Building record 2416/2/7 - Moot Hall/Hall of Pleas

{1} The virgate and cottage tenants still owed suit to the hallmote, which was in 1321-2 worth 3/4d to the lord. However, at least since the charter of 1214-22 the burgage tenants owed only suit of court of Portmanmote.The first reference to the market court or Portmanmote is in 1292, but the Moot Hall is not mentioned until 1461 when ‘lez market mote’ was held on market day in the Hall or House of Pleas. This lay on the Market place to the south west of the Woolmarket.

The Hall of Pleas was presumably some form of colonnaded building in the medieval and early post medieval period for it had a hall above and stalls (later shops) below. By the time of the first engravings of the town the Moot Hall had long been converted to tenements and apparently completely rebuilt and was then occupied by an inn, the Swan. The pillory and cage had also long since been removed.

Where the court was held following the conversion of the Hall to tenements in the mid 16th century is not clear, but with the complete reorganisation of the market place in 1826 a new Market House was constructed in what was by then the centre of the market place, on the site of the earlier Shambles. Part of the stone for the construction of the new market house was brought from All Saints church, Barnwell. With the decay in the economy in the late medieval period, by the late 15th century some groups of shops and stalls were combined into single shops, as in 1491-2 when William Dobbes held 3 shops beneath the Hall of Pleas,

Between 1491 and 1542 the number of shops and stalls beneath the Hall of Pleas declined and by 1565 all had gone, save the ship beside the Pillory which was in fact a lean to.

<1> Foard G.; Ballinger J.;, 2002, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Oundle, Section 3.5.1.3 Moot Hall and Market House (Report). SNN102637.

Record last edited

Sep 7 2012 10:32AM