We cannot better close this brief account of the Minster Nunnery than by referring to a highly interesting MS. in the British Museum (Cottonian MSS., Faustina, B. vi.), where a list is given of the "memorial days" of five of the Prioresses: this unfortunately gives only their Christian names, and consequently we are not able to identify them, or to give the years in which they died. The names occur in the following order :

2 Id. Martii, ob. Johanna de Badlesmere, Priorissa de Menstre.

12 Kal. Maii, ob. Eustachina, Priorissa de Menstre.
4 Non. Octobris, ob. Agnes, ditto.

13 Kal. Octobris, ob. Christina, ditto.
11 Kal. Decembris, ob. Gunnora, ditto.

NOTES ON THE MUNICIPAL RECORDS OF QUEENBOROUGH.

BY REV. C. EVELEIGH WOODRUFF, M.A.

THE recent visit of the Kent Archæological Society to Queenborough may afford excuse for a short notice of the Municipal Records of that borough. The records are carefully preserved in a muniment room beneath the Town Hall, but it seems likely that in former days they were less well cared for, inasmuch as few date back further than the end of the fifteenth century. At some period no doubt a general clearing out resulted in a holocaust being made of what the Mayor and Jurats considered mere useless rubbish, in which the earlier records would certainly have been included. However, enough remains to give us some little insight into the history of the borough in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and since no report upon the records has been issued by the Historical MSS. Commission, I venture to offer to the members of the Society the result of a few days' work in the muniment room undertaken by the kind permission of A. W. Howe, Esq., the present Mayor of Queenborough.

The Records may be conveniently divided into the following classes:

I.-Royal Charters.
II.-Bound Volumes.
III.-Loose Papers.

I. The Charter box contains the following six Charters :1. Dated 1 Henry V.

All the above have portions of the Great Seal attached, of which Nos. 3 and 6 preserve very fine impressions. These six Charters are inspeximus Charters confirmatory of the original Charter granted by King Edward III. in his fortysecond year (1368). This Charter is no longer extant, but the following transcript from the Patent Rolls is preserved at Queenborough.

"Edwardus dei gratia, etc., etc., inter cetera quibus nostra solicitudo versatur votis nostris occurrit precipuum regnum nostrum et eius incolas in pace et tranquillitate regere et a noxiis preservare locaque ad fortificandum habilia ad subditi nobis populi securitatem et hostium nostrorum formidamen et repulsionem solida fortitudine roborare sane considerato in Insula de Shepeye quodam loco situ decoro satisque securo et brachio maris multum lato et profundo et pro applicatione navium congruo vicino, castrum et villam ibidem construere incipimus, eaque muris et fossatis sufficienter ad ipsius regni fulcimentum et decorem et hominum partium vicinarum et bonorum suorum munimen proponimus domino concedente firmare quam quidem villam Burgum Regine duximus nominandum, et ut maior confluat concursus populorum ad eandem et ad habitandum ibidem animum assumant promptiorem et sit locus ille securitatis et fortitudinis incrementum ibidem solatium et quietem habitatorum concessimus pro nobis et heredibus nostris et hac carta nostra confirmavimus habitatoribus Burgi illius libertates et privilegia subscripta videlicet quod dicta villa perpetuus et liber burgus sit et homines eiusdem ville liberi sint Burgenses et habeant omnes libertates et liberas consuetudines ad liberum burgum pertinentes et quod de se ipsis singulis annis in festo Sancti Michaelis eligere possint unum maiorem duos ballivos qui burgum predictum et libertates ceteraque dictum Burgum tangencia custodiant et gubernent, et qui cum electi fuerint corporale prestent sacramentum coram constabulario Castri predicti nomine nostro quod nobis et dicto Burgo fideles erunt, et in hiis que regimen et custodia eiusdem concernunt bene et fideliter se gerent, et habebunt et quod habeant duo mercata ibidem singulis septimanis unum videlicet per diem lune et aliud per diem Jovis, et duas ferias singulis annis unam videlicet in festo Sancti Jacobi Apostoli in mense Julii et per quinque dies prosequentes, et aliam quarto die Martii et per septem dies prosequentes cum omnibus libertatibus et liberis consuetudinibus ad hujus modi mercati et ferias pertinentibus nisi mercata illa et ferie ille sint

ad nocumentum vicinarum mercatarum et vicinarum feriarum. Et quod iidem burgenses et successores sui non implacitent seu implacitentur alibi quam infra eundem Burgum coram Maiore et Ballivis dicti Burgi pro tempore fuerint de aliquibus tenuris suis intrinsecis aut trangressionis seu contractibus infra Burgum factis, et quod habeant in eodem Infangenethef et Outfangenethef et judicium inde facere possint et quod quieti sint per totum regnum et potestatem nostram de thelonio pontagio pavagio muragio Kaiagio gwyndagio lastagio stallagio wharvagio hidagio ryvagio wrecco maris et de shiris et hundredis et de omnibus aliis consuetudinibus de rebus et merchandisis suis propriis prestandum imperpetuum et quod iidem Burgenses heredes et successores sui non ponantur in Assisis Juratis recognicionibus aut inquisicionibus aliquibus ratione terrarum et tenementorum suorum forinsecorum vel ratione transgressionum contractuum convencionum aut aliorum negociorum suorum forinsecorum quorumcunque coram Justiceario aut aliis ministris nostris vel heredum nostrorum emerserint faciendum quamdiu moram in eodem Burgo ut Burgenses ejusdem ibidem inhabitantes steterint et quod homines forinseci non ponantur cum ipsis Burgensibus in Assisis Juratis recognicionibus aut inquisicionibus hujusmodi que ratione terrarum vel tenementorum in eodem burgo existencium aut transgressionum contractum convencionum aut aliorum negociorum intrinsecorum emerserint faciendi nisi res illa tangat nos vel heredes nostros aut comitato Burgi predicti et insuper quod dicti Burgenses et eorum heredes et successores dictum burgum habitantes et inhabitaturi quieti sint de omnimodis tallagiis auxiliis decimis et quintis decimis ac aliis quotis nobis vel heredibus nostris de propriis bonis suis concedendum prestandum concessimus etiam prefatis Burgensibus et eorum successoribus quod Maior et Ballivi eiusdem Burgi habeant cognicionem omnium placitorum de contractibus debitis convencionibus et transgressionibus in eodem burgo emergentibus et executores eorumdem que non tangunt nos vel heredes nostros aut comitatem dicti burgi et quod iidem burgenses de propriis vinis suis de quibus negociantur quieti sint de recta prisa nostra videlicet de uno dolio vini ante malum et alio post malum et quod Custos quinque portuum nostrorum aut ministri sui vel Barones eorundem portuum de dicto Burgo vel Burgensibus eiusdem burgi vel de possessionibus aut rebus suis in eodem burgo nec de navibus eorumdem burgensium in aliquo non intromittant nec quod ipsi Burgenses de serviciis que dicti Barones quinque portuum nobis et heredibus nostris de navibus suis invenire tenentur in aliquo entur sed omnino inde quieti sint et exonerati imperpetuum

Quare volumus et firmiter precipimus pro heredibus nostris quod dicti Burgenses et eorum heredes et successores dictum burgum inhabitantes et inhabitaturi omnibus et singulis libertatibus quietanciis et privilegiis predictis plene gaudeant et utantur in perpetuum sine occasione vel impedimento nostri vel heredum nostrorum Justiciorum Exchaetorum Vicecomitum aut aliorum Ballivorum sui Ministrorum nostrorum quorum cunque hiis testibus venerabilibus patribus S Archiepiscopo Cantuariensis tocius Anglie Primati W Wynton cancellario nostro J Elien thesauro nostro Episcopis Johanne Duce Lancastri, Edmundo comiti Cantebre, filiis nostris carissimis, Humfredo de Bohun comiti Hereford, Ricardo Comiti Arundell, Thoma de Bello Campo Comiti Warr, Henrico de Percy, Thoma de Roos de Hamelak, Walter de Manny, Will Latymer Senescallo hospicii nostri, et aliis. Datum per manum nostram Westminsterio x die Maii.

per ipsum Regem."

In the preamble of this Charter the King distinctly states that his object in thus dignifying the little hamlet of fishermen's houses (hitherto called Bynnee) with the title of a royal borough, was to attract a larger population to the neighbourhood of his newly erected castle. This castle had been commenced in the year 1361 from the plans of the celebrated architect William of Wickham, and was designed for "the strengthening of the realm and the refuge of the inhabitants" of the Isle of Sheppey; that a town should spring up under its walls capable of supplying the requirements of the garrison within seems to have been the motive which induced the King to grant to the inhabitants full corporate privileges. Under this Charter the town was governed until 1625, when King Charles I. granted a new Charter to Queenborough. This Charter is preserved amongst the archives, and was the basis of Queenborough law until the passing of the Municipal Reform Act in our own times.

The following is a short abstract of the provisions of this Charter.

The boundaries by land are described as follows:"From the gate called Barres gate on the east side of the borough, and so by the land or fleet by the marsh called Rushenden Marsh, on the south side there, and from thence