The facts in the 14th Century
The Reverend Branson was a retired clergyman living in Aldershot who could read mediæval Latin. In the 1970s he was in his lateeighties, but he continued to study local history. Until his death hesupplied Jean McIlwaine, the archivist of St Peter's, with juicy titbits about Yateley.
One of his starting points was the national taxation records for the year 1334 (reproduced on the previous page) which he found in the Crondal Records by FJ Baigent. Firstly the Reverend Branson constructed the league table of taxation payable by the various communities in the Hundred of Crondall:
1 | Yateley | 72s 2d | £3.61 | 7 | Cove | 35s 6d | £1.78 |
2 | Aldershot | 55s 2d | £2.76 | 8 | Swanthorpe | 31s 6d | £1.58 |
3 | Itchel | 54s 9d | £2.74 | 9 | Dippenhall | 22s 1d | £1.10 |
4 | Crookham | 50s 5d | £2.52 | 10 | Crondall | 13s 2d | £0.66 |
5 | Long Sutton | 49s 2d | £2.46 | 11 | Farnborough | 11s 10d | £0.59 |
6 | Southwood | 38s 6d | £1.93 | | TOTAL | £21 14s 3d | £21.71 |
Pre-decimalisation money has been converted to modern decimal for ease of comparison.
The Reverend Branson noted that the figures are comparative and give some idea of the relative value of each place as estimated at the time. Levies were made as required, and the community had to distribute the demand amongst their inhabitants.
Several interesting facts stand out:
- the folk of Yateley had to make by far the largest tax payment in the Hundred;
- Fleet, the largest modern town in Hart District, is not even mentioned since it grew up in the railway age some 500 years later;
- Aldershot, now the largest modern town in Rushmoor and Hart, paid less tax than Yateley; Farnborough, now the second largest town, paid the least tax in 1334;
- Itchel, assessed for the 3rd largest payment, is probably unknown to modern residents of Yateley. It is now a farm outside the village of Crondall, but in 1344 Itchel was a substantial freeholding owned by the Giffard family. Walter Giffard (d.1279) was Arcbishop of York, and one of the three regents of England during the time when Edward I was returning to England from a crusade, after having succeeded to the throne in 1272. Godfrey Giffard (d.1302), Walter's younger brother, was Bishop of Worcester and Chancellor of England. Walter Giffard had acquired Itchel before 1267, Godfrey inherited it from his brother and it remained in the possession of the Giffard family until it was purchased by the Earl of Southampton in 1580.
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