LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
In 1279 Walden
abbey (Essex), which, probably before 1230, had
been granted in free alms lordship over a few
tenements at Reach, claimed view of frankpledge
there. (fn. 50) By the 1380s, too, view of frankpledge
at Reach supposedly belonged to a manor in
Exning (Suff.), once held by the Valence earls
of Pembroke, (fn. 51) which was attached by 1440 to
the Cottons' Landwade manor. (fn. 52) Leet jurisdic
tion over Reach, described in 1279 as a hamlet
of Swaffham Prior, (fn. 53) belonged primarily, however, to Ely priory's court in that vill. (fn. 54) From
the 14th century that court occasionally
appointed to serve specifically for Reach one of
two or three aletasters; (fn. 55) by the 16th it also
named for Reach a constable, (fn. 56) and c. 1610 a
fenreeve. (fn. 57) Ramsey abbey's Burwell court,
which had also taken presentments from aletasters for Reach in 1312 and 1429, (fn. 58) later mostly
confined its infrequent interventions there to
tenurial and agrarian matters. (fn. 59)
A parish council was established early in 1954,
when Reach was constituted a separate parish,
following local preference for separation from
Swaffham Prior. (fn. 60)
Footnotes
| 50 |
B.L. Harl. MS. 3697, f. 242v.; Rot. Hund. (Rec.
Com.), ii. 487; cf. Cal. Pat. 1555-7, 11. |
| 51 |
e.g. Cal. Pat. 1381-5, 58, 579; 1392-6, 610-11;
1408-13, 143; P.R.O., CP 25/1/289/55, no. 161; cf.
Copinger, Suff. Manors, iv. 156-9. |
| 52 |
Cal. Close, 1441-7, 321-2. |
| 53 |
Rot. Hund. ii. 484. |
| 54 |
Cf. C.U.L., E.D.C., 7/12/6, ct. roll 35 Hen. VI. |
| 55 |
Ibid. 7/12/5: 12 Edw. III; 7/12/6: 1 Hen. VI; 7/12/7:
40 Eliz. I. |
| 56 |
Ibid. 7/12/7: 15, 27 Eliz. I; 7/12/8: 1, 8, 11 Jas. I. |
| 57 |
Ibid. 7/12/8: 3, 11 Jas. I |
| 58 |
e.g. P.R.O., SC 2/179/10: 5 Edw. II; SC 2/179/56: 7
Hen. VI. |
| 59 |
e.g. ibid. LR 3/8/2: 25-6 Eliz. I; LR 3/9c, p. 42. |
| 60 |
Camb. Daily News, 4 Dec. 1952; 9 Apr. 1954. |