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The Blaker Society © We are fortunate that Arthur Blaker (ob. 1618) and Francis Blaker (ob.
CUCKFIELD

Carrying the Line Earlier

1610) were both husbandmen. Cuckfield township was largely copyhold, so we
might expect any court rolls or rentals immediately before 1610 to be helpful.
The Manorial Documents Register gives these records for the main manor of
Cuckfield in the period 1550 to 1610:

1582 survey East Sussex Record Office DAN 1126 NRA 8607 Adams

1586–1594 court rolls, with other manors (3)
East Sussex Record Office DYK 1121–1123

1597–1817 court books, with other manors (17)
East Sussex Record Office ACC 2953/1–17 NRA 11856
Nevill

At first sight, the 1582 survey looks most promising. ‘DAN’ is the
archives of the Danny family of Hurstpierpoint, and DAN/1126 is the ‘Danny
Cartulary’, described thus:

This contains title deeds of properties belonging to the Fiennes family, Lords Dacre, in some
sixteen counties (1514–1595). Also included is the will of Gregory, 10th Lord Dacre and the
long and detailed will of his wife, Lady Dacre. There are title deeds, too, of Goring properties
(1581-98), and detailed surveys of the manors of Hurstpierpoint, Newick, Streat and of parts
of Westmeston, Keymer and Houndean, these being acquired by George Goring of
Ovingdean and Lewes.

From this it seems that the Cuckfield survey is not of the manor of Cuckfield,
but merely of some lands held by the family there.
Actual court rolls seem to survive no earlier than 1586 at DYK 1121.
‘DYK’ is the archives of the Dyke family of Frant, Waldron and Kent and the
Penkherst family of Mayfield and Buxted. However, the calendar states:

The provenance of the three Court Rolls of the 7th and 8th Barons Bergavenny, 1586–1594,
(DYK/1121–1123) is a mystery. The only clue is provided by the endorsement “These Rolls
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were given me by my Cosin Mr. Henery Shelley of Lwys Novbr the 8th 1671” [21].

John Rowe’s Book

The text of John Rowe’s Book was printed in 1928 by Sussex Record
Society (vol. 34). What John Rowe set out to do was to compile a terrier of the
Bergevenny estates in Sussex, with a view to tracing the various rents and rights

64 I suggest we write to ESRO enquiring about the size of DYK/1121 (how many membranes), and how much of
the roll is devoted to the manor of Cuckfield.