8. The Chapel of St. James at South Ash Manor (Part 2)

Last month's instalment dealt with the chapel of St James at South Ash Manor and to references to a Rochester consistory court held in 1564 and this month's offering deals with the first of these courts and again I must acknowledge with grateful thanks the kindness of Dr Paul Lee for allowing me to quote verbatim from his researches:

"The following consists of notes taken from the record, rather than transcription, as no significant details are omitted. The original is a combination of English and Latin. Surnames are spelt as they appear in the text.

f f 142-3r - B oundary dispute exhibited by William Hodsoll of Ash yeoman at the consistory court session 11th April 1564.

THOMAS KETTYLL, a 62 year old husbandman of Ash who had lived there for 35 years and had previously lived at Fawkham where he was born, testified that a dove-house in the manor of South Ash used to be a chapel of St James. The vicar and clerk of Kemsing sometimes used to celebrate mass and service there on St James's day, or else the parson of Ash. This depondent himself assisted the priest to sing mass and service on a number of such occasions. Kettyll said that William Hodsoll's house was in Ash parish.

THOMAS BURROWS of Ash a husbandman of around forty years who had lived in that parish since infancy and was born at Hartley, said that he did not know who received the offering made at St James's chapel at the St James day matins and mass. His father lived in the manor of South Ash and paid yearly to the clerk of Kemsing during the service time in the chapel 8d and when there was no service in the chapel 4dpa. This was paid by Burrowe after his father's death when he lived in the manor.

SIR THOMAS MAPFIELD, parson of Ash said the common fame of the people of Ash was that William Hodsoll's house was just in Ash parish.

JOHN DAWES of Ash, a husbandman of Ash where he had been born, aged 74 years, said he could not remember who paid the clerk his wages on St James's day when service was done in the chapel of St James or even if he had wages in those days."

The next instalment will deal with the consistory court session which was held a few weeks later on 26th July 1564

Leslie Morgan
with grateful thanks to Dr Paul Lee.

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