Indentures for Lease of Land in Cornwall and Gloucester Counties, England

Three indentures or written contracts, dated 1706, 1742, and 1775, for the lease of tenant farms in the English counties of Cornwall and Gloucester. The first contract, dated Feb. 15, 1706 between Edmund Bray of Great Barrington, Gloucester County, and James Young, acknowledges lease of farm land by Young for a rent of 15 pounds. Names of witnesses appear on verso--John Kutter and J. Wm. Cruse--along with filing information and date. The second indenture, dated simply 1775, records the lease by Peter Bown of Rosemerrin, Cornwall to yeomen William Uran and John Holman of a farm in the "mesnage and tenement" of Roscarrich for yearly rent of 41 pounds. Finally, the last contract between John Hearle and John Dout, both of Cornwall, is a lease of farm land in the parish of Budock for seven pounds. All three indentures stipulate that the lease is for the land only, excluding any mines or minerals found on the property, as well as all timber trees of oak, ash, and elm. In addition, tenants must preserve and maintain the buildings and roofs on the land. Hearle also specifies that he has the right to repossess his land after three months of unpaid rent.