Good Old eBay

Good Old eBay

The internet selling site eBay has some Lincolnshire items for sale with surnames attached;  the first is an  indenture for land in Skirbeck Quarter.   Dated from 1860 it is worded thus “This Indenture made the Seventh day of November One thousand eight hundred and sixty between Edward HILLSON of the hamlet of Skirbeck Quarter in the parish of Skirbeck in the county of Lincoln Gardener of the first part, the said Edward HILLSON and Elizabeth his wife (Devisees in fee under the will of Edward HILLSON late of Skirbeck Quarter aforesaid Gentleman deceased) of the second part and Valentine PEPPER of Carrington in the County of Lincoln Farmer of the third part ..... to the mortgage and the price paid which was £1,150”.  A fair sum of money for the 19th century.  The surname PEPPER comes from the original occupation as a dealer in pepper, a pepperer or spice dealer and is linked to the French variation PEEVER.  It was to be found in 1298 when John PEPPER alias PEYUER is listed in one of the  London rolls.
Next is an Indenture Deed  in the parish of Wigtoft for the Release of a cottage and lands in Wigtoft, Lincolnshire, between Grace CHAPMAN of Swineshead, spinster, and James HOLBOURN of Wigtoft, grazier. Dated 21 January 1784 in the 24th year of the reign of George III. The property consists of  All that cottage with a piece of ground adjoining of half an acre in Hofleet in the parish of Wigtoft now in tenure of Richard WARRINER. Also land in Wigtoft Marsh. CHAPMAN comes from the Old English ceapman who was a merchant or trader.  The area in London known as Cheapside comes from the same root and ceapman had a market there.
Finally from the same vendor is an Indenture Deed in the parish of Helpringham An indenture regarding property in Helpringham, Lincolnshire, between Eustace PHILIPS of Lincoln, coal merchant, William DURANCE of Helpringham, butcher, and Mary his wife, and Boaz BAXTER of Helpringham, gentleman.  Dated 21 April 1774 in the 14th year of the reign of George III. The property consists of: All that cottage with yard, barn, dovecoat and outbuildings in Helpringham in the tenure of Edmund FRITH.  Surnames such as FREAK, FIRTH, FRITH, FRIDD and FRIGHT and the latecomer THRIFT all come from the Old English firhþe or fyrhþe which was a woodland.  The TH pronounced in FIRTH is the Old English þ.
 Bits and Bobs
The following link was given on the internet www.fred.net/jefalvey/execute.html.  This link is for a page on Newgate Prison in London and the List of Executions from 1606.  Newgate Prison was probably the most notorious prison in all England and one that almost everyone has heard of.  A prison has stood on the Newgate site for almost a thousand years. The first prison was nearly as old as the Tower of London and much older than the Bastille. It is first mentioned in the reign of King John and in the following reign of Henry the III, (1218), the King expressly commands the sheriffs of London to repair it, and promised to repay them from his own exchequer. This shows that the prison was under the direct control of the King at that time. The prison itself was originally above the gate or in the gatehouse.  Carry out a search for the word Lincoln and the first entry for Lincoln that comes up is - HORRY, William Fred     1872  01 Apr   Murder of wife; Lincoln.