Tidenham including Lancaut: Local government

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

A court roll for Tidenham manor survives for 1569, a court book for 1712-20, (fn. 1) and records of presentments and other court papers for most years in the period 1660-1760. (fn. 2) In 1468 the Duke of Norfolk, lord of the manor, claimed various franchises including the power to appoint justices to hear and take the profits of all felonies, murders, and rapes and all pleas of freehold, debt, trespass, covenant, and deceit. (fn. 3) In 1584 the lord was said to take strays, felons' goods, wreck, and prohibited wares. (fn. 4) From the late 16th to the mid 18th century a view of frankpledge and court baron were held twice yearly. Pleas of debt were still being heard in the court in 1569, (fn. 5) and the assize of ale was enforced until 1661 or later. (fn. 6) Assaults and bloodshed were presented until the late 17th century, (fn. 7) and the lord's right to wrecks was still being exercised in 1760. (fn. 8) In 1752 two men were presented in the court for sabbathbreaking. (fn. 9) The court appointed haywards and constables, and continued to meet until at least 1837. (fn. 10) William Lewis was holding manor courts for both Beachley and Waldings manors in 1584, but those manors remained within the frankpledge jurisdiction of the Tidenham manor court. (fn. 11)

Accounts of the overseers of the poor of Tidenham parish survive for 1773-84, (fn. 12) churchwardens' accounts for 1786-1830, and vestry minutes from 1819. (fn. 13) Each of the six tithings had its own surveyors of the highways in the 18th and early 19th centuries. (fn. 14) A select vestry of 25 people was appointed in 1821 but it was discontinued in the next year because of the irregularity of attendance of its members. A salaried assistant overseer was appointed from 1821. A surgeon was retained from 1820, and from 1821 a subscription made to the Gloucester Infirmary. (fn. 15) A house formerly belonging to the parish clerk was being used by the parish to house two poor widows in 1704, (fn. 16) and it may have been the church house which was repaired by the overseers in 1782. (fn. 17) Eighteen acres (part of Poor's Allotment) were awarded to the overseers in 1815 to be used partly for the building of a poorhouse, (fn. 18) but that was evidently never done and the poorhouse let by the parish in 1819 was presumably the old one. Schemes to build a new poorhouse were rejected by the vestry in 1821 and 1825. (fn. 19) In the early 19th century parish apprentices were taken by occupiers on a rota system. (fn. 20) The cost of poor-relief rose steadily during the late 18th and early 19th century, roughly quadrupling between 1776 and 1829, and there was a further sharp rise in the early 1830s. (fn. 21) Seven people were receiving permanent relief in 1803 and 26 in 1815. (fn. 22) Lancaut was evidently administered as part of Tidenham parish: the Tidenham overseers rated it in 1773, (fn. 23) and although a piece of land was allotted to the overseers of Lancaut by the inclosure award of 1815 it was exchanged for land adjoining the allotment to the overseers of Tidenham. (fn. 24) Tidenham and Lancaut were included in the Chepstow Union in 1836 (fn. 25) and later became part of the Lydney Rural District.