BRIDGNORTH
Town in the county of Shropshire
Early History
The history of Bridgnorth may be said to have begun in the year 912, when Ethelfleda, Countess of Mercia and daughter of Alfred the Great, built a fortress there as part of a plan of defence against the Danes. Little is known of this Saxon borough. But as the late Dr. W. Watkins Pitchford remarked in his Short History of Local Government in Bridgnorth (1942), the local government was doubtless in the hands of its own Freemen gathered in boroughmoot.
The Saxon township seems not to have flourished, for there is no mention of Bridgnorth in the Domesday Survey of 1086, at which period it formed part of the enormous parish of Morville. However, at the turn of the century Robert de Belesme, in revolt against King Henry I, sought to secure his position by restoring and extending the fortifications. Robert de Beleme, son of the Norman Earl Roger de Montgomery, transferred to the new fortress the people of his borough of Quatford, two miles down the river. Thus in 1102 was created, or rather re-created, the Borough of Bridgnorth.
Burgage plots were granted by Belesme to the new inhabitants. A burgage implied land or a tenement held of the King or other feudal lord in return for a yearly rent. It was a freehold property, the holder of which enjoyed the right to the elective franchise. The holder of a burgage was known as a burgess of freeman, and these feudal tenants of the early 12th century were the predecessors of the present Freemen of Bridgnorth.
Belesme’s Quatford burgesses were accommodated in the Outer Bailey of Bridgnorth Castle, an arrangement which led Edward III in 1342 to ask by what right the burgesses occupied houses within the walls of the fortress. He was informed that the inner Bailey alone was the King’s, the outer Bailey forming part of the town, having been granted to the burgesses by Robert de Belesme, and that the town paid to the Exchequer ten marks per annum in consideration for this occupation.
Royal Charters
Robert de Belesme’s rebellion was crushed by Henry I, and his estates, including Bridgnorth, were forfeited to the Crown. Bridgnorth thus became a Royal Borough. Henry granted certain privileges to the Borough which were confirmed by his grandson, Henry II, in a charter of 1157. A translation of this charter refers to the concession:
“ to my Burgesses of Brugia all their franchises, customs and rights which they or their ancestors had in the time of King Henry my grandfather in wood and field, in meadows and pastures”.
Unfortunately this charter of 1157, the earliest granted to a Shropshire town, gives no indication of the precise nature of these rights. It was, however, only the forerunner of a series of charters granted over the succeeding five centuries, and these subsequent charters are more explicit in defining the privileges of the burgesses.
Thus the charter of King John, dated 1215 confirms:
“ to our Burgesses of Bruges in Salopeshire that they should go and come throughout our whole Kingdom of England, and peaceably and quietly, well and freely do all things in buying, selling and trading in all manner of Merchandizes in fairs and markets, in cities and boroughs, and in all places: and that they should be quit and free of all Toll and Passage wheresoever they shall come throughout our whole Kingdom. Wherefore we have willed and firmly commanded that our aforesaid Bugesses of Bruges aforesaid, their heirs and successors, may have and hold of us and our heirs the aforesaid Liberties and free Customs, in going and coming, in buying and selling and in doing of all manner of Merchandizes freely and quietly, in fairs and markets, in Cities and in Boroughs, and in all places. And that they should be free and quit of Toll and Passage with all their merchandizes wheresoever they should come throughout our whole kingdom except within our City of London and its Liberties. And we do forbid, on pain of our highest displeasure, that no one do presume to let or hinder our Burgesses aforesaid, as, by the said Charter, more fully and manifest it may appear”
This wording has been incorporated in the form of certificate granted to Freemen of Bridgnorth over the past two centuries or more.
In 1227 Henry III granted a Charter to “our Burgesses of Bruges in Salopesyr” permitting the establishment of a Mercantile Gild or Hanse for the protection of the town’s tradesmen against the competition of outsiders. The same Charter granted Pendlestone Mill to the Burgesses.
In an important Charter of 1446, Henry VI granted the Burgesses a number of privileges such as exemption from charges for pavage and entitlement to fines for trespass and to the chattels of felons. They were not to be compelled to go before Justices of the Peace outside the borough, and their corn, etc., could not be taken by the purveyors of the King’s household. No justices were to meddle with their liberties.
Subsequent Charters granted the Burgesses the right to hold fairs on certain days of the year.
The early Government of Bridgnorth
These Charters do not prescribe in detail the constitution of the Borough, which until 1835 was based entirely on its own byelaws. Until that year Bridgnorth had a constitution peculiar to itself, by which only the burgesses could take part in the government of the town or enjoy other privileges such as freedom from toll. The Burgesses, presided over by the two Bailiffs, assembled to deal with the affairs of the town in Common Hall ( The Court Leet). They were concerned with the election of the two Bridgemasters, the two Chamberlains, the Aldermen (“the Twenty-four”), the Bailiffs and the Members of Parliament. In 1610 non-resident Burgesses were given the right to vote in Parliamentary elections. As in later years the non-resident Burgesses far outnumbered the residents, this was a most important concession of which full advantage was taken by the candidates.
From the earliest times the corporation performed the usual functions of a local authority, owning much property and controlling the market and fairs, the mills, the Severn Bridge and the water supply. Also under control of the Corporation until the early years of the twentieth century was the Grammar School founded in 1503, at which the sons of Freemen attended without charge until 1817.
This form of internal organisation was swept away by the great Reform Act of 1832, which regulated the constitutions of municipal boroughs throughout the Kingdom.
Qualifications
A document of the early 19th century in Shropshire Record Office sets out the ways in which a person could be made a Burgess of Bridgnorth.
“!st by birth, that is being born in lawful wedlock after the father took his freedom or was elected. A certificate of baptism is usually admitted as sufficient evidence of birth for this purpose. The expense of admission of a Burgess born is £1-7s- 6d
2nd by servitude, that is being bound apprentice to a Burgess resident in the town of Bridgnorth for seven years and serving the whole period. The expense of admission in this case is £2 - 7s - 6d.
In both the above cases the party have a right to admission and may vote immediately they are made.
3rd as an inhabitant paying Scot and Lot. In this case the person must be resident in Bridgnorth and rated to the poor and give notice at one Common Hall of his intention to apply at the next Common Hall to be made a Burgess. The expense is £8 - 7s - 6d.
4th as a foreignor, That is any person not resident in the town as aforesaid. In this case the person must give notice at one Common Hall of his intention to apply at the next. The expense is £13 - 7 - 6d.
In the latter two cases the individuals made cannot vote within twelve months of their election.
When a Burgess is once made no discontinuance or neglect to exercise his freedom operates to destroy his vote.”
The fees ( or fines) for admission or election seem to have fluctuated over the years. In 1573 a Burgess admitted as an apprentice had to pay £1- 9s - 2½d, a foreigner £3 - 6 -8d The fee for apprentices was later reduced to £1, Burgesses born being admitted free. An undated paper in the County Records Office mentions a fee of 4s payable by each Burgess admitted or elected and made up as follows:
2s - 9d to the Town Clerk
3d for parchment
1s - 0d divided equally between the two Serjeants, the Beadle and the Town Crier.
Rights and Duties
The Burgesses or Freemen ( as they were later to be known) were a privileged group of townsmen. Their privileges however also carried responsibilities. The ancient responsibilities of a Burgess were to support the Bailiffs, later the Mayor, to bear Scot and lot ( that is to pay his share of the poor rate ), and uphold the honour and welfare of the town.
His privileges included the precious right to vote at elections, protection of his trade, and exemption from market tolls throughout England except in the City of London. This freedom from toll sometimes gave rise to friction when toll was demanded from the Bridgnorth Freemen trading in other markets. As late as 1850 the Town Clerk had to invoke the Charter of King John in a letter to the Agent of the Lord of the Manor of Shifnal complaining that Messrs, Samuel and Edward Ridley, millers and farmers, both Freemen of Bridgnorth, were, although claiming exemption, made to pay toll at 2d per head (2s - 6d in all) for some of their cattle sold at Shifnal Fair.
An interesting document of 1573 in the County Record Office is entitled “Ordynances, rules and customs to be observed and kepte within the towne, liberties and ffranchise of Bridgnorth in the Countie of Salop” This states that the burgess-ship could be lost if one of the Twenty-four or Common Council failed to keep the council of the Bailiffs and their fellows. A Burgess indebted to the town was to be imprisoned unless he put in a “gage or pawn” which was to be appraised at the next court.
The same Ordinances prescribe the fees payable by newly made Burgesses. A Burgess to be made by reason of seven years’ apprenticeship was to pay 29s-2½d , namely 26s-8d to the Chamber, 2s to the Bailiffs, 2½d to the Town Clerk and to the Serjeants. A tenser or foreigner was to pay £3 - 6s - 8d.
The Burgesses’ privileges are most frequently apparent in this document, in the definition of fees payable for various forms of legal process. For a recognisance of the peace a Burgess paid 6d, a sojourner of foreigner 2s - 6d. For “draughts” of the court the Bailiffs were to have 6d from a Burgess, 8d from a tenser, 12d from a stranger or foreigner. For the appraising of gages a Burgess was to pay a fee of 2d, a tenser or foreigner 8d. For default of appearance in court on summons a Burgess was distrained in 12d, a tenser from foreigner in 2s. For every possession the Bailiffs were at, a Burgess had to pay a gallon of wine or 2s, a tenser or foreigner 4s.
The Third Great Leet Book (1586 - 1684), also in the County Record Office, contains “Ordynances, Rules and Constitutions made and agreed upon in the yeare of our lord god one thousand six hundred and seventeene and inthe fifteenth yeare of the raigne of our Soverigne Lord James by the grace of god King of England, Ffraunce and Ireland”. These order that the Bailiffs are not to swear any Burgess except at the Leet. They also contain the following rather baffling provision, about which one would like to know more:
“ Agreed by the Bailiffs and Burgesses that from henceforth the Chamberleyns shall not geave or paie at the usual time for disbursinge of Burgesses’ money or at any such time after above one penny to any one Burgess inhabiting within the said towne, and likewise not above a penny to any widdow of a Burgess inhabiting within the said towne, and that noe loner than shee shall remayne and be the widdow of a freeman within the said towne, and to fforreyne Burgesses shall give ne paie any thynge.”
One cannot help wondering what this payment was, and what led the Chamberlains to pay out , on occasions, more than the customary penny.
The Freeman’s Oath
On being admitted or elected, a Freeman is required to swear before the Mayor the Freeman’s Oath and an oath of allegiance to the Sovereign. The text of the Burgess’s Oath ( as it was then called) administered during the reign of Elizabeth I is given below:
“I shall true Burgess be, Scott and Lott bear, Harm nor Prejudice I shall none do, nor know to be done, to this Town of Bridgnorth or the Liberties* of the same. But I shall to my Power lett** the same, or else give the Bailiffs for the time being and the Burgesses of the same town knowledge thereof, and in all things shall well and truly demean and behave myselfe towards Mr. Bailiffs of the same Town and Liberties as far as to my Power shall extend.
And also shall and will at all time and times Grinde or cause to be Ground all such Corne, Grayne and Mault as I shall have occasion to use during my abode within the said Towne at the Mille of Pendlestone when they may lawfully goe.
So help me God.”
* The Liberties of Bridgnorth, dissolved in 1835, included parts of the outlying parishes of Alveley, Quatford and Quatt.
** An archaic word meaning “prevent” or “obstruct”.
This wording, apart from the substitution of “Freemen” for “Burgess”, and the omission of the second paragraph and of the words “and Liberties”, is substantially that used at the making of present-day Freemen.
The Oath of Allegiance in current use is a simple affirmation of loyalty to her present Majesty, but during the 18th and 19th centuries a much more elaborate form was used which laid emphasis on support of the Hanoverian Succession.
The Freemen’s Records