The Book of Husbandry. Anthony Fitzherbert
at the moment of writing, a fact is too notorious to be worth mentioning.
Here the direct external evidence ceases. We now come to consider the internal evidence, which is interesting enough.
In the first place, the author of the Book of Husbandry was also the author of the Book of Surveying, as he tells us explicitly in his prologue to the latter book. But whoever wrote the Book of Surveying must have been a considerable lawyer. It is of a far more learned and technical character than the Book on Husbandry, and abounds with quotations from Latin statutes, which the author translates and explains. In Chap. 1 he says of a certain statute, that, in his opinion, it was made soon after the Battle of Evesham, in the time of Henry III.; and he frequently interprets statutes with the air of one whose opinion was worth having. In Chap, xi., he enlarges upon the mistakes made by lords, knights, squires, and gentlemen who know but little of the law. “They come to the court or sende their clerkes, that can [know] as litle law as their maister or lasse, but that he vnderstandeth a lytell latyn.” At the end of the same chapter, he is deep in law-terms, court-roll, fee simple, fee tayle, franke tenement, and all the rest of it. He then gives numerous forms, all in Latin, to be used by owners who wish to lease, grant, or surrender lands; but only a good lawyer would venture to recommend forms suitable for such important purposes.
Some other points of internal evidence have already been incidentally noticed, such as the author’s familiarity with the mode of life of the rich; his lesson made for “a gentylmans seruaunte”; his readiness to try many ways of farming as an experimentalist who could afford to lose money; and his statement that Latin was no trouble to him. I proceed to notice a few more.
Something further can be inferred from the author’s mention of places. He speaks of so many counties, as Cornwall, Devon, Essex, Kent, Somerset, Buckinghamshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, that we can at first obtain no definite result. But there is an express allusion to “the peeke countreye” at p. 44; whilst at p. 81 he alludes to the parts about London by using the adverb “there,” as if it were not his home. Yet that he was perfectly familiar with London is obvious from his allusions to it in chap. xix. of the Book on Surveying. But there are two more explicit references which are worth notice. At p. 27, he speaks of “the farther syde of Darbyshyre, called Scaresdale, Halomshyre, and so northewarde towarde Yorke and Ryppon.” Now Scarsdale is one of the six “hundreds” of Derbyshire, and includes the country about Dronfield and Chesterfield; whilst Hallamshire is a name given to a part of Yorkshire lying round and including Sheffield. We hence fairly deduce the inference that the author lived on the western side of Derbyshire, in the neighbourhood of Ashborne, so that he looked upon Chesterfield as lying on the farther side of the country, and at the same time northward, which is precisely the fact. We are thus led to locate the author in the very neighbourhood of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert’s home.
Again, at p. 65, he says that if he were to say too much about the faults of horses, he would break the promise that he made “at Grombalde brydge,” the first time that he went to Ripon to buy colts. After some search as to the place here intended, I found, in Allen’s History of Yorkshire, that one of the bridges over the Nidd near Knaresborough is called “Grimbald bridge;”[8] and, seeing that Knaresborough is exactly due south of Ripon, it follows that the author came from the south of Knaresborough. We seem, in fact, to trace the general direction of his first ride to Ripon, viz. from his home to the farther side of Derbyshire, through the northwest corner of Scarsdale to Sheffield, and “so northward” through Leeds and Knaresborough. Nothing can be more satisfactory.
A very interesting point is the author’s love of farming and of horses. As to horses, he tells us how he first went to Ripon to buy colts (p. 65); how many secrets of horse-dealing he could tell; how, in buying horses, he had been beguiled a hundred times and more (p. 63); how he used to say to his customers that, if ever they ventured to trust any horse-dealer, they had better trust himself (p. 73); and how he had in his possession at one time as many as sixty mares, and five or six horses (p. 60). In this connection, it becomes interesting to inquire if Sir Anthony Fitzherbert was fond of horses likewise.
It so happens that this question can certainly be answered in the affirmative; and I have here to acknowledge, with pleasure and gratitude, the assistance which I have received from one of the family,[9] the Rev. Reginald Fitzherbert, of Somersal Herbert, Derbyshire. He has been at the trouble of transcribing Sir Anthony’s will, a complete copy of which he contributed to “The Reliquary,” No. 84, vol. xxi. April, 1881, p. 234. I here insert, by his kind permission, his remarks upon the subject, together with such extracts from the will as seem most material for our present purpose.
“The following will of Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, of Norbury, is transcribed from the Office Copy at Somerset House (Dingley, fol. 20), and is now printed, as I believe, for the first time. The contractions have been written out in extenso.
“Sir Anthony married, secondly, the co-heir of Richard Cotton, and with her he acquired the estate of Hampstall Ridware, which he probably kept in his own hands, and farmed himself. He succeeded his brother John at Norbury in 1531, and died there in 1538, aged 68.
“Fuller, in his Worthies, says that Sir Anthony Fitzherbert’s books are ‘monuments which will longer continue his Memory than the flat blew marble stone in Norbury Church under which he lieth interred.’ Camden (Gibson’s ed. 1753, vol. i. p. 271) calls him Chief Justice of the Common Pleas; but Thoroton (Notts., ed. 1677, p. 344) says, ‘I do not find that Anthony Fitzherbert was ever Chief Justice;’ and it does not appear that he was more than, as he describes himself, ‘oon of the kings Justices.’ ”
Extracts from
Testamentum Anthonii Fitzherbert.
“In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti Amen.”
“I Anthony ffitzherbert oon of the kings Justices being hole in body and of parfite remembraunce thankes to almighty god make my last will and testament the xii day of October in the xxixth yere of the Reign of king Henry the eight[10] in fourme folowing ffirst I bequeth my soule to almighty god my saviour criste my Redemer and to our blissed Lady his mother and to Mighel my patron and to all the holy company of hevyn. …
And I bequethe XLs to amende the high wayes[11] bitwixt Abbottes Bromley [and] Vttaxather. And to sir Thomas ffitzwilliam Lord Admyrall fyve markes and the best horsse or gelding that I haue. And to Humfrey Cotton V markes to ffraunces Cotton fyve markes and a gelding or a horsse of XLs price. And to euery of my housholde seruentes a quarter wagis besides their wagis due. And to euery of my seruentes that be used to Ryde with me[12] oon heyffer of two yere olde and vpward or ellse oon felde Colt of that age.
And to sir Henry Sacheuerell and to sir William Basset to euery of them oon horsse Colt of twoo yeres olde and aboue. …
And tenne kyne and a bull and VIII oxen and a wayn and the ploez and other thinges longing to a wayne, to remayn at Rydwar for heire Lomes. And XII mares, and a stallande, and VI. fetherbeddes and VI mattresses and Couerynges blankettes shetes and Counterpoyntes thereunto to logge honest gentilmen, and to remain at Rydwar for heire lomes to the heires males of ffitzherbert. …
And I will that Kateryn my doughter haue foure bullockes and four heiffers and twoo ffetherbeddes and twoo bolsters and twoo mattresse and bolsters for them and shetes blankettes and other stuffe to make hir twoo good beddis yf I geve hir non by my life. …
And where I caused Thomas ffitzherbert to surrendre the Indenture of the fferme of the parsonage of Castelton in the Peeke to the Abbot of Vayll Royal to the intent, to thentent (sic) that I and he shulde haue fourty yeres terme therin more then was in the olde Indenture, And to take a newe leesse for terme of threscore and tenne yeres