Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/20

HISTORY OP BISHOP AUCKLAND. 3 &C., with numerous other halls of less note and name. He had also his park-rangers and pale- keepers, who kept courts in his Manors, and determined all matters relating to his forests, parks, and wooda He was Lord- Admiral of the seas and waters within the county Palatine, and had courts of admiralty, judges, officers of beaconage and anchorage, and commissioners to regulate waters and passages of waters. The offices were generally held by persons of good quality, who held lands for their services, which were at first absolutely at the will of the giver, but were afterwards made hereditary, and constituted, no doubt, the foundation of many of the duchies, earldoms, and baronies of many of our north country nobles and landed gentry. The greater part of the above privileges were taken from the Bishops by statute, during the reign of Henry VIIL, or became obsolete. Such were, however, the powers and privileges conferred upon them by the feudal system introduced by William the Conqueror into this country in the olden times. With respect to the origin and derivation of the word Auckland there seems to be a considerable amount of obscurity and difference of opinion. Camden says that Auckland and Aycliff are of a kindred origin, and derive their names from the oaks, which, in times of old, flourished in their vicinity. But this conjecture, at least with respect to Auckland, seems rather more poetical than true ; and the old documents above referred to, as well as many others which will be noticed hereafter, compels the etymologist to look elsewhere for the derivation of that word. In the Boldon Buke, compiled 1183, it is written " Aclet," and the district, including the three Aucklands, are called " Acletshire." Soon after this the letters "u" and "n" are introduced into the word, and it is written " Auclent" About 1542, Leland wrote it " Akelande ;" and shortly after that time it was sometimes called " Market Akelande,^' and at length became, as now written. Bishop Auckland. But, from conjecture and casual notices in old documents, we proceed to more definite and authentic records. The Boldon Buke above referred to (so called from the circumstance of Boldon being the first place mentioned in it), is a general survey, which Bishop Pudsey caused to be made, of all the ancient demesne lands and possessions of his bishopric in the form and manner of the Domesday Book. This survey is recorded in a small folio book consisting of twenty-four pages, written in a very bad hand, and which is still preserved in the archives at Durham, though Elaine says it is only a transcript, the original having been lost. It contains inquisitions and verdicts of all the several tenures of lands, services, and customs, and the tenants' names of every degree, how much each held at that time, and what rents were paid for the same. It has been published by the Surtees' Society, both in the original Latin and in a translated form, edited by the Eev. William Greenwell, M. A, Fellow of the University College of Durham, from which the following extract relating to Bishop Auckland is taken : — In North Aukland are 22 villans, of whom eadi one holds one ozgang, and renders 2 chalders of oat malt, and one weight of scatmalt, and one weight of meal, and one weight of oats, and 8d. of averpennies, and 19d. of comage, and one hen and ten eggs, and three cartloads of wodelades if they shall carry them to Aukland, and if to Durham two cartloads and a half, and they work from the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula to the feast of St. Martin two days in the week, and from the feast of St. Martin to the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula one day in the week ; and, moreover, each makes four precations in autumn with all the house, except the housewife, and every one of the ploughs of the town ploughs and harrows two acres and a half over and above their work. The whole town renders one cow in milk. The bailiff has one ozgang for his service. Morman and Boger hold one toft and one croft, and render 4s., and make four precations. Simon the miller holds one croft and one toft, and renders and works as Morman and Boger. The monk- cook holds for his service, at the will of the Bishop, one acre and a half, which William Scot and Alstan and William Boie held ; and within the Park and without 19 acres and a half of improvable land, and 10 acres of land not improvable. Umfrid the smith holds one ozgang for his service. Bobert the pounder holds 12 acres and has thraves as the rest, and lenders 80 hens and 500 eggs. The toll of beer renders Ss. The mills of AukLmdshire 24 marcs. Pollard holds 10 acres and a half. Luce MakereU holds one house near the orchard of the Lord Bishop, and renders at the feast of St. Cuthbert half a pound of cummin. (Jatull the smith holds 16 acres for one pound of pepper, and his heirs for 2s. or two pigs. Digitized by Google^