February 1655

Inquisition taken at Preston in the Countie of Lancaster ye 28th day of January in ye year of our Lord 1655 before William Patten gen Maior of ye said Burrough, William Hodgkinson & James Assheton Bailiffs of ye said Towne and Evan Wall steward there & divers misdemeanours agt divers Acts of Parliament in yt case made & provided by ye oaths of

Who upon their oaths quoth & say yt one brest a rack & half hinder quarter of mutton of Chrofer Walmsley of Elston is corrupt & not wholesome for mans body.

Inquisition taken on the 12th of February, 1656, before William Patten (Mayor), William Hodgkinson and James Assheton (Bailiffs), and Evan Wall (Steward of the Court).

The Names of ye Jury to enquire aswell for his Highnes ye Lord Protector as also ye Maior, Bailiffes and Burgesses of ye Burrough and towne aforesaid.

Presentments:-

1. Ye Supvisors of ye highways shall repaire and amende ye Cawsey att ye entrance upp into Ribbleton laine and all alonge ye same lane, and shall sett stoopes in convenient places for ye prservacon of ye Cawsey, which is very ruinous by reason of carts and carriages treadinge forth ye same, and yt they shall repaire ye platt in ye upper end of ye same lane, before ye 1st of June next, in paine of xs.

2. Richard Mason hath encroached on ye highway and Townes wast in ye upper end of Ribleton Laine in Excutinge a bridge theire & that hee shall remove ye same before ye xxixth of September next in paine of vjs. viijd.

3. Whereas Roger Tomlinson hath upon summons removed ye style leading upp into Avenham into its Anncient place, hee hath neglected to make a pavement before ye same, accordinge to ye Tenor of his Lease, and yet hee shall pave ye same and make ye way ffaire and passable before ye twentieth day of Aprill next, in paine of vjs. viijd.

4. Alexr. Rigbie, Esqr., and Anne Evans, widdowe, have not scowred and clensed their ditches and made their ffence at ye end of their Crofts, accordinge to warninge and tyme given, and have therefore forfeited either of them vjs. viijd.

5. Mr William Sudell, Robt Shakeshafte, James Townend in ye Churchgate and James Hodgkinson hath not clensed theire ditches accordinge to notice and ye tyme limitted and therefor forfeited theire sevrall fyne of vjs. viijd.

6. Mr Edmund Werden hath not scowred his ditch alonge Ropers Crofte accordinge to ye limited tyme and warninge given & therefore forfeited his fyne of vjs. viijd.

7. Mr James Hodgkinson, Mr John Marsh and Edward Taylor hath not scowred & clensed theire ditches in Northmeadow lane accordinge to warnings & tyme and we therefore seveallie forfeited theire fyne of vjs. viijd.

8. Ye now Bailiffes of this Towne shall stake and wynd and sufficientlie repaire ye bridge at ye end of Broadgate before ye 1st day of May next, in paine of vjs. viijd.

9. Ye Supvisors of ye high way shall repaire ye foote Cawsey and Cartway, in Broadgate, well and sufficiently before ye xvth day of May next, in paine of xs.

10. Ye now Bailiffes of this Towne shall stake and wind at ye North Moore yate, and keepe ye brooke in its course which breaks forth and spoiles ye high way. This is to bee done before ye 1st of May, in paine of vjs. viijd.

11. Luke Hodgkinson shall scowre and clense his Ditch all alonge his close, nere ye Vicaridge crofte, before ye xx^th of this instant Aprill, or pay his fyne of vjs. viijd.

12. Mrs Joane Wall hath made a wattercourse into Richard Johnsone barne in ye weend where none any was nore ought to bee & that she shall stopp upp ye same before ye j^st of May in paine of vjs. viijd. and forfeit for everie tyme shee shall hereafter in like mannere vjs. viijd.

13. John Hodgkinson sonne of Evan Hodgkinson encroacheth upon James Dewhurst at his house at ye end of ye Churchgate and underminth his land and that hee shall remove his quickwood and sett it lineally with the old [undecipherable] before ye first of May next in paine of vjs. viijd.

14. John Helme and Lawrence Cowper have with their ditches encroached upon ye Cart way in ye little laine leading upp from Davill bridge into ye Cawsey meadows, and they shall make ye same passable for Cart and Carriage before ye 1st of May next, in paine of either of them vis. viijd.

15. Thomas Goodshey stoppeth a foote path in ye ffryergate wch leadeth from St. Johns Weend into ye ffryergate, and thorow wch the people of this Comonwealth had heretofore a Comon footepath and ffree passage, and yt in ye yere 1648 ye Jury upon Evidence found yt for 60 yeres then last past ye same had beene a Knowne way, and accordingely wee pnte yt Thomas Goodshey shall sett two styles frm his house there into ye said weend before the xx^th of this month, in paine of vjs. viijd., and shall forfeit for ev[er]y tyme hee shall stopp yt way 6s. 8d.