THE CONSTRUCTION OF STOCKLAND CLYCE

STOCKLAND CLYCE. In 1541 King Henry the Eighth granted the manor of Stockland Bristol to the mayor and commonalty of Bristol.1 As lord of the manor they took responsibility for the drainage of their lands, achieved, in part, by the construction of a clyce in the 1680s. The date of the construction of Stockland clyce has not been previously recorded,2 however some evidence survives in the financial records, or audit books, belonging to the Corporation of Bristol. In February 1682/3 the Corporation of Bristol reimbursed the Corporation’s chamberlain, his servant and John Price, described as ‘Cittie Carpenter’, £5.5.6 for their journey to Stockland Bristol and Bridgwater. The purpose of this journey was to ‘try whether ye Ground where Leavell to carry ye Water out of ye Royns to Stockland new Clyes’;3 this was either the present North clyce or Combwich clyce.4 The work undertaken by three men from Bristol appears to have been some sort of initial assessment of the area and the costs of building the clyse, possibly measuring water levels as part of the process. The work of constructing the clyce appears to have been largely completed by 7 May 1684 when the bailiff of the manor, Mr Burnoll, was repaid £151.17.3 for the charges he had incurred building ‘a new Clyes’.5

Some subsequent repair work must have been needed, as in September 1686 Burnoll was reimbursed £5.5.6 ‘for charges in Backing the New Clyes belonging to Stockland’.6 A further £9 18s was paid to him in August of the following year for similar work.7 Unfortunately the detail of the actual work carried out in constructing and maintaining the clyce in the 1680s, included on the original vouchers submitted to the chamberlain, has not survived amongst the papers of the Corporation of Bristol. However, it is known that by 1741, the clyce was in need of a major overhaul when responsibility for the work was shared with other landowners and Stockland manor paid only half the cost of rebuilding it that year.8 An order by the Commissioners of Sewers in 1744 also referred to its rebuilding.9

[1]. R.W. Dunning and M.C. Siraut, ‘Stockland Bristol’ in R.W. Dunning, ed., A history of the county of Somerset volume VI (1992), 126. The mayor and commonalty are referred to from here on as the Corporation.

2. Dunning and Siraut, ‘Stockland Bristol’, 125.

3. Bristol Record Office (B.R.O.), F/Au/1/52 Corporation of Bristol audit book, 1682/3 f.57.

4. Dunning and Siraut, ‘Stockland Bristol’, 125.

5. B.R.O., F/Au/1/53 Corporation of Bristol audit book, 1683/4 f.56.

6. B.R.O., F/Au/1/55 Corporation of Bristol audit book, 1685/6 f.63.

7. B.R.O., F/Au/1/56 Corporation of Bristol audit book, 1686/7 f.58.

8. Dunning and M.C. Siraut, ‘Stockland Bristol’, 125.

9. S.H.C., DD\DHR box 36.