Glossary

half-timbered	wood-framed house, the spaces between the timbers were unfilled with plaster; the Old Crown Inn at Deritend, the Manor House at Kings Norton, and the Trust School at Yardley are examples.

Crown	(then) the reigning King or Queen - now = government

chain of office	gold or silver chain, perhaps with a medallion showing that the wearer held a certain position

forfeited	lost to the Crown, how it happened is a sad story which can be read in a book called 'Old & New Birmingham' by R. K. Dent

office	(then) not a work-room, but the position he held

forges	workshops where iron was heated and shaped

open fields	very large fields which had been divided into furlong strips, of which each man had several, all separated from each other. This system lasted for centuries, but by Tudor times many farmers had managed to get exchanges so that all their holdings were together and fenced in commons.

the old 'waste'	where everyone could collect wood and graze animals

squatters	families who put up huts on the common overnight. If smoke was coming from the smoke-hole by dawn, they could stay and enclose a small piece of land.

Borough	(then) the built-up part of the manor only. Outside it, on all the roads, were bars where foreigners had to pay toll. Today, a borough is a town with a mayor and council: Birmingham did not have these until 1838.