Catalogue description TENTERDEN BOROUGH

This collection is far from complete but does contain the principle series of records consisting of the Custumal and Minute Books 1538-1543, 1641-1830 together with some Court Books and legal papers, and papers connected with the process of Withernam 1616-1668.

There is a description of Tenterden Borough Records, both in the custody of the corporation and of the parish in two articles by A A Taylor in Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol. 32, pp.283-302 (1917) and Vol. 33, pp. 91-112 (1918). These articles also contain extracts from the records.

British Library Add MS 48022 ff 23-37v leaves from a register of copies and corrected drafts of feoffments, quit claims, indentures, bonds, etc, 1496-98, concerning Tenterden, some under the seal of the 'officium ballivalus'

Tenterden Borough

Records are open for consultation unless otherwise indicated.

These were received as follows

NOVEMBER 1953: TE/Am/1-4; TE/Ar/1-5; TE/F1/1-6;

TE/JQal/1-10; TE/JQb/1-148; TE/JQp/10-11

TE/JQs/1-2; TE/Rb/1-3/19

JUNE 1954: TE/Az; TE/C/1-2; TE/FAcl;

TE/IC; TE/JB/1-3; TE/JQo/2-3;

TE/S/1-3; TE/Sm/1-2; TE/Z1-3; TE/Zb1/1-33;

TE/ZB2/1-17; TE/ZC1-2; TE/ZP

DECEMBER 1954: TE/AC/1-4; TE/Ae/1-3; TE/AO/1-2; TE/AW1;

TE/FAc/2-23; TE/FP/1; TE/FR/1-8; TE/FV/1-27;

TE/FZ/1; TE/JB/4-63; TE/JC/1-48;

TE/JQad/1-13; TE/Qc/1-2; TE/JQi/1; TE/Qn/1-24;

TE/JQp/1-9; TE/JQr/1-122;

TE/TQ/1; TE/TZ/1-4; TE/Z4; TE/Z5/1-4;

TE/ZB1/34-36; TE/ZB3/1-3; TE/ZB4;

TE/ZB5/1-41; TE/ZB6/1-20; TE/ZC/3-5

MARCH 1983: TE/F2/9-16; TE/F7/1; TE/F8/1;

TE/Rr/1-4

• Kent
• Local government

Tenterden was first incorporated as the Bailiff and Commonalty of the Town and Hundred in 1449, and made a limb of the Ancient Town of Rye, one of the Cinque Ports. The whole of the hundred of Tenterden was incorporated including the portion of the parish of Ebony known as Reading. Tenterden thus enjoyed the privileges of a Cinque Port. In 1493 an agreement between Rye and Tenterden was made in an attempt to define Tenterden's obligations to Rye. Tenterden paid to Rye each year 'composition money' which was a continuing source of friction between the two towns and lead to a law suit even as late as 1762. In 1600 by a charter of Elizabeth I Tenterden was re-incorporated as the Mayor, Jurats and Commons of the Town and Hundred.

Further charters of James I and Charles I are referred to in the minute books and it is stated that by the charter of James I all the jurats were to be justices of the peace by the 1600 charter. Yet when at the end of the seventeenth century the corporation tried to have an exemplification of Charles I's charter made they do not appear to have been successful and in 1700 they obtained an exemplification of Elizabeth I's charter 'itt being the last that was granted to this corporation' [TE/S/2 Nov 1699].

In 1661 the Court Hall of Tenterden was destroyed by fire and with it many of the records of the Corporation. The Custumal [TE/C/1] has survived; according to an order made at a Common Hall in August 1604 [TE/C/1 f113v.] It was to be kept by the mayor. By the same order the Town Clerk was to keep current records which probably accounts for the survival of the minute book beginning in 1641 [TE/S/2] and of the loose papers of mid seventeenth century date. Otherwise the only pre-fire record to survive is the minute book 1538-1543 [TE/S/1]. The charters were also meant to be in the mayor's custody but only the composition with Rye and the copy of Charles I's charter survived the fire. There are copies of neither of these in this collection.

After the fire the records were kept in private custody till in 1672 a chest in the vestry was provided for them and an effort was made to collect the records which it is stated were in sacks and to examine and rearrange them. Later there are references to a chest kept in the court chamber in which the records of the court were probably kept.

Others were evidently still in private hands and in 1738 there is an entry in the Chamberlains Accounts [TE/S/2] of a payment for inspecting papers belonging to the corporation in Mr Dixon's study.

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