You are in [Places] [Gifford's Lands]
Amongst Norman Hidden's papers was the following collection of notes on Gifford's Land:
1. Wilts CRO. Dl/2/11 (vol 1, part 2, ff.60 dorse and 61) [1325-1331?]: Robert Gifford holds one messuage + curtilage, demised by Robert Hungerford; rent 5s p.a. payable to Holy Trinity Chantry.
2. Wilts CRO. 490/1509 (dated 1445): Hungerford to Warnewell, 61 year lease of a tenement which lies lengthwise between tenement of Holy Trinity Chantry on the West
and the King's Highway on the East, in breadth between tenement of John Browne on the South and John Warnewell on the North.
3. c1470 Survey: John Warnewell holds a ¼ burgage, late John Gifford's, q.r. 2d. To the North is John Warnewell, late Thomas Warnewell, q.r.6d. To the south is John Boucher, late John Browne. This and its adjacent property the northenmost of the two, are described as Church properties in subsequent surveys.
4. PRO. SC2/208/72 (22nd November 1526): Whereas at the last court it was instructed that all homagers should take view of a certain land demised to John Warnewell called Gyfford's Ground ..... [it is now reported] that John Hedache holds and occupies a certain tenement lying between the tenement of John Mason on the south and the tenement of William Jenyns on the north, which same tenement was given to the parish church of Hungerford.
5. PRO. SC2/208/75 (27 September 1528): "John Sharpe chaplain of Holy Trinity Chantry occupied a certain tenement called Gifford's land for the term of 30 years and more. And he paid no rent to the lord as appeared according to a certain indenture."
6. 1552 Survey: Late Chantry of Holy Trinity holds 1 tenement in the tenure of Thomas Togy and now in the tenure of Thomas Hedache, q.r. 4d. On the south lies one tenement (Thomas Hedache holds it) late pertaining to the church q.r. 6d.
7. In the 1573 Survey these two neighbouring tenements are occupied by George Lovelake (Holy Trinity, q.r. 4d) and John Lovelake by indenture from Richard Mayle "as freehold of the town and whole parish of Hungerford, q.r. 6d."
8. It was this property occupied by John Lovelake which featured in the "missing charters" suit. Lovelake, a former Constable of the town, was suspected of stealing some
important charters from the town chest which was not proved against him. In his evidence, Lovelake admitted legitimately removing and later replacing the documents
that referred to his house which he took to the vicar of Kintbury to scrutinise "to the end that he would see some evidence concerning his house, for the better preservation of the same, for that one Henry Edes" (the 'farmer' of the former Holy Trinity Chantry lands) "meant, as he sayeth, to get the house from him."
[In 1327 (Just. Itin. No. 1397 Berks) there was a John Gifford, tailor, in Hungerford; he had a wife Matilda, a son Geoffrey and a daughter Joanne. Robert Gifford was the brother of Geoffrey.]
The Canal Wharf, 2011