The Annals of Willenhall

Name: The Annals of Willenhall
Author: Hackwood, Frederick William

Hackwood, Frederick William

Willenhall (Walsall, England)

So sure of their position were they that the prebendaries actually
proceeded to lease out their property.  Among the others, the prebendary
of Willenhall granted his lands and tithes to John Leveson, Esq. (who
held several other of the prebendal properties), for a reserved rent of
£6 6s.

Although the various deeds were confirmed by the Dean and Chapter of
Windsor, the legality of the proceedings was questioned; and presently it
was successfully contended that the Deanery of Wolverhampton was a
separate benefice detached from the College of Windsor, and that the
prebends were in the hands of the Crown.

There is extant another valuation of these ecclesiastical revenues in the
Primate’s Court.  The record is in Latin, but it may be Englished thus:—

                                                   £       s.       d.
Canterbury values Willenhall                       5        2        1
It Days to the Dean of Wolverhampton               0        3        3

             (William Leveson, Prebendary of
                                Willenhall.)

The Prebendary of Willenhall is worth per annum:—

                                                           s.       d.
In Glebeland                                               41        0
In Corn tithes                                             40        0
In Wool and Lambs                                          46        8
In Easter dues                                             13       10
In Tithes of Fodder, of Hogs, and Geese and other          40        0
small tithes
Thence is paid, in every third year, to the Dean,           6        8
for the Synod

The valuation of Wolverhampton College which is to be regarded as that of
the Reformation was made in 1551, and one item in which may be quoted
from Oliver’s “History of Wolverhampton Church” (p. 63):—“And for £12 6s.
8d. for the farm of the Prebend of Willnall, with all messuages, tithes,
lands, rents, services, and other profits to the said Prebend belonging,
demised to John Horton, by Indenture under seal of the said College,
dated 4th November, 33 Henry VIII., for the term of 21 years,” &c., &c.

Turning our attention to Willenhall itself, let us see how the Chapel
here was affected.  The Chantry foundation of this Chapel, like all
others, had to go.  Chantries being founded by the pious rich to have the
souls of their dear departed prayed for, could not be tolerated by the
Protestant reformers, and were all rigidly suppressed.  Here is the
valuation formally taken in the reign of Henry VIII. (1526), as before
mentioned:—

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Annals of Willenhall

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