Admittance, or Admission; and Surrender
An admittance is a copy of the manorial court roll. The technically correct legal term is 'admittance', although by the nineteenth century the word 'admission' was often used in its place, even by stewards of the courts.
Purpose
A record of the admittance of a copyholder to property within a manor.
Features of admittances
- 17th-20th centuries
- various sizes
- written on parchment
- usually written in Latin until 1733
- deed poll (straight top edge)
Important words and phrases
Admittances begin by stating the type of court, the name of the Lord or Lady of the Manor, and the date. A description of the property will be given, together with details of why the new tenant is entitled to enter. This could be because they had purchased the property, or because they were the heir of the previous owner. The document will state that he or she
'...is admitted tenant'.
The property was officially handed over to the new tenant 'by the rod'. This was a public ceremony in which the steward of the manor gave the tenant a rod as a symbol of the transfer. Many tenants did not appear in court in person, but were represented by an attorney.
New tenants had to pay an entry fine to the Lord or Lady of the Manor, which could be a large lump sum, or a nominal payment of a couple of shillings depending on the custom of the manor. Admittances were signed by the steward of the manor.
Surrender
A surrender is a copy of the manorial court roll.
Purpose
A record of the surrender of property within a manor from the copyholder to the Lord or Lady of the Manor.
Features
- 17th-20th centuries
- various sizes
- written on parchment
- usually written in Latin until 1733
- deed poll (straight top edge)
Important words and phrases
Surrenders begin by stating the type of court, the name of the Lord or Lady of the Manor, and the date. Many tenants did not appear in court in person, but were represented by an attorney. A description of the property will be given. The document will include the words 'do surrender into the hands of the Lord [or Lady] of the Manor...'
Surrenders were often used to enable mortgages or settlements of copyhold land. Land was often surrendered to the Lord or Lady of the Manor to various 'uses', i.e. for particular purposes:
- to the use of a purchaser of the land
- to the use of the tenant's will. This allowed the land to be left to the person of the tenant's choice after his death. The wording in this case would be 'to the use of such person ... and for such uses, trusts [etc] and ... subject to such powers ... as [the surrenderer] shall ... by his last will ... give and declare'
- to the use of an heir, and to other beneficiaries after the death of the heir. This allowed the land to be settled for the benefit of the next generation
- to the use of a trustee, in order to make the trustee a 'tenant to the praecipe' to suffer a common recovery in the manorial court
- to the use of a mortgagee, to raise money on the security of the land. The amount of money borrowed will be stated. The mortgagee was not admitted to the land. When the mortgage was repaid, the mortgagee gave the mortgagor a 'warrant of satisfaction', or receipt, which was entered in the court rolls
Hybrid documents
In many cases, admissions and surrenders of the same piece of land were recorded on the same document.
This was because the court roll was used to record the transactions which took place in one particular court session. Therefore, the surrender of a piece of land from A to the use of B, and B's admittance to that land, often happened on the same day and was recorded in the same document.
Likewise, many heirs did not seek formal admittance to their and until they wished to sell or mortgage it. The record of their admittance was often followed immediately by a surrender of the land back to the Lord or Lady of the Manor, to the use of a purchaser, trustee or mortgagee.
Example
Ne D 5296 - Admittance, with recital of surrender (Latin) from John Heathfield to John Charrington of a half part of a messuage, barn, orchard and land in Leigh, Surrey; 11 Oct. 1699
Transcription
[line 1] Maneriu[m] de Reigate
[line 2] Ad Cur[iam] Baron[em] p[re]nobilis Joh[an]is D[omi]ni Som[m]ers Baron[is] de Evesham D[omi]ni Sum[m]i Cancell[arii] Angl[ie] d[omi]ni Man[er]ij p[re]dic[ti] ib[ide]m
[line 3] tent[am] die M[er]curij (scil[ice]t) undecimo die Octobris Anno r[eg]ni d[omi]ni n[ost]ri Will[elm]i Tertij dei grat[ia] Angl[ie] Scot[ie] Franc[ie]
[line 4] & Hib[ernie] Regis fidei defensor[is] &c Undecimo Annoq[ue] d[omi]ni 1699 p[er] Steph[an]um Hervey Ar[miger] ib[ide]m Senscall[um] Irrotulatu[r]
[line 5] sic ut sequitu[r]
[line 6] Ad hanc Cur[iam] comp[er]tu[m] est p[er] Homagiu[m] q[uo]d Joh[an]es Heathfield de Milton in Com[itatu] Canc[ie] Chirurgus Tenens customar[ius] Man[er]ij
[line 7] p[re]dic[ti] extra Cur[iam] (scil[ice]t) Vicesimo secundo die Octobris ult[imo] p[re]terit[o] sursum reddebat in manus d[omi]ni Man[er]ij p[re]dic[ti] p[er] acceptac[i]on[em] Ed[wa]r[d]i
[line 8] Bonwick & Joh[an]is Arnold duor[um] al[iorum] Tenen[tium] customar[iorum] Man[er]ij p[re]dic[ti] unam medietat[em] unius Messuagij Cottagij sive Tenement[i] custom[arii]
[line 9] Horr[ei] Gardin[i] et pomarii] vocat skeetes ac unius Clausi pastur[e] vocat[i] Hedgers ac unius Clausi pastur[e] vocat[i] Rack Close ac
[line 10] etiam duar[um] p[ar]cell[arum] Terr[e] arrabil[is] vocat[arum] Dealfields cum suis p[er]tinen[cijs] Continen[tium] in toto p[er] estimac[i]on[em] Quatuordecim acr[as] plus sive minus
[line 11] scituat[orem] jacen[tium] & existen[tium] in Leigh infra Man[er]iu[m] p[re]dic[tum] in occupac[i]on[e] Thome Shove sive assignat[orum] suor[um] Ad solum opus & usum Joh[an]is
[line 12] Charrington de Horley in Com[itatu] Surr[ey] yoman hered[um] & assignat[orum] suor[um] imp[er]petuu[m] ad Voluntat[em] d[omi]ni sec[un]d[u]m consuetud[inem] Man[er]ij p[re]dic[ti] Quiquidem
[line 13] Joh[an]es Charrington p[re]sens in Cur[iam] petit ut admittatu[r] ad p[re]missa p[re]dic[ta] sec[un]d[u]m formam sursum reddic[i]on[is] p[re]dic[te] Cui D[omi]nus p[er] Sen[e]scall[um] p[re]dict[um]
[line 14] concessit medietat[em] Messuagij Terr[arum] & p[re]miss[orum] p[re]dict[orum] Habend[um] & tenend[um] mediatat[em] Messuagij Terr[arum] & p[re]miss[orum] p[re]dict[orum] cum p[er]tinen[cijs] p[re]fat[o]
[line 15] Joh[an]i Charrington hered[ibus] & assignat[is] suis imp[er]petuu[m] p[er] copiam Rotulor[um] Cur[ie] ad Voluntat[em] d[omi]ni sec[un]d[u]m consuetud[inem] Man[er]ij p[re]dic[ti] p[er] Reddit[us]
[line 16] p[er] annu[m] ____ Heriot[um] fidelitat[em] sect[am] Cur[ie] & al[ia] servic[ia] inde prius debit[a] & de jure consuet[a] Et sic admissus est inde Tenens d[omi]ni
[line 17] modo & forma p[re]dic[ta] habuit sei[si]nam p[er] Virgam fecit fidelit[atem] Et Finis imponitu[r] p[er] Sen[e]scall[um] p[re]dic[tum] p[ro] tal[i] admission[e] sua p[ro]ut
[line 18] patet in Rotulis Cur[ie].
[line 19] Exa[min]it[ur] p[er] me He. Hervey
[line 20] ib[ide]m sen[escal]iu[m]
Translation
[line 1] Manor of Reigate.
[line 2] At the Court Baron of the noble John, Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham, Lord High Chancellor of England, Lord of the aforesaid Manor,
[line 3] held there on Wednesday, that is to say the eleventh day of October in the eleventh year of the reign of our lord William the third by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France
[line 4] and Ireland, defender of the faith etc., and in the year of the lord 1699, by Stephen Hervey esquire, Steward there, [it is] enrolled
[line 5] thus as follows:
[line 6] At this court it was found by the homage that John Heathfield of Milton in the county of Kent, surgeon, a customary tenant of the aforesaid manor,
[line 7] out of court, (that is to say) on the twenty second day of October last in the past, surrendered into the hands of the Lord of the aforesaid Manor, by the acceptance of Edward
[line 8] Bonwick and John Arnold, two other customary tenants of the aforesaid manor, a moiety of one customary messuage, cottage or tenement,
[line 9] barn, garden and orchard called Skeets and one close of pasture called Hedgers and one close of pasture called Rack Close and
[line 10] also of two parcels of arable land called Dealfields, with their appurtenances, containing in total by estimation fourteen acres, more or less,
[line 11] situate lying and being in Leigh within the aforesaid manor, in the occupation of Thomas Shove or his assigns, to the sole use and behoof of John
[line 12] Charrington of Horley in the county of Surrey, yeoman, and his heirs and assigns for ever, at the will of the Lord, according to the custom of the aforesaid manor; which certain
[line 13] John Charrington, present in court, seeks that he might be admitted to the aforesaid premises according to the form of the aforesaid surrender; to whom the Lord, through his aforesaid steward,
[line 14] granted the moiety of the messuage, lands and premises aforesaid, To have and to hold the moietyof the messuage, lands and premises aforesaid, with the appurtenances, to the aforenamed
[line 15] John Charrington, his heirs and assigns for ever, by a copy of the Rolls of Court, at the will of the Lord, according to the custom of the aforesaid manor, by rent
[line 16] per year [amount left blank], heriot, fealty, suit of court, and other services formerly due in respect thereof and of right accustomed. And so he is admitted [as] the Lord's Tenant thereof
[line 17] thereof in the manner and form aforesaid. He had seizin by the Rod. He did fealty. And a fine is imposed by the aforesaid Steward for such his admittance as
[line 18] appears in the Rolls of Court.
[line 19] [It is] examined by me He. Hervey
[line 20] Steward in the same place.
Pl E12/6/20/20/6 - Surrender and admittance of copyhold land in Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire from Samuel Housley and his mortgagee's representatives to John Booth and his wife; 18 Apr. 1826
View this deed
Transcription
Mansfield, ss, The Court Leet and Great Court Baron of The Most Noble William Henry Cavendish Scott Duke of Portland held there the Eighteenth day of April in the seventh year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Fourth by the Grace of God of the united Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty six.
To this Court came John Ellis of Mansfield aforesaid Mercer and Draper and Catharine Ellis of the same Place Widow (the customary Heir and Executor and Executrix named in the last Will and Testament of Francis Ellis late of Mansfield aforesaid Mercer deceased who was Mortgagee of the Hereditaments hereinafter mentioned) and Samuel Housley of Mansfield Woodhouse in the County of Nottingham Butcher and Ann his Wife in their proper persons and here in full Court In consideration of the sum of One thousand four hundred pounds of lawful Money of Great Britain paid by John Booth of Clipston in the said County of Nottingham Farmer Did surrender into the hands of the Lord of the Manor aforesaid All those two Closes Pieces or Parcels of inclosed Land situate lying and being in Mansfield Woodhouse aforesaid one of which said Closes is called by the name of Foot-Ball Close or Stubbing and contains by mensuration Eight acres one rood and nineteen perches and the other is called the Middle Stubbing and contains by survey Six acres two roods and three perches now in the occupation of the said John Booth with the Rights Members and Appurtenances to the same belonging And all their and each of their estate right title and interest whatsoever of in and to the same To the use and behoof of the said John Booth and of Rachael his Wife and their Assigns for and during the term of their joint natural lives and the life natural of the longer liver of them two And from and after the decease of the survivor of them two To such uses intents and purposes as he the said John Booth shall by his last Will or other free Disposition declare limit or appoint And in default of such Will or Disposition To the use of the right Heirs of the said John Booth for ever To which said John Booth the Lord by his Steward there granted seizin thereof by a Rod according to the custom of the said Manor To Have and to Hold to him and the said Rachael his Wife and their Assigns during their joint lives and the life of the longer liver of them two with remainders as aforesaid according to the same custom of the Lord of the said Manor for the time being by the rents and services therefore before due and of right accustomed and they gave to the Lord for a fine for such estate and entry two shillings and so they are admitted Tenants thereof.
By
[Signature of Geo. Walkden]
Steward
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