St Albans Archdeaconry Court 1567-1602

The Archdeacon of St Albans dealt with moral and religious offences by the inhabitants of Winslow, as well as making grants of probate and administration. The list of interesting cases below has been compiled from a Herts Archives index, and the original documents haven't yet been consulted. The names of people involved include prosecutors (promoters) as well as offenders. Numerous cases concerning failure to attend church, which was compulsory at the time, haven't been included.

Date Names of people involved Offence Reference
14 June 1568 Margery Hamond Adultery ASA7/7 f83
14 June 1568 John Mason Incontinence ASA7/7 f83
23 Nov 1568 William Eares, Robert Hassill, Thomas Norman, Edward Owvering, Thomas Owveringe, Martin Porter & Dennys Robynson Incontinence [i.e. sexual misbehaviour] ASA7/7 ff143-62
15 Sep 1569 Margaret Jeffes Incontinence ASA7/8 f5, f8
10 May 1571 Mary Overinge Incontinence ASA7/8 f73
12 Jul 1571 Robert Dawnce (vicar), Uriah Varney (churchwarden) & Francis Varney Defamation ASA7/8 ff82-83
15 Dec 1572 Anthony Lucas Refusing to answer churchwardens’ articles ASA7/9 f46
1 Dec 1573 Robert Warde Incontinence ASA7/9 ff86-112
18 April 1575 John Clement, Thomas Cooper, [blank] Hassall, Nicholas Geffes & Thomas Partridge Incontinence ASA7/10 ff35-45
29 Jul 1575 John Leeche Incontinence ASA7/10 f48
23 April 1577 Margaret Gorar & James Greene Incontinence ASA7/10 f116
4 Nov 1579 Robert Bampton, William Tomlyns & Churchwardens Bell ringing contrary to injunctions ASA7/10 ff220-27
19 Nov 1579 John Hogston & John Shelton Sabbath breaking ASA7/10 ff222-24
13 March 1581 John Crobye and wife & churchwardens Right to seats in the church ASA7/10 ff281-83
13 March 1581 John Kyrbye Misbehaviour in church ASA7/10 f281
6 Nov 1581 Richard Fawconer & Ellen Thorneton Incontinence ASA7/10 ff310, 325-26
19 Feb 1582 Augustine Deverell & Isabel Ruffe Defamation ASA7/10 ff323-24
19 Feb 1582 [blank] Dewberry & Joan Stuttesbery Incontinence ASA7/10 ff323-25
29 April 1583 Nicholas Allen, Francis Andrewes & Peter Francklyn Profaning the church ASA7/11 ff17-38
29 April 1583 William Braster & Anthony Jackson Unlicensed ministry ASA7/11 ff17-38
29 April 1583 William Gyles & John Jeffes Profaning the Sabbath ASA7/11 ff18-35
29 April 1583 Augustine Senner Allowing profanation of the Sabbath ASA7/11 ff17-38
29 Apr 1583 John Jeffes Abusing officers ASA7/11 ff18-35
20 July 1583 Magdalen Myll(er?) Defamation ASA7/11 f31, f32
2 Sep 1584 Robert Lowndes & Grace Tymberley Incontinence ASA7/11 f60
26 Jul 1585 John Baylye, Augustine Senner, Nicholas Warde & Mary wife of Alexander Warde Incontinence ASA7/11 ff103-07
31 May 1586 Jane Chersley in the house of William Owen ? ASA7/11 f132, f135
This must be connected to an entry in the baptism register for 6 April: Margery a child at one Owyns which one fortune tither & was bought abed - a taylor [traveller?] whose father we know not
6 Sep 1588 Richard Huet & Agnes Huet ? ASA7/12 ff28-32
Connected to this entry in the baptism register for 15 May: Richard Hewit who was Loundes man & got a child of Thorns daughter. Richard Hewit married Ann Thorne on 6 June 1588.
5 Dec 1593 Anne Wendover Incontinence ASA7/16 f2
18 Dec 1593 Hugh Seaton Incontinence ASA7/16 f2, f4
19 Dec 1593 William Barker & John Scott Defamation ASA7/16 f3, f8
8 April 1594 William Baker [Barker?] Procuring the bell to be rung out for his wife when she was well ASA7/16 f14
2 Oct 1594 [blank] Hickman Incontinence ASA7/17 f1
16 Oct 1594 Mrs Wyndover or Wendover Incontinence ASA7/17 f1, f3
12 Nov 1594 William Carter & Richard Easte Profaning the Sabbath ASA7/17 f1
14 May 1595 William Barker Playing cards in service time ASA7/17 ff28-31
18 May 1595 Richard Easte (promoter) & Philip Favor (incumbent); Peter Fige, [blank] Leache & Nicholas Mychell Incontinence ASA7/17 ff32-34
27 May 1595 William Leache (churchwarden), [blank] Lunn (alias?) Spooner, John Storke, [blank] Watson Playing cards in service time ASA7/17 f29, f31
23 April 1596 Thomas Daniels, Nicholas Heyward & Elizabeth Heyward Defamation ASA7/17 f64, f90
9 March 1597 Philip Favor (vicar) & Agnes wife of Thomas Pursell Defamation ASA7/17 ff119-27
20 April 1597 Walter Leno & Joan Leno Defamation ASA7/17 ff129-33
3 May 1597 Thomas Deverell & Margaret Stevens Laughing in church during service ASA7/17 f131
6 March 1598 [blank] Seabrooke Irregular marriage ASA7/18 f41
24 Sep 1599 Stephen Andrew Not learning catechism ASA7/11 ff103-07
18 March 1600 Mary Shettles & Elizabeth Stuttesbery widow Incontinence ASA7/18 f261
5 Nov 1600 Hugh Seaton Incontinence ASA7/18 f237
7 April 1601 Henry Bawly Restitution of conjugal rights ASA7/18 f265, f272
Henry Bawley was buried in 1610 and his wife Sybil in 1608; they (or at least Henry) had a child baptised in 1592.
1 June 1602 Judith Cooke Incontinence ASA7/19 f57
Matthew son of Judith Cooke was baptised 26 April 1601
13 Sep 1602 Seth Mason & Agnes Williams Defamation ASA7/19 f72

See also:

Copyright 5 November, 2020