining Northward James Evernden 3 4
Messuage adjoining and near to Burgate John Ruddy 3 4
Garden at Broad Street St. John's Hospital behind their house 4
A lane in Broad Street Thomas Cooper 4
A Garden in Broad Street let to Thomas Cooper 6
Cold Bath Estate and lands adjoining let to Messrs Simmons and
Royle 8 0
Tower adjoining John Brown 10 0
The Stable by Westgate Mr John Abbott 4 0
(This included in the Rent of £2 paid by March)
Tower and Gardens behind Westgate Church and land under the
Wall let to Mr Robert Deane. 3 0 0
New Houses by Westgate built by Wiiliam Pilcher 1 0 0
Slip of land behind Westgate Church George Baker 3 4
Green Alley by St. Mildred's Church Yard William Thomas 8 0
Osier Ground called Little Britain John Buckhurst 6 0
Land at Wincheap Green let to Robert Young 5 0
Gravel Pit field in Wincheap John Collard 8 0 0
Slip of land by Burgate let to Dr Wolfit 4
Part of white Friars Lane let to Mr Hammond 2 0
Other part of same Lane let to Mr Salmon 2 0
Messuage adjoining Whitstable Market Mr Gorely 5 0
For an addition to same house taken from Market 1 0
Garden called Altop in Ruttington Lane Thos. White 4
Red Lion yard and buildings in High Street John May 60 0 0
Stable adjoining lately purchased let to May 8 0 0
Tithe barn by Barton MiII Mr Wear 9 0 0
Kings Mead adjoining let to Mr May 37 0 0
Timber yard St. John's Lane James Hacker 8 10 0
House by water lock Stour Street, John Barwick 4 0 0
Keeper's Garden at Westgate Mr Loubert 2 6
Messuage and Garden in St. Martin's Rob. Thos. Pyott Esq. 4 10 0
Two messuages opposite Ruttington Lane Northgate; Simmons 10 0
Three annuities payable from houses in Northgate 8 5
Wine Vaults in St. Andrew's Aid. Frend 12 0 0
Rooms over the Corn Market Aid. De Lasaux 7 16 0
Pipe money for the house in High Street Thos. Parker 3 4
Farmer and Flint an annuity in exchange for Warehouse structures
3 4
Amount of Farm Rents for year 261
235
F.H. PANTON
£ s. d.
Abbott's Mill let to Simmons and Royle 20 0 0
Garden called Boars Arse in Northgate Jesus Hospital 2
Assembly Rooms and Houses underneath in High Street Gipps
and Co. 5 0 0
Two messuages in St. George's adjoining the Bell John Palmer 4 0 0
Par of a Brewhouse and yard in St. Mildred's Mr Baldock 1 6
Messuage in St. Paul's Mrs Tolput 2 10 0
New Hop Oast Ivy Lane let to Geo. Stringer 6 0 0
Four Messuages in Stour Street John Calloway 6 0 0
Orchard by Abbott's Mill Edward Harriott 8
Messuage called Maiden Head in St. Paul's Rev. Thos. Winbolt 2 0 0
Messuage and Garden in St. Paul's let to Mrs Hudson 4 0 0
Several messuages with Smith's Forge in St. Paul's Rev. Edmunds 18 0 0
Land in St. Paul's set to James Abbot behind his house 3 5 0
Messuage called the Woolsack in St. Paul's Rev. White 2 2 0
72 19 4
The St. Augustine Annual rents belonging to the Mayor and
Commonalty of Canterbury which are 57 in number and
amount to the yearly sum of 8 11 11
TOTAL amount of yearly income from St. Augustine's Rents 81 11 4
Add Amount of Farm Rents 261 1 1
342 12 5
Rents Schedule A 31 15 8
Rents Schedule B 5 10 0
Rents Schedule C 5 1½
Rents Schedule D 3 13 6
Rents Schedule E 342 12 9
TOT AL of all Rent 1797 383 16 9
APPENDIX F
CITY OF CANTERBURY CHAMBERLAIN'S ACCOUNTS
Fines for lncroachments 1721-1722
Church wardens of All Saints on a piece of ground under the
£ s. d.
Belfry of the said Church 2
Peter Tomlin a post standing in St. Margaret's Street against the
corner of his house 1
William Ham Brickwall in Iron Bar Lane late Haffenden at the
South end thereof 1 0
236
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
£ s. d.
John Hollingbery for the Brick Wall of his Stable in St. Mary
Bredin's Parish in Rose Lane 4
Heirs of Edward Crayford for an Incroachment by his house in St.
Alphege late Thomas Dennis 2
Thomas Bassett Three posts standing at the (?) to his house in St.
Andrews 4
John Cranford Brick Window to his house in Wincheap Street late
Duke's 4
Widow Duthout two lots of Poles before her house in St. Alphege
late Mr Dediers 4
Executors of Abraham Dediers for an Incroachment by their
house near Abbott's Mill 4
Richard Pembroke Shop Window of his house in St. George's
Street late Mr Bannister 2
Executors of Aid. Garlin a post and small piece of ground
therewith enclosed next to Nunnery Fields 1 4
Edward Jacob Brick Windows at the King's Head in High Street
late Lady Oxenden's 4
Elizabeth Malpas a window of her house in High Street called the
Chequers 2
William George window of his house in High Street late John
Brooksby 2
Thomas Poarn Cellar window next Bullstake Market 4
John Sergenson window in his house Burgate Street
John Berry window of his house in St. George's 2
Assignee of Mr Manson a pole in St Mary Bredin 2
John Whitfield Part of his house in St Margaret's 6
John Parker late John Marsh Brick wall in the Orchard next the
dungeon Ground 6
Mathias Gray his house in Stour Street at the South end thereof
Executors of Mr Mills a window in the late Chequer Inn in High
Street 0
Peter Marshman heirs Porch at his house in Dover Lane 6
Richard Lane a Pole at the corner of his house in St Margaret's
Street in the occupation of James Abree 6
Aid. Blunde's heirs for window at the Three Kings in High Street
late Charles Fagg 4
For a Brickwall of the said house 6
Mr Lilly by a wall of his house and footing breadth in Griffin Lane
late - Duthout widow 1 0
Elizabeth Dray Wall of her house one post in breadth in Rose
Lane 4
Thomas Scudamore Window in his house formerly the Salutation
near the Whitstable Market. 4
Robert Hawardine two windows at his house in Jury Lane 4
Sir Lewis Authur Bart. Three several incroachments in three
several houses in Burgate Street 2 0
More of him for a window in Mr Larkin's houses in the same
street 1 0
Mrs Franklyn part of John Studham's house in Burgate Street 1 0
Peter de la Pierre six incroachments by his house in St. Alphege
Parish 2 0
237
F.H. PANTON
£ s. d.
Thomas Atwell house late built in Hawkes Lane 2 0
Matthew Brown's heirs two windows stools and two posts in
Canterbury Lane 1 0
David Rigden two posts standing before his house in Canterbury
Lane, late William Browne's 1 0
William Rigden executors house in occupation of Andrew
Johnson in Northgate 6
Thomas Philips two doors to his house in Watling Street in St.
Margaret's 8
William Deedes window of his house in Castle Street 6
Sarah Gilpin her house in Castle Street 4
Alderman Towle four posts to his house in Hawkes Lane 4
A very Shadwick his house in Wincheap Lane 1 0
Rest Fenner seven poles set before his house in Castle Street late
in the occupation of Sir Francis Head 0
Thomas Franks Porch of his house in Dover Lane 6
Aid. Lee's Wall at Queen's Head by Waterlock 6
Sir William Boys his house near St. George's Gate 1 0
Hercules Hills his house formerly the Goat in High Street 1 0
Henry Sims the stall at his door 1 0
TOTAL 1 12 5
( 48 entries for incroachments)
APPENDIX G
CANTERBURY CITY CHAMBERLAIN'S ACCOUNTS 1791-91
Under the heading of Casual Receipts is an item:
'Received of Messrs James Simmons and Joseph Royle as a fine for the lease to them
for thirty years of King's Mill and Abbott's Mill to commence from Lady Day 1792
£2450-0-0d.
Under the heading of Foreign Expenses is the following:
Bonds paid back to Robert Stones (£100), Richard Elwyn (£200), John Jackson (£100),
Aid. Halford (£100), Edward Scudamore (£100), Aid. Royle (£100), Aid. Simmons
(£200 and £100). A TOTAL OF £1000
Also: paid into the hands of Baldock Rigden and Co., Bankers, £1200
Under stipends and allowances: Paid Aid. Thomas De Lasaux late Mayor of this City
his salary £130.
238
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
CHARGE
CA TILE MARKET ACCOUNT 1802-03
DISCHARGE
This accomptant chargeth
himself with the recripts of
monies ordered to be appropriated
to the discharge of
the debts of the cattle
market:
Received of James White for
the purchase of Tythe Acre
Received of John Collard for
Gravel Pit Field
Received of William Baldock
for Store house without
Northgate
Received of Dean John
Parker for Land in the Parish
of Westgate
Received of James Simmons
advanced on bond to Mayor
and Commonalty
Received of Rev. Giraud for
Two Messuages near and
without Ridingate
Received of Charles Trend
for a Messuage in St. Paul's
Received on overdraft in the
Union Bank by order of
Burghmote
Received of City Fees on
above estates
Received of Tolls
Michaelmas 1803
£ s d
By cash, paid in discharge of
several bills, incurred in taking
down St. George's Gate: the
improvements in the Cattle
Market and removing the Water
Cistern. Such bills have been previously
examined and allowed by a
180 0 0 Committee of the House of
Burghmote; one interest on the
460 0 0 money advanced by the Canterbury
Union Bank for that purpose
205 0 0 £3881 3 1
By Balance due £126 0 0
455 0 0 £4007 3
1000 0 0
420 0 0
150 0 0
1009 9 9
1 13 4
126 3 0
£4007 3
239
F.H. PANTON
APPENDIX H
WARRANT CONVEYI G COURT LEET, WESTGATE WARD, 1757
·,
.. ...
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. ',-.,:
To 'l77/: ,cutz.:.,,..., /,. ,t;
- Conjlable of the Ward of l
· oJ-s...
· in the · ':
Jaid C'ity, a11d County of the fame
City, a11d to '/W; e.a/1/L .J-luu, -
f!or(holder of the fame Ward,
anJ to each of them.
THESE are in His Majefty's Name to will and require you,
·. · immediate!)' upon Sight hereof, to give Notice, That the
.1,ourt L,u for the faid Ward is appointed co be held at
the tjt>-ll ---:::----- in the faid Ward on
:7i..... If -- the 9'"tn vu/: --Day of this fnftanc
I · /♦ Oflohtr, by Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon of the fame Day;
1
a
,r;
/J1 and chat you give perfonal Notice co all Freeholders and Houfe0
./(tl/ ·. 69 keepers within your faid Ward, that they, and every of them.
with their Sojourners, Servants and Children, being Male-Kind,
l. and Twelve Years old, and upwards, then and there perfonally
I
.- • • • do appear co. do their uic and Service, and al.I other Things to
' .. . them belonging, according to the Laws of this Realm, and the
Cuftom of the faid Court: And that you demand and receive •.
\
t
I
,_. /
of the feveral Perfons hereafter named the feveral Sums of Money
fet, taxed, and affeered Uf?n their feveral Head<, at His Majefty's
!aft Court Lut for rhe faid Ward. And the fame without fail
you are to pay unto Us at the faid next Court Lttt; and be you
then and there prefent to do that which to your feveral Offices
appertaineth; and have you then and there a Note, fair written,
with the Names of fuch Perfons as you !hall fo warn. He,ef
fail not at your Perils. Dated the f.hJI-· Doy of
Oflohtri in the Yea:r of our Lord 17.7
240
THE FINANCES AND GOVERNMENT OF CANTERBURY
APPENDIX I
RECORD OF COURT LEET, WESTGATE WARD, 1757
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241
F.H. PA TO
APPENDIX I
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APPENDIX I
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F.H. PANTO
APPENDIX I
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