Printed and Published at the Dover Express Works. 1916.

TO BE FORMATTED

ANNALS OF DOVER.
SECTION SIX.
THE MAYORS AND THEIR TIMES.
IV. FROM THE WRITING OF THE "CUSTOMAL/ 1354 TO 1470.

The writing of the " Dover Customal " marked an
important epoch in the history of Dover. It was written,
or commenced, during the Mayoralty of Peter Reade,
^354-5- Up to that time there had been only the Domesday
Book of the Cinque Ports, a record that contained much of
importance concerning the Five Ports and the Two Ancient
Towns ; but about Dover in particular there were in exist-
ence only some fugitive memorials known as charters, dites
and decrees. They had never been digested into a con-
secutive history, and many had been lost. Just at the
middle of the Fourteenth Century the Earl of March,
Constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports,
having been called upon, as the President of the Court of
Shepway, to hear appeals from the Courts of the various
Ports and Towns, asked the Mayors to deliver to him copies
of their customs and usages to assist him in forming his
judgments. Up to this time, " the oldest inhabitant " had
frequently been called upon to say what he remembered and
what his forefathers had told him, but the Earl of March
wanted a written record, and there being nothing at hand
but fragments, the Cinque Ports' scribes were immediately
busy collecting, digesting and transcribing. The Dover
scribes had the Castle and the Priory to fall back upon, and
there were records in the Muniment Box kept in the
Church of St. Martin-le-Grand which contributed something,
so from such sources the " Dover Customal " was written. It
is a curious, rambling record of about seven thousand words,
giving a statement of the various forms and ceremonies
used in Dover both as a Town and Port, and as a member
of the Cinque Ports, a full print of which will be found in
the Catalogue of the Dover Records. Apart from its
interest, the age of the " Customal " demands respect, it
having existed as a complete record of 560 years, which had



2 88 ANNALS OF DOVER

passed into history before the times of the twenty-seven
Mayors mentioned in the following list.

1354 Peter Reade (20)

(20) Peter Reade was Mayor in the years 1354, 1356, 1357,
1359 and 1384. Also in 13S4 he was Lieutenant of Dover, being then
advanced in years. During his last Mayoralty he received King
Richard Tl. and his Queen at the Castle.

1355 Nicholas atte Hall 1356 Peter Reade
1357 Peter Reade 1358 Nicholas atte Hall
1359 Peter Reade 1360 Thomas Spisour (21)

(21) Thomas Spisour, Mayor in 1360 and twice later, was an
ancestor of John Spisour who had the Stembrook Tannery in 1420.

1 36 1 Simon Monin (22)

(22) Simon Monin, Mayor in 1361, was in the Corporation a«
Jurat at the same time as John Jlonin before mentioned.

1362 Nicholas atte Hall 1363 Alexander Hurtyn

1364 William Denne (23)

(23) William Denne, Mayor in 1364 end twice later, had been
a Jurat ten years before his first Mayoralty.

1365 William Denne 1366 Nicholas atte Hall
1367 Nicholas atte Hall 1368 Thomas Spisour
1369 Thomas Spisour 1370 Simon Monin

137 1 John atte Hall (24)

(24) John atte Hall, Mayor in 1371, held the office six times.

1372 John Monin 1373 John atte Hall
1374 William Denne 1375 John Monin (senr.)
137^ John Ceroid (25)

(25) John Ceroid had been Bailiff seven times before he waa
Mayor.

1377 John Ceroid 1378 John Street (26)

(26) John Street was Mayor in 1378 and ten times later. Hig
name appears seven times in the Charters of the Hundred Court.

1379 John Street 1380 John atte Hall

1381 John atte Hall 1382 John Ciles (27)

(27) John Giles was Mayor in 1383, and seven times after.
1383 John Giles 1384 Peter Reade
13^5 John Street 1386 John Monin
1387 John Monin 1388 John Monin (28)

(28) John Monin, the second. Mayor in 13S8, was, it is presumed,
the son of John Monin who was Mayor in 1375. The second Joba
was Mayor six times.

1389 John atte Hall 1390 John Giles

1391 John atte Hall 1392 John Giles

1393 John Giles 1394 John atte Hall



THE MAYORS AND THEIR TIMES 289

1395 John Monin 1396 John Monin

1397 John Street 1398 John Street

1399 John Giles 1400 John Giles

1 40 1 John Giles 1402 Peter Reade

1403 John Monin 1404 John Street

1405 John Street 1406 John Street

1407 Thomas Giles (29)

(29) Thomas Giles, chosen Mayor in 1407 and 1413, wag a
son of Jobu Giles previously Mayor.

1408 John Street 1409 John Street

1410 John Street 141 1 John Evebroke (30)

(30) John Evebroke, Mayor in 141 1, was an active Jurat tor
many years.

141 2 John Garton (31)

(31) John Garton, who was Mayor in the years 1415 and 1416,
was made a Jurat in the previous century.

1413 Thomas Giles 141 4 Walter Stratton (32)

(32) Walter Stratton was eleven times Mayor between 1414
and 1439. His name appears in a Dover Charter, dated 2nd July,
1420, which throws light on a moot point in Dover Church history,
confirming the opinion of most local historians that the old structure
in Bench Street was the old Church of St. Nicholas. During Walter
Stratton's first Mayoralty news came to Dover that Henry V. had
vanquished the French Army in the Battle of Agincourt, and, sub-
sequently, when the King landed at Dover the Barons carried him in
triumph fronn his ship to the beach. At the beginning of Stratton's
second Mayoralty another campaign in France was in progress, and
on that occasion an army of 35,000 had embarked at Dover, and
after some hard fighting they marched in triumph to Paris. Yet
another French campaign was fought in Stratton's fourth Mayoralty,
on which occasion 24,000 archers and 4,000 men-at-arms embarked
at Dover in 500 ships. Before that Mayoralty terminated news came
across the Straits that the English were victorious — but that the
King was dead.

1 41 5 John Garton 14 16 John Garton

1417 Walter Stratton 14 18 Walter Stratton

141 9 Thomas-att-Crouch (34)

(34) Thomas-att-Crouch, who was Mayor in 1419 and 1420,
appears to have been closely associated with the Priory.

T420 Thomas att Crouch 142 1 Walter Stratton

X422 Thomas Arnold (35)

(35) Thomas Arnold, Mayor in the years 1422, 1424, and 1430,
was in his first Mayoralty when the stately funeral procession of
Henry V. passed through Dover en route from Paris to Westminster.
This Mayor, in 1426, held from the Prior of Dover the land bounded
by part of Bench Street, upper Snargate Street, Chapel Street and



290 ANNALS OF DOVER

Chapel Lane, which had been St. Nicholas's Churchyard. It wa«
during Thomas Arnold's second Mayoralty that Margate and other
parishes in Thanet, with Kingsdown and Ringwould, were added to
the Liberties of Dover.

1423 Walter Stratton 1424 Thomas Arnold

1425 John Braban ($6)

(36) John Braban, who was Mayor five times, from 1425 to
1434, acted with John Bakere, of Caldham, in selling St. Nicholas
tower and the ruins of the Church to the Corporation.

T426 Walter Stratton 1427 John Braban

1428 Walter Stratton 1429 William Brewys (37)

(37) Willia,m Brewys was Mayor seven times between 1429
and 1443. In his first Mayoralty the long-standing controversies between
Dover and Faversham as to contributions in connection with the
Cinque Ports, and the right of laversham to share with Dover the
privilege of representation in Parliament was settled by a formal
agreement.

1430 Thomas Arnold 1431 Walter Stratton

1432 Walter Stratton 1433 John Braban

1434 John Braban 1435 William Brewys

1436 William Brewys 1437 William Brewys

1438 William Brewys 1439 Walter Stratton

1440 William Brewys 1441 John Ward (38)

(38) John Ward was Mayor in the years 144 1 and 1442— two
fateful years — during which the minority of Henry VI. came to an
end, and when " Good Duke Humphrey," who had been Lord "Warden
for thirty-two years, was poisoned in prison.

1442 John Ward 1443 William Brewys

1444 Ralph Toke (39)

(39) Ralph Toke, alias Touke, described as a knight, was
Seneschal and Marshal of the Castle. He was Mayor in five successive
years. This Mayor made a valuable bequest of land in Hougham to
St. Mary's Church.

1445 Ralph Toke 1446 Ralph Toke
1447 Ralph Toke 1448 Ralph Toke

1449 Thomas Gore (40)

(40) Thomas Core, otherwise Goore, an officer of Dover Castle,
was Mayor seven times between 1449 ^^*^ '465- He was of Gore
Court, Kent.

1450 Thomas Core 1451 Richard Grigge (41)

(41) Richard Grigge was chosen Mayor in the early part of
1451, to fill the VT.'.-icy caused by the resignation of Thomas Gore.
He also was Mayor ia the two successive years.

1452 Richard Grigge 1453 Thomas Doyley (42)

(42) Thomas Doyley, described as a knight and an official of
Dover Castle, was Mayor three years.



THE MAYORS AND THEIR TIMES 29I

1454 Thomas Doyley 1455 Thomas Doyley

1456 Thomas Gore 1457 Thomas Gore

1458 Nicholas Burton (43)

(43) Nicholas Burton was Mayor in 1458 and 1459; and he
was Bailiff three years.

1459 Nicholas Burton 1460 Richard Palmer (44)

(44) Richard Palmer was Mayor five times between 1460 and
1479. -^^ "^^^ ^ staunch Yorkist, and the first of the Mayors of
Dover who wore the White Rose.

1461 Thomas Gore 1462 Thomas Gore

1463 Richard Palmer 1464 Thomas Pety (45)

(45) Thomas Pety was Mayor in 1464. His name appears in
the Dover records as a Chamberlain,

1465 Thomas (i.ire 1466 Richard Palmer

1467 Richard I'dl-ier 1468 Thomas Hexstall (46)

(46) Thomas Hexstall was Mayor eight times between the
years 1468 and' 1481 ; and in 1470 he was Warden of Dover while
the Corporation liberties were suspended. He was the son of Richard
Hexstall, of Hexstall Court, East Peckham, Kent, and he became
Steward of Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham and Lord of
Penshurst. When the Dtike was appointed Lord Warden and
Constable of Dover Castle in the year 1450, Thomas Hexstall came
with him to Do^^r to act as the Lord Warden's Receiver. In the year

1460 this Lord Warden was slain when fighting at the head of the
Lancastrians, and" the Earl of Warwick, the leader of the Yorkists,
became Lord Warden. Hexstall continued to hold the oflBce of
Receiver under him. Thomas Hexstall bought Hougham Court as
his residence, obtained the Freedom of Dover, and became a Jurat.
The two Lord Wardens for whom he acted as Receiver having been
slain in the Wars of Cie Roses, he, in those years of surprises, acted
with so much t.ict that when Edward IV. suspended the liberties
of Dover on account of the part the Corporation had taken, Thomas
Hexstall was put in of&ce as the King's Warden of the Town and
Port of Dover until the following year, when Civic liberties were
restored. That crisis having passed, Thomas Hexstall was Mayor six
times more.

1469 Thomas Hexstall 1470 Thomas Hexstall



292



ANNALS OF DOVER