Aspects of Kentish Local History

IN July, 1942, Mr. Arthur Smith, Solicitor, of Faversham, was good enough to allow the Records Branch of the Society to inspect a quantity of old documents which he was about to dispose of as waste. It was found that a number of them were worthy of preservation, and with Mr. Smith's consent they were sent to the Kent County Council's muniments room at Maidstone. Two of the documents which were retained—Letters Patent of 1803 specifying the rights of a combaron of Faversham, and an exemplification of a Common Recovery suffered in the Faversham Court of Partmote in 1708—seem of sufficient interest to appear in Archaeologia Cantiana. They are typical documents of series of records which reflect the long retained privileges of the town of Faversham.

LETTERS PATENT.
   Faversham was a corporate member of the Cinque Ports confederation, and by virtue of that fact its townsmen—or combarons—enjoyed numerous privileges, not only in their own town, but throughout the country. A combaron who was likely to require to transact business in other parts of the country found it convenient to obtain a letter from his Mayor setting out

the privileges to which he was entitled. The following is a transcript of such a letter granted to Giles Hilton in 1803:

   Faversham to wit. To ALL CHRISTIAN People to whom these presents shall come William Kemp Esqr. Mayor of the Town of Faversham and the Jurats of the same Town Barons of the Cinque ports send Greeting in our Lord God everlasting your favour and descretion we require concerning Giles Hilton the Bearer hereof our Combaron of the Town aforesaid of whom we have laudable and faithfull Testimony when he shall come into your parts with his Goods either to buy or sell or shall pass by you or stay with you or apply himself with you THAT you do admit him amongst you as our Combaron free of all Customs That you do not by any Means trouble molest or restrain or suffer to be troubled molested or restrained any of his Goods or Merchandizes contrary to the Liberties and Quittances to us and our Successors by divers late Kings of England by their Letters patent Granted Confirmed and Ratifyed AND that he have amongst us as well the Combarons of the Cinque ports have and time out of Mind have been accustomed to have all their Liberties and Quittances with Sock and Sack Theel and Them And that he be Cope-free Love-cope-free Them-free Witt-free and Lastage-free AND that he have Denne and Strand at Yarmouth and all his Findals in the Sea and land And that he be quit of all Tolls and all Customs, that is to say, of Lastage, Tallage, Passage, Kayage, Pontage, Murage, Spissage, Tonnage, Horngilt, and of all Wreck, and of all Chaffer