17th-century Latin manorial court record relating to Hinton Netherhall Manor in Cherry Hinton.
Hinton Netherhall (Netherhall Manor, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge)Court Baron of Edward Mayor, lord of the manor, 27 May 1661, signed by steward Tobias Hughes - M Bullivant collection.
I don’t read Latin myself (although would love to) so here is the Chat GPT transcription and translation - which should be pretty accurate on the whole but use with that in mind. I will add any of my own independent research further below which should confirm or correct any of these details.
Hinton Netherhall in Com[itatu] Cantabr[igiensi].
Ad Curiam Baron[is] Edwardi Mayor Ar[migeri] tent[am] ibidem pro dicto Cur[ia] Baron[is] ibidem die Martis vicesimo septimo die Maij Annoq[ue] D[omi]ni 1661 Annoq[ue] Regni D[omi]ni n[ost]ri Caroli Secundi dei gratiâ Angl[iae] &c decimo tertio coram Tobiâ Hughes generoso Senescallo ibidem.
Item presentat[ur] per Homag[ium] quod Thomas Bibb un[us] ten[ens] Custum[arius] hui[us] manerij qui de eodem tenuit quaedam Custum[aria] tenem[enta] &c obiit seisitus de eisdem post ult[im]am Curiam Et dicunt sup[er] sacr[amentum] suum quod idem Thomas ante mortem suam sursum reddidit in manus D[omi]ni hui[us] manerij per man[us] Will[ielmi] Carter un[ius] ten[entium] Custum[ariorum] eorundem tenementor[um] secund[um] consuetud[inem] eorundem omnia et singula tenementa sua Custum[aria] tenuit de eodem manerio ad opus et usum testam[enti] sui ult[im]i Et postea dicunt quod idem Thomas fecit testam[entum] suum in scriptis Et de eo constituit et ordinavit Elizabet[ham] Bibb uxorem suam Executricem unic[am] Et per idem testam[entum] dedit et legavit praedicta tenementa et premissa praedictae Elizabet[hae] et haeredibus suis in perpetuum Et modo ad hanc Curiam venit praedicta Elizabet[h]a Bibb in propriâ personâ et humil[ime] petit admitti ad premissa Cui D[omi]nus per Senescallum suum concessit seis[ina]m inde habend[um] et tenend[um] praedicta tenementa cum pertin[entiis] praedictae Elizabet[hae] et haeredibus suis et assignatis suis de D[omi]no per virgam ad voluntatem D[omi]ni secund[um] consuetud[inem] manerij per redditus servitia et consuetudines inde prius debitas et de jure consuetas Et dat fidelitatem et admissa est tenens inde.
Ex[aminat] per me
Tob: Hughes Senescall[um]
2. Modern English Translation
Hinton Netherhall, Cambridgeshire.
At the Court Baron of Edward Mayor, Esquire, held there for the said manor on Tuesday the 27th day of May in the year of our Lord 1661, in the thirteenth year of the reign of our lord King Charles the Second, before Tobias Hughes, gentleman, steward there.
Item: It is presented by the homage that Thomas Bibb, one customary tenant of this manor, who held certain customary tenements of the same manor, has died since the last court seised thereof. And they say upon their oath that the said Thomas, before his death, surrendered into the hands of the lord of this manor by the hands of William Carter, another customary tenant of the same manor, according to the custom thereof, all and singular his customary tenements held of the said manor, to the use and intention of his last will. And afterwards they say that the said Thomas made his testament in writing, and thereof constituted and ordained Elizabeth Bibb, his wife, sole executrix. And by the same will he gave and bequeathed the aforesaid tenements and premises to the said Elizabeth and her heirs forever.
And now, at this court, comes the said Elizabeth Bibb in her own person and humbly petitions to be admitted to the premises. To whom the lord, by his steward, has granted seisin thereof, to have and to hold the said tenements with their appurtenances to the said Elizabeth, her heirs and assigns, of the lord by the rod, at the will of the lord, according to the custom of the manor, by the rents, services and customs therefore due and of right accustomed. And she has done fealty and is admitted tenant thereof.
Examined by me,
Tobias Hughes, Steward.
So, this is a copyhold admission: Thomas Bibb dies; his wife Elizabeth inherits according to his will; she appears in court to be formally admitted tenant, swears fealty, and takes possession under the manor’s custom.
Genealogical Note: Bibb Family of Hinton Netherhall (1661)
In the Court Baron of the manor of Hinton Netherhall, Cambridgeshire, held on 27 May 1661, it was recorded that Thomas Bibb, a customary tenant of the manor, had recently died.
Before his death, Thomas had made a will and formally surrendered his copyhold property back to the lord of the manor so that it could pass according to his testament. In that will, he appointed his wife Elizabeth Bibb sole executrix, and he left all his customary lands and tenements to her and her heirs forever.
At the court, Elizabeth Bibb appeared in person, claimed her right, and was admitted tenant of the property, swearing fealty to the lord of the manor, Edward Mayor, Esquire. The steward who recorded the transaction was Tobias Hughes.
This entry demonstrates that:
Thomas Bibb was a copyhold tenant of Hinton Netherhall, holding land by the custom of the manor.
He died shortly before May 1661, leaving a written will.
His widow Elizabeth inherited the property and became tenant in her own right.
This kind of record is especially useful for genealogy because it:
pinpoints a death date range for Thomas Bibb (between the last court sitting and May 1661),
proves the marriage and widowhood of Elizabeth,
and confirms landholding status in Hinton Netherhall.
A Widow’s Admission: The Bibbs of Hinton Netherhall, 1661
In May 1661, just a year after the Restoration of King Charles II, the small Cambridgeshire village of Hinton Netherhall held its manorial court. These courts, known as Courts Baron, dealt with the transfer of land, the duties of tenants, and the customs that bound a community together.
At this sitting, the jurors reported the death of Thomas Bibb, one of the manor’s copyhold tenants. Copyhold land was held “at the will of the lord” but governed by the strict customs of the manor. A tenant could not freely sell or bequeath his holding: he had to formally “surrender” it into the hands of the lord so that it might be passed on to his chosen heir, whether in lifetime or by will.
Before his death, Thomas had done just that. Through the hands of another tenant, he surrendered his customary land so it could follow the terms of his will. That will named his wife, Elizabeth Bibb, as sole executrix and heir to his property.
And so, on 27 May 1661, Elizabeth appeared in court. She came forward in person, requested admission, and was formally granted possession of her late husband’s lands. By the steward’s rod she took seisin, swore fealty to the lord of the manor Edward Mayor, Esquire and became tenant in her own right.
From this brief Latin entry in the court roll, a family story emerges. We see a widow stepping into her husband’s place, maintaining the household’s standing within the village. We glimpse the careful legal ritual that tied landholding, loyalty, and community together. And we see how, for one woman in Hinton Netherhall, a moment of loss was also a moment of continuity.