Catalogue description (Quoted in full because of special interest). To all Christ's faithful, who shall see or...

(Quoted in full because of special interest). To all Christ's faithful, who shall see or hear of this present writing, Ric. Hakim, called Broun, greeting in the Lord. Know ye that I have granted and by this present writing confirmed to Will. le Parkere and Matilda, his wife, as long as they live, and to their heirs or assigns for 60 years after the death of the same William and Matilda my chief dwelling which I had in the town of Stok, which indeed I bought of Master Guy with the buildings thereon built (suprasitis) and the garden and the croft which is nearer the garden, which tenement indeed with appurtenances lies in breadth between the land which Jurdan le Bonde formerly held on one part, and the land which Ric. son of Stephen held of me on the other, and stretches in length from the king's highway to my land, as it appears according to meets and bounds made there; together with 2 shillingsworth of yearly rent, which I was wont to take yearly of the said Richard, son of Stephen, for the tenement which he held of me, together with all rights and liberties which might accrue to the said rent for ever: And three roods of arable land in the fields of Stoke, of which one lies in Homecroft towards the highway, which leads from Coventry to Binley (Bilneye) by the land of Robert Storm, and another rood lies in Homecroft towards Pineley way by the land of the said Robert: and two roods in the moor of Stoke (? Stoke-Aldermoor) under the moor of Shortley by the roods of the aforesaid Rob. Storm. To have and to hold, etc. And we will warrant, etc. For which concession indeed and confirmation of this present writing the aforesaid William and Matilda have given me six marks of silver in hand. And if it should happen, which God forbid, that I, the aforesaid Richard, or my heirs should presume to infringe or obstruct this grant and confirmation then we will give to the aforesaid William and Matilda or their heirs or assigns six marks of silver of our goods without any gainsaying. And notwithstanding we will give of our goods to the Warden of the Crusaders of the New Temple at London in aid of the Holy Land 40s. of silver, to the making of which payment in full, if it be necessary. I will and grant for myself and my heirs that we may be compelled by ecclesiastical censure, that is to say, by suspension and communication from day to day. Witn. Hen. Pistore, Rob. de Chilton, Joh. Corbin de Stok, Rob. Storm de Stok Ad. la Bond... Rob. Grauntpe and others.

Mr. Buchannan reminds me of a fact I may not have made clear in my last article, namely, that there were often more fields than one in a township; there might be three or four or five, and they were cultivated according to the proper rotation of crops year by year. In the township of Lyth in Yorkshire, where the enclosures took place in 1782, the map of a farm in Mr. Buchannan's possession, taken before the enclosures, shows the tillage land (15a. 1r. 11p.) scattered about five fields; there were 32 strips, of which nine were less than a rood in extent, and only two reached an acre. How many such sets of fields there were in Coventry and its vicinity I do not know, but in the Cordy-Jeaffreson Catalogue and in the Trinity deeds I have met with the fields of Coventry, of Spon, of Stoke, of Whitley, Harnal, Radford, and Sow, and I should think, could one read most of the deeds and study all available maps, it might be possible to draw a map of Coventry, such as that eminent historian, the late Mary Bateson, did of Leicester, with the great common fields put in.

The next and earliest dated deed in the Vestry is interesting as showing the manner in which rent was paid and cultivation carried on in early times. There is no clear indication of the locality of the land in question, but as Hornwodeswey is mentioned, and there is a deed in the Jeaffreson catalogue (C. 71) where Will. Hornewood is mentioned as holding lands at Whitmoor, I expect it was in that neighbourhood.