Sir John, his son, died circa 1413, leaving his wife Katherine alive, to whom he bequeathed his Manor of Oxenhoath.* This will was proved at Lambeth on the 10th day of October 1414. Hastedt tells us that he was the founder of the Priory of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem at West Peckham.

Oxenhoath, of which the Manor of Old Sore was an outlying portion, continued to be held by the Colepeper family for many generations, until Sir Thomas of Preston alienated it to Nicholas Miller towards the latter end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

Prior to the erection of the parish church at Plaxtol by parliamentary authority in 1648, the chapel of Old Sore was utilized for Church services by those residing in the immediate neighbourhood under the charge of the vicar of Wrotham or his curate.

It seems to me that a lingering tradition of the untimely fate of Walter and Richard Colepeper, and the deeply-rooted grief of the Colepeper family, may be the cause of its still retaining the singular name of "Old Sore," an old English expression signifying§ grief.

Near the east door in West Peckham Church on a gravestone is the following inscription in black-letter:

....

Vie jacet Johanes · Colepeper · miles . . . . unus
Justiciarius Domini · Regis Communi· Banco
et Katri . . . . obijt · xxxe die · mensis · Augusti

By the side of the Communion table is an altar-tomb,|| with the inscription in black-letter:

Orate pro animabus Willielmi Culpeper qui quidem Willielmus obit . . . . die anno Dom' MCCCCXVEZ et domina Elizabeth obit . . anno Dom. MCCCCLX . . . . Quorum animabus propitietur Deus Amen....

....

* Lambeth Palace Library, Chichelie, fol. 265. Ibid., 23, 4, 5.

....

† Vol. v., p. 63.

§ Promp Parvalocum, Camden Society's Publications, vol. liv., p. 405.

Thorp, Roff., p. 877.

WAGES PAID AT MAIDSTONE IN QUEEN
ELIZABETH'S REIGN.*

TRANSCRIBED BY

REV. C. EVELEIGH WOODRUFF, M.A.

RATES OF WAGES sett forth by the Quenes highnes proclamacon, accordyng to the tenor & forme of the Statute in that case ordeyned & made in her Maties high courte of parlyament holden at Westm' in the fyfth yere of her most Gracyouse Reigne, and proclaymed at the towne of Maydeston the thursdaye beyng markett daye & the xxiijrd day of September in the seid fyfth yere of the Reigne of or seid most dredde souereign ladye Elizabeth by the grace of God Quene of Englande ffrance & Ireland Defendor of the ffaith and in the yere from the Incarnacon of oure lorde Jesus Christ M'CCCCCLXIIJ Robert Balfer then beyng Mayor of the seid Towne of Maydeston.

Labourers by the daye from Easter till Michaelmas wt mete &
drynke iiijd & finding hym self ix". ffrom Michaelmas till Easter
wt mete & drynke iijd & fyndyng hymself vja.

Mowers by the daye wt meate & drynke vjd fyndyng theym selfs xja.
Mowers by the acre wt owte meate & drynke otes vd, grasse xja,

barley vjd.

Mowers of grasse in mershe grownde xd wt owte mete & drynke xvd.
Mowers by the acre wt meate & drynke in Tenett in the seid Counte,

otes & barley iiijd wt owte mete and drynke viijd, laying uppon bands byndyng & coppyng the acre of otes viijd, barley xa. Reapers by the daye. The man reaper wt meate and drynke vja, and fyndyng hymself xjd.

The woman reaper, wt meate and drynke iiijd, and fyndyng her self vija.
Reapers by the Acre. The reapyng byndyng & coppyng of wheate

& Rye by the acre in the upland, wt owte vittells ijs wt meate &
drynke xiiiją.

And in the marshe wt owte vittells iijs iiijd, and wt meate & drynke in the marshe ijs.

* Transcribed from the original preserved amongst the Records in the Kent Archæological Society's Rooms at the Maidstone Museum.

The reapyng, byndyng, & coppyng of pease, & tares, wt owte meate & drynke xxd the acre, and wt meate & drynke xija the acre. Threshers by the quarter, wt meate & drynke for the quarter, and makyng cleane of wheate & Rye iijd, otes & barley ijd ob, and fyndyng theym selves for the quarter, and makyng cleane of wheate & Rye xd, otes & barley vd.

Dytchers owte of the whole grownde, every rodd of iiij foote at the toppe, two foote in the bottome & iiij foote deepe xijd.

Dytchers owte of the whole grownde, every rodde of iiij foote in the toppe, two foote and a half depe, and one foote in ye botome, va, and a forth in other dytches after this rate.

ffor clensyng & skouring of olde dyches, half the rate of the newe dyches.

Teanyng for plashyng, & teanyng of a quycke hedge, the rod ja ob, and for dead hedge the rod job.

Pale, ffor settyng of pale wt one rayle, and even at the head, the rodde vd, and not even at the head the rodde iiijų.

Rayle, ffor settyng of syngle rayles wt postes, the rodde ja ob, and double rayles the rodde ijd.

ffagottes, ffor fellyng cuttyng, makyng, & byndyng of ostry fagottes

the hundreth xd of lasshe baven the hundreth xiija, of brushe baven the hundreth xijd, Bylletts the thowsande xd, Talwood the hundreth viija.

Coles, ffor fellyng, cuttyng, and blockyng of a dosen of coles, conteynyng xxiiijti sackes ijs, and for makyng of coles the dosen xvija. Carpenters, the chief carpenter with meate & drynke vijd and wt owte meate & drynke xijd.

Artificers, Brycklayers, the cheif bricklayer, Tyler, & Sawyer, from Easter till Michaelmas, with meate & drynke vjd, and wt owte meate & drynke xa, and in wynter season wt vittells vd, & wt owte vittells ix. Master Ploughwryghts, as the Carpenters.

Of the second sorte, everye seconde of all the seid Artificers ffrom Easter to Michaelmas, wt vittells vd and wt owte vittells ix, and in wynter season wt vittells iiij", and wt owte vittells viija. Prentyse, the best prentyse of an Artificer for the sommer season, with vittells iiijd, wt owte vytells vijd, in wynter season wt vittells iija wt owte vittells vja.

Sawyers, the Sawyer for the C bordes wt owte vittells xxd, and for slyttyng worke the C xxijd.

The Thetcher by the C with his vittells xa, and wt owte his vittells xxa. Master Mylwryght, by the daye in sommer, with meate and drynke xd wt owte meate and drynke xva.

Master Mylwryght by the daye in wynter, wt meate & drynke viijd, wt owte meate and drynke xiiija.

Plasterer in sommer, with meate & drynke vja, wt owte meate & drynke xjd. In wynter wt meate & drynke vjd, wt owte meate & drynke xju.

Plummer, for laying & castyng the hundreth w' meate & drynke ijs. ffor com'en worke by the daye, wt meate & drynke viijd, wt owte meate & drynke xiijd.

Glasyer by the daye, wt meate & drynke vjd, wt owte meate & drynke xjd.

Carver & Joyner in sommer by the daye, wt meate & drynke vijd, wt

owte meate & drynke xijd; his servant in sommer, w' meate & drynke vd, wt owte mete and drynke xd. In wynter wt meate & drynke vja, wt owte meate and drynke xjd; his servant in wynter wt meate & drynke iiijd, wt owte meate & drynke ixd. Shipwryght, the master hewer, by the daye, wt meate & drynke xijd, wt owte meate & drynke xvij.

The Able Clyncher, by the daye, wt meate & drynke xa, wt owte meate & drynke xja.

The Holder, by the daye, wt meate & drynke vja, wt owte meate & drynke xjd.

The Master Calker, by the daye, wt meate & drynke xd, wt owte meate & drynke xvd.

The Meane Calker, by the daye, wt meate & drynke viijd, wt owte meate & drynke xiijd.

MEN SERVANTS THE YERE.

The Baylyffe of husbandry which taketh charge, wt his liverey la and wt owte his liverey lvjs viijd.

The best servant wt his livery xls and wt owte his liverey xlvjs viija.

The seconde sorte of servant, w his lyverey xxxiijs iiijd and wt owte his lyverey xls.

BOYES BY THE YERE.

Everye boye from xiiij yeres of age untill xviij yeres xxs, or ells meate, drynke & cloth & vjd a quarter.

WOMEN SERVANTS BY THE YERE.

The beste sorte wt owte lyvery xxvjs viijd. The seconde sorte wt owte lyverey xx.