Duchy of Lancaster: Extents for Debt

DL 23

c1558-c1660

This series contains material produced as part of the process of debt collection from officers and tenants of the Duchy of Lancaster administered by the Court of Duchy Chamber, which by the early seventeenth century had separate sessions for revenue business known as 'sittings on the revenue'.

The main documents in this series are the writs, issued to the sheriff of the county concerned, to levy the debt of a named individual on his goods and chattels, seize and deliver into the monarch's hands the debtor's lands, rents and goods, and extend (ie value) his lands and goods by an inquisition of local men.

A single writ may concern a single debtor or many in a given county. If a single debtor is also an officer of the Duchy the bond of obligation signed on appointment will be cited. If the writ concerns many debtors it will usually refer to an attached schedule. This will be in the form of a particular by the Duchy receiver for the country in question, giving details of the lands or offices held and of the debts due.

The sheriff had to certify the result and return the writ with any monies and the inquisition to the Court of Duchy Chamber at a specified time. The other main document found, therefore, is the local inquisition. This is an identure signed and sealed by the sheriff and the men listed as taking part. It will contain details of the case agreeing with and backing up the sheriff's certification. There may also be other documents folded into the returned writ such as inventories of movable goods.

Division XXIII

Not Public Record(s)

English and Latin

7 bundle(s)

Topics

Crown lands and estates

Debt

From the fourteenth century the administration of the Duchy of Lancaster's estates was dealt with by the chancellor and council of the Duchy. This forum, however, developed, into the Court of Duchy Chamber sitting at Westminster in the fifteenth century with a judicial as well as an administrative role. As equity business came to take up an increasing amount of its time in the sixteenth century, the court began to meet separately to deal with administrative matters alone and these sessions became known from the early seventeenth century as 'sittings upon the revenue.

A common area of dispute was, of course, that of debt by the Duchy's officers and farmers of the Duchy's lands. This would be dealt with by the issuing of a writ to the sheriff of the county concerned to levy the debt of a named individual on his goods and chattels, seize and deliver into the monarch's hands the debtor's lands, rents and goods etc and extend (ie value) his lands and goods by an inquisition of local men. The Sheriff had to certify the result and return the writ with any monies and the inquisition to the Court of Duchy Chamber at a specified time.

The writs were issued in the name of the monarch by right of the Duchy of Lancaster under the Duchy seal. They were drawn up in the Duchy chancery and checked by the clerk to the Duchy council. The sheriff's certification of action taken is usually found endorsed on the writ.