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A
VIGNETTE OF JACOBS OF THE CINQUE PORTS
and
elsewhere in 12th – 15th centuries
This
vignette, other than the first one in the series on the Ospringe family,
published in 2003 in Family H=
istory
Magazine, will not offer any firm pedigrees. It will illustrate the wealth =
of
material available and research done over the years.
I have
to state that much of what follows was researched thirty years ago. I regret
that in the early days I did not always list page numbers or manuscript
membrane numbers. I really do not have the time now to go back on all the w=
ork
done.
Jacobs from=
the
Italian States
There
has long been a tradition in my family, going back a good many generations,
that we are descended from financiers and merchants who came from what we n=
ow
call Italy, some of whom settled in the Cinque Ports. Such traditions can be
wrong or misleading.
There is
no doubt that a number of individuals of the name of Jacob from Italy,
merchants and money-lenders from Florence largely, plied their trade in
England. In order to do so they had to reside here. Did they settle here? F=
or
sure, a great many did.
Let us
first look at the name Jacob. It is from the Bible, in Hebrew Yaakov. (The Oxfo=
rd Names
Companion OUP Patrick Hanks, Flavia Hodges, A D Mills, Adrian Room, OUP 200=
2). Very little distinctio=
n was
made in early records between the names James and Jacob, when these were
rendered in Latin. I have found some early 13th century renderin=
gs
of James as James, but it is not until the 14th century that this
becomes more common.
Jacobi
was one of the Italian forms of the name, Jaques, Jakes, or Jake the French.
Both occur abundantly. By the end of the 13th, but certainly by =
the
middle of the 14th century, where someone was called James, then=
the
name was rendered as such, including in documents written in Latin.
There
are many renderings in our public records in the 13th and 14th
centuries of Jacobs who were members of the society of the Bardi of Florenc=
e.
These appear in English, as also Scottish and Irish records. I will illustr=
ate
this with examples.
As early
as 1228 Restorius Jacobi, mer=
chant
of Siena, together with other merchants lent 300 marks to Master Alexander,
Archdeacon of Shropshire and Master Walter de Cantilupo, in order to expedi=
te
the King's affairs in the court of Rome (Liberate Rolls=
). There is a Restorius I=
acobi,
miles populi, St peregrini de senis (il libro di montaperti VI 26-28, Cesare Paoli,=
ed G
Villani, BL ac 6508).
One of
the Christian names occurring the most often in the period 1260 - 1280 is t=
hat
of Bartholemew Jacobi (with variant spellings of Jacob, Jake and Jakes).
In the
period 1254-1261 there exists part of a bull of Pope Alexander IV allowing =
the
abbess and convent of Barking to return out of the 10th granted =
by
the Pope to the King for his crusade sufficient to satisfy any liabilities
incurred by the abbey as security for a loan raised for the King by Peter of
Aigueblanche, Bishop of Hereford, from Bonaventura Bernadini, Orlandus
Bonsinior and Bartholemew Jacobi, merchants of Siena (BL, King’s coll=
ection
17B xii fol 52).
Thereafter, if the same man, he is described as of Florence, a merchant and
money lender. The Bardi and others lent Kings Henry III and Edward I vast s=
ums
of money to finance their affairs, usually to finance wars. Bartholemew was
involved in the loan of 5000 marks on one occasion, a vast amount of money =
for
the period (one mark =3D 13s 4d). In 1278 (Calendar of documents
relating to Scotland)
Alexander de Baliol is shown as owing him and other merchants of Florence 1=
10
marks sterling in Northumberland.
He was
active in Ireland. In 1269-70 it appears he was owed money there (Calendar=
of
Documents relating to Ireland).
We have
evidence that many of these financiers settled in England. In the Calendar =
of
Papal Letters (6th October 1261-1262) it is stated that 'there was a firm of the name of Bonsi=
gnori,
Bernadini and Jacobi, exchangers of the papal camera living in England'=
. A
year later in December 1262 a firm of Sienese merchants A Jacobi, Mannus
Ildebrandini and Bonsignore Rayneri are mentioned in Papal letters. On 5
We have
Ubertin Jacobi, merchant of the Scala active in England in 1283-4
They
were prominent in Ireland too. China Jacobi, (his name also rendered as Chi=
non)
merchant of Florence is named (Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland 1284<=
/span>). Did the family trade w=
ith
China? He had died by 23rd December 1281-3 as Eleanor, the Queen
mother, wrote to Robert Bunel, Bishop of Bath and Wells, requesting for his
executors to have administration of his good in Ireland (Ancient
Correspondence 23/18).
The Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland informs us in 1285 that one of
his executors was Pasch Jacobi, almost certainly a relation, perhaps a son =
or
brother.
There
was a Maurice Jak who paid 1/2 mark to the crown in order to get a better w=
rit
in 1288-9 (Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland).
The
register of the Bishop of Carlisle tells us that a bull of Pope Boniface was
granted to John Jacobi in 1313, citizen and merchant of Florence.
By the
third quarter of the `14th century references to Jacobs of Flore=
nce
die out. We have the odd occurrence such as John Jacobyne of Florence merch=
ant
in 1365 and Nicholas Jacob, merchant of Florence in 1368 and again a Sir
Nicholas Jacobi, Knight, of Florence, in 1370 (Papal Registers relat=
ing to
England).
The seal
of a Peter Jacobi, said to be of Austria, is in the catalogue of seals in t=
he
department of manuscripts in the British Library. It is a lion rampant hold=
ing
a sword. This is the crest of the Jacob families of Canterbury, Dover and
Bockhampton. The seal is said to be of the 15th century.
Another
whose name occurs frequently in records is Peter Jacobi of Florence, possib=
le
the son of one of those named above, who was apprenticed on 24th
August 1311 for seven years to Bartholemew Muscardi of Florence, a spicer of
London. His father may have been Bonejunctus Jacob, spicer, who entered int=
o a
bond in 1304, or Guy Jacobi, citizen and spicer of London, 1319-20, both
mentioned in the Calendar of Plea Rolls in the City of London. Then again,
there was a Peter Jacobi who shipped goods of his in the vessel 'Le Palmer'=
of
Dunkirk in 1287 (National Archives, Sandwich Customs Accounts).
Peter
resided in England, was based in London, and acquired much property in
Middlesex, Bedfordshire and Kent (National Archives, Deeds A 11026 1338, as
also Feet of Fines).
Land was acquired for the most part by borrowers defaulting on the loans
secured against their chattels and land. More often than not lenders sold t=
his
on to third parties to recoup their loans, and make a profit, but Peter wou=
ld
appear to have been able to hold on to such property.
He
flourished, for on 16th September 1324 he was given safe conduct=
by
the Crown, as he was acting as envoy and proctor of certain men and merchan=
ts
of the realm of Majorca coming to the realm. On 1st July 1327, n=
amed
as the apothecary of John Bishop of Ely the Chancellor, he was appointed a
purveyor of his household and the clerks of the Chancery. In the same year =
he
complained that on at least two occasions property of his in Middlesex had =
been
attacked, corn taken away and his servants assaulted; perhaps this was a
reaction by certain elements in the populace against the success many
foreigners had in England at this time. On 9th August 1328, he w=
as
granted safe conduct as the apothecary of John Bishop of Ely to travel and =
buy
spices.
On 3rd
April 1332 Sir Elias de Ashburnham, Thomas de Ashburnham and John de Kent
acknowledge that they owe him 200 marks to be levied in default of payment
against their lands and chattels in the county of Northampton. On 14th=
July 1332 he witnessed a writ to the mayor and bailiffs of Southampton (National
Archives, Close Rolls).
On 26th July 1337 he acknowledged that he owed to the prior of St
John of Jerusalem in England £60. Though enrolled the bond was cancel=
led
on payment of the same amount.
Tannus
Jacobi, merchant of the society of the Friscobaldy, was a receiver of the 2=
0th
in 1328. On 28th January 1331 he was granted safe conduct ,descr=
ibed
as of the King's household, going beyond the seas on his business.
A John
Jacobi is described as King=
8217;s
merchant of Florence in the Patent Roll dated 29th March 1298, w=
hen
he was given safe conduct until Michaelmas of that year, being at that time
already at the court of Rome on the King’s affairs and about to retur=
n.
He could have been the same John who is mentioned in a letter from Pope
Boniface VIII to John, Bishop of Carslisle on 14th July 1295, wh=
ere
it is stated that Celestine V ordered the 1000 Marks to ber raised in Scotl=
and
for the crusade to be paid to certain merchants…inter alia John Jacob=
i of
the Friscobaldi of Florence. (Historical Papers and Registers from Northern
Counties in the British Library)
An entry
in the Patent Roll of 6th June 1272 grants a pardon to Henry
Jacobini (amongst others), merchants of Florence, of all trespasses of whic=
h he
was indicted… as to usury, and license for them during pleasure to st=
ay
in the realm and transact their lawful business so long as they do not lend
money on usury within the realm. Again in the Patent Rolls it is stated tha=
t a
Henry Jacobini lends 100 marks to the King. It was the Jews who were accuse=
d of
usury and ejected from the Kingdom by Edward I in 1290. It was said Italian
moneylenders took their place, but they were in the Kingdom long before.
But they
were not solely from Italy. We have a Raymond Jak', merchant of Bordeaux, w=
ho
traded with Ireland and Southampton (Close Roll 1274).
So here
we have but some examples of Jacobs from the Italian States. Much more work
needs to be done in manuscript sources to try and establish pedigrees and a=
t a later
stage to see how these tie in with various other family trees that exist. A=
s to
whether any settled in the Cinque Ports, it is certainly evident that Itali=
an
Christian names do occasionally occur in the Jacob family of Winchelsea and
Dover, but proof evades me at present.
Some early
references to Jacobs
Before
addressing the Jacobs of Winchelsea and other Cinque Ports let us look at s=
ome
of the earliest references to Jacobs in England generally; these do not occ=
ur
in Kent. The name occurs sparingly in the 12th but more and more
often from the second half of the 13th century onwards, as more rec=
ords
are being created, and undoubtedly does not relate solely to one family.
There
are some early references to the name of Jacob that are not patronyms. I gi=
ve
these for curiosity's sake. Dr William Henry Jacob mentions Jacob of Wraxha=
ll,
suggesting that he may be the forerunner of his family. He may, he may not.
Similarly we have a Jacob in the Boldon Book:
In Wolsingham there are 300 acres whic=
h the vill
held and render 9 marks rent etc William the priest holds 40 acres And rend=
ers
1 mark Jacob his son holds 60 acres at Greenwell and renders 1 mark.=
In
Oxfordshire Domesday we read that:
…of the land of Dorchester…
Jacob holds 2 hides….
Moving
onto Jacob as a surname we have a number of entries in the Pipe Rolls. I gi=
ve a
few examples:
For the
county of York in 1180:
Walter Jacob was amerced at ½
mark.
For the
county of York in 1214:
Walter Jacob owes 10 marks for deli=
vering
himself out of prison.
For the
county of York in 1219:
Of gifts from Walter Jacob 9 marks =
for
delivering himself. In the treasury 23/8 Walter owing £4 and 16d.
Again in
1219 for the county of York:
For an impressment of Berhamden and
elsewhere in England 5s from Walter Jacob.
It is
interesting to note that he owned property elsewhere in England, but we are=
not
told where. At least one family of the name of Jacob continued in Yorkshire=
to
my knowledge to the 17th century, and more than likely to the
present day.
A Walter
Jacob occurs in c 1178 as witness to a deed of Christchurch, Dublin (Reports =
of the
Historical MSS COM for Ireland)
Walter
Jacob appears several times in the Cartulary of Ramsey Abbey in the period
1231-1253, holding land in Ingilbynesgate and elsewhere in Huntingdonshire.=
Richard
Jacob owed 10 marks for assaulting Jews in 1192 (Pipe Roll 4 Richard I=
) in the county of Lincol=
nshire
In the
Pipe Roll of 1204 the sheriff of Leicestershire renders account of 2s 4d of
William Jacob.
By the
end of the 13th century families of the name of Jacob are well
established in virtually all English counties. Some of these did own land in
more than one county, as in the example of the Walter named above or of the
Jacobs who held land in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire,
Warwickshire and elsewhere. I will write about these at some stage on a cou=
nty
by county basis.
Unfortunately
for this period it is difficult to structure one’s research, as it is=
in
much more recent periods. It is a question of trawling through hundreds of
manuscripts in order to get results, as I have demonstrated time and time
again, internet sources notwithstanding. Legal records are a fruitful sourc=
e of
information. Everyone litigated or was litigated against in the manorial co=
urts,
the hundred courts, the shire courts, the eyre courts and assizes or in the
Royal courts. Records of most of the less prominent important courts no lon=
ger
exist, but we are in this country most fortunate in having a substantial nu=
mber
of rolls of Royal courts, and their ancillary documents, extant. These,
together with other records such as taxation assessments and a number of mo=
re
obscure classes of records, have proved most useful in my research; but tra=
wl
through them one must, there is no alternative. Few indices exist. There is=
the
indexed abstract of pleadings compiled by Plantagenet Harrisson, for exampl=
e. I
am pleased that those volumes owned by the late Philip Blake have now been
added to those the Public Records Office possessed.
As far
as Kent and the neighbouring counties of Sussex and Surrey are concerned, t=
here
were a number of families by 1300 centered around the following towns:
Sundridge,
Maidstone, Erith, Sheppey, Milton, St Peter's and St John's in the Isle of
Thanet, Sandwich, Dover, Folkestone, in various villages in Romney Marsh,
Hythe, Winchelsea(Sussex), Guildford (Surrey).
Jacobs of Rye, Winchelsea and Dover
The
earliest references to Jacobs in the Cinque Ports are in fact in the
ports’ ancient members of Rye and Winchelsea, thereafter in Dover. I
propose that they were of the same family. I will suggest a very loose
pedigree, most of it hypothetical, some proven. Given time a firm pedigree
along the lines I propose may be confirmed, of that I have no doubt.
There is
a possibility that some of these Jacobs were descended from Italian financi=
ers.
As much as it pains me because it flies in the face of a hypothesis on the
matter I have harboured for a very long time. That is that they are descend=
ed
from one Jacob, the son of Alard of Winchelsea who flourished towards the e=
nd
of the 12th and the very early part of the 12th
centuries. The other known son of Alard was William who apparently was the
progenitor of the noted Alard family of Winchelsea (see Salzman). Saltzman
suggests that Jacob, or James as he calls him, adopted the surname de
Winchelsea. I find it curious however that the Jacobs, of whom more
hereinafter, were so often to be found in their dealings associated with
Alards. A vignette of the Alard family is being completed, but will not be
published until well into the future. It will add to the work done by Salzm=
an
and Homan. Perhaps there were two families of the name of Jacob in Winchels=
ea,
one of local and one of Italian descent?
I am
confident that the quasi-name de Winchelsea was given to Jacobs as well as =
to
other families. The problem is that, when in Royal courts in the 12th<=
/sup>
and early part of the 13th centuries, the information given to t=
he
clerks who wrote it down initially on scraps of parchment and finally on the
appropriate documents - rolls usually - was given them by people who did not
know the plaintiffs or defendants. They tended to name them after the towns=
or
vills from which they came. There is also the problem that many of the cler=
ks,
if not most in this period, were not native English speakers. This gives ri=
se
in my opinion to many variant spellings of names, often they were rendered
phonetically, but everyone had their own interpretation here (see From Memo=
ry
to Written Record by M T Clancy, second edition, 1993). Therefore a great m=
any
quasi names exist, the scourge of the medieval genealogist.
In the
Patent Roll of 1229 there is recorded a grant of a license to sail the seas…. to Henry Jacobi of Rye to go to
parts of Gascony with his ship and buy goods there and bring them back to
England. It is ordered that he be not impeded in this matter. Given until t=
he
feast of St Michael 14 Henry III (2=
9th
September 1230).
The
license is repeated in the same pages under the name of Henry Jacob, not
mentioning Rye this time. It is just possible that there were two of that n=
ame
– father and son? Similar licenses were granted to other merchants.
In 1226
for Norfolk Stephen Bush, Henry Jac=
ob and
William Scriode of Yarmouth were sued in the Curia Regis, but they have a
warrant to be in the service of the King. Now we know that these were
Winchelsea or Rye people, who went to Yarmouth for the herring fisheries.
The
Close Roll of 1230 states that Henry
Jacob of Rye came to Portsmouth with his ship ready to transport the King
wherever he wanted, but because the King had sufficient ships there, he gra=
nted
him license to return with his ship to his home port.Again, similar
licenses were granted to others.
An entry
in the Patent Roll dated 10th April 1235 is a mandate to the Barons of the Cinque Ports on
complaint of a number of foreign merchant that their ships laden with wines
were passing by the port of Mulet on the coast of Britanny and were taken by
Hamo de Crevequer, John his brother, a number of members of the Alard family
and Henry Jacob. All their men having been violently thrown out, the ships =
were
kept by them, notwithstanding the King’s letter of safe conduct, which
some of them had and shewed, and which these men snatched out of their hands
and kept etc.
Winchelsea
and Rye were from early times ancient members of the Cinque Ports. Old
Winchelsea, built virtually at sea level had for a number of years been sub=
ject
to the deprivations of the sea. In 1236, then again in 1250, 1252 and 1254,
many buildings had been swept away by the tides, culminating in a violent s=
torm
in 1287 which destroyed most of the remaining buildings, and incidentally
changed much of the coast line. Its fate had not been helped by Prince Edwa=
rd
who in 1266 sacked the town because of the piratical tendencies of its
inhabitants which, when directed against the French was acceptable, but not
when against their own countrymen.
On 11th
November 1280 the inhabitants had petitioned the crown for assistance in th=
eir
battle against the elements. We read in the Patent Rolls of a commission to
Ralph de Sandwich, the King’s steward, that had been set up to extend=
and
buy or obtain by exchange certain lands of John de Langherst and John (le) =
Bon
which are suitable for the new town of Wincheslea, which is to be built upo=
n a
hill called Yhamme, the old town being for the most part submerged by the s=
ea.
In the
event the new town was planned and built on Iham heights, well above sea le=
vel,
as anyone who has visited the place can see. The harbour was below, but now=
the
sea is two miles distant. On =
25th
July 1288 Sir John de Kirkeby then Bishop of Ely gave seizin to the commona=
lity
of Winchelsea of all lands and tenements.(History of Winchelsea=
page
53)
It is
not difficult to understand why even from the earlier part of the 13th=
century people wanted to move from Winchelsea, and the natural place to head
for would be eastwards towards the other Cinque Ports in Kent, a much more
prosperous county and closer to France. We know that other Winchelsea famil=
ies
owned land in the Kent marshes from early periods; the Alards did for examp=
le.
This new
town was one of the first of its kind in England, designed on a grid system=
-
our modern planners please take note.
By the
end of the 14th century it was almost deserted, many plots being
unoccupied. This happened not only on account of the Black Death, but equal=
ly
because of the frequent raids on the town by French forces. The name of Jac=
ob
did not die out in this part of Sussex.&nb=
sp;
It continued in Icklesham and other villages in the surrounding area.
Those wishing to carry on their maritime trading careers settled elsewhere,
largely in Kent, in Dover, Sandwich and Hythe.
JOHN AND HE=
NRY
JACOB
To get back
to our Winchelsea family. Between 1235 and the next reference in 1281 there=
is
a gap, other than the two references to a Henry Jacobini of Florence in the
Patent Rolls. In one dated 6th June 1275 he and other merchants =
are
pardoned of all trespasses of which they were indicted relating to usury. T=
hey
were licensed to stay in the realm and transact their lawful
business…. The second, =
also
in the Patent Rolls on 14 June 1277, mentions a loan of 100 marks he made to
the King. I wonder whether he is of the same family. Winchelsea is not
mentioned in the text, but perhaps this suggest Italian origin.
Whether
there were two Henrys mentioned in 1229, or just the one, with the entry
repeated, the next mention we have to a Henry and Maurice Jacob of Winchels=
ea
is in 1281, a jump of one or possibly two generations.
This
reference is probably the earliest we have to any Jacob will. The probate of
the will of Maurice Jacob was granted in 1281, on Tuesday after the convers=
ion
of St Paul the apostle (25th January) at the court of W, an offi=
cial
of the Lord Bishop of Lewes (British Library, Additional Charter 20167). The document relates t=
o a
dispute between Petronilla, the widow of Maurice, and the executors of his
will, Henry Jacob his brother and Henry Broun. We know from the Winchelsea
rentals (more of these later) that he also had a daughter Petronilla. Both
women were alive in 20 Edward I (1291-1292) when the rental of New Winchels=
ea
was made, showing the mother holding a plot in the 34th quarter =
of
the town, her daughter the one adjacent.
Maurice
is a Christian name that occurs infrequently with Jacobs. An Inquisition Po=
st
Mortem on a Maurice Jake in Ireland in 1344 shows that he held substantial =
land
in the country. We had China Jacobi in Ireland, is there a family connectio=
n?
That is
all we know of Maurice.
On 15th
August 1289 we see in the Patent Rolls that Henry
Jacob and Mathew Horn, barons of the port of Winchelsea, were granted safe
conduct for 2 years, sending wine, corn and other merchandise in their ship
called La Plente and other ships to diverse ports in the realm.
Then in
20 Edward I (1291-1292) in the rental of New Winchelsea Henry is shown as
holding three plots of land, in 9th, 27th and 30=
th
quarters, one being adjacent to the building used by the mayor of Winchelse=
a 'for the time being'. He also had =
a plot
of land 'next the salt marshes whic=
h was
dangerous at all flowings of the tide. (History of Winchelsea=
page
53).
In the
same rental we also have a plot held by Isabella the daughter of Morekyn Ja=
cob
(ibid,
page 52), a =
rather
Italian sounding name.
In 1295
a Henry Jacob witnessed two Winchelsea charters (British Library, Addi=
tional
Charters 20168 and 20169).
In 34
Edward I (1305-1306) there exists a petition to the King and Council by
Nicholas Alard, Henry Jacob and Justin Alard, owners of a ship the St Edward
and a cog the Notre Dame, being on the King's service in Scotland were lost,
together with their anchors and cable, and were valued at £30 by the
Mayor and good people of Winchelsea. They ask for this sum to be reimbursed=
by
a levy upon the commonality for whom the ships were sent, ie the people of
Winchelsea (National Archives, SC8/30/1376). Winchelsea had been ordered to furnish five ships, properly armed=
and
equipped for the war in Scotland, as the return issued by the Mayor and jur=
ats
of Winchelsea shows, Henry Jacob being one of the Jurats. (The Hist=
ory of
Winchelsea page 59)
Contemporary
with Henry Jacob was a John Jacob in Dover who was sent to serve in the Kin=
g's
fleet as one of its five captains, for which he was paid 6d daily. I am pre=
tty
confident he was also of Winchelsea, but more of him later.
There
were many Jacobs who held land in and took an active part within the commun=
ity
in Romney Marsh, where as stated many of the Winchelsea and Rye inhabitants
held land. There is still to this day a Jaques Court. In 1384 a messuage,
described as Jacob’s Court, and 20 acres of land in Lyde and Old Romn=
ey
were granted to William Jacob (Centre for Kentish Studies, Griffin, Feet of Fi=
nes
abstracts, No 328).
In 1561 Samuel Hales leased it for 14 years to Edward Hales (Centre f=
or
Kentish Studies U1115 T42/1).
I would
think Henry and John Jacob of Winchelsea were related, but I do not know ho=
w.
Both are of course mentioned in the rental of 1291, John holding but one pl=
ot
in the 6th Quarter (History of Winchelsea page 44). As John Jacobi (again, this does rather suggest an Italian origin=
),
he is mentioned in the abutments of and as a witness to a charter of Thomas
Elys of Winchelsea, being a grant of land called holewelle in the parish of Icklesham, abutting Winchelsea. It is
dated April 22 Edward I (1294) (British Library, Additional CHarter 71314).
It was
probably the same John who by letters patent dated 28th October =
1320
at Westminster was granted safe conduct for one year for the men and ship
called La Plente of Winchelsey, sent by Stephen Alard, John Alard, John Jac=
ob,
Reginald Alard and Thomas de Maidensten of Winchelsey to Gascony to buy win=
es
and other victuals for conveyance into the realm. La Plente, the same name,=
if
not the same ship, as that of Henry Jacob some 31 years earlier. Perhaps he
inherited it as his son?
In 1320
the Parliamentary Rolls show us that John Jacob of Winchelsea entered in 3
acres of land in Winchelsea after the death of John the son of John de Rakle
who was a bastard, lands and tenements to the value of £100 escheatin=
g to
the King. He had no heirs of his body.
A John
Jacob is mentioned in 1320 in a petition of William de Coventry to the King=
and
Council (National Archives, SC8/3/131).
Then
there is a reference to a John Jacob for V land at Fremingham in 1340
(today’s Farningham by all accounts, not far from Swanley). He had to
supply one armed footman for service Battle Abbey owed. I have it somewhere=
at
the back of my mind that there was another Fremingham somewhere in Romney
Marsh, which would make mores sense.
An
Askesayn Jacob (and again a very Italian sounding name) is named in 1289 as=
a
tenant in chief of the Archbishop of Canterbury, for land in Allowsbridge
Hundred, Romney Marsh (National Archives, JUST 1 Roll 369, m27d=
).
Other
names occur in the Winchelsea parish, a Stephen Jakes for example being
assessed in the Lay Subsidy Roll of 1327 at 1/- tax. In 1332 the amount was=
2/-
and a farthing.
In the
late 13th century there is mention of a William Jacob in Winchel=
sea,
acting as a juror. We have a number of references to a William in this peri=
od
and I suspect some, not all necessarily, relate to the same individual.
A
William Jacob held land in and around Winchelsea, in the Hundred of Ham, in
Shaddoxhurst, and in Swingefield, not far from Dover. He had a wife Alice, =
who
was a widow in 1293 (National Archives, Just 1 Roll 375, m87d=
). She was involved in a =
dispute
to land and called as her pledge Walter Jacob and Henry Wyd. An eyre roll a=
lso
mentions a Henry, son of William Jacob.
This is
almost certainly the same man who had at least two sons, John and William.
William had a son Henry, who had a daughter Alice. She married William
Claringboule. We know this from a suit in the court of Common Pleas in
1385-1386 between Alice Jacob and her husband William Claringbould against =
John
Gold, concerning a messuage and 4 ½ acres of land in River, next Dov=
er,
of which John Jacob, who was kin of the said Alice, Alice being one of his
heirs, died seized in his demesne. John&nb=
sp;
died without issue. (National Archives, Court of Common Pleas,
Michaelmas Term, 9 Richard II (1385).
John son
of William was of the freedom of the Cinque Ports in 1347 (National
Archives, Lay Subsidy, E179, 123/20). In 1341 the widow of William Jacob is assessed in a Lay Subsidy. =
She
had died before 1349.
JACOBS OF D=
OVER
I have
stated above that I believe that some of the Jacobs in Dover were in fact
originally from Winchelsea.
The
earliest reference I have found of a Jacob in Dover is that of William
Jacob in the 100 rolls, who i=
n c
1275 held land in Bewsbrough and Whitfield, next Dover.
Next we
have the reference to John Jacob or Jakin. The name here is the same, there=
is
ample evidence of that, it being rendered in both forms in a number of
documents. This John was almost certainly one of the five captains of the f=
leet
who in 1306 was paid 6d a day for his services. He and his ship were in the
King’s service from 3rd July to 8th November, ie
128 days in the Scottish campaign, although he was instructed to remain with
the fleet (National Archives, Various Accounts, E101 13/8). We know however that the only reaso=
n for
his going to serve the King was that he had been arrested for felonies, but
that as a freeman of the ports he could serve in lieu of imprisonment. His
services to the Crown were more important (Close Roll 6th=
sup>
June 1306).
Therefore an order dated 24th June 1306 is sent to the Sheriff of
Sussex to supercede the execution of the exigents against John Jacob. Susse=
x? I
must assume he was from Winchelsea. The Close Roll of same date has an orde=
r to
the sheriff of Kent to deliver John Jakyn of the liberty of the Cinque Ports
from prison in Canterbury castle to be sent to Scotland to serve in the
King’s navy.
The
court rolls of Ikelsham (next to Winchelsea) tell us that the heirs of John
Jacob owed rent in 1308. Was our John killed in the Scots war? We know that=
two
ships of which Henry Jacob had a share in were lost. Was he master of one of
these? This is very circumstantial, but it does tie in.
A John
Jakin, or Jakino (again that Italian connection) witnessed a number of char=
ters
mostly in the period 1270 - 1280 for deeds of Dover cartulary of Dover Prio=
ry (Lambeth =
Palace
MS 241 m107, 109d, 112) and Bodleian Library, Gough Kent 18, charters of St
Radegund Priory).
Towards
the end of the 14th century references to Jacobs in and around D=
over
become more frequent. We have a Thomas Jacob of Charlton, next Dover, paying
poll tax in 1378. In the early 15th century we have a number of
Jacobs living in Dover and the surrounding villages, Nicholas Jacob, Floren=
ce
Jacob, Thomas Jacob.
We have
a John, the son of Henry Jacob, in Sheppey in 1352 (Lay Subsidy E179/123/=
24). The fact that this is =
Sheppey
and some distance from Dover should not concern us. The court of Shepway was
held there and it is logical for freemen of the Cinque ports to have a foot=
hold
there. Demonstrably Barons of Dover did in the 17th century,
including John Jacob of Dover, serjeant to the Admiralty of the Cinque Port=
s,
so why not in earlier periods.
There
are many variants of the name of Jacob, but Jakin is in the period 13t=
h
- 15th centuries one of the most oft occurring. However, the name
Jakin, with its variants, also continued, indeed it exists to this day.
In 1272
Simon Jakin was mayor of Hythe, one of the original Cinque Ports (St Radeg=
und's
Cartulary, Bodleian Library, Gough MSS,charter number 45). He had a son Stephen (ibid). The same Stephen was m=
aster of
a vessel called La Champe in 1282 (National Archives, Various Accounts, E101
bundle 3/26)=
. A John
Jekyn of Hythe was anointed acolyte on 3rd April 1288 (Register=
of John
Peckham).
An Adam
Jakin also features in the area quite prominently at this time.
In 1298,
described as of Hythe, he was party to a plea of the Abbot of St Augustine'=
s (British =
Library,
Cotton Galba E IV).
In 1297, living in the Hundred of Worth (which includes Hythe), he delivere=
d 2
quarters of wheat to sheriff of Kent for goods purveyed for Gascony. (National
Archives, E101/550/2).
An Adam Jakyn was jurate of the Hundred of Worth in 1293-4, and surely must=
be
the same man (National Archives, Just 1, Roll 376, and again in 1313, Just 1, Roll=
383). He is also mentioned i=
n the
Pipe Rolls (National Archives, E372/165).
Another
name that occurs a frequently is that of Walter Jakin. He too was a jurate =
for
the 100 of Worth, he in 1255 (National Archives, Just 1, Rioll No 361<=
span
lang=3DEN-US style=3D'mso-bidi-font-family:Arial'>). Perhaps the same, or a=
nother
of that name, paid 4d rent for 4 acres of land held of Eastbridge manor. A
Walter Jakin is mentioned in Lyde next Romney in 1305-6 (National
Archives, Just 1, Roll 379, m7).
A Walter Jakin and his wi=
fe
Katherine were granted in fee farm, by the master and brethren of the hospi=
tal
of Ospringe 4 acres of land, =
which
formerly were held of the hospital by John Goldwyne, at a yearly rent of 12=
/-,
lying at Tryanston. The feoffees may not sell or alienate the land and thou=
gh
they may build on it, they may not remove any of the buildings. The charter=
is
dated 1321 (St John’s Collee Cambridge, CJCA, D9.227). Interestingly
enough the seal could well be an eagle displayed .
There
exists the wills of Robert Jekyn of Wye dated 1487 (Probate Registry of
Canterbury, 16/334),
Robert Gekyn of Brookland dated 1551 (ibid, 27/91) and Thomas Jeakyn of Sandwich dated =
1470 (ibid, 2/=
116).
In later
periods we have a Walter Jeggyns of St Martins, yeoman, bound over to keep =
the
peace in 1603 (Centre for Kentish Studies, Sessions Rolls at Maidstone, no 32).
Stephen
Jekyn is named as an individual worthy of knighthood in the county of Kent =
in
1604, but who declined to accept the same. (British Library, Addi=
onal
Manuscript 38139 - P Manwood, Historical Collection)
So, this
is but a brief listing of some of the information I have discovered. There =
is
much work to be done yet, but the above is certainly a sound basis for such,
and perhaps it will stimulate others to continue with the work.
Kenneth
Jacob