Rent Roll for tenants & farms
of the Manor of Hamatethy
1634- 1651
The Domesday book tells us that the manor of Hamotedi existed before the Norman conquest and describes it as it was in 1086:- (A modern translation)" Richard also holds Hamatethy. Alric held it before 1066 and paid tax for ½ a hide; one hide there however. Land for 6 ploughs; 4 ploughs there; 3 slaves. 4 villagers and 8 smallholders. Woodland, 2 acres; pasture 5 leagues long and 2 leagues wide. Formerly 40 shillings; value now 30 shillings. 6 unbroken mares; 6 cattle;40 sheep;6 goats".
Hamatethy has had various spellings: Hamotedi 1086,Hamathethi c 1180,Amathezy 1302,Hamatety just to name a few.
The land was held by knight-service of the king. Thus Alaric held it of King Edward in Saxon times and, after the conquest, Count Robert of Mortain, the biggest landowner in Cornwall, held it of his half-brother King William I. Richard (son of Thorolf)was the Count's sub-tenant. It is unlikely that Richard ever resided at Hamatethy as he held 27 other manors and Hanetethy was a modest estate. A hide of land was a variable area; in England it was about 120 acres, but in Cornwall could be much more than this.
Richard's demesne or home-farm was an area sufficient for 2 ploughs, that is, as much arable as could be managed with 2 ploughs and 2 teams of 8 oxen in a year, plus meadow, pasture and houses for the householders and cattle belonging to it. The remaining 2 ploughs were held by the villagers and smallholders who also worked on the home-farm for 2 or 3 days a week all the year round as well as rendering other services and payments in kind.
| Name | Farms | £ | s. | d. | ||
| Thomas Darrell, Esq | Stepps in Advent | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| & for Moores | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||
| John Vivian, Esq | Carwether | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Barnard fflammock | Bocarne | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Christopher Cocke, Esq | Higher fearnacre | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Phillip Sprey, Gent. | Church Towne | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| William Pawle | Hill | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Reig. Rogers | for the same | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| John Hocken | for the same | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Anthony Nicholl, Esq | Palmers 9d. And Arishes 9d. in all | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| John Mullis | Henny Wears, [Henneward] ) | 2½d. | } | |||
| The heires of Jenken | for the same ) | 4d. | } | |||
| The heires of White | for the same) | 2 ½d. | }In all | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Thomas Lower, Esq | Layes [Leaze] | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| John Lynams | for the same | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| John Lord Roberts | {Layes | 6d. | } | |||
| & Rowden} | 5.d | }In all | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Mrs Phill | Keyres [Casehill] | 0 | 0 | 7½ | ||
| Wm Hocken, Gent | Higher Trewint | 2½d. | } | |||
| Lower Trewint | 2½d. | } | ||||
| Garross [Garrow] & Tryfullet Downes | 2½d. | }In all | 0 | 2 | 1½ | |
| Trewint & Garross Moors | 1s.6d. | } | ||||
| John Nicholl, Esq | Hennon | 1s.9d | } | |||
| Starlock | 6d | }In all | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| More | Outer Nemell [?Newhall] | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Andrew Piper | Torr | 6.d | } | |||
| Moors | 6d. | }In all | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ambrose Manaton, Esq | Carwether | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Christopher Hawken | for the same | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| The heires of Sir Richard Carnsew | Melland [Mellon] | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Stephen Tucker | Chaple | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Sum total | 1 | 2 | 5 |
(All information from this page is from 'A History of St Breward- The life of a moorland village', The St Breward History Group, copyright to and used withkind permission from Pamela Bousfield)