Writ of Mandamus

Charles by Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith etc, to his Escheator in the county of Surrey, greetings. You are directed to carefully enquire by the oath of honest and lawful men of your bailiwick, by whom the truth of the matter may best be known, what quantity of lands and tenements Walter Burstowe, yeoman, deceased, held of us in Chief, in demesne and service in your same bailiwick on the day he died, and what quantity he held of others and by what service, and what the lands and tenements are worth yearly in all issues, and on what day the same Walter died and who is his next heir and what age, and who, from the death of the said Walter, had occupation of the lands and tenements or took and received the issues and profits, by what title or nature and in what manner, and without delay send the inquisition taken, clearly and openly to us in our Chancery, under your seal and the seals of those by who it was done and send with it this writ. Witness myself at Westminster the twentieth day of February in the fourteenth year of our reign.

Delivered to the Court the nineteenth day of December in the fifteenth year of the reign of King Charles by the hand of John Osborne, Gent

Surrey -

An indented inquisition taken at Southwarke in the county aforesaid the nineteenth day of October in the fifteenth year of the reign of our Lord Charles, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith etc, before William Gore, Esquire, Escheator of our said Lord King in the county aforesaid, by virtue of a writ of our said Lord King, of Mandamus, to hold an inquisition after the death of Walter Burstow, deceased, directed to the same Escheator and annexed to this inquisition, by the oaths of John Lilly, gent, Richard Harrison, John Brookes, Robert Moore, Francis Faulkner, Nicholas Wiburne, Thomas Goodhand, William Tallentire, John Hely, Robert Brassington, John Abbot, Robert Loudwell, Richard Williams and Matthew Oboyden, honest and lawfull men of the county aforesaid, who say upon their said oaths that the said Walter Burstowe, in his life, was seized in his demesne as of a fee, of and in one messuage and tenement called or known by the name of Hatch and ten acres of land called Busses, situate, lying and being in Horley in the county aforesaid. And of and in one messuage and tenement situate, lying and being in Charlewood in the county aforesaid, containing by estimation eight acres. And of and in sixteen acres of land in Horley aforesaid, called Casey Land. And of and in one messuage and tenement with appurtenances in Slaugham in the county of Sussex called or known by the name of Kelsley. And of and in one messuage and tenement with appurtenances, situate, lying and being in the town of Crawley in the county of Sussex aforesaid, now in the tenure or occupation of John Fowller or his assigns. And of and in one croft of land containing by estimation three roods of land, Situate, lying and being in Ifield in the said county of Sussex and now in the tenure of the said John Fowller. And furthermore the said jurors say upon their said oaths, that the said Walter Burstowe, of all and singular the premises as aforesaid, being thus seized, on the first day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and thirty five* [see footnote] died seized of such estate, and that William Burstowe is and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe was the son and next heir of the said Walter Burstowe and at the time of the death of the said Walter his father, was of the age of twenty two years or more. And furthermore the jurors aforesaid say upon their said oaths that the said messuage and tenement and premise called Hatch and Busses are held and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe were held of the Lord of the Manor of Horley in the county of Surrey aforesaid by fealty and by yearly rent of sixteen shillings and one pence and are worth yearly, in all issues after deductions, twenty shillings. And that the said premises in Charlewood aforesaid are held, and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe, were held of Edward Jordan, Esquire, as of his Manor of Charlewood, by fealty and yearly rent of ten pence and are worth yearly, in all issues after deductions, five shillings. And that the said premises called Casey Land are held and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe were held of Edward Jordan as of his Manor of Charlewood by fealty and yearly rent of two pence and are worth yearly, in all issues after deductions, ten shillings. And that the said premises called Kelsley are held and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe, were held of Thomas Covert, Esquire, as of his Manor of Slaugham in the county of Sussex aforesaid, by fealty and by what other service, they do not know, and are worth yearly, in all issues after deductions, ten shillings. And that the said premises in Crawley aforesaid, are held and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe, were held of the Lord of the Manor of Crawley by yearly rent of four shillings and three pence, and are worth yearly, in all issues after deductions, five shillings. And that the said premises in Ifield aforesaid, are held and at the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe, were held of the Lord of the Manor of Ifield by yearly rent of eight pence and are worth yearly , in all issues after deductions, two shillings, And furthermore the jurors aforesaid say upon their said oaths that the said Walter Burstowe at the time of his death held no other or further messuages, lands, tenements, or hereditaments of our said Lord the King or of any other person or persons in demesne, service, reversion or remainder within the said county or any other place, as far as they had noticed, but of anyone or who, of all and singular the premises or any other part thereof, from the time of the death of the said Walter Burstowe, had occupation and took or received the issues and profits thereof, the jurors aforesaid do not know. In witness of which matter, to one part of this indented inquisition remaining in the keeping of the said Escheator, the said Escheator and the said jurors have put their seals and to the other part thereof remaining in the keeping of the said jurors, the said Escheator has put his seal. Dated the day, year and place first above written.

                             William Gore, Esq, Escheator

*The date of death given in this document is incorrect, Walter Burstow died between 20th March 1633 when his will was written and 12th April 1633 when the will was proved.

Translated from the original document (written in Latin) held in The National Archives ref C142/578 by Jane Wicks, 2012