An Indenture between The Hospital of William Brown in Stamford Lincolnshire and Susan Lock of Ryhall has been sent to us from some of our “Locke” cousins and descendants of Alexander and Susan Lock now living in Australia. The Indenture appears to be a rental agreement between the Hospital and Susan Lock for two tenements in Red Lion Square, Stamford for which she paid a rental of £15 15s 6d. Susan Lock then appears to “sub-let” these properties to William Baker and John Edgson.
This Indenture, agreement is dated 1791 and from what I can make out is a continuation of an agreement between Alexander Lock and the Hospital of William Brown in Stamford, dated 25th March 1784. Alexander Lock dies in 1788 in Ryhall, Rutland and it’s assumed he left a will, of which we’re still yet to find. This agreement between Susan Lock and the Hospital is to last for twenty one years, although it’s difficult to make out if that’s twenty one years from the 1784 agreement or this one dated 1791.
Susan Lock dies in 1800 at Ryhall, Rutland, which even using the 1784 date would leave five years left for the indenture to run, twelve if the date is taken as 1791. Again no will has been found for Susan Lock, but it would be safe to assume the indenture was passed down to William Lock (1750 – 1821) the only surviving son of Alexander and Susan at the time of Susan’s death. I think it’s safe to assume this Indenture, agreement between the Hospital and Susan Lock lapsed at the end of the agreement as I’ve found no mention of the Hospital or tenements in any other documents relating to the descendants of Alexander and Susan Lock (at least as yet!)
As for the indenture itself it would appear to have “emigrated” to Australia along with the Lock(e)s and other paper work.
I’ve transcribed the indenture which can be read by clicking:
INDENTURE between The Hospital of William Brown and Susan Lock
The image below shows where the two tenemants in Stamford are.
Wayne and Sandra's Family History 