Discoveries at Dover & Recovery in Kent of Gloucestershire Manorial Rolls - Archaeologia Cantiana

constitute a useful record. One of the rolls moreover supplies interesting evidence of contemporary practice in recording manorial courts. Examination of the sewing holes shows that the eight membranes originally belonged to two separate rolls:
A.   A roll (three membranes) of "Court Baron" of Walter
         Compton, Esq., of various dates apparently covering
         the years 21 Charles I (i.e. 1645) to 1650.
B.   A roll (five membranes) of a "[?Legal Court] with
         Survey" of Walter [Compton] held on 23
        [?Dec]ember, [?2] 1 Charles I (i.e. 1645). The
        proceedings of the court occupy the greater part of
        the first membrane, the Survey taking up the
        remainder of the roll. It is noteworthy that, while
        most of the proceedings of both Court and Survey
        are in Latin, the last entries in both cases are in
        English; from which it may be inferred that additions

       were made to the record over a period of years,
       the last being later than "the first Return of Easter
       Term", 1651, from which date the use of any
        language in legal documents but English was
        prohibited by a Commonwealth Act of Parliament.

   The lordship of the manor has descended from the Compton family to Captian R. C. Gordon-Canning, M.C., of Hartpury House, to whose possession the rolls have been restored. He has now placed them in the Gloucestershire County Council's muniment room at the Shire Hall, Gloucester, one of the places approved by the Master of the Rolls under the Law of Property Acts for the deposit of manorial documents.
   The Editor has to thank Captain Gordon-Canning for his sympathetic interest in this note.