Elizabethan Coastal Surveys, 1565

Geolocated transcriptions of surveys commissioned by the English government in 1564 and 1565 to enquire into the state of the ports and landing places of England and Wales.

[!TIP] The geographic scope of these surveys and transcripts for individual places can be examined with Peripleo on the accompanying Interactive Map.

The transcripts are contained on various tabs in an Excel file in the /docs/data folder (here), where you can also find the GeoJSON files used by Peripleo. They can also be downloaded as a single zipped file from Zenodo.

Content

State Papers (sources)

In addition to lists of county Commissioners and their local Deputies, these surveys represent a crude census of local populations, including numbers of people engaged as mariners and fishermen (including boys). For many localities there are lists of vessels, sometimes indicating the name, type, tonnage, owner(s), master, and numbers of crew. Additionally, there is sometimes information about the local Customs management, including details of the types of goods traded and to what destinations.

Articles of instructions for suppressing pirates and other disorders on the coast of Norfolk, and upon other sea coasts (TNA SP 12/37 f.149, 11 Oct 1565-10 Nov 1565). 1. Fyrst inquirie to be made of all portes, creekes, and landing places within that shire, with the proper names thereof, and how many of the same have any townes or habitations scytuate upon the same, and what the same be and what nomber of howesholdes are in the same towne, and how many do lacke habitacions, and in whose governance all the sayd portes, creekes, and landinge places ar, and by whose aucthorytie shippes and vessells are commenly lycensed eyther to lade or unlade there, or to land or go forthe from the same place, and of all the premysses to make due and particuler certyficat. 2. Item what shippes boates and vessells do belong to every of the sayd places, and of what burden every of the same be, and to whome they doe belonge, and what be the names of the shippes, and in what sorte or trade they are comonly occupyed, and what nomber of persons are usuallye occupyed or attendinge to gett their livinge with the same vessells, and how manye of the same are marryners and how many fyshermen. 3. Item to take straight order that none of the same shippes or vessells, nor any other shippe or vessell that hereafter shall come hither, shall go to the sea for any respect or servyce, without knowledge gyven and assent had of such or so manye as by the hed Commyssioners shall be deputed to receve the informacion thereof, and to gyve lycens for the goinge to the seas or steyinge them as they shall see cawse. 4. Item, that no graine victuell lether horses mares or geldinges nor in any other thinge prohibited by the lawes or orders of the realme, shalbe suffered to be put into any vessell or caryed to the seas without knowledge first gyven to the said Deputies to consider by what aucthoryte or warraunte may appere to procede directlye from the Quenes Majestie and to remaine in force, nothing of the premisses be sufferid to be laden or caryed further, and at this tyme to have spetiall regarde that no maner of graine be sufferid to be sent owt untill spetiall warraunte shall come from her Majestie for the same, with expresse wordes conteyninge the quantyte and cawse of sending furthe the same. 5. Item when so ever any shippe or vessell shall come into any of the sayd ports or landing places, that knowledge be gyven fourthwith to the sayd personnes deputed by the commissioners, and by theyr discrecions and ordres the ware and commodities brought in shall be landyd, and put to vent or sale, so as neverthelesse if there shall be any suspicion of unlaufull getting of the sayd wares or commodities, that then regarde be had by the sayd deputies for the arestinge and furthe comynge both of the personnes, and the wares, and examinacion to bee speedely and severally taken of as muche as shall be seene needefull to try over the suspicion and thereof certifficat to be gyven and made to the commissioners and as they shall ordere so therein to be doon. 6. Item that no manner of victuell be made redy or provyded and sent to any porte or creeke from any place but with the speciall knowledge, licens, and assent of the sayd deputies, and they to have good consideracion that they gyve no assent or allowance in those causes but where they shall perceyve playnely the same victuell to be made redy or provyded to be employed for the use of shippes to be used for good and true merchannts or for the trade of fysshing, or where passage shall be for honest passingers and in no wyse for any man of warre other then suche as shall manifestly be knowne to belong to the Queenes Majestie the lyke care shall be hadd that no municions, ordenance, artillery or other provision of the warres be made to be bestowed in any shipp or vessell but suche as shalbe meete and convenient for the ordinary defence of merchannts or passingers according to theyr voyage. 7. Item that the hedd commissioner or the more parte of them shall once or oftener in every moneth untill the fyrst of february next reporte to the sayd ports, creeks, and landing places, to see and examyn by all good avenues the doings of theyr deputies, or the doings of any officers in the portes, and as cause shall move them to certefy the lordes of the privie counsell of the estate of theyr commission with theyr opinions what shall be meete further to be doon in the same. 8. Item that uppon any suspicion conceyved of any person for attempting to breake any of these ordres, or for any matter tending to the attempt of piracie by way of ayding, furdering, abetting, or consenting, the sayd commissioners and theyr deputies shall doo theyr uttermost to arrest and put in good suretie the same personnes to be annswerable thereunto. 9. Item that bondes and assurancs be taken with good penalties of all owners and Masters of any shippes or vessells to doo nothing directly or indirectly to the contrary of the sayd articles. 10. Item that all personnes having any rule or authoritie within any of the the ports, either as ___ customers, searchers, comptrollers, portreves, waterbaylifs, or by what name so ever they shall be called, shalbe obedient to the sayd commissioners, and to such as they shall appoint to be theyr deputies. 11. Item the sayd commissioners and theyr deputyes shall in all theyr doings have regarde to the favorable usage of all honnest merchants aswell strangers being in amitie with hir majetie as englyshe, that they be not hindered in theyr trades by any unnecessarie delayes or vexacions and next that all good meanes be used to procure that hir majestie may be duly answered of hir customes and subsidies.

For thexecution of the premisses, A commission under the great seale of England to be directed to iiij, v, or vj of every countie, whereof three at the least to have the authoritie to survey thestate of all havens, creekes, and landing places within the sheere to them limited, and after the view taken to choose and nominate suche personnes as they shall think meete to execute the artyicles above expressed being annexed to the commission, and by vertue of the same commission to authorise them so to doo, and from tyme to tyme during ther commission to change them and appoint others, and generally to doo theyr uttermost for the execution of the articles annexed to the sayd commission and all other things that may seeme to represse piracies and depredacions.

[!NOTE] This spatial dataset is supplemented with details of Head Ports and Legal Quays operating within Customs Ports in 1566, together with a note of the earliest surviving Port Book in each case.

Exchequer Surveys (sources)

The information contained in the Exchequer surveys varies from one to another, despite the Commissioners all receiving essentially the same instructions. Details may include the ownership and condition of buildings used in management of the Customs, the arrangement and names of Customs officers, and the hierarchy of landing places within Customs ports together with an indication of their commercial viability.

Sources

State Papers

• TNA SP 12/35 (1565).
  • Merionethshire (ff.138-139)
• TNA SP 12/37 (1565).
  • Norfolk (ff.189-191)
  • Suffolk (ff.192-195)
• TNA SP 12/38 (1565).
  • Dorset (ff.44r-57r)
  • Hampshire (ff.?-99)
  • Lincolnshire (ff.117-120)
  • Norfolk (ff.13-38)
  • Sussex (ff.129-135)
• TNA SP 12/39 (1565).
  • Anglesey (f.76)
  • Caernarfonshire (f.75)
  • Cardiganshire (ff.1-4)
  • Carmarthenshire (ff.96-98)
  • Denbighshire (f.99)
  • Essex (ff.72-80)
  • Flintshire (f.99)
  • Pembrokeshire (ff.13-17v)
  • Suffolk (ff.52-?)
  • Sussex (ff.132-142)
• TNA SP 15/12 (1565).
  • Durham (f.217)
• TNA SP 15/13 (1565).
  • Cumberland (ff.19r-20r)
• BL Stowe MS 570/34 (1565).
  • Kent (ff.177-178)
• MISSING Please get in touch if you can identify a source for the following:
  • Cambridgeshire (Isle of Ely)
  • Cheshire
  • Cornwall [1578: SP 12/122 f.13 (not transcribed)]
  • Devon
  • Glamorgan [1578: SP 12/122 f.26 (not transcribed)]
  • Gloucestershire
  • Lancashire
  • Middlesex
  • Monmouthshire
  • Northumberland
  • Somerset
  • Westmorland
  • Yorkshire

Exchequer Surveys

• TNA E 159/350 Exchequer: King's Remembrancer: Memoranda Rolls and Enrolment Books (1565).

  • Bridgwater (rot.336),
  • Yarmouth (rot.337),
  • Chester (rot. 338),
  • Boston (rot.339),
  • Poole (rot.340),
  • Hull (rot.341),
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne (rot.342),
  • Southampton (rot.343),
  • King's Lynn (rot.344),
  • Carlisle (rot.345),
  • Ipswich (rot.346),
  • Exmouth & Dartmouth (rot.347),
  • Bristol (rot.348),
  • Sandwich (rot.349),
  • Plymouth & Fowey (rot.350),
  • Bristol (further enquiry, rot.351).

• James Dallaway, 'A History of the Western Division of the County of Sussex', (1815)

  • Chichester (printed transcription, possibly incomplete: original survey not yet located)