Robert Leche, Alderman of Colchester/ Chiswell Meadow

An alderman of Norwich.

Ref "Godliness and Governance in Tudor Colchester"

Most parish churches had at least one guild. Among the more important were St. Mary's guild in St. Leonard's church, which seems to have been responsible for the maintenance of the causeway to Hythe bridge and of a tumbrel, and to have paid for some work on the church; it was probably associated with St. Mary's light in the same church, which had been endowed with rents worth 11s. 6d. by c. 1500. (fn. 77) The endowments of the Jesus guild in St. Peter's church, first recorded in 1447, included Chiswell meadow, the source of much of the town's water. In 1537 all the parishioners of St. Peter's seem to have been members of the guild, one of whose wardens was the alderman Robert Leche.

The guild was probably connected with the Jesus mass recorded from 1456, which seems to have enjoyed particularly strong support in the early 16th century, and with the Jesus chapel recorded from 1488. (fn. 78) The St. Anne's guild to which small sums were bequeathed in 1486 and 1517 was probably associated with St. Anne's chapel and hospital, which received regular bequests of money, sheets, and other goods in the late 15th century and the early 16th. (fn. 79) There were guilds of St. Mary and of St. Crispin and St. Crispain in the Greyfriars' church. (fn. 80).

The borough carried out extensive repairs between 1381 and c. 1413, removing at least one house which had been built against the wall. (fn. 7) By then part of the eastern end of the south wall had collapsed outwards, and a new wall was built on top of its remains; five regularly spaced bastions were added at the same time round the south-east corner of the wall, between East gate and Scheregate. (fn. 8) Some attempt seems to have been made to ensure the future maintenance of the wall: in 1392 three burgesses gave 2 houses, 4 a. of land, and the advowson of St. Cross hospital for the repair of the walls, and in 1394 a lease of land along the north wall from Ryegate to North bridge stipulated that the tenant should repair the wall. In 1398 another lease of land adjoining the wall reserved to the borough the right of access to the wall for its inspection and repair. (fn. 9) By 1423, however, the wall was again being undermined by sanddigging, and in 1470 stones were being removed by the cartload.
Outhouses had been built against the south wall near Scheregate by 1436, and alderman Robert Leche removed the blocking from a Roman drain arch at the Balkerne gate to make a new postern in 1535. (fn. 10) In 1551 the chamberlain was accused of failing to repair the walls, the wall at Head gate being in danger of falling. The southern end of the east wall seems to have collapsed in the 16th century. (fn. 11) Sand-digging under the wall and the removal of stones from it continued, but in 1579 and 1586 the offenders were ordered to repair the wall. In 1619 a licence was granted to build on the wall provided that the holder maintained the wall on which he built. (fn. 12)

[1] British History Online: Medieval Colchester: Townspeople, Pages 57-66

A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9, the Borough of Colchester. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1994.
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