Collated by Mary Mason.
During the
reign of Elizabeth I, attention was given to `national defence`.
The Constables
of each Hundred were supposed to take the most robust men, twice a year for
training, in order to defend the realm `in the hour of need`. These men were in
addition to the regular soldiers and became known as the `Militia`.
Steps were
taken to promote the forging of armour at home and supplies were also obtained
from abroad. Attention was given to the supply of horses that should be
maintained and kept in readiness for muster and enquiries were made as to the
number of parks in the county with the capacity for horse breeding and rearing.
In 1569
during the 11th year of Elizabeth I, a list of Musters was drawn up.
The Somerset Count was taken by Hugh Paulet, Maurice Berkeley, Raffe Hopton and
John Horner.
The Musters
lists contain the names of the Militia men in the parish and the weapons that
they carried. They also listed all the parks, and the names of all the
gentleman with the armour and horses provided by or due from them.
Hundred of Winterstoke.
Tithing of
Yatton.
Ablemen.
John
Rome..pikeman
William
Milkes..pikeman
John
Lette..billman
John
Bekes..gunner
William
Harris..gunner
Francis
Jordan..archer
Henry
Dale..light horseman
Thomas
Marshe..archer
John
Meke..archer
William
Hannam..archer
John
Symes..archer
John
Davy..archer
Edmond
Grove..billman
John
Tucker..billman
John
Audley.. billman
John
Horte..archer
John
Lakes..pikeman
Walter
Harrys..pikeman
William
Orle..billman
Thomas
Niher..billman
William
Coke..archer
Henry
Atwill..archer
Hugh
Miller..archer
John
Burd..archer
Richard Brace..archer
Armour.
One tithing
coslet.
Christopher
Kenne, esquire, iij corslets, ij paire of almain rivets furnished, ij geldings
for a light horseman furnished, one harquebut, one murrion.
John Hannan
with others, one corslet.
John
Erishe, one corslet.
Richard
Williams with others, one corslet.
William
Smethes, John Horte, one corslet.
Thomas
Wornall, John Pery with others, vj paire of almain rivets furnished.
In the same
tithing are vj bows with arrows.
Tithing of
Blagdon.
Ablemen.
John
Shepard..gunner
Richard
Bele..billman
William
Willit..billman
George
Bathe.. billman
William
Wattes..billman
John
More..archer
John
Derrick..archer
Thomas
Walton..archer
John
Dorting..archer
George
Dulting..archer
William
Plenty..archer
John
Plenty..billman
John Bowcher..billman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Maurice
Freeman with others, one corslet.
In the same
tithing, ij bows with arrows, ij bills.
Tithing of
Cheddar.
Ablemen.
Richard
Brace..gunner
John
Brace..billman
John
Burde..billman
Thomas
Towne..billman
Ralphe
Broke..archer
Richard
Hambridge..archer
William
Pitte..billman
John
Pylton..pikeman
John
Bingham..pikeman
John
Clenche..pikeman
Ed.
Chamberlane..billman
Nicholas
Crocker..billman
Thomas
Spering..billman
Ralph Bewsam..archer
John
Bole..archer
John
Croker..archer
Edmond
Roo.. billman
William
Bole..pikeman
William
Tucker..pikeman
John
Famell..pikeman
Anthony
Neight..billman
Willia
Peirse..billman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Edmond Roo,
gent, one corslet.
John
Shepard with others, ij paire of almain rivets furnished.
Tithing of
Compton.
Ablemen.
William
Hardly..billman
William
Atwill..billman
John
Stebbes..billman
John
Wilkins..archer
John
Boole..archer
John
Preston..archer
Hugh
Smeth..archer.
Armour
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
William
Watson, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Thomas
Shepard, a bow with arrows.
In the same
tithing remains iij bills, with swords.
Tithing of
Congresbury.
Ablemen.
William
Bewy..pikeman
Robert
Coxxe..billman
John
Swayne..billman
Edmond
Harte..pikeman
John
Lobille..billman
Thomas
Sardnell..archer
Edward
Turner..archer
John
Harris..archer
George
Clarke..pikeman
William
Chesman..pikeman
John
More..billman
John Henston..billman
William
Swayne..billman
Erasmus
Symes..billman
John
Rendoll..archer
John
Wattes..archer
John
Hunte..archer
John
Otrye..archer
Thomas
Tucker..archer
John
Younge..pikeman
John
Haldon..pikeman
Robert
Battell..billman
John
Stillman..billman
Richard
Pycher..billman
Robert
Knight..billman
Robert
Wilmate..billman
William
Kinge..archer
William
Body..archer
John
Perche..archer
John
Willy..archer
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Thomas
Kenne, gent, one corslet.
Robert May,
gent, i corslet, one gelding for light horseman.
Elizabeth
Cade, widow, one paire of almain rivets.
In the same
tithing there remains iij bows, iij sheafs of arrows, and ten bills with swords
daggers.
Tithing of
Bleadon
Ableman.
William
Rodway.. billman
John
Hicks..billman
Thomas
Sims..billman
John
Shepard..billman
Edmond
Deane..billman
John
Keser..billman
John
Smethe..billman
Robert
Stile..billman
Thomas
Howper..billman
Thomas
Wilshire..archer
Robert
Rasher..archer
William
Rusher..gunner
Henry Miles..pikeman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet furnished, one paire of almain rivets furnished, iij bills, ij swords.
Tithing of
Loxton and Uphill.
Ablemen.
Leonard
Charles..archer
Robert
Daye..billman
Richard
Howsse..billman
John
Smethe..billman
William Wattrum..billman
Thomas
Watkins..archer
John
Newcort..archer
William
Wilton..archer
Henry
Rendoke..billman
Thomas
Harryson..billman
Thomas
Mower..billman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
William
Rowsewell, gent, one corslet, one gelding for a light horseman furnished, one
harquebut, one murrion, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
John
Hurdaker, one corslet.
Tithing of
Worle.
Ablemen.
William
Morse..billman
John
Warren..billman
John
Jonson..billman
John
Thomas..billman
David
Warren..gunner
Richard
Goodman..pikeman
Richard
Clarke..billman
Hughe
Tailor..billman
William
More..billman
William
Davy..billman
John
Torkey..billman
John
Stevye..billman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
In the same
tithing 4 bills.
Anthony
Selwode, gent, one corslet, one cote of plate furnished.
Tithing of
Churchill.
Ablemen.
Richard
Androes..pikeman
William
Hiskotte..pikeman
John
Squire..light horseman
Phelip
Made..gunner
Laverens
Cowke..billman
Larerens Parsons..billman
Thomas
Crosse..archer
Henry
Smalwode..archer
Hughe
Thomas..archer
John
Becher..archer
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, ij paire of almain rivets furnished.
Ct.
Jenynges, esquire, ij corslets, ij paire of almain rivets furnished, one
gelding for a light horseman furnished, one harquebut, one murren.
John Payne
esquire, one gelding for a light horseman, one corslet, etc.
Tithing of
Winscombe.
Ablemen.
John
Pytman..billman
John
Urch..billman
Thomas
Bennett..billman
Jas.
Clarke..billman
Thomas Baylye..billman
William
Marshe..billman
William
Harves..billman
William
Millard..archer
John
Bowcher..archer
Anthony
Gregory..pikeman
John
Coxe..billman
John
Lave..billman
William
Geve..billman
Nicholas
Androes..billman
Richard
Kenne..billman
John Clarke..billman
Hughe
Mower..archer
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Alice
Cowper, widow, ij corslets, one harquebut, one murrion, one paire fo almain
rivets furnished.
William
Andres, one bow with arrows.
Tithing of
Banwell.
Ablemen.
Thomas
Purdye..billman
John
Hawkens..billman
Thomas
Shepard..archer
John
Sawer..archer
John
Hawkins..archer
William
Sware..billman
John
Scottman..billman
William
Crowke..pikeman
William
Knight..gunner
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
John Quarr
with others, ij bows with arrows.
Tithing of
Locking.
Ablemen.
Thomas
Lukins..pikeman
Robert
Allen..archer
George
Harrys..billman
Hughe
More..billman
Armour.
One Tithing
corslet furnished.
Tithing of
Badgworth.
Ablemen.
John
Daye..pikeman
John
Lye..billman
William
Smethe..billman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Tything of
Hutton.
Ablemen.
Thomas
Burnam..pikeman
Robert
Younge..pikeman
John
Porter..pikeman
Peter
Pryer..gunner
Thomas
Daye..light horseman.
Walter
Harris..pikeman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Thomas
Payne, esquire, iij corslets furnished, ij geldings for a light horseman
furnished, one harquebut, i morion.
Tithing of
Weston.
Ablemen.
John
Collins..light horseman
Thomas
Busbell..pikeman
George
Mower..billman
Thomas
Stokes..billman
Stephen
Rogers..billman
Thomas
Jenkens..billman
William
Smethe..archer
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished, ij bills.
Tithing of
Rowberrow and Shipham.
Ablemen.
Thomas
Vylly..pikeman
William
Michell..billman
John
Masters..billman
William
Mylles..billman
Armour.
Two tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Tithing of
East Harptree.
Ablemen.
John Clarke..billman
John
Bowcher..billman
William
Jones..archer
John
Mary..archer
Richard
Taler..archer
Robert
Stephens..archer
William
Dymocke..pikeman
James
Harrys..archer
John
Tyller..archer
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished, one bow, one sheaf of arrows,
with sword dagger.
Tithing of
Stoke Gifford.
Ablemen.
Edward
Morgan..pikeman
Thomas
Willing..pikeman
John
Keines..pikeman
John
Druye..gunner
John
Hille..gunner
William
Townsend..billman
James
Lane..billman
Robert
Stone..light horseman
Andrew
Hoskens..pikeman
John
Williams..light horseman
Hughe
More..billman
Armour.
One tithing
corslet, one paire of almain rivets furnished.
Maurice
Rodney, esquire, one great horse with a demi-lance, iiij corslets, iij paire of
almain rivets furnished, ij geldings for light horsemen furnished, ij murrens.
Over and
besides: ij corslets in readiness furnished.
Over and
besides the armour aforesaid there is in readiness in the said Hundred, of
benevolens, xvj corslets, vj calivers.
Sum of the
Ablemen in the said Hundred, ccxiij.
Whereof
Light
horsemen….vij
Gunners…………..xj
Pikeman………….lix
Archers…………..ixx
Billman………….ixvj
Sum of the
Armour within the said Hundred:
Geldings,
light horsemen..viij
Harquebuts,
murrions……---
Corslets……………….….ix
Almain
rivets……….xxxviij
Calivers………………....xiij
………………………