Introduction

A good indication of Buckinghamsire life in the late 17th Century can be obtained from scrutiny of the County Court calendars. Italics indicate an exact copy of the documents complete with the spelling of the era.

In midsummer 1683 reference is found to the Rye house plot, which had been discovered in the previous June, when the grand jury and the freeholders of the county join with the Justices in expressing to King Charles their:

sincere joy for the preservation of his sacred person from a most wicked and horred conspiracy against the precious lives of his Majestie and his royal brother James, Duke of Yorke.

The activities of the Duke of Monmouth are again alluded to in 1685 when the clerk of the peace was paid £30 for distributing the King's commands in relation to the late rebellion.

The disturbances attendant upon the coming of William and Mary may be noted from the entry in April 1689, when:

there being no dedimus for the swearing of their Majesties justices of the peace named in the new commission of the peace at the opening of the sessions before, there was no writ issued to the sheriffe of this county for the summons of a jury, and at Michaelmas 1690, when it is remarked that foreasmuch as the fines and issues of Easter sessions last past and other sessions before have been pardoned by act of indempnity, whereby the sheriffe of the county has been disabled to depay the justices wages as by Act of parliament he is empowered with the fines and issues of the sessions.

Military

References to the army and navy are numerous, mostly where pensions are granted to old or maimed soldiers. Edmund Such, for instance, is granted a pension of £2 a year upon the claim of:

having faithfully served his Majesty four years at Tangier and being burst in the said service.

Richard Bruges of Ellesborough was awarded a total pension of £8 a year:

for haveing beine a commissioned officer and an eminent sufferer for his loyalty in the late civill warrs.

and this pension was increased later by £2 when he showed that he had:

lost a considerable estate of the value of £5000 and upwards, through his adherence to the Stuart cause.

William Hobbs of Chepping Wycombe, who was a soldier under Charles I and II both by sea and land in the warrs against the Dutch to be admitted to a county pension of £2 a year.

The calendar reveals many more cases. It is clear that only a limited number of pensioners were allowed to benefit at one time, regardless of the number of deserving cases, as constant references occur to persons petitioning to receive the pension formerly enjoyed by an old soldier or sailor who had died.

The county militia takes a prominent place in the work of the justices. The billeting rates are given in Easter 1691 and repeated in 1693.

The inhabitant providing a billet received for a commissioned officer of horse being under the degree of captain for diet, small beer, hay and straw 2 shillings a night (10 p).
For a commissioned officer of dragoons being under the degree of captain, 1/6d (7.5p).
For a commissioned officer of foot under the degree of captain for diet and small beer 1 shilling (5p).
For a light horseman's diet, small beer, hay and straw 1 shilling (5p).
For a dragoon`s diet (9d), 12d=5p.
For a foot soldier's diet and small beer 4d.

The Mutiny Act of 1689 was the main statute controlling billeting and its provisions for the protection and payment of the inhabitants were the result of very many years of complaint. Since the seventeenth century billeting was practically never resorted to until the necessity of the Great War (World War I) reintroduced it.

Corruption

The justices appear to have carried on a ceaseless battle against the corruption of the age, both inside the county and with outside officials. In 1680 they presented an address to the king against the farmers of the revenue and their officers.

Various revenue officials were indicted for extortion. In 1690 there were numerous complaint against the methods of the gawgers of their Majesties excise.

The original petition eventually had some effect for in 1690 two justices were ordered:

to attend the right honorable Richard Hamden esquire, chancellor and under treasurer of their majesties court of exchequer and the right honorable Thomas Wharton esquire comptroller of their majesties household, and returne them the humble thanks of this bench for the great care they have been pleased to take for the preventing their majesties subjects of this county from being oppressed by the under-officers of their majesties officers of excise

Hearth Money

1686 - the proper form for claiming exemption from Hearth tax, which appears to be equivalent of council tax, is quoted.

the house must not be of greater value than £20 per annum upon the full improved rent and that the persons soe inhabiteing nor any other useing the said messuages hath or useth or occupyeth any lands or tenements of their owne or others of the yearly value of £20 per annum, nor hath any lands or tenements, goods or chattells of the value of £10 in their own possession or in the possession of any other in trust for them, and that the houses have not above two chimneys, fire hearths or stoves in them respectively.

And that noe land, garden or orchard belonging to the said respective houses since the year 1663 have been lett apart from the same houses, and that since the same year neither of the said houses hath been divided into several dwellings or lett out to any persons who by reason of their poverty have been exempted from payment of the duty of Hearth Money where the duty ought to have been paid before.

Public Duties

The calendar refers to the weather at times. January 1690 the inhabitants of Beaconsfield and Haddenham were given further time to repair their highways and bridges owing to the unseasonableness of the weather. In the Michaelmas session 1693 time was given to the inhabitants of Long Crendon to repair their bridge, by reason of the great rains and ill weather that hath happened this sommer.

Every house or land owner had to undertake the work of repairing the highways or else provide labour or wagons for the purpose. This duty was known as "statute work" and frequent references are found in the calendar to people refusing or failing to undertake this duty. Royal servants were exempt from public service.

The calendar contains long lists of people who took the new oaths prescribed in 1689. They give the names of all office holders and most persons of importance in the county. They also contain the names of all the dissenters and lists of meeting houses registered.

Crime and Punishment

The principal business of the justices was the administration of the poor law and the number of settlement orders recorded increases throughout the period. Many orders were issued dealing with settlement and with the attempt to prevent begging and vagrancy. At Christmas 1679 it was provided that all beggars in Aylesbury were to be struck off the pensioners roll and imprisoned.

The county gaol at Aylesbury comes in for considerable mention. The bridewells or houses of correction were at Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Newport Pagnel. The gallows at Aylesbury were rebuilt in 1680 at the cost of £2-6-0 (£2-30p), and references are also found to the stocks, the cage and pillory and the ducking stool.

The offences dealt with by the justices were generally of a minor order, common assaults and minor religious offences such as absence from church; but the law was no respecter of persons, and gentlemen and knights could be brought before the court.

The relation between master and servant were looked after by the court. From an economic point of view special interest attaches to the rates of wages for servants, labourers and workmen published for the first time in the Easter session 1687. The wages varied between yearly and daily, and those with meat and drink and those without. Apparently labourers in the Chilterns received more than those in the vale. The highest paid were menservants in husbandry who received £4-10-0 a year (£4.50p) in the Chilterns and a mason who received 1-8d (20d) a day (240d=£1 ) without meat and drink. The lowest paid were women maidservants who received £2 a year, and a "Elmer" a Thatcher's assistant, who received 2d a day with meat and drink.

The lists of persons presented or indicted for recusancy or absence from church contained several well known names and assumes very large proportions until the declaration of indulgence in 1687. In 1691 the court made a special order as to Sunday observance and gave a list at length of all the acts in force which were to be fully enforced. They stated that they were convinced that great profanation of the Lord's day, the too common practice of cursing and swearing, etcetera, had increased lately and that they were resolved to take measure to suppress them.

Some examples of offences and sentences: