Benchmark. An inscription carved into a stone wall by the makers of the 6-inch and 25-inch Ordnance Survey maps from the 1870s in Altrincham and many of the few remaining benchmarks in the area date from this period. All benchmarks incorporate a vertical arrow with a bar above, are usually about a foot up from the pavement on a solid piece of stone and the bar relates to the height shown on the map.
Burgage. A plot of land in the borough on which a burgess's house was usually built. In Altrincham burgage plots were 33 feet wide by 82.5 feet deep but double and half plots could also exist.
Burgess. A person who held land called a burgage in a borough. The rental for the burgage and land was 12d in 1290 and the burgess may have owned more than one burgage.
Charter. The Royal Charter, allowing the Lord of Altrincham, Hamo de Masci, to hold a market and fair was sealed by Edward I in 1290 and was followed by Hamo's own (undated) charter which created Altrincham a market borough. Hamo's object was to improve his finances through more opportunities for local taxes. Money had become difficult due to wars and dowries. The charter included the right to hold a Tuesday market and a fair on the Feast of the Assumption, in 1319 changed to the Feast of St James. The Tuesday market is still held and later a Saturday market was introduced. The Charter made Altrincham a free borough separate from Dunham (which included Bowdon) and created the Court Leet.
Court Leet. The Court Leet was a manoral court held once or twice a year which elected constables, other officers and juries to carry out administration of the town. It also tried petty offences, had to oversee the law (constables were active until 1856 when they were replaced by a police force), highways and footpaths (surveyors), commons (common lookers), poaching, stray animals (pinders), drunkards, weights & measures, ale quality (ale founders, tasters and conners), bread quality (bread lookers), market trading (market lookers checking on corn, flesh and fish), cattle and swine lookers, water supplies (pump and well lookers), fire prevention (chimney lookers), the poor, scavengers, leather curing, Court Bailiffs and the Town Crier. They also created the Guild Mercatory to promote free trade. Later the Court Leet appointed the mayor right up to 1937 and the list of mayors from 1452 survives, the first two being Masseys and the last being Raymond Littler in 1973. The Court Leet was also responsible for keeping the boundaries of Altrincham defined and beat the bounds with willow twigs each year. This ceremony was revived in 1977 and the Court Leet now beats the Altrincham boundary following the present boundary markers and the small square red paving stones set in the pavement.
Frankpledge. An Anglo-Saxon system of grouping households into tens to monitor each other's conduct.
Higher Town. The name given to the area of Old Market Place until the mid-19th century.
Hollow Bonc. The Kingsway area was originally called Hollow Bonc or Bank and in the early 19th century was described as a precipice. It was a short cut from Higher Town (Old Market Place) down steps to Lower Town (George Street) but was not accessible to traffic. Kingsway was built in the 1860s when Hollow Bank was filled in and the terms Lower Town and Higher Town were discontinued. Bonc, a bank, may be from Welsh ponc or bonc, a hillock; also occurs as The Bongs at Stockport, Rostherne, Lymm and Warrington.
Lower Town. The name given to the George Street and Goose Green areas until the mid-19th century.
Mere. A boundary or boundary marker from Old English maer, a boundary.
Messuage. A dwelling house, its outbuildings and land, from Old French mesnage.
Pie Powder. The Court of Pie Powder administered instant justice at markets and fairs and settled disputes on the spot as they did across England. Pie Powder is a corruption of Old French pied poudre meaning ‘dusty of foot’ describing itinerant traders, hence readily identifiable strangers.
Pinfold Brow. Lloyd Street used to be called Pinfold Brow, ie where animals were penned on a hill. Brow is northern dialect brew, the slope below the projecting edge of a hill and is from Old English bru, Sanskrit bhru, an eyebrow.
Sanjam Fair. The date of the fair created by the 1290 Charter was changed in 1319 to the Feast of St. James and became known as Sanjam Fair, July 24, 25 and 26. Sanjam Fair was opened by a procession of the Court Leet and was held until 1895 when it was condemned as a nuisance.
Tenterframe. A wooden framework on which cloth was stretched with hooks after bleaching and fulling and before teasing and cropping.
Tithe. A tenth-part of produce as a local tax; eliminated by the 1830s Tithe Apportionments which determined a rent instead, based on acreage and the price of corn.
Tontine. A club whose participants contributed equally at perhaps a penny a week to a prize that was awarded to the participant who survived; from Lorenzo Tonti, an 18th century Italian banker.