an inquisition intended taken for our sovereign lady the queen at Chelmisford in the said county of Essex on the first and 2.5.37Eliz1 in the year of our lord 1595 before us Edw Hubert Hen Mildemay Wm Towse and Edw Elliotte esqs by the virtue of a commission of our said sovereign lady under the great seal of England us and others directed upon the oaths of Robt Aylette Xoph Warner Jn Tiler Robt Ames Jn Greene Robt Knight Edm Potter Rich Parker Robt Cooke Jn Warren Edw Cresfield Rich Ramsie Nich Pricklove Thos Taileford Nich Allgore Rich Woodcocke and Geo Hollegate who say upon their oaths that one Xoph Swallow clerk sometime vicar of the parish church of Messing in the said county of Essex gave granted feoffed and confirmed to the right honourable Jn de Veer late earl of Oxenford grandfather of the right honourable Edw now earl of Oxenford and others and their heirs and assigns divers messuages lands tenements and hereditaments with their appurtenances lying and being in the parishes and towns of Stisted Ardley Messing and Markstey and Coggishall in the said county of Essex to the use and behoof and for the intent that the foresaid earl and others his cofeoffees and their heirs and assigns from thenceforth forever should support maintain and sustain an honest godly and learned man to perform and execute the office of a schoolmaster at Earls Colne in the county of Essex which should be apt able fit and meet to learn teach and instruct children in the grammar there and that the same schoolmaster should there teach and instruct in grammar the number of thirty children whose parents should be dwelling and abiding in the said towns and parishes where the said lands and tenements are and so lying and other whose parents should be poor without any fee or reward to be demanded for the same and afterward the other cofeoffees died and the foresaid earl survived them and in the premises was sole seised in his demesne as of fee to the use and behoof above said and the foresaid earl being thereof so seised did afterwards die also by virtue whereof all and singular the messuages lands tenements and hereditaments aforesaid by right of inheritance did descend to the right honourable Edw now earl of Oxford which earl being of the premises so seised afterwards of his own mere motion and for the love of virtue and desire of good learning desiring that the said school should be kept and maintained and that children should be taught and instructed in the same according to the good and godly use and true intent of the gift and grant aforesaid did by his commission sealed with his seal at arms and signed with the handwriting of the said earl bearing date the 30.3.34Eliz1 that now is give and grant to one Wm Leweyn dr of law and judge of the prerogative court of Canterbury and Roger Harlakenden of Earls Colne aforesaid and Wm Tyffin of Colne Wake in the said county esqs full power and authority to survey all and singular the foresaid messuages lands tenements and hereditaments with the appurtenances and the same to demise and to farm to let according to the true yearly value of the same to any person or persons that they should please for term of twenty one years or three lives at their pleasure and also to provide a sufficient and able schoolmaster such as may fitly from time to time supply that room and to do any other lawful act or acts for the good government of the said school and for the increase of good learning therein by virtue whereof the said Wm Leweyin Roger Harlakenden and Wm Tyffin did survey the aforesaid messuages lands and tenements to the same belonging or appertaining lying and being in Stisted aforesaid and which then were in the term or occupation of one for the yearly rent of and the same did demise by their indenture bearing date of to one Arth Gilgate for term of twenty one years beginning at the feast of next the date of the said indenture renting therefore yearly to the schoolmaster aforesaid for the time being 6li13s4d of lawful money of England by virtue of which lease the same Arth entered into the premises and was and is there possessed and the same Wm Roger and Wm did survey the aforesaid lands and tenements lying and being in Ardelie aforesaid then being in the term and occupation of for the yearly rent of and the same demised to one Jonas Hill for the term of twenty one years beginning at the feast of next the date of the said indenture for the yearly rent of 6li13s4d and that the said lands are now in the occupation of one Thos Preston by virtue of a demise thereof to him made by one Simon Ive for the yearly rent of 6li13s4d and also the said Wm Leweyn Roger Harlakinden and Wm Tyffin did survey the said lands and tenements lying in Markestey then being in the occupation of one Joseph Damyon for the yearly rent of 20s and the same did demise to one Jn Gooddaie for the term of twenty one years beginning at the feast of next the date of the said indenture for the yearly rent of 4li to be paid yearly to the schoolmaster aforesaid for the time being and that notwithstanding the said indenture thereof to him the said Jn Goodday made the aforesaid Joseph Damyon holdeth him out of his possessions of the same lands and tenements and the foresaid jurors say that the foresaid lands and tenements lying and being in Messing aforesaid now are in the tenure and occupation of one Thos Ive gentleman or his assigns by virtue of a demise to him thereof made by one Symon Ive for the yearly rent of 4li and that the said lands and tenements are worth by the year 6li and that a certain tenement being in Coggeshall belonging to the same school was sometime let for 20s by year and that if the same were repaired it were now worth 40s by year and the foresaid jurors further say that the foresaid Wm Lewyn Roger Harlakinden and Wm Tyffin for diver good causes and considerations them thereunto moving did by virtue of the foresaid commission to them made by the foresaid earl choose ordain constitute and place one Jn Stockbridge an honest godly learned meet and able man and master of arts in the University of Oxenford to be schoolmaster in Earls Colne aforesaid to teach and instruct children there according to the form and intent of the gift and grant aforesaid and the jurors aforesaid do further present that all and singular the houses and buildings being in and upon the premises before the placing and instituting the said Jn Stockbridge there were in great decay and so do continue and that there was certain wood and timber to the value of 6li sold from the lands in Ardley by one Symon Ive to one Cranfield of Colchester which the said Cranfield felled there and carried away from thence and that certain woods and timber was felled upon the lands lying in Messing spring in which the same was felled is much wasted and spoiled so the great waste of the said lands and great loss and hindrance of learning in the common wealth Edw Huberde Wm Towse this writing was presented by the jurors aforesaid but not perfected or drawn up in any other manner than as aforesaid W Towse 6.7.1600