Royal MS 18 B X

'A TREW COPPIE of the antient franchisses priuiledges and customes' of the honour of Tutbury [co. Staff.] parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster, in the counties of Stafford and Derby, &c., 'collected by Robert Roworth, his Maiesties poore tennant of Tutbery'. The main part of the volume consists of extracts from the coucherbook, beginning (f. 23) with a list of the vills and hamlets 'infra honorem de Tutbury, Altum Peccum, Castle Dunnington cum membris in com. Staffordie, Derbi, Nottingham, Leistrie et Warwicke', according to a return made in 2 Hen. V, and including the duties of all the officers of the honour. Other copies of this are in Harley MSS. 68, ff. 1-30, and 5138, ff. 1-56 b. (cf. parts in Harl. MS. 2059, Add. MS. 6666, &c.). The present MS. contains in addition a short account (with copies of documents) of the origin of the duchy of Lancaster and its descent to James I and (f. 76) of the castle of Tutbury, a fuller account of the curious custom called 'the trewe maner vse and forme of the kinges maiesties courte of musicke holden att Tutburie' (f. 63), at which a bull oiled with soap and blacking was scrambled for (cf. John Jackson, Hist. Descr. of Tutbury, 1796, p. 6, and for a later order of this court Add. MS. 6668, f. 514), and a list (f. 75) of sums payable as 'baron tooll que patet in cochero'.

Paper; ff. i + 79. Folio. 113/4 in. x 7 in. Temp. Jas. I. The date 'vltimo Aug. a^o 1617 'is scribbled on f. 1 b. Not in the old catalogues.