Cover of Witham 1500-1700: Making a Living

Contents


Contents Page
The 1820s: Historical Background iv
Witham and the Fires iv
List of Photos v
List of Drawings vii
List of Facsimiles viii
Preface x
Maps of Essex and the Area Around Witham xii
Acknowledgements xiii
Map of Modern Witham and Some Historic Sites xiv
Chapter 1 — Introduction: Witham Before 1500 1
Chipping Hill 1
Newland Street 1
Fields and Outlying Settlements 2
Later Medieval Witham 3
Chapter 2 — Population and Society 4
Numbers 4
Movement 4
Plague and Disease 6
Society 9
1523 — Lay Subsidy 9
1636 — Ship Money 10
1673 — Hearth Tax 12
Probate Value of Goods at Death 15
Inventories 15
Total values 17
Chapter 3 — Building and Living Conditions 21
Building Construction 21
Brick 27
Window glass 33
Decoration 33
Accomodation 34
Living Conditions 41
Chapter 4 — Roads and Transport 44
Routes 45
Road Conditions 48
Bridges 51
Means of Transport 55
The Post 59
Chapter 5 — Land and Agriculture 62
Land 62
Manors of Chipping and Newland 62
Demesne of Chipping and Newland 69
Outer Manors 66
Powershall 73
Blunts Hall 77
Howbridge Hall 79
Ishams (Little Howbridge) 83
Vicarage (Hog End) Manor 84
Other Large Farm Units (Over 50 Acres) 84
Smaller Units (50 Acres or Less) 88
Sizes of Holdings and Farming Units 90
Agricultural Methods 92
Methods in Witham 92
Meadows and Hay 98
Woodland and Wood 100
Grain Crops 103
Hops 105
Garden Crops 105
Horses 107
Cattle 107
Pigs 108
Sheep 110
Chapter 6 — Processing, Crafts and Trade 111
The Role of Witham in the Area 111
Regulation of Commerce 116
Processing 118
Craftsmen 122
Tradesmen 129
The Market 138
Chapter 7 — The Cloth Industry 143
Before 1500 143
1500 to 1540 143
1540 to 1600 144
1600 to 1628 145
1629 to 1650 147
c.1650 Onwards 147
Clothiers 150
Distribution Centres 156
Carding and Combing 158
Spinning 160
Weaving 161
Fulling 167
Roughing 169
Shearing 170
Tentering 170
Chapter 8 — People 173
County Families 173
The Southcott Family 173
Witham Place 175
Judge John Southcott 177
Elizabeth Southcott/Southwell 178
John Southcott esquire 179
Edward Southcott esquire 180
Sir John Southcott 180
Sir Edward Southcott 180
The Barnardiston Family and William Towse 181
Dame Katherine Barnardiston 182
The Gentry 185
The Garrard Family 186
John Garrard(1) 186
Jerome Garrard(1) 189
Jerome Garrard(2) 190
Robert Garrard(2) 191
Jerome Garrard(3) 192
Jerome (Jerry) Garrard(4) 192
John Garrard(2) and John Garrard(3) 192
The Armond, Brodway and Jackson Families 193
George Armond(1) 193
John Armond 195
George Armond(2) 197
Elizabeth Armond 197
Thomas Brodway and Abigail Jackson 197
Adam Jackson and Robert Jackson(1) 198
John Jackson(1), junior, and Sarah his mother 199
John Jackson(A), senior 199
William Jackson(A) 200
The Gravener Family 200
John Gravener(1) 200
John Gravener(2) 200
John Gravener(3) 202
John Gravener(4) 202
John Gravener(5) 203
The Barwell Family 203
Robert Barwell(1) 205
Martha Barwell(1) 206
Robert Barwell(2) 206
Newman Barwell 207
Sarah Barwell and Martha Barwell(2) 208
Robert Barwell(3) 208
Robert Barwell(4) 210
Middling People 212
The Poor 216
Poverty and the life cycle 217
The care of the poor 220
Dame Katherine Barnardiston’s Gifts 223
Almshouses 224
Chapter 9 — Postscript 226
Constants 226
Chronology 227
Religion and politics 229
Suggested Reading 230
Notes 231
Index 266
An impression of the central part of Witham in about 1680 (end paper)