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Somerset County Herald and Taunton Courier. Saturday 23 Nov 1940
Page 6 Column 3
SOME FACTS ABOUT TAUNTON
THE ANCIENT COURT LEET
(SECOND ARTICLE.)
[BY H. J. CHANNON.]
There are signs of conscription among the early bye-laws of the Court Leet. Every male between the ages of 7 and 17 had to have a bow and two arrows, and if over that age a bow and four arrows; and butts had to be provided and maintained in every town. The butts in Taunton seem to have been on the site of the present Shire Hall.
In 1574 “to kepe the queenes peace” every inhabitant had always to have ready to hand “one bylle, clubbe, hulbert or welsh-hooke.”
An administrative order of 1570 reads: “It is agreed that no inhabitant within this Burrowe shall trafficke with the cyttye of Exeter until suche tyme as it shall please god to cease the plage.”
BULL-BAITING.
Butchers who sold unbaited bull beef were subject in various Boroughs to considerable penalties. Bear-baiting and bull-baiting were popular pastimes in England till Puritan times when, as MACAULAY tells us, they were stopped because the gave pleasure to the spectators, and not because they gave pain to the animals. Bull-baiting took place in Taunton on the race-course, which was on the site of King's College.
Another bye-law provided nets for the taking of crows, rooks and choughs. One might have expected the inclusion of wood-pigeons.
In Court were announced the names of any “eavesdroppers which stand under walls or windows by night and day, to hear tales, and to carry them to others, to make strife and debate among their neighbours.” Not a bad regulation!
“None for gain might keep any alley or place of bowling, tabling, carding or tennis, and no Artificer, Husbandman, Handicraftsman, Journeyman or Servant might play at any such games except at Christmas time and then only in his Master's House, or in his presence.” In the matter of pastimes our ancestors seem to have lacked the power of discrimination.
Everyone, according to his means, had to give or find labour for repairing the highways, and every householder was responsible for the repair of the pavement in front of his house. Not until the passing of the Turnpike Acts in the second half of the 18th century did Taunton have better roads.
In a most interesting pamphlet “Courts Leet and the Court Leet of the Borough of Taunton,” the late H. Byard SHEPPARD gave some typical cases that came before the Court.
PIGS IN A CHURCHYARD.
In the year 1600 there was trouble, apparently, through inhabitants keeping their pigs in St. Mary's Churchyard, and the Court Leet authorised John SHARP, one of the inhabitants of the Churchyard, to tie up all such pigs as he at any time found at large in the Churchyard, and he was to receive and take for tying up of every pig the sum of 4d. John SHARP seems to have thoroughly earned his money.
In 1615 the Alderman of North-street presented an inhabitant of the street, for making a fire in his house without a proper chimney.
The butchers were presented in 1623 “for suffering the blood of their slaughter beasts to run into Paul-street.”
John MARTIN, at the sign of “The Glove” in North-street was presented in 1700 for selling bad beer.
In 1702 and following years, several persons were presented “for breaking up of the Streets and Gullies, by reason of the iron binding and nails in their wheels,” and they were ordered to have wooden wheels, “as is usual in other boroughs and cities.”
Mr. Thomas BAKER was in trouble in 1708 for not repairing the streets in front of Grey's Almshouses.
The business of the Court from 1742 appears to have languished; the officers were content almost invariably to report “all well”;' and the presentments in 1748 were reduced to a solitary item, “that the pump in Magdalene Lane is out of repair.”
THE MARKET TRUSTEES.
In 1768 a third governing body of the town, the Market Trustees, came into being, and for good or ill many of the remaining powers of the thousand year old Court Leet were transferred into other hands.
From this time onward, the presentments, with few exceptions, record only the names of the officers appointed. But further work awaited the Court for in 1792 the Borough was deprived of its Charter, and from then until 1877 the Borough was under the jurisdiction of the Court Leet. If the present Charter of the Borough were to lapse, the officers of this Court would be responsible for the management of the town's affairs.
APPENDIX.
A verbatim copy of the presentment of the Alderman of North-street in 1597.
“notstreet presenteth
That upon thersday being the first daye of December 1597 A peedge of Mr. Heughe Hills beinge tyed up by the Allderman (Accordinge to the Lawe made and provided in this Lighte) was the the same daye his servant Christopher GIBBS came by fforce of Armes & did cute the Roope and Lick wiss did take awaye the peedge this abusse complayned unto the Constabells Comandemet geven be Constabell PAYNE to bringe the offender beffore hime, the nexte daye he beinge therunto Required by the Alderman did Refuss the same to do, then at Lanthe by force beinge brought before Constabell hürte who sayde he had nothinge to say to hime for the Abusse, but that he might go About his bissness
By Osemond Wythers ALDERM.”
Mr. CHANNON will deal in future articles with parishes that constituted the Hundred of Taunton. Next week: Trull.