Short title: Inhabitants of Taddington and Priestcliffe v Cavendish. Plaintiffs:...

Short title: Inhabitants of Taddington and Priestcliffe v Cavendish.

Plaintiffs: William Bradborne and others, inhabitants of Taddington and Priestcliffe.

Defendants: Sir Charles Cavendish, and others.

Documents: depositions concerning rights of common of inhabitants of Taddington and Priestcliffe and disputed boundaries of Blackwall, Derbyshire.

Taken 8 January, 38 Eliz.

Deponents for plaintiffs: Henry Sheldon of Holmesfield, yeoman, aged 70, whose memory of the 'wast ground moore or comon' [waste ground moor or common] goes back 60 years [to 1536], deposed that the inhabitants of Taddington and Priestcliffe had always used the lands as common and that the inhabitants of Blackwall had never opposed this. He had dug stone there for his father's fences as had others 'as his ancestors did. His grandfather and father have told him'; Elize Dicken of Taddington, husbandman, aged 80, deposed that the inhabitants of Taddington and Prestcliffe had always had rights of common on the wastes until recently, when Sir Charles Cavendish erected a wall; Thomas Newton of Chesterfield, aged 68, deposed that he remembered his mother fetching water from the stream on the wastes; Humphrey Hill of Tideswell, husbandman, aged 80, lived in Blackwell for 12 years; Hugh Greene of Fairfield, husbandman, aged 74, deposed that he doesn't know who holds the lease of the lot and cope of the Queen's field in the High Peak but that they collect the lot and cope of lead produced in Taddington and Priestcliffe commons [Lot a mineral duty paid by the miner to the lord of the liberty to search for and mine ore. Cope duty paid by the buyer of the ore to the lord of the liberty]; Thomas Wibbersley of Priestcliffe, husbandman, aged 50, deposed that he remembered Sir Thomas Fitzherbert collecting the lot and cope on lead in Taddington and Priestcliffe commons; George Goodwin of Calow, husbandman, aged 76, deposed that 'ould Thomas Wibbersley of Prestcliffe' [old Thomas Wibbersley of Priestcliffe] told him the boundaries, remembers 21 years ago 2 inhabitantsof Taddington and Priestcliffe had had their sheep impounded at Blackwall by Mr Raphe Blackwall 'because they were Foryners goods and not their owne' [because they were foreigners' goods and not their own]; George Sheldon of Brushfield, husbandman, aged 56; Robert Dughtye of Bakewell, husbandman, aged 40, deposed that he had dug lead ore in the lands and it was measured by Arthur Barker and the lot and cope taken but for whom he did not know.

Deponents for defendants: James Sleigh of Haddon, yeoman, aged 43, deposed that 21 years ago his master, Richard Cooke, gentleman, held a court on behalf of the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury. He acted as clerk and wrote the court rolll now shown to him which records the boundaries of Blackwall; Robert Palfreyman of Blackwall, husbandman, aged 50, whose memory goes back 40 years [to 1556], deposed that the land in question is part of the boundaries of Blackwall, 'he hath credible harde that the late prior of Lenton beinge the Lord of the sayd Lordshipp or manor of Blackwall did in his tyme for the better remembrance there of treade the sayd boundarie in his owne person', [he has credibly heard that the late prior of Lenton being the Lord of the said lordship or manor of Blackwall did in his time for the better remembrance there of tread the said boundary in his own person], this event was 3 score years in the past [60 years ago]. Recalled that it was Raphe Blackwall who collected the lot and cope for the area between Blackwall stones and Blackwall town as farmer on behalf of the Earl of Shrewsbury. He was a juror at the court held by the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury where the boundaries were presented but is unable to respond to question 12 as he can not read; Thomas Waterhouse of Blackwall, husbandman, aged 3 score and 10 [70 years], whose memory goes back 60 years [to 1536], deposed that his father had told him he had taken part in the perambulation of the boundaries of the manor of Blackwall; Nicholas Torret of Blackwall, husbandman, aged 3 score [60 years], born in Blackwall, deposed that his father had taken part in the perambulation; Robert Greene of Blackwall, husbandman, aged 54, born in Blackwall; Henry Greene of Kings Sternedale, husbandman, aged 4 score [80 years].