MRP: Rochester
Contents
Rochester
Editorial history
THIS ENTRY REQUIRES RESEARCH
Contemporary descriptions
Rochester is much larger than Canterbury, if you take in the Suburbs, which run out above Half a League along the Medway, upon which the town stands: It is distant Seven Miles from Gravesend and the Sea: We went out of Town over a Stone Bridge, that consists of several Arches, and is adorned with a Parapet of Iron Balisters, Six Foot high, to hinder People from going up on it, and their Hats to be blown away with the Wind. From this bridge you have a very agreeable Prospect of the River, and of the Suburbs of Rochester, as far as Chatham, where most of the Men of War are Built, and where, after their Return home from Sea, they are usually laid up.
(Samuel Sorbière, A voyage to England: containing many things relating to the state of learning, religion, and other curiosities of that kingdom (London, 1709), pp. 11-12; originally published in 1663)
Bishops of Rochester
Bishops of Rochester, 3H C16th – end C17th
Tenure Incumbent
1572 to 1576 Edmund Freke
1576 to 1578 John Piers
1578 to 1605 John Young
1605 to 1608 William Barlow
1608 to 1611 Richard Neile
1611 to 1628 John Buckeridge
1628 to 1630 Walter Curle
1630 to 1638 John Bowle
1638 to 1666 John Warner
1666 to 1683 John Dolben
1683 to 1684 Francis Turner
1684 to 1713 Thomas Sprat
Possible Rochester map sources
British Library
Rochester. City of. Plan of 1685. Add. 17939 A
MEDWAY COUNCIL ARCHIVES & LOCAL STUDIES CENTRE
DRc_Dean_and_Chapter_of_Rochester_Cathedral_1541_1994/DRc_Esp_1 on request slip.
Path: Ecclesiastical_Regular_and_Capitular_Foundations/ DRc_Dean_and_Chapter_of_Rochester_Cathedral_1541_1994/ BB02_Estate_Records_1346_1963/ 01_DRc_Esp_Parliamentary_Survey_1649/ DRc_Esp_1.html
DEAN AND CHAPTER OF ROCHESTER, ESTATE PAPERS
Parliamentary Survey, 1649
Deans and Chapters were abolished by the Commonwealth government on 30 April 1649 and their estates surveyed in the subsequent months with a view to sale to provide much needed finance to maintain and pay the huge army which even at this stage was in a state of near mutiny.
This survey of the Rochester Capitular estates is extremely detailed. It gives particulars of all the manors and parsonages in the possession of the Dean and Chapter * as well as all other smaller properties; quitrents due, the courts baron, the capital messuages, lands and wood and marshland with their total acreages, abuttals, values and rents; details of existing leases, the time unexpired, names of lessees, covenants, freeholders and patronage; and in the case of every single tenement, details of the rooms in each one.
The greater part of the survey was made between July 1649 and January 1649/1650 though there are one or two later additions. It is written on paper and filed in three separate sections for convenience of handling. There does not appear to be any particular reason why one survey is in part one and another in part two. The survey of Moat Hall, Bearsted, the tile oast and the entry relating to the almsmen appear in sections one and two as well as several others. The fourth section is for the London properties only and the fifth for Darenth.
In this catalogue entry, all five sections have been treated as one whole and the entire survey briefly indexed under parishes with a few subject and name headings. This has been done to provide as near a complete list of capitular properties as possible for use with the catalogue as well as to ease the use of the survey itself.
Extracts from detailed index:
Cuxton (December 1649) pt.3 f.176
Cuxton, Chaunters tithe portion (September 1649) pt.1 f.146
Cuxton and Strood, Wickham tithe portion pt.3 f.24
Gillingham, Upberry [cf. Upbury] and West Court tithe portion (October 1649) pt.2 f.250
Gillingham, Wardens Marsh pt.1 f.235
Gillingham and Chatham, Shawsted [cf. Sharsted], Lidsing [cf. Lydsing] and Settington Manors (August 1649) pt.3 f.1
Grain, St. James, Cane Marsh (December 1649) pt.3 f.164
Grain, St. James, half tithe portion pt.3 f.27
Grain, St. James, Wymills Marsh (December 1649) pt.3 f.168
Halling (December 1649) pt.3 f.176, 181
Halling parsonage (October 1649) pt.2 f.237
Hoo, All Hallows [cf. Allhallows] parsonage (September 1649) pt.1 f.98
Hoo St. Mary [cf. St. Mary Hoo], Combe tithe portion (September 1649) pt.1 f.143
Hoo St. Werburgh parsonage (September 1649) pt.1 f.101
London: Fleet Street, St. Bride, the Red Bull north of Rose tenement yard (September 1649) pt.2 f.25; pt.4 f.17
London: Fleet Street, St. Bride, the Rose alehouse (September 1649) pt.2 f.16
maplesden [cf. Maplisden, Maplizden, Mapelizden], Edward, bailiff and rent collector pt.1 f.166
maplesden, George, bailiff and rent collector pt.3 f.160
maplesden, Gervase, bailiff and rent collector pt.1 f.166
maplesden, Peter, bailiff and rent collector pt.1 f.166
Rochester St. Nicholas, Crow Lane and Eastgate Wall, 4 tenements between, pt.2 f.67
Rochester St. Nicholas, double water or tide mill and lands on the river Medway, pt.2 f.63
Rochester St. Nicholas, Mariners, pt.2 f.70
Rochester St. Nicholas, Eastgate Street tenements pt.1 f.63, pt.2 f.74
Snodland (December 1649) pt.3, f.177
Snodland message (September 1649), pt.1, f.256
Snodland tenement next to the parsonage (November 1649) pt.2, f.183
Strood Newark Hospital double water mill and tide mill, pt.3, f.101
Wrotham Yaldham tithe portion (September 1649) pt.1, f.129
DRc_Dean_and_Chapter_of_Rochester_Cathedral_1541_1994/DRc_Ele_109_2 on request slip.
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Dean and Chapter of Rochester.
Leases
MARDEN
Land called Merseys: Schone croft (4 acres) lying against a lane leading to and into Merseys on the north and another lane on the west; land adjoining Schone croft at the end of the first named lane and lying east of Levenhouse barn place with a way leading from there to Priors Mead; Priors Mead and land called Brome field of Brome hill (13 acres); 5 other pieces of land with an adjoining lane lying east of the mill stream (14 acres); and 2 other pieces of land, one called Belgrove, (12 acres 3 yards) east of the mill stream which were exchanged for 2 other pieces of land, a grove of wood and part of a forstall (9 acres).
A
Lessee: George maplesden [cf. Maplisden], one of the principal citizens of the City of Rochester, gentleman.
Term: 21 years
Rent: 41s.
Conditions: 1. Grace 1 month, 2b, 13 hedgebote and 1-3 ploughbote only; 23; also if they are lawfully evicted from the wood grove and the part of the forstall they may enter into possession of Belgrove and the other piece of land.
Date: 18 December 1585
Quantity: 1 item
DRc_Dean_and_Chapter_of_Rochester_Cathedral_1541_1994/DRc_Ele_129_1 on request slip.
Path: Ecclesiastical_Regular_and_Capitular_Foundations/ DRc_Dean_and_Chapter_of_Rochester_Cathedral_1541_1994/ BB02_Estate_Records_1346_1963/ 04_DRc_Ele_Leases_1346_to_1896/ DRc_Ele_129_1.html
Dean and Chapter of Rochester
Leases
Rochester, St. Margaret and St. Nicholas.
Two Messuages in the Precinct, Rochester [called the New House] No. 142
A, B
Lessee: George maplesden [cf. Maplisden, Maplizden] of the Precinct, Rochester, gentleman.
Term: 40 years
Rent: 3s.4d
Conditions: 1.Grace 28 days; 2b, 12 (except to wife, child or children); 25.
On the back of DRc/Ele 129/1 A is an assignment of the lease by the lessee to his son John maplesden, dated 19 February 1663.
Date: 26 June 1661
Quantity: 2 items
