Heriots
Whilst transcribing various documents, we came across the word ‘heriot’ which was totally outside our ken. The closest description was ‘a death tax’. A clear definition and explanation of the term ‘heriot’ seemed to elude us on every web site and dictionary, so we set out to find it out for ourselves! Some time later…….
The 1646 rentals document relating to the parish of Alstonfield shows all rentals, tithes and heriots paid to Sir John Harpur, the Lord of the Manor.
By checking for the names of tenants who had heriots paid on their death, recorded in the 1646 document, we find in the Alstonfield Parish Records:
Nich Chadwick of the Lowe buried April 13th 1646
Mother of Thomas Brunt buried Sept 20th 1646
Wm Hall of Stanshope buried Oct 15th 1646
Humphrey Smith of Longnor buried Oct 27th 1646
Wm Tunnicliffe buried Dec 15th 1646
Ric Watson buried Jan 5th 1647
Ric Belfitt buried Jan 10th 1647
The two names missing are John Sutton and Agnes Downs who must have been buried elsewhere.
So, we had proved that a heriot was paid after a person had died. In several documents the word heriot is sometimes described ‘as is the custom’. It is unlikely therefore that it was a legislative requirement but a tax levied according to the Lord of the Manor.
It would appear that a heriot was only paid by someone who rented/held property however poor they were. All the people who paid a heriot (shown in the accounts examined to date) paid a rent or other monies to the Lord.
A heriot was often the ‘best beast’ but not always. These are examples of different heriots paid during the 1600’s as shown in various rentals accounts.
|
Year |
|
£ s d |
|
1635 |
Nicholas Ryley a freeholder, a walking stick as his best weapon seased (seized) |
1 |
|
|
Richard Ball 2 kine were seased for his heriot and the one had a calf before she went and was delivered worth |
7 0 0 |
|
|
James Mellor half a milne (mill) & certain landes one cowe seased worth |
2 0 0 |
|
1636 |
Thomas Robert an oxen not yet delivered but to come presently |
5 0 0 |
|
|
Wm Johnson an ould coffer worth |
2 6 |
|
|
Willm Millward an ould pair of breeches |
6 |
|
1646 |
2 kine (cows) for Nicholas Chadwick sold by Wm Wardle |
8 0 0 |
|
|
A heriot for 6 acres of the Low Bent for the same Chadwick |
1 0 0 |
|
|
John Sutton heriot a fatt cow & money to boot |
4 10 0 |
|
|
William Hall one oxe sold for |
3 6 8 |
|
|
Richard Watson a featherbedde said to be worth |
2 0 0 |
|
|
Two heriots for Humphrey Smith of Longnor the one for his land in fee farm thother for a house he dwelleth in |
1 15 0 |
Sometimes the goods or animals were sold and at other times they had to be delivered to Swarkestone. (Still not worked out the logistics of taking a cow from Hollinsclough to Swarkestone in c1650.)
People also stated in their will which goods or livestock should be used to pay the heriot. In 1562 Nicholas Naden included in his will “And for my heriot my best beast”.