Sale of Crown lands

From Jerripedia
Jump to navigationJump to search



Sale of Crown lands
by Charles II




Shortage of money forced Charles II to sell crown lands when he stayed in Jersey


This article by Chris Aubin was first published in the 2018 Annual Bulletin of La Société Jersiaise


During the English Civil War, King Charles II twice stayed in Jersey: the first time as Prince of Wales and the second as King, though he had not by then been proclaimed King in England, the Island was held for the Royalist cause.

On both occasions he was, not unexpectedly, short of money. Recently, a schedule of the Crown revenues in the Island that were sold to raise funds has come to light. This short paper is by way of record and explanation of what sums were raised.


Execution of Charles I

King Charles I was executed in front of the Banqueting House, Whitehall, London, on 30 January 1649. The terrible news first reached Jersey as a rumour on 7 February two escaped prisoners—of—war but was confirmed officially on the 16th of the month. Despite warnings of being declared a traitor and the penalties that would follow for anyone proclaiming Charles Stuart, Prince of Wales, the King, he was duly proclaimed in the Royal Square, St Helier, on the orders of Sir George Carteret, by Laurens Hamptonne, the Vicomte, the next day, Saturday 17 February 17 1649. [1]

The Prince of Wales had stayed in the island in 1646 and was, unsurprisingly, short of ready money at the time. [2] He was to return, as King, on 17 September 1649, and was to stay in the Island until 13 February 1650. [3]

While in the island Charles stayed at Elizabeth Castle and it was from here that letters and commissions were issued.

Proposed sales

On 30 October 1649, a warrant was issued to Sir Christopher Lucknor, Sir Edward Walker and others, requiring them to certify in writing what part of the Crown revenues in the Island of the yearly value of 200 pistoles would be fittinge and convenient to sell to raise funds for his present requirements.

The written report formed a schedule to the Commission given to the same gentlemen to proceed with the sale of the lands, ffees, tenements, mills, wheat rents and other parcells which had been selected as most fitting for sale.

Those items which were held by tenure were to be sold in free burgage, free sonage (socage) or by fealty only and were not to be held in chief. The sales were otherwise to be on the terms that the Commissioners agreed and they were empowered to investigate further into the various parcels enquiring of all local officers and all other persons and all rent rolls and other documents.

The sales were to be by indenture with one part being returned within 20 days (or as soon as possible) to the Privy Council. The sales were then to be under the Great Seal of England or the Seal of Jersey.

The Letters Patent were made at Elizabeth Castle on 13 November 1649 (1 Chas 11) and although mentioned in the Court records they were not transcribed. [4] A copy of the Letters Patent and the ensuing Schedule are appended to two petitions from Charles William Le Geyt to King George III in Council in 1778 concerning the Crown rentes payable on two mills. [5] Although the Petition stated that the Letters Patent were held in Jersey at that time, their present location is not known. They were not copied into the surviving Rolls of the Royal Court. The first of the Livre de Patentes which would have been held at the Greffe did not survive the Civil War.

The proposed sales are noted by Chevalier on 18 November 18 [6] Chevalier, however, records the proposed sale of 200 quartiers of wheat rente from forfeitures and the Fief de la Fille de Carteret. [7]

On the 20th Chevalier recorded that the parochial officers from St Martin appeared and were advised that 200 quartiers of wheat rente were to be sold, not from the King’s Propre, or the old Crown rentes, but those from forfeitures by aliens or from the time of Geoffrey Wallis or the Comte Maulevrier [8]

On Saturday 24 November the officers of the parishes of Trinity, St John and others were to advise their parishioners that potential purchasers were to appear at a place and time to be specified. The wheat rente was to be sold at 85 escus the quartier [9].

The schedule attached to the Letters Patent is headed ‘A Schedule of such Lands, ffees, Rents, Mills and other Hereditaments as were taken out of the Extents of his Majesty's Revenues in the Island of Jersey, and are to be sold by Vertue of this present Commission’.

The left hand column describes the parcel concerned and the right hand column gives the value in Pistols, Livers and Souls. In this Schedule a Pistol is worth 10 Livers and there are 20 Souls (sous or shillings) to a Liver. (livre or pound).

The various sales were by the Commissioners on behalf of the Crown but Henry Jermyn, Baron of Bury St Edmunds, Governor of the Island, who claimed right to the Crown revenues in the Island and Thomas Jermyn, his brother, who claimed the reversion of the governorship and revenues, by their agreement of 1 December 1649 (premier an de nostre Regne) ceded their interest in the individual sales. [10]

Rentes

The first item on the Schedule was 100 quartiers (Jersey measure) of wheat rente from the forfeiture of Aliens. Each quartier was noted to be the equal of 4 bushels of Winchester measure and valued at 2 livres 10 sous per bushel, giving a total valuation of 100 pistoles. A pistole was thus worth 10 livres.

There are 60 contracts of sale of Crown rentes by the Royal Commissioners dated between 14 December 1649 and 12 February 1650, with three or perhaps four further contracts dated to August 1650, [11] which were registered at the time. A further two contracts dated January and February 1650 were registered after the Restoration. [12]

The recorded sales for 'Aliens' were in total of 60 quartiers 2½ cabot of rente and the total sum raised by these sales of Aliens’ rente was 20,920 livres 10 sous 9 deniers tournois. In nearly all of these sales the price of a quartier of wheat was 255 livres tournois, but in the later sales in July and August 1650 were at only 200 livres tournois per quartier. The Aliens included a rente of 14 quartiers due on the occupant of Moulin de Ponterrin.

Fief of Anneville and Everat

The Prévot of the Fief of Anneville and Everat paid 8 quartiers a year, as well as hens, geese and eggs to the value of 11 livres, 10 sous, as well as champart worth 25 crowns a year and casualties from the Court worth 3 livres, which in total (with the wheat considered as above) was worth 16 pistoles, 9 livres 10 sous.

The Fiefs of Anneville, Everat and Lempriere were sold by Letters Patent on the January 12‘h 1650 to the Reverend Elie de la Place for which he paid 3,435 livres tournois. The sale include the 8 quartiers of wheat, 14 geese, 29 chickens, 335 eggs, 1 loaf and 1 capon of rente due to the Seigneur, champarts and Court.” [13]

The Malt Mill

The Little Water Mill near the farm known as the Malt Mill was worth 40 livres a year. It had recently been repaired and was let for twenty—one years to reimburse the tenants for the money spent on repairs. It was nevertheless valued at 4 pistoles. [14]

Moulin de Haut, in Grouville, was sold by Letters Patent to Philippe de Carteret, son of Elie, on the 11 January 1650, for 1,335 livres tournois. Philippe de Carteret was the brother of Sir George.

Fief of Morville

The Fief of Morville owed 4 quartiers 3 cabots of wheat rente and 4 livres 16 souls in money and with poulage and eggs worth 11 livres was valued at 5 pistoles, 9 livres 11 sous. [15] Also in St Ouen was the Fief de Robillard which owed 2 quartiers 5½ cabots worth 2 pistoles 8 sous. [16]

Sir Philippe de Carteret paid 2,247 livres tournois for the Fiefs de Morville and Robillard again under Letters Patent.

Franc Fief

In St Brelade 5 quartiers due on the Franc Fief were valued at 5 pistoles. [17] This rente does not appear in the registered contracts from 1649/50 but neither does it appear in the following Extente of 1668. It was presumably sold, but the contract was not registered. On the basis of the 1649 sales it would be expected have been sold for 1,275 livres tournois.

Moulin de Quetivel

There are two Moulins de Quetivel in Jersey, one in St Lawrence and the other in St Peter; both were Crown mills. On the former there were due 30 livres, worth 3 pistoles, and on the latter 10 quartiers of wheat, worth 10 pistoles.

The 10 quartiers of rente due on Moulin de Quetivel in St Peter were sold in two tranches of 4 quartiers and 6 quartiers. These were sold for 800 and 1,530 livres tournois respectively.

Farms and the Fief of L’Abbesse de Caen

In St Martin there were two areas of land: the farms and the lands of the Fief de L’Abbesse de Caen were let for 12 pistoles a year. A separate sum of 20 cabots of oats was specifically not included in the Schedule.

Jean Le Hardy had taken a twenty—one year lease of the Fief de L’Abbesse de Caen from George de Carteret, acting under a Commission dated January 14‘“ 1645, on the 5th August 5‘“ 1646. [18] But the Fief de L’Abbesse de Caen (‘fieu a la Baesse’) in St Martin was sold to Jean Le Hardy, the Crown Avocat Général, by Lettres Patentes from Elizabeth Castle on the January 17‘“ 1650 [19]for 3,250 livres with the lands known as Les Fermes du Sud and the Les Fermes du Nord for the service of providing at his cost an armed man and a war horse, comparance at the three annual Chefs Plaids of the Cour d’Héritage, and an annual rente of 20 cabots of oats (d’Avoyne). [20]

Le Hardy already held the Fiefs Fosse Astelle and de la Hougue in Grouville and these were entailed with the Fief de L’Abbesse. Consent was also given for Le Hardy to rebuild the colombier, which had fallen into decay and ruin, either on Les Fermes du Sud or elsewhere on the Fief. The Fermes were part of Le Parcq de la Fille de Carteret, or Le Parcq Bertram, which was part of a collection of fiefs and lands confiscated from or forfeited by a member of the de Carteret family, probably in the 14th Century; the colombier was presumably previously dependent from this holding.

St Peter’s Priory and the Fief d’Orville

In St Peter the Priory and the Fief d’OrVille were worth 11 quartiers, valued at 11 pistoles. [21] There were several rentes sold which were due to the Priory of St Peter, which had presumably been in Crown hands since either the Dissolution of the Alien Priories or some other local confiscation, they were all included in the Crown Extente of 1528.

Not all the rentes due to the Priory were sold, but 7 quartiers and 4½ cabots were sold with a total sum raised of 2,629 livres 13 sous 9 deniers tournois.

Fief Chesnel or Pinel and Le Moulin de Tesson and meadows

In St John, the Fief Chesnel or Pinel with court and casualties, a crown in money, 4 capons and 9 hens was valued at 3 pistoles. [22] Also dependent from the Fief de Chesnel, but listed separately in the schedule, is Le Moulin de Tesson and meadows valued at 12 pistoles. On 25 April 1650 Sir George de Carteret produced to the Royal Court Letters Patent by which he acquired both the Fief Chesnel and Le Moulin de Tesson and its dependent pres and Cotils. [23] No copy of the Patent has survived and any consideration or rente paid by Sir George is not known.

Mill of Manner

A separate mill, Mill of Manner, was valued at 17 livres 4 sous or 1 pistole 7 livres 4 sous. No other mill was sold and no mill is recorded by this name. Could it have been a reference to one of the mills in Mourier valley or to Le Moulin de Louys Pol, which was built by a Thomas Le Manns?

Helier Hue

Helier Hue owed 1 quartier 5¼ cabots of wheat valued at 1 pistole 6 livres 11 sous. Helier Hue married Marie, eldest daughter and principal heir of Hugh de Soulemont.

This was not a Crown rente in 1528 as the Prieuré was held privately at the time and was thus not payable to the Crown. De Soulemont owed 5¼ cabots in the Extente 1607 for the Prieuré de L’Islet and a separate sum of 2 quartiers but it is not apparent which were the other 8 cahots due. The 13¼ cabots were sold to Helier’s eldest son and heir, Jean, for 422 livres 7 sous tournois.

Absents

Finally, 21 quartiers of wheat due in several parcels from forfeiture of Absents were valued at 21 pistoles 2 livres 10 sous. The sales of rente from Absents totalled 16 quartiers 5 cabots for 4,236 livres 17 sous 6 deniers tournois. The Absents included a rente of 3 quartiers due on the occupant of Moulin d’Egoutepluie.

At the same sitting of the Cour d’Héritage on 9 May 1650, when Sir George de Carteret and John Le Hardy presented their Lettres Patentes, others were also presented. Elie Dumaresq presented Lettres Patentes entailing the Fiefs des Augrés and es Godeaulx, a mill (presumably Moulin des Augres) and his manor house, gardens and lands; Laurens Hamptone had Lettres Patentes entailing various sums of rente with his house and lands. Helier de Carteret had acquired the Fief de l’Evéque d’Avranches and various rentes.

Unfortunately, most of the Lettres Patentes have not survived, due in part to the loss of the first book in the series of Lettres Patente during the Civil War. [24] The whole schedule gave a total value for all the parcels of 210 pistoles 3 livres 6 sous.

The total known sums raised expressed in livres/sous/deniers were:

  • Aliens 20,941 1s 9d
  • Anneville 3,435s
  • Malt Mill 1,335s
  • Morville 2,247s
  • Franc Eief
  • Moulin de Quetivel 2,330s
  • L’Abbesse de Caen 3,250s
  • Prieuré de St Pierre 2,629 13s 9d
  • Prieuré de L’lslet 422s
  • Chesnel/Tesson unknown
  • Mill Manners unknown
  • Helier Hue 422s
  • Absents 4,236 1s 6d

It is clear that not all the sales by the Royal Commissioners were registered, and in some instances, when the sale is known the consideration is not. The ‘exchange rate’ between livres tournois and pounds sterling in 1647 was 12:1: this would give a total of £3,437 8s 4d sterling or a little over 340 pistolls. [25]

Governor Henry Jermyn

Henry Jermyn, as Governor, enjoyed the income from Crown property in the Island and he also acquired various Crown properties in his own name from Sir Jean Barkley and Abraham Cowley, Royal Commissioners, appointed by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of England by Charles 11 dated 8 July 1650. Of the two Commissioners, Abraham Cowley, the poet, was Lord Jermyn’s Secretary [26] The other Commissioner, Sir John Berkeley, became master of the Duke of York’s household after the death of Lord Byron in 1652, and gained control of the Duke’s finances; it is believed that he obtained the post through the influence of Lord Jermyn [27]

Lord Jermyn sold wheat at 85 escus the quartier. It is speculative to consider that Chevalier was correct in recording a proposal to sell 200 quartiers: in the end 100 quartiers were sold by Commissioners directly and 100 quartiers were sold by different Commissioners to Lord Jermyn, who then sold them. No copy of Lord Jermyn‘s purchase has survived and neither the extent of his acquisitions nor the price paid is known, but various subsequent sales were registered.

On 4, 5 and 6 June 1651, Lord Jermyn (or his attorneys, appointed on the 4 June 1651) passed at least eight contracts selling various properties and rentes. The sales included the Fief de Handois, a nearby house in St Lawrence with approximately 60 vergées of land and 100 quartiers 5½ cabots of wheat rente.

Many of the rentes were due to the Crown for the Fief de Saint Germain, which Lord Jermyn held as Governor; others were due for the Priories of St Clement and L’lslet, La Fille de Carteret and from forfeitures, and several sums were due on mills.

Lord Jermyn raised 28,635 livres 10 sous tournois by these sales, but to what end the monies so raised were used is unknown. In 1659 Lord Jermyn was created Earl of St Albans and is said to have raised 647,416 ‘livres’ and incurred vast debts in support of the Royalist cause. [28]

Finally, it is interesting to note that Sir George Carteret (under the pseudonym ‘Milton’) wrote to Sir Edward Nicholas on 9 June 1651. In the letter he notes that Lord Henry Jermyn, the Governor, was asking him to further the execution of the King’s Commission for the sale of 200 pistolls of the King’s lands, as Jermyn wished to return to the King who was in Paris.

Jermyn was also trying to sell the Governorship either to Sir George or to someone else. ‘Milton’ also reported that little progress had been made in the sales as the inhabitants ‘will not buy’. In three weeks only 10 pistolls were sold and part of that on credit.

Jermyn proposed that the Crown lands should be transferred to him and that he would appoint attorneys to complete the sales. Sir George claimed to have little money and what he had, he had used to provision the Castle; he also had creditors and had hoped to he paid an allowance.

Although the letter reflects the sales to and by Lord Jermyn the timing does not agree. [29] The sum of 10 pistoles (at an exchange rate of 12:1) would be 1,200 livres tournois. Two earliest registered contracts date to 14 December 1649 and totalled 3,440 livres 10 sous tournois. A further nine contracts were passed on 18 December for a total of 4,456 livres 4½ sous.


Notes and references

<references>

  1. ↑ G R Balleine, All for the King: the Life Story of Sir George Carteret, Societe Jersiaise, 1976
  2. ↑ 2. Philip Ahier, ‘The Money Problems of Charles Prince of Wales”, ABSJ vol. 21, 1973, pp 1923.
  3. ↑ For a general record of the visits see Jean Chevalier, Journal de Jean Chevalier, Société Jersiaise, 1906-1914
  4. ↑ The Letters Patent were only referred to in the Livres of the Cour de Catel C18/195 13 December 1649 but not copied in full.
  5. ↑ The original document is held by The National Archives TNA PC 1/3356. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open—government—licence/version
  6. ↑ Chevalier, Journal de Jean Chevalier, p 735
  7. ↑ A holding consisting of lands and rentes in many parishes long since held by the Crown
  8. ↑ Geoffrey Wallis fell with Warwick the King Maker at the Battle of Barnet in 1471 and the Comte Maulevrier occupied the Island for the French Crown 1461-68
  9. ↑ A volume measure of 8 cabots
  10. ↑ Most of the contracts of sale are in the Registre Public at the Judicial Greffe. References are given as RP
  11. ↑ One contract is torn — see Registre RP14 folios 151-420.
  12. ↑ See Registre RP‘l7/63 8c 94 - were these held back by the purchasers who were waiting to see the outcome
  13. ↑ The Letters Patent are transcribed in full from the Court records in ABSJ Vol 6, 1909, 461—73; and Philip Ahier, The Fiefs d’Anneville, Everat and Lempriére’ in ABSJ Vol 18, 1961, 111-129
  14. ↑ Also known as Le Moulin de Haut it was usually accounted for with the nearby Blanc Moulin
  15. ↑ Extente de L'Isle de Jersey 1607. Sociéte Jersiaise, 1880. Wheat rente is given on page 127; money rente is given on page 129 as 3 escus 10 sous which was equivalent to 100s or £5 sterling
  16. ↑ Extente 1607: the wheat rente is given on page 119 but only 22½ cabots
  17. ↑ Extente 1607: the wheat rente is given on page 94
  18. ↑ RP13/54
  19. ↑ Pat 1/12 Livres des Patentes, Judicial Greffe (Jersey Archive D/Y/F9) also mentioned in the Cour d’Héritage sitting of April 25‘“ 1650 (May 9‘“ 1650 H11/235 (5th day)). A later certified copy of the Patent dated July 17‘“ 1660 was made at the request of Raschel de Beauvoir, Jean Le Hardy’s wife, and is held in The National Archive PC 1/1/5.
  20. ↑ The 20 cabots (2 quartiers 4 cabots) are recorded in Extente de l’Isle de Jersey 1668. Société Jersiaise, 1882, page 6
  21. ↑ Extente 1607 11 quartiers ½ cabot on page 103; the Priory also produced 4 hens and 3 capons and a money rente of 6 escus 20 sous. The fief Orville 6 cabots 7 hens 1 goose and 2 loaves pages 102-5.
  22. ↑ Confiscated from Geoffrey Wallis. Extente 1607 apart from 33 quartiers wheat and 5 sous for a pair of gilt spurs in rente; the 4 capons were due on the Fief Pinel and 9 hens on the Fief Chesnel in St John pages 130-1.
  23. ↑ H11/235 Jersey Archive D/Y/Cl/IZ Cour d’Héritage sitting of 25 April 1650
  24. ↑ See H11/235 Jersey Archive D/Y/C1/12 Cour d’Héritage sitting of 25 April 1650
  25. ↑ Chevalier, Journal de Jean Chevalier see 9 June 1646 page 332 and 20 May 1647 page 453. For the earlier exchange rates see the Extente. In 1528 it was 10:1; in 1607, 10½:1; in 1668 it was 13:1 and in 1749 it was 15:1
  26. ↑ Jean Loiseau, Abraham Cowley in Jersey ABSJ vol 13, 1938, pages 319-322
  27. ↑ D W Hayton Berkeley, John, first Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1607-1678), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
  28. ↑ Anthony R J S Adolph, Jermyn , Henry, Earl of St Albans (1605-1684) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
  29. ↑ E T Nicolle, Letters of King Charles 11, ABSJ vol 11, 1929, pages 186-192. G F Warner (ed) The Nicholas Papers. New York: Johnson, 1965, vol 1, pages 258-261.
Retrieved from "https://theislandwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Sale_of_Crown_lands&oldid=272622"