The Sokens is a name often used to describe the area containing the traditional parishes of Thorpe,

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...

and Walton, which now lie in Tendring district in the

Naze The Naze is a headland on the east coast of England. It is on the coast of Essex just north of Blackwater and projects into the North Sea. This area is south of the double estuary of the River Stour and River Orwell at Harwich and just nor ...

area of northeast Essex. The significance of this grouping is now mostly historical. The name 'Soken' is derived from the Saxon '' 'soc' '' or '' 'soca', '' signifying immunity, peculiar privileges and jurisdiction. It refers in particular to the power to administer justice within itself, and likewise the circuit within which such power was exercised. Among others was the claim that no bailiff except the lord's bailiff could arrest any person within the parish.

History

Thorpe, Kirby and Walton once made up the ancient manor of Adulvesnasa. This name probably refers to the

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...

or Naze where Walton now lies, and may denote a former landowner. The Domesday Book states that, in 1066, the

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

was owned by the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's in London, and was assessed at 27 hides. It may have been granted to them by King Athelstan. The manor was held directly of the King, forming a peculiar jurisdiction or soke. The first indication of subdivision into three dependent manors comes in 1150. The Chapter retained the area until 1544, when it was exchanged with the Crown for other estates. In 1551 the manorial rights were granted by the young Edward VI to Thomas Darcy, Baron Darcy of Chiche. The manor descended with the Barons Darcy and earls of Rochford, until being sold by the fourth earl to Richard Rigby in 1775 to pay debts. Since then, the rights have been sold numerous times. The Sokens formed a peculiar jurisdiction within the Church of England, with its own

ecclesiastical court An ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages, these courts had much wider powers in many areas of Europe than be ...

under the responsibility of a commissary appointed by the lord of the manor. This court dealt with a range of matters that has lessened over time. In earlier years it would have included dealing with disciplinary offences such as adultery, fornication and drunkenness. In later years it was limited to more administrative matters such as the proving of wills and granting of marriage licences. (In neighbouring parishes, this business would have been conducted in the court of the Archdeacon of Colchester.) Much of the soken court's business was taken away by the

Probate Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the sta ...

and

Matrimonial Causes Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

acts of 1857. From the 16th century onwards, the court generally sat in Thorpe church. The last session was held in 1861. The last commissary was William Burgess, in office from 1823-1862. He was also vicar of all three parishes. Manorial courts continued for a few decades more, until the late 19th century. Wood (1975) p.7

Notes

References

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