Delivered to the court 27th day of June in the 15th year of the reign of King Charles by the hand of Robert Pickeringe, gent, with writ. (Chancery annotation)

Sussex

An indented inquisition taken at Eastgrinstead in the county aforesaid, the fifth day of August in the tenth year of the reign of our lord Charles, by Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith &c before Robert Pickering, Esquire, Escheator of our lord the King in the county aforesaid, by virtue of a writ of our lord King, of Diem Clausit Extremum, to hold an inquiry after the death of William Feldwicke, deceased, directed to the same Escheator and annexed to this inquisition, by the oaths of John Cripps, Edward Ley, Richard Best, Thomas Cripps, Edward Allin, John Underhill, Henry Browne, John Burnapp, Thomas Borer, William Harman, William Kidder, William Hurds, Edward Cripps, Edward Lucas, William Freeman, Robert Westborne, Thomas Best, George Drury, Richard Lewes, Abraham Bartholomew and Robert B__, honest and lawfull men of the said county, who say upon their oaths aforesaid that the said William Feldwicke before he died and at the time of his death was seized in his demesne as of a fee, of and in one messuage, one barn, and certain lands and tenements with appurtenances, containing by estimation forty acres commonly called or known by the name of Feldwicks, situate, lying and being in the parishes of Westhothly and Ardingly in the county aforesaid and of and in one other parcel of land with appurtenances in Westhothly containing by estimation thirty acres of land called Nicoles alias Homewoods, and of and in all that portion of tithes part of the Rectory of Westhothly aforesaid And that the said William Feldwicke, being as mentioned seized of all and singular the premises, the same William made his last will and testament in writing bearing the date the twenty fifth day of July in the year of our Lord a thousand six hundred and twenty eight and by the same he willed and bequeathed all and singular the premises as follows (amongst other things) in the follwowing English words, namely: (Document then recites a large part of William Feldwick's will, see attached will)

As by this last will and testament the jurors aforesaid upon the taking of this inquisition shall more clearly and fully show. And the jurors aforesaid futher say that the said William Feldwicke named in the said writ, being thus siezed of all and singular the premises as shown, on the twenty fourth day of August* in the ninth year of our lord Charles, King of England &c, at Westhothly aforesaid, died seized of such estate, and that the said John Feldwicke is and at the time of the death of the said William Feldwicke named in the said writ was the son and next heir of the said William Feldwicke named in the said writ and at the time of his death was of the age of forty years or more and that the said messuage, barn, lands and tenements aforesaid called Feldwicks are held and at the time of the death of the said William Feldwicke named in the said writ, were held of the most noble Charles, Earl of Nottingham as of his manor of Plumpton Buskage in the county aforesaid by fealty, but by what other service the said jurors do not know, and are worth yearly in all issues after deductions twenty seven shillings and four pence. And that the said other parcel of land with appurtenances called Nicolls alias Homewoods is held and at the time of the death of the said William Feldwicke named in the said writ, was held of the said lord the King in free socage in chief, by fealty only, but not by knight's service, and is worth yearly in all issues after deductions sixteen shillings and eight pence, and that the said portion of tithes, part of the Rectory of Westhothly aforesaid, is held, and at the time of the death of the said William Feldwicke, named in the said writ, was held as the rest of the Rectory of Westhothly, namely, of our lord the King as of his manor of Eastgrenwich in the county of Kent, in free and common socage and not in chief nor by knight's service and is worth yearly in all issues after deductions ten shillings. And further the said jurors say upon thier oaths that the said William Feldwicke named in the said writ held no other or more lands or tenements at the time of his death, of any other person or persons in his demesne or service as far as they had noticed. In witness of which matter to one part of this inquisition remaining in the keeping of the Escheator, the said Escheator and the said jurors have put thier seals and to the other part remaining in the keeping of the jurors the said Escheator has put his seal the day and year first abovesaid

                                                                                                                          Robert Pickering, Escheator

* According to parish records, William Feldwick was buried on 24th June 1633 so he cannot have died in August.

Translated from the original Latin document held in The National Archives C 581/115 by Jane Wicks