Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    AD1651
  • Title
    Order of the Court of Chancery. To St. John Charnock bart.
  • Date free text
    8 Mar 1664
  • Production date
    From: 1664 To: 1664
  • Scope and Content
    Reciting that a Bill of Complaint was exhibited in Trinity term, 1663 by John Littlejohn clerk, against St. John Charnock bart., that the rectory and church of Holcot consisted of 1 messuage, 1 1/2 acres pasture, adjoining, the church yard, Three Leye clo., 11 leys of sweard ground in Digg mead close, 21 acres land in the fields of Holcot and various tithes of the yearly value of £56; that Hen.Gutterfield decd. late rector was seized of them; that St. John Charnock and one Wm. Fallett agreed to enclose the common fields; that the defendant and Wm. Fallett and Hen. Gutterfield in Jan. 1648 agreed to certain exchanges, the defendant agreeing to pay £6.10. p.a. in lieu of tithes ''which agreement was to the great increase of the rectory being thereby become to the yearly value of £70 p.a.''; the defendant thereupon enclosed his manor; John Littlejohn upon coming to Holcot found this agreement in force; and also another for exchanging the old inconvenient rectory for the defendant's messuage called Green's also Feyres lying in Diggmead; Littlejohn also found that in a short while it would be impossible to distinguish the glebe land from the land of the defendant the fields having been divided and the boundaries altered; and also the defendant, having possession of the ancient rectory had suffered it to fall into great decay, the house called Green's also Feyres being in good repair, so that if the exchange should be broken ''the church would be in great hazard of losing a great part of the ancient glebe as also much damnified for want of a parsonage house and the complainant of being sued for the delapidations''; the complainant had therefore often requested the defendant to settle and convey the premises but he had not yet done so. St John Charnock appeared and answered the Bill, and submitted to the judgment of the court. He was ordered to produce his title deeds which were found to be clear and good. Commissioners were appointed to measure the glebe land. They having done so, the land is confirmed to John Littlejohn and his successors.
  • Level of description
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