Description:The Sutherland Papers contain many rentals relating to the lands owned by the Leveson family. One particularly intriguing rental dates back to 1545-50 and details the lands owned by John Leveson of London in and around Wolverhampton. The rental lists ‘all the landes belonging Vnto John Leveson of London beinge in Willnall and Wedesfelde and Hampton’.
John Leveson’s lands in Willenhall, Wednesfield and Wolverhampton
The first property listed on the rental is ‘a howse called Prestwode hall’. The rental also details the various croft land including ‘barley crofte’ and ‘ladye crofte’ attached to the hall, and also the wood, pasture, meadow and field lands adjoining the property. The rental lists the annual payments due to John Leveson by the people leasing his property and land.
Other properties listed include numerous houses ‘with a garden’ leased out to various people in return for agricultural work. Rycharde Barratt occupied ‘A howsse with a garden’ in return for ‘a daye worke in Horsley felde’ and ‘a daye worke in wyndesmyll felde’.
A number of other people rented land from John Leveson. John Howlett rented two garden plots and John Chandeller leased ‘a croft in wedsfelde’ for xxij pence'.
One of the largest payments for a property lease was made by Nycolas Helyn. Nycolas may have been a descendant of Richard Heylyn who had leased Prestwood Hall from John’s father Nicholas Leveson earlier in the sixteenth century. R. F. Wisker writes that Richard Heylyn leased Prestwood Hall, together with the gardens in the moat, the Lady croft and numerous other properties, for a period of seven years. The rental listing John Leveson’s lands states that Nycolas Helyn and a man named Samson leased ‘a mesuage, ij water mylles, iij pooles, ij parcels of Lande’ and ‘a parcel of wodde lande'. The rent paid by Helyn amounted to eight pounds, three shillings and fourpence.
The rental provides a sum total of the money paid to John Leveson annually which amounted to ‘xlvij li. Vjs. Xd'.
Contextual Information from: R. F. Wisker 'The Estates of James Leveson of Wolverhampton (d. 1547)', Staffordshire Archeaological Transactions, Volume 37 (1998).