Routledge Family of Bewcastle, Cumberland and the Bond for Liddesdale, 1543

Returning for a short time to the Routledge Family of Bewcastle, Cumberland and I managed to partially transcribe a bond that was taken in 1543 by a number of residents of Liddesdale to ensure their loyalty to King Henry VIII. This bond includes as one of the 16 individuals who agreed to stand as pledge of their loyalty Joke Routledge. In 1543 he is not listed as the Laird of the Routledge Clan but by 1583 he is so named. Thomas, my cousin, would like to discover where Joke Routledge lived in order to ascertain just which Routledge branch were Laird of the Clan as in later years there wasn't a reference to anyone as being Laird of the Routledge Clan and thus we remain as leaderless so to speak. Although Thomas Routledge has kindly stepped into the breach and taken over the duties of "head" of the Routledge Clan. Tom lives in England and has been very busy accumulating a vast amount of information on the Routledge Clan:

http://www.everymansprey.com/

which you should visit if you are interested in your Routledge Family History.

The document is below as I have transcribed it thus far (it still needs a lot of work but I will move forward in the documents and work on the next ones that he has sent to me):

Transcriber - Elizabeth Kipp
Transcription Date - 21 May 2012
Document Read - XVIII, Pt II. 137 folio 32 page 209, page 210
Location of Document - The National Archives, Kew, London, England
Date of Document - 6 Sep 1543

Title: Copye of the Bonde for the Leddesdalle
1    M[emorandu]m that in h[i]s kynge his ma[jes]ties casstell gardyn at carlisle The
2    Sext day of septembre In the xxxvth yeare of his hyghnes most gra
3    cious Reigne, Thomas  Harmstrang Lord of Mayngerton x[o]p[h]ofer
4    armestrange  called Laird cystell perey armestrange archbald
5    armestrange Sym armestrang called Reid Sym dobs armstrange
6    Renyan Harmstrang Wyll armestrang called wyll of the gyngles
7    davy armestrange called davy the lady of sym armestrange whyntyn
8    Soy yngrys armstrang  Joke Routlege crysty armstrang John son
9    Arche armstrang hew son georg forster of grenole And cristy
10    armstrange whyntyn son p[er]sonallie have appeared afore Sir Thomas
11    Wharton kinges deputie wardane of the west ma[r]ches for and west
12    scotland and tht hayth  sworyd the Solemyne oathe uppon the
13    gelide _______shisties to the said deput[ie] warden in the marche and on
14    behalf of the kyngs ma[jes]tie his most ____ sov[er]eigne Lord __hsyng
15    and _______ they by the sayd oathe and ______ ____ of all s________
16    __ _yraishe that as well as sayd thomas harmestrang x[o]pofer arms
16    trange bengey armstrang allan armstrang doby armstrang
17    arche armstrang georg foster cristy harmstrang then foes kyn
19    frends and clannes whos names or expressed in a cedall unto
20    this p[re]sent bond annexede at all others ther kyn frends and clannes
21    shall from henseforth trewlie and loyallie as most obyedient and
22    set most farr a mynd to all these powers sorte and myght ____ the
23    kyng his ma[jes]tie my lord wardan his hyghnes seide offecers or
24    offecers of the ____ for the tym beyng as all tymes and as all
25    commandments And for the assurances of that said _____ to be trewly
26    and loyally don in ____ as afore and for the true p[er]formance of
27    the sayng and the said thomas armsetrang x[o]per armstrang porry
28    armstrang archbald armstrang Sym armstrang petor armstrang
29    Ringey armstrang well armstrang davy armstrang sey armstrang
30    georg armstrang Joke Routlege cristy armstrang arche armstrang
31    georg foster and crysty armstrang hath named and cypoyised
32    sextyn psanes as to say Roy armstrang son to thom the lard archbalde
33    armstrang x[o]pofer son alexander armstrang wyll of the Gingles by
34    arche armstrang than of the marches son olyvar armstrang son to olyvar
35    sym armstrang son to andrew of bakstangill jefry armstrang
36    Roger son sandy armstrang hughy son jefry routleg
    [Page 2]
37    ____ son georg foster Sh___ armstrang Ringey son hobby armstrang davy
38    the lady son John armstrang archie of Jonston son and monyte armstrang
39    archy son ____ tyen of coowopdall ____ of iiij _____ to lye at pled
40    ges in the ______ liste or ____ shall plesse the kyng his
41    ma[jes]tie his hyghnes most honourable _____ or his of[fec]ers said off[ece]rs
42    or _____ for the tym beyng to assyne and appoynte ______
43    them ____ lyke payn as afore it the said pledges shall trewly Re
44    mayn at trew yf pledges ____ ____ they shalbe appoynted and not the
45    _____ frend clens ____ speciall  ly___ of the kyng his ma[jes]tie
46    his hyghnes most honorable _____ his graces said offecers
47    or offecer for the tym beyng In wetnesse whereof the aforsaid thomas
48    armstrang larde of mayngerton x[o]pofer armstrang perry armstrang
49    archbald armstrang sym armstrang robert armstrang Ringey armstrang
50    wyll armstrang davy armstrang sym armstrang hugye armstrang
51    Joke routlege cristie armstrang arche armstrang georg foster
52    and cristie armstrang to this p[re]sent  bond hath put there
53    sealle and subscribed the saym as there ___ hands the day
54    and yere above said
55    Tho[mas] Whartton


In a publication:

'Henry VIII: September 1543, 6-10', Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 18 Part 2: August-December 1543" the following information was obtained on this document:

6 Sept. 137. Liddisdale.

Memorandum that, in the castle garden at Carlisle, 6 Sept., 35 Hen. VIII., Thos. Harmstrang lard of Mayngerton, Chr. Armstrang called Braide Crystell, Paton Armstrang, Archibald Armstrang, Sym Armstrang called Reide Sym, Ector Armstrang, Renyan Harmstrang, Wyll Armstrang called Wyll of ye Gyngles, Davy Armstrang called Davy ye Lady, Sym Armstrang Whyntyn son, Yngrye Armstrang, Joke Routlege, Cristy Armstrang John son, Arche Armstrang Hew son, George Forster of Grenow and Cristy Armstrang Whyntyn son, personally, before Sir Thos. Wharton, deputy warden of the West Marches, took solemn oath that they, "their sons, kin, friends and clannes whose names are expressed in a schedule unto this present bond annexed," and all other their kin, friends, and clannes will henceforth serve the King and his officers of the Marches; and appointed sixteen persons (named, with their fathers' names and abodes) to lie in pledge for this. Signed : Thomas Whartton.

Copy, pp. 2. Headed Copye of the bande for ye Leddesdalles.   From: 'Henry VIII: September 1543, 6-10', Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 18 Part 2: August-December 1543
 

As you can see there are lots of blanks and I continue to work on the document.