Short title: Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster v Earl of Devonshire. Plaintiffs:...

Short title: Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster v Earl of Devonshire.

Plaintiffs: Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster [at the relation of Thomas Eyre].

Defendants: William, Earl of Devonshire (previously Lord Cavendish) and others.

Documents: depositions concerning Ash Grange or Onash Grange, High Peak, Derbyshire.

Taken 19 January, 16 James I.

Deponents for plaintiffs: Christopher Fley of Monyash, yeoman, aged 39, whose memory goes back 'always' [to 1580]; Henry Wilgoose of Monyash, husbandman, aged 69, whose memory goes back 50 years [to 1569], he deposed that Monyash was in the Duchy of Lancaster and there was right of free mining there. 50 years ago Henry Lowe was bailiff and barmaster to George Earl of Shrewsbury and he took lot and cope from Ash Grange. [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]. This was always the case until 8 years ago since Bateman has interupted the collection of lot and cope. Ash Grange has always been reputed as a Grange not a manor so there were no copyhold tenants there; Henry Newton of Monyash, miner, aged 65, whose memory goes back 50 years [to 1569]; Arthur Swindell of Monyash, husbandman, aged 64, whose memory goes back 55 years [to 1554]; Richard Goodwin of Monyash, husbandman, aged 50, whose memory goes back 40 years [to 1579] Edward Jackson of Taddington, husbandman, aged 59, whose memory goes back 40 years [to 1579] [describes fishing rights on river Wye]; Thomas Tym of Priestcliffe, yeoman, aged 50, whose memory goes back 40 years [to 1579]; Roger Wibbersley of Priestcliffe, yeoman, aged 42, whose memory goes back 20 years [to 1599]; Roger Jackson, of Woolow, husbandman, aged 60, whose memory goes back 50 years [to 1569]; Anthony Furniss of Taddington, husbandman, aged 70; Richard Ward of Priestcliffe, husbandman, aged 56; George Bagshaw of Flagg, yeoman, aged 31; Martin Hallam of Bradwell, yeoman, aged 52.

Deponents for defendants: Godfrey White of Blackwell, husbandman, aged 70, deposed that he came to the area 61 years ago and there has never been any ore to get at Ash Grange. There have always been boundaries which have demarcated Ash Grange from the King's Forest. The Duchy of Lancaster has no rights over lead; John Needham of Monyash, yeoman, aged 68, whose memory goes back 'always' [to 1551]; Robert Bateman of Ash Grange, gentleman, aged 29, whose memory goes back 9 years [to 1610], deposed that on the 7 November 1607 Hugh Bateman, his father and tenant of Ash Grange, gave the miners rights there for the first time. In the agreement the miners compounded for non payment of lot and cope with Bateman and in return he had preemption of ore at 15s per load when lead prices were 18s per load; Thomas Bagshawe of the chamber in Peak Forest, gentleman, aged 38, deposed that he was a forester of the Peak Forest for 20 years, as was his father, who had told him the boundaries of the Peak Forest; John Bonsall senior of Over Hadden, husbandman, aged 36; Robert Barber of Castleton, yeoman, aged 50, deposed that he has seen 'an ancient boundarie' of the forest of the High Peak with seals [presented to him at court]; Adam Bagshawe of Peak Forest, yeoman, aged 40; Richard Pendleton of Peak Forest, forester, aged 36; Anthony Longsder of Longstone, gentleman, aged 46; Thomas Milward of Great Longstone, husbandman; John Shawe of Monsalldale [Monsal Dale], miner, aged 60; William Inglehurst of Monyash, miner, aged 78, deposed that mining only started in Monyash 10 years ago, following the agreement between the miners and Hugh Bateman. Bateman had put the agreement in writing [now presented at court]; Thomas Lathom of Monyash, miner, aged 40; Henry Frost of Sheldon, miner, aged 69, deposed that he was servant for 5 years to Thomas Shakersly, grandfather of Thomas Shakersly who sold Monsalldale to Bess of Hardwick [Countess of Shrewsbury]; Richard Milner of Ashford, miner, aged 26; James Watts of Monsalldale, husbandman, aged 65; Thomas Goodwin of Monyash, husbandman, aged 57, deposed that he remembers mining in Ash Grange during Arthur Barker's time as barmaster, when he measured the lead ore. He knows about the miner's written agreement with Bateman and has heard the said note heretofore read. The note was in the keeping of William Inglesant; William Heaward of Ashford, husbandman, aged 61; Henry Mather of Ahford, miner, aged 60.

Topics

Manors

Crown lands and estates

Fishing