Printed and Published at the Dover Express Works. 1916.

TO BE FORMATTED

ANNALS OF DOVER.
SECTION SIX.
THE MAYORS AND THEIR TIMES.
III. FROM THE FIRST MAYOR. 1257 TO 1353.

The title of Prepositus appears to have been given to
the Chief Magistrate of Dover in the Norman time, because
he was not so supreme in the Town and Port as the Saxon
Reeves had been. Probably, at the time of the Conquest
the Civic Chiefs had been, for the safety of the realm, made
subject to the Constable of the Castle. It has been
mentioned that during the time of Henry Turgis, Prepositus,
there were some fundamental changes. Previously, the
King (no doubt, by the aid of the Constable) had called out
the Cinque Ports Forces when required, but, owing to
irregularities in the reign of Henry HI., that King had in
1226 appointed the Constable and Henry Turgis, the Pre-
positus of Dover, to temporarily act as joint wardens of the
Cinque Ports; and, immediately after that time, the
Constable of the Castle was appointed Warden, the two
offices being held by the same person ever after. That
change, in addition to permanently altering the status of the
Constable, also affected the Cintjue Ports' organisation.
From that time the Mayor of Dover seems to have had more
absolute authority in his own Borough; and about twenty-five
years after that change the Municipal Chief of Dover was
called the " Mayor." 'I'hat title, which was of Norman-
French origin, had been used in the Corporation of London
since the reign of Heniy II., and it was, doubtless, because
the Chief Magistrate of Dover had been raised to a more
independent status that the title Mayor was introduced in
Dover in the forty-second year of the reign of Henry III.
It was at that time that the Bailiff, an officer of Magisterial
character, was appointed for Dover by the King's writ, and
that officer, being subordinate to the Mayor, seems to have
added new dignity to the Mayoralty. The twelve Mayors
whose names are next recorded were in office from the first
adoption of the title of Mayor down to the year 1353, after
which date the Roll of Mayors is continuous. The period
over which these twelve Mayors extend is eighty-seven



THE MAYORS AND THEIR TIMES 285

years. It is not known when the Mayor's term of office was
fixed as one year. In the City of London the Mayors were
first elected for life; then for irregular periods; and, later,
annually. According to the " Customal of Dover," which
was compiled about the year 1355, the Mayoral elections
were said to have been annual " time out of mind."

1257 James Lucas (8) 1274 William atte Hall (9)

(8) James Lucas, the Chief Magistrate who in the year 1257
first received the title of Mayor, is mentioned as Mayor in two Dover
Charters, on© relating to a gift to the Maison Dieu and on© relating
to the enlargement of Charlton Church Yard.

(9) William atte Hall was Mayor im the year 1274. This
surname " atte Halle " is supposed to refer to the place of residence
of hie ancestors which was near St. Nicholas's Church.

1294 Thomas Poynte (10) J295 Thomas Godspenny (11)

(10) Thomas Poynte held the oflfice of Mayor in the year 1294
when there was « sort of unofficial war between the French Mariners
and those of the Cinque Ports. The French landed at Dover and are
eaid to have burnt all the town with the exception of the Churchoa
and the religious houses. They pillaged the Priory, but, as thoy
could not find the money chest, they slew one of the Monks, Thomas
de la Hale, because he would not tell them where the money waa.
Hale was Canonized.

(11) Thomas Godspenny was Mayor in 1295 and owing to the
loss the town sustained by the French raid the burgesses began to
build walls round the town, the old Saxon ¦wall along the shore
having decayed.

1299 John atte-Sea (12) 1323 John atte-Hall (13)

(12) John atte-Sea, alias John de Mari, was Mayor in 1299,
as appears from two of his signatures in Dover Charters.

(13) John Atte-Halle, Mayor in the year 1323, was the son of
William Atte-Halle, and Annabella his wife. John had a sister
named Annabella, who married Henry de Haute, a man of wealth, who
left her a rich widow and she had considerable influence in Dover.
John atte-Halle acted with the Lord Warden, Edmund Earl of Kent,
in the settlement of an agreement between the Corporation and the
Fellowship of the Passage, whereby a portion of the profits of the
Passage were regularly paid to the Corporation.

1326 William Virgile (14) 1329 William Hurtyn (15)

(14) William Virgile, who was Mayor in 1326, was the Head
of the Passage Fellowship in 1323.

(15) William Hurtyn, who was Mayor in 1329, was of a family
who were Jurats and Mayors for a good many years. He was one
of the Fellowship of the Passage. The Hurtyns (whose name was
also spelled Hortim) held land which had been reclaimed from the
estuary of the Dour, at present forming part of the sit© of Castle
Street and ihe Tan Yard.



286 ANNALS OF DOVER

1340 John Monin (16) 1342 Nicholas Valentine (17)

(16) John Monin was the first, on the existing records, of a
family which came from Normandy at the Conquest. John Monin
is mentioned as holding an appointment under Edward III. in 1328.
He was Mayor in the years 1340, 1372, and 1375, but there is some
doubt whether the John Monin, Mayor of the two last mentioned
years, was the same individual who was Mayor thirty years earlier.

(17) Nicholas Valentine, Mayor in 1342, was one of the owner*
of Passage ships.

1344 Alexander Hurtyn (18) 1353 Nicholas atte-Hall (iq)

(18) Alexander Hurtyn was Mayor in 1344 and 1363. He
had been Bailiff in 1342.

(19) Nicholas atte-Hall was Mayor six times, commencing in
1353. He was accused at the Court of Shepway, in 1358, with
having given a false judgement against John Archer, one of the
Company of the Passage Fellowship, but he was acquitted.



tHE MAYORS AUD THEIR TIMES 287