YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Dratorn. kEtcJi&d, ty J.kSJJ,

ts'tfh a, spire- be/ore- it- was pulled- d^wn- ire? 2 73 S..
TlA d.by JDtmJasL. Boolue^ler UrcvnZas. Jfenx,2VL " -¦ 1823.

OXFORDSHIR E.

THE

HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES

OF THE

HUNDREDS

OF

BULLINGTON AND PLOUGHLEY

VOL. II.
COMPRISING THE PARISHES AND HAMLETS OF
MERTON, ODDINGTON, STRATTON AUDLEY,
MIDDLETON STONEY, PIDDINGTON and WENDLEBURY,
NOKE, MUSWELL, WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
TOGETHER WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING SEVERAL AUDIT ROLLS OF
BICESTER PRIORY, COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS, MEMORANDA, &C.
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE HISTORY OF BICESTER. ,
With numerous engravings.

BY JOHN DUNKIN,
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF BICESTER, kc.

LONDON :
PRINTED FOR
HARDING, MAVOR, ANDLEPARD,
FINSBURY SQUARE.
1823.

Of this Work 100 Copies are printed, of which 70 only are Jo r Sale.

LOUDON :
PRINTED BY S. & R. BENTLEV. DORSET-STREET.

s
•^

*§i

M E R T O N.

JVIerton is situated in Bullingdon hundred, and surrounded by the pa
rishes of Bicester;, Wendlebury, Weston-on-the-Green, Charlton, and Am-
brosden. It is about ten miles from Oxford, and three and a half from
Bicester. The parish contains about one thousand eight hundred acres, the
greater part of virhich is the property of Sir G. O. P. Turner, bart.
Etymology, Description, and Population.
The name is evidently derived from its situation, and literally signifies
the town on the borders of the moor.
The village consists of a few farm-houses and cottages, built on either
side of the highway leading from Charlton to Ambrosden, having the church
on the left hand, and the manor-house at a short distance. At the west end
of the church-yard was a green partly surrounded by houses of varied cha
racter : several of these have been taken down of late years, and the green
itself inclosed. A neat cottage on the opposite side of the street has been
repaired and ornamented for the occasional residence of the clergyman.
There is a small public-house at the western entrance of the village.
At the opposite extremity is the manor-house, a building erected by the
Doyleys in the time of queen Elizabeth ; and for more than a century the
chief residence of the Haringtons, their descendants, by a female heir. The
mansion faces the nprth, and is entered by a porch, leading through a pas-
VOL. II. B

2 MERTON.
sage to the hall, beyond which is a large parlour *, remaining in the same
state in which it was left by Sir James Harington, the last member of that
family who owned the estate. From the general character of the edifice,
it appears that little alteration has been effected on the northern side since
its original construction : the greater part of the ancient staircase remains,
as well as the upper apartments. The kitchen is also entire, and below is a
large arched cellar, now used as a dairy. The south front of the mansion is
said to have been originally in the form of a Roman L, and a long gallery
ran along the upper part, while the ground-floor was occupied by parlours,
&c. This portion of the edifice was demolished soon after it became the
property of Sir Edward Turner, and the house reduced to a convenient size
for the residence of a farmer. The old materials were applied towards the
construction of a farm-house on the green, which is now in the occupation
of Mr. Hawkins.
At the end of the garden is a small terrace raised against the wall,
which affords a view of Otmoor and the surrounding villages. It is probable
that the court-close was once laid out as a pleasure-ground, as it is partly
bounded on the north by a moat or fish-pond.
About the middle of the last century a very considerable alteration was
produced in the relative situation of the different classes in this village.
The act of parliament for the inclosure of the field having annulled all
leases, and the inclosure itself facilitated the plan of throwing several small
farms into a few large bargains -j~, the holders of the former, who had
heretofore lived in comparative plenty, became suddenly reduced to the
* On the shutters and windows are written by some member or visitant of the Harington family,
" Lady Walter. — O woman! lovely woman! Nature gave thee to perfect man; angels are passing fair
to look like thee.
" Lady Walter. — Quam amet alter, prater mantum. Sit bene notum. Scri' P. Thomas, Clements-inn.
" Kitty Cradouh. — Is she not fair as painting can express ? —
As youthful poets fancy when they love?"
This writing has been carefully preserved by the successive inhabitants, and is shewn to visitors as
a genuine autograph of the Haringtons.
f Previous to the inclosure there were twenty-five farmers : the land is now divided among five or
six persons unly.

MERTON. 3
situation of labourers, and in a few years were necessitated to throw them
selves and their families upon the parish. The overgrown farmers, who had
fattened upon this alteration, feeling the pressure of the new burthen, de
termined, if possible, to free themselves : they accordingly decided upon
reducing the allowance of their poor to the lowest ratio *, and resolved to
hire no more servants, so that their parishioners might experience no further
increase from that source. In a few years the numbers of the poor rapidly
declined ; the more aged sunk into their graves, and the youth, warned by
their parents' sufferings, sought a settlement elsewhere. The farmers, re
joicing in the success of their scheme, procured the demolition of the cot
tages, and thus endeavoured to secure themselves and their successors
from the future expence of supporting an increased population, so that in
1811 the parish numbered only thirty houses, inhabited by thirty-four fa
milies, of which seventy-three were males, and eighty-one females.
In 1776 the amount of the sum raised for the support of the poor,
amounted to ,£67- 8s. ; in 1803 to ,£249. 4s. 9%d. being assessed at only
one shilling in the pound. In 1813 it increased to £450., and in 1815
declined to £376., seven persons only receiving permanent relief. The
same year the annual value of the real property was estimated at £2747.,
and assessed accordingly.
In closing this account it is just to add, that none of the preceding re
marks apply to the present occupants of the farms, several of whom are
known to the writer to be worthy and estimable characters.
The Church
Is dedicated to St. Swithin, and consists of a nave, south aisle, chancel,
and tower. The edifice is of considerable antiquity, and evidently built
under the auspices of the knights of St. John, from the frequent allusion to
*_.It was then confidently said, that several poor persons actually perished from want; and so great
was the outcry, that some of the farmers were hissed in the public market at Bicester. That they were
not compelled to adopt these measures from high rents or depreciated produce, is evident from the large
fortunes which most of them accumulated.

4 MERTON.
that order in the carvings of the corbels in the chancel. The tower, hereto
fore one of the chief ornaments of the surrounding country, was originally
surmounted by a spire .... feet in height, and adorned at each angle with
a weathercock. In the upper story were five tunable bells, the whole of
which, excepting the tenor and sanctus, were sold in 1796 to assist in de
fraying the expence of taking down the steeple, which had slipped aside in
consequence of withholding a slight repair a few years previous.* In the
tower is also a good clock.
The chief entrance is by a porch on the west side ; over the door is a
vacant pedestal for the patron saint, as at Charlton. In the eastern window
of the aisle are considerable remains of ancient painted glass, and on either
side were niches richly ornamented, but now filled up with rubbish and
plaster. The space below probably was once occupied by an altar. This
aisle opens into the nave by three lofty arches, and the roof of the whole
edifice is of that open sort formerly denominated rafter roofs; it was ori
ginally painted, but the colours are now dim with age. Contrary to the
usual plan, the royal arms are affixed to the wall at the western end of the
nave. At no great distance is the cylindrical font lined with lead ; on the
pyramidal cover the initials H. K. and the date 1639. It is probable the
pulpit and reading-desk were also erected near the entrance of the chancel
about the same time, as well as several of the pews still in existence.
In this part of the church are few monuments for deceased parishioners,
or others, though it was customary for the most opulent to be commonly
buried within the walls during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries at
least. There are, however, a few memorials of the Bartletts, and also a
monument for William Vaughan, yeoman, of the county of Oxon.
On the floor of the aisle is a large black marble slab to the memory of
William Hawkins, who departed this life the 3rd of August, 1809, aged
forty- three ; also of Martha his daughter, who died the 19th of November,
1810, aged seven years, and of William his father, who died the 19th of
* One Price, of Charlton-upon-Otmoore, then offered to secure it against all danger of falling for
a mere trifle : the opportunity was neglected, and the spire became dangerous ; but it was some time be
fore the parish rould obtain permission for its demolition from the proper ecclesiastical authorities.

i 3

MERTON. 5
January, 1812, aged seventy-one. Near it is. a monument for William
Ridges, esq. an alderman of London, who died the 4th of December, 1691,
aged fifty.
The chancel is separated from the nave by an indifferent screen : the
ceiling is recent, and fortunately has not been brought low enough to hide
the figures on the corbels. In the south wall is a low door, which opens
into the church-yard, and near it, beneath an ornamented canopy, are three
stone stalls, originally designed for the officiating priest and his assistants,
the seats rising in conformity with the steps of the altar. The three win
dows above were once adorned with flowers and armorial bearings, though
only some few scraps remain. In the north wall is a plain arch, anciently
denominated a sepulchre, designed for the reception of the crucifix, from
Good Friday to Easter-day.
Above the latter is a handsome alabaster monument, whereon, beneath
a circular canopy supported by pilasters, are the effigies of a man in armour
and his wife, kneeling on either side of a black marble table, on which lie
two books of devotion. Their four daughters appear in a compartment
below, habited in the costume of the time. The inscription in capitals is
as follows :
" Here lieth buryed John Doyley of Merton, esquier, who has been Shreive and Justice
of the Peace in Oxfordshire. He lived in great reputation in his countrye for his sinceritie
in religion, integritie in life, equitie in justice, and hospitalitie. Anne Barnarde, who
made for him this monument, being the daughter of Francis Barnarde of Northamptonshire,
esquire, was his only wife, by whom he had issew these foore daughters and heires, Margarie,
Katherine, Anne, and Eliza. He died ye 17th of June, An° Dn' 1593, of the reigne of
Queen Elizabeth 35.
" This John Doyley was descended of the Doyleys who were barons of Hooknorton in
the Conqueror's tyme, founded the abbaye of Osney, and of the castell of Oxford, and were
also lords of Wallingford castell." *
At the top of the monument are his arms : Or, 2 bends B. q. Ar. a
raven Sa. in fesse a crescent Gu.

* The inscription on this monument is divided into two parts, and that beginning with the words, —
" He died the 17th of June, &c." is written on a tablet above the heads of the figures, and the former
part on others below them.

6 MERTON.
In 1660 several banners hung near this monument, thereon, Sa.
a fret with the Bl distinction, impaling Doyley : and near them two hel
mets, on one of which was a lion's head, and on the other a demi-griffin
ramp*, issuant.*
Against the north wall of the chancel is an alabaster table with pillars,
inscribed, " Here is interred Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry Poole of Oakesley in the
county of Wilts, knight, and wife of John Huband of Ipsley in the county of Warwick, esq.
by whom she had seven children, Ralfe, John, Ann, Elenor, Elizabeth now living, and Eli
zabeth and John deceased. She lived vertuously and died religiously by the iiid of February,
1621, her age xxxii; in whose memory her loving husband above-mentioned hath caused
this monument to be erected."
Over all, this coat : " Sa. 3 lions' faces jess1 de lis. Ar. q' (1) Ar. on a
bend Gu  (2) Ar. on a fesse, bet. 3 martlets Sa. 3 mullets Ar. (3)
Er. on a bend Gu. 2 . . .
" On one side, Huband impaling Poole. Under all, Poole (viz.) B. a
lion ramp. bet. fleur-de-lis Or."-j~
Against the south wall, a tablet of white marble, with the following in
scription on an oval shield, supported by two cherubim :

In this chancell
lyeth ye body of
Richard Harington, esq.
Lord of this manor.
He intermarried wth Margarett
daughter of William Lane, esq.

by whom he had 4 children.
Abigail, Jane, Edward, &Richd.
Jane & Richard are still living.
He died June ye 13th,
1712,
Aged 33.

On a shield beneath the arms : " Sable, a fret Argent, impaling party
per pale, Vert and Gules, 3 sattives Argent."
On the pavement a slab of light blue marble, which measures five feet
six inches in length by two feet six inches in breadth, inlaid with three
tablets of white marble ; the upper one in the form of a shield, bearing the
arms of Harington, a fret. That in the centre in the form of a lozenge, with
* Harl. MS. No. 4170. p. 17. Probably they were hung up after the funeral of Lady Margaret
Harington. -f Ibid.

MERTON.

who dyed the 13th
of September, 1660.

the following inscription between the rude representations of a skull and two
thigh-bones in saltire :
Here lies ye body of Ridlington in Rutlandshire,
of Mrs. Lucy Harington,
the 7th daughter of Sir Edward
Harington, Knight & Baronet,
The lower one also, in the form of a shield, bearing the arms of Doyley,
two bends.
On a grave-stone the following arms in a lozenge shield of white
marble : "A fesse between three elephants' heads, a crescent for difference,
impaling Harington; and on a square tablet of white marble beneath, the
following inscription :

& Dame Margery his wife, one of
the Coheires of Iohn Doyley, esq.
Late Lord of this Mannor.

n,... 1rv ^ . , .„ ("Dom 1684.
Obiit 10 Octob. A0 < m .
J (.JEtatis'S

use 68.

Here lyeth ye body of Theodosia, widow
& relict of Iohn Fountaine, esq. Serje-
at-Law. She was the youngest daughr
of Sr Edw: Harington of Ridlington
in the County of Rutland, Kl. & Bar'.
Upon another slab west of the foregoing ;
R : H. OV 28th Octr. 1763, Mt : 53. Let his bones rest in peace.
And upon another slab, which measures six feet six inches by four feet,
and lies west of the former, the following arms : " Two bars ermine; a chief
charged with a wolf's head erased, between two chaplets ; impaling Haring
ton, and beneath them this inscription :

Hie jacent
In spe Felicis Resurrectionis Corpora
Willi Hall Servientis ad legem
& Ann .a: Uxoris ejus
Superviventis Sexdecim Puerorum
Jacobi Harington Militis & Baronetti

&. Dominae Katherine Uxoris ejus.
Ipsa Anna Obijt 27 die Augusti
Anno Domini 1717.
Ipseq, Willus 23 die Septembris
Anno Diii 1721.

On another stone,
Here lies interred the body of Sir Edward Harington, who died November the 7th,
1717, aged 76 years. A noble birth, a fancy bright and fine ;
A temper charming, sweet, and grace divine :
These all did once conspire to beautify
The dust that now beneath this stone doth lye.

8

MERTON.

Adjoining that for Lucy Harington,
another slab of grey marble, six feet six
inches in length by three feet in width, con
taining upon four tablets of white marble
inlaid, as follows. Upon the uppermost,
which is in the form of a shield, the arms of
Doyley, two bends.
Upon those in the centre, which are in
the form of two lozenges, the following in
scription : Here
lyeth ye body
of Dame Margery
Harington, eldest dau
ghter & one of y" coheires of
John Doyley of this place, esq. &
sole wife of Sr Edward Harington of Rid
lington in ye coutie of Rut. K' & Bar' to whom
shee bore 1 4 children, whereof 2 sons & 7 daughters
lived to full age, viz. Sr James Harington, who ma
rried Katharine, daughter of Sr Edmund Wright
of ye C*" of London, k' John Harington, esq.
Ann married to Sr Richard Piget of
Dodershall in the Couty of Bucks, k'
Eliza to John Hacker of
Hintham in ye Couty of
Nottingam esq.
Jane
to Richard,
Serieant of Dinton
in y" Cou^ of Bucks, esq.
Elizabeth to Christopher
Browne of Tolthrop, in y" Couty of
Rut. esq. Bridget to Sr Thomas
Tyrrell, k'. one of ye Justices of his Mtie" Court
of Common Pleas, Lucy, since deceased, & Theo
dosia to John Fountaine, Serjeant-at-law,
who was translated hence y" 2d of De
cember, 1658, in or about ye 80th
yeare of her age.
Beneath the above inscription is the re
presentation of a skull and bones, rudely
scratched ; and upon the lower tablet, which
is in the form of a shield, the arms of Ha
rington, a fret, impaling those of Doyley.

Upon another slab of yellow free-stone,
three pieces of black marble inlaid. The
uppermost in the form of a shield, contain
ing the arms of Harington, with a left hand
couped, on a canton sinister, impaling on a
chevron between three bulls' heads, three
roundles. Upon the centre piece, in the form
of a lozenge, the following inscription :
Here
vnder lyeth
the body of Dame
Katherine, one of ye
Coheires of Sr Edmvnd
Wright, Lord Mayor of
London, and Wife of Sr Iames
Harington of this place, Kl 8c Bar.
to whom she bare 16 children,
viz. 7 Sons 8c 9 Davghters.
She resigned her soul to
God ye 3d of Ivne
1675, in ye
58 YEAR
OF HER
AGE.
And upon the lowermost tablet the fol
lowing :
She that now takes her rest within this tomb,
Had Rachel's face, 8c Leah's fruitfull womb,
Abigail's wisdom, Lidea's faithfull heart,
Both Martha's care & Mary's better part.
Near it another stone thus inscribed :
" Here lyeth the body of Lucy, widow
and relict of James Harington, gent, and
daughter of Henry Harington, son of
Sir James Harington, late of this place,
knt. and bart. She departed this life the
19th of December, 1713.
" Also lieth near this place, the said Sir
James, and two of his daughters, viz. Mary
Dickenson and Lucy Kakewich."

The church is surrounded by a large burying-ground, inclosed by a low
wall : nearly opposite the porch is the broken shaft of the cross, and on the
top is a sun-dial. The church-yard contains no memorials sufficiently inte
resting for transcription.

. <<&*  s M

-Remains a/*G CROSS m.MERTON CHURCH YARD,

MERTOtf. 9
Ecclesiastical Matters.
That the first church in this village owes its origin and endowment to
one of the early lords of the manor, is evident, from his successor David earl
of Huntingdon having granted the advowson to the abbot and convent of
Eynsham in the latter end of the reign of Henry I. (A. D. 1118)*; and
shortly after, the same community, by a compact with the successive incum
bents, reserved to themselves a pension of thirty shillings per annum out
of its revenues. Rectors.

Fulk, presbyter, temp. Hen. II. t
1223. Hugh Salvage, subd. J

1238. Richard de Pocklington § ; died 1257.
1257. GilbertdeLeyre.||

1291. This year the revenues of this church were valued as under :
£. s. d.
Decanatus de Codesdon. Ecclesia de Merton deducta pensione 11 16 8 ^[

Rectors.

Robert de Kivelingworth ; resig. 1292.
1292. Roger de Kivelingworth, pres. 18kal.
Feb.; resigns 1314.**

1314. John de Wanse, pres. 7 id. Dec. ; ft
died about 1361.

1340. In consequence of the parliamentary grant of a ninth for two
years, the following inquisition of the church was taken this year :
Meritone. Ecclia goch' ejusdm cu omib3 suis porconib3 taxa? ad xju xvjs viijd cup
non' pdict' assed' ad xjM iijs iiij d 8c no' plus p jurat' 8c inquis' pdict' q> gleba val' cu fen'
xls nee sunt ibictm catallar' nc mercat', 8cc. JJ
On the 22d of June 1351, the abbot and convent of Eynsham procured
license from king Edward III. to appropriate the church of Merton to
their abbey §§ ; and soon after, petitioned the bishop of Lincoln, their dio
cesan, to grant them letters for this purpose, setting forth the following
* Regist. de Eynsham charts 22 apud JEd. Christ. Oxon. f Chartulary of Saundford, f. 103.
J- Rot. 15 Hugh Wells. § 4 Rob. Grosthead. || 1 Ric. Gravesend.
IT Taxatio Eccl. P. Nicholai. In 1254 this benefice was taxed at fifteen marks, now seventeen.
** 13 Oliv. Sutton. ft Reg. Dalderby.
Jt Inquisitiones Nonarum, p. 134. b. §§ Pat. 25 Edw. III.
VOL. II. C

10 MERTON.
weighty reasons for the necessity of augmenting the revenues of their con
vent : — that their monastery, standing near the highway, was often frequented
and burdened by travellers ; that they had been engaged in many suits and
trials in courts ecclesiastical and civil, by which they had contracted many
and great debts ; that a late raging pestilence had much diminished and
detained their old rents and profits ; and that their house, as well as their
offices and other buildings, were much decayed, and they unable to repair
or support them.* They therefore humbly prayed, that as the parish-church
of Merton was only taxed at seventeen marks and ten shillings, it might be
appropriated and for ever annexed to their convent. The bishop, remark
ing the strong case adduced, consented to their request -f-, and ordained that
the appropriation should commence on the death or resignation of John de
Wanse the present rector, reserving for a perpetual vicar the yearly pension
of ten marks, together with a manse in the village, and the sum of twenty
shillings yearly to the see of Lincoln, to compensate for the profits which
would otherwise accrue to the said bishop in the successive vacancies of
the church : further directing, that the aforesaid abbot and convent should
discharge the church and vicarage of all ordinary and extraordinary burdens,
repair the chancel and its windows, and find all books, vestments, lamps,
incense, &c. necessary for the celebration of divine service, excepting the
bread and wine for the sacrament of the altar, which the vicar himself was
to furnish at his own expence.
Universis sancte matris ecclesie filiis presentes literas inspecturis, Johannes divina permis-
sione Lincoln, episcopus salutem in Domino qui est omnium vera salus. Solicitudo officii
* Had these allegations been true to their full extent, the whole of the revenue of Merton church could
not have preserved the convent from ruin : but, as it was usual to set forth some cogent reasons in cases
of appropriation, this seems to have been the nature of the formula, for nearly the same arguments are
adduced for the appropriation of Heckfield, Hants, to New college, Oxford, A. D. 1383. See Reg.
Wykeham Episc. Winton, p. 1. f. 144. After the bishop had received this petition, it was common for
him to order an inquisition to be taken of the matter ; and as the petitioners generally contrived to pro
cure a report which echoed back their previous statement, the mandate was granted without difficulty.
t Eccl'ia de Meriton appropriate monachis de Eynesham, n kal, Nov. 1354, Reg. Ginewell. But it
does not appear that the letters were, published before September 1357, probably on the death of the
incumbent.

MERTON. 11
pastoralis cui quanquam immeriti presidemus, 8cc. Exhibite siquidem nobis pro parte di-
lectorum filiorum abbatis et conventus monasterii de Eynesham ordinis S. Benedicti nos-
trorum patronatus et dioceseos petitionis series continebat, quod ipsorum monasterium
prelibatum, in quo in pulchro numero monachorum nocte et die deservitur, laudabiliter in
divinis viget religio, et ampla hospitalitas pauperum et aliorum hominum confluencium ad
idem monasterium juxta viam communem regiam scituatum observari hactenus consuevit,
propter temporum maliciam et etiam tempestates causasque et lites quam tam in curia eccle-
siastica quam etiam seculari a multis annis preteritis habuerunt, est tam gravi debitorum
onere jam depressum, necnon ipsius facultates exinde et aliis per ultimam generalem bonorum
pestilentiam ad tantam sterilitatem et penuriam sunt redacte et adeo notabiliter diminute
quod ex bonis fructibus redditibus et proventibus ipsius monasterii jam extantibus nequeant
idem abbas et conventus commode sustentari, nee hospitalitatem solitam et alia consueta
inibi fieri pietatis opera observare, nee alia onera eisdem incumbentia supportare : et quod
domus et edificia ac officine predicti monasterii immerito ac maneriorum et locorum ejusdem
adeo comminantur ruina, quin immo magna pars eorundem corruit et notorie est collapsa : et
quod nisi eisdem de celerioris reparacionis remedio succurratur, in destructionem irreparabilem
collabentur : idemque monasterium ex dictis causis et aliis ad desolacionis eciatn irremedia-
bilis obprobrium, quod avertat Altissimus! verisimiliter proh dolor! deducetur: quare nobis
humiliter supplicarunt, ut eis paterno compacientes afFectu, in aliqualem relevacionem status
eorum et predicti monasterii, ecclesiam parochialem de Meriton nostre dioceseos que de
ipsorum patronatu existit, et cujus fructus redditus et proventus septemdecim marcarum et
decern solidorum sterlingorum juxta taxacionem ad decimam valorem annuum non excedunt,
cum suis juribus et pertinenciis, eis et ipsorum monasterio appropriare, unire, et annectere im-
perpetuum dignaremur. Nos igitur cupientes quantum cum Deo possumus eisdem abbati
et conventui et eorum monasterio propria mansuetudine providere, et eorum necessitatibus
sub venire, dilectos in Christo Alios decanum et capitulum ecclesie nostre Lincoln, ad tractand.
communiter una nobiscum super et de appropriacione et unione dicte ecclesie et ejus causis
mandavimus et fecimus ad domum nostram capitularem ecclesie nostre Lincoln, predicte ad
certum peremptorium terminum competentem cum continuacione prorogacione et prefixione
terminorum et dierum sequencium etiam usque ad finalem expedicionem hujus unionis ne-
gocii coram nobis legitime evocari : habito insuper et premisso dictis loco et terniinis per nos
super premissis cum eisdem deeano et capitulo tractatu communi et frequenti et diligenti
atque solempni, ac secutis deliberacione et cause cognicione debitis ac maturis seu in hujus
unione quomodolibet requisitis, post acta gesta et habita productaque et exhibita in hujus
negotio coram nobis rite et legitime vidimus et cognovimus et jam cognoscimus et videmus
premissa nobis suggesta et exposita veritate fulciri, et quod patens necessitas et evidens
utilitas subsunt et requirunt quod fieri debeat et fiat unio et appropriacio supradicta. Unde
Christi nomine invocato eam decrevimus et jam eciam decernimus faciendam. Et de com
muni unanimi et concordi collaudacione consilio consensu et assensu eorundem decani et
capituli necnon omnium et singulorum quorum interest in hae parte, et concurrentibus omni
bus et singulis in hae parte de jure requisitis, predictam parochialem ecclesiam de Meriton

12 MERTON.
cum omnibus sais juribus et pertineneiis universis, ex dictis causis et preter eas ob ac ad
supplicem preeum instanciam excellentissimi principis ac domini nostri domini Edwardi Dei
gracia regis Anglie illustris Tercii a Conquestu, et aliorum, legitime dictis abbati et conventui
et eorum monasterio auctoritate ordinaria et diocesana incorporamus appropriamus applica-
mus annectimus imperpetuum, et unimus ac concedimus in proprios suos usus perpetuo pos-
sidendam jurisdiccione dignitate et jure predicte Lincoln, ecclesie et nostris et successorum
nostrorum et cujuscunque alterius seu aliorum in omnibus semper salvis. Ita quod dilecto filio
Johanne de Wanse ejusdem ecclesie ad presens rectore cedente vel decedente, seu aliter eandem
ecclesiam quomodolibet dimittente, liceat eisdem abbati et conventui et eorum successoribus
possessionem corporalem dicte ecclesie jurium et pertinenciarum, ipsius auctoritate propria
libere apprehendere et licite retinere, nostra vel alicujus alterius licencia ad hoc minime
requisita: reservata tamen de ipsius ecclesie fructibus et proventibus congrua porcione pro
vicario perpetuo in dicta ecclesia instituendo et Domino servituro, quam porcionem in decern
marcis numerate pecunie sterlingorum fore et consistere dumtaxat decernimus, et etiam ordi-
namus per abbatem et conventum predictos et eorum successores ad duos anni terminos
videlicet in festis Paschatis et Sancti Michaelis per equales porciones annis singulis imperpe
tuum persolvendis. Reservamus insuper nobis et successoribus nostris episcopis Lincoln.
nomine recompensacionis indempnitatis et commoditatis, que de dicta ecclesia obvenire solebat
in singulis vacationibus ejusdem, et poterit verisimiliter obvenire, pensionem annuam viginti
solidorum sterlingorum, ac decano ac capitulo ecclesie nostre Lincoln, decern solidorum ex
causa consimili, in festo S. Michaelis apud Lincoln, per dictos abbatem et conventum annis
singulis imperpetuum persolvendis de consensu eorundem expresso. Et si contigerit, quod
absit, pensionem alterutram habendam fore in aliquo hujus termino non solutam, extunc
liceat, eo ipso et non servato alio processu, nobis et successoribus nostris episc. Lincoln, omnes
fructus redditus et proventus ipsius ecclesie sequestrare et sub tuto tenere sequestra donee
dicta pensio cum suis arreragiis integre fuerit persoluta, Onera vero ordinaria et extraordi-
naria omnia et singula ad dictam ecclesiam pertinencia quovis modo, ut refectionem con-
structionem seu reparacionem cancelli fenestrarum librorum vestimentorum et aliorum orna-
mentorum quorumcunque, necnon solucionem decime cujuscunque currentis ac synodalium
et aliorum censuum ipsam ecclesiam pro tempore concernencium, incensum luminare in can-
cello consecratum, dictos religiosos et eorum successores supportare volumus et ordinamus
imperpetuum suis sumptibus et subire : sed panem et vinum pro sacramento altaris vicarius
illius ecclesie propriis sumptibus exhibebit. Dicti insuper religiosi domus et mansum suffi-
cientem in villa de'Meriton liberas ab omni decima et alio onere seculari pro inhabitacione
vicarii predicti exhibebunt construent et facient prima vice, et postea vicarius illius ecclesie
illas reficiet, et si opus fuerit suis propriis sumptibus imperpetuum construct de novo. Siquid
vero obscurum ambiguum seu dubitandum foret in premissis vel in aliquo eorundem, potes-
tatem illud declarandi interpretandi eidemque addendi vel subtrahendi nobis et successoribus
nostris episcopis Lincoln, specialiter reservamus. In quorum omnium testimonium sigillum
nostrum presentibus apposuimus, et dicti decanus et capitulum sigillum suum commune pre-
sentibus apposuerunt , et nos decanus et capitulum Lincoln, ecclesie supradicte, perhabito ,

MERTON,

13

simul et communiter cum venerabili patre Domino episcopo predicto supra premissis dictis
loco et terminis ut prefertur tractatu communi frequenti diligenti et solempni, et seeutis
deliberacione digestione et cause cognicione debitis ac sepius recensitis, demum omnibus et
singulis predictis et prout superius recitantur, collaudationem consilium assensum et con-
sensum nostrum communiter et concorditer prebuimus et prebemus. In quorum testimonium
sigillum nostrnm commune fecimus hiis apponi. Datum in domo capitulari predicta xvij.
kalend. Septembris. Anno Domini millesimo trecentesimo quinquagesimo septimo. Facte
fuerunt incorporacio appropriacio applicatio annexio unio et concessio supradicta ecclesie
predicte de Meriton in domo capitulari ecclesie Lincoln, modo et forma predictis per venera-
bilem patrem Dominum Johannem Dei gracia Lincoln, episcopum de consensu expresso et
collaudacione venerabilium virorum magistrorum Simonis de Bryole decani, Antonii de
Goldesburg precentoris, Johannis de Welburn, Thome seu Hainonis Beler subdecani, Ricardi
de Wyttewell, Radulphi de Ergham, 8cc*
List of Vicars.
Patrons — The Abbot and Convent of Eynsham.

1361. Peter de Ardington, adm. 5 cal. Jul. ;
resigned the same year.
1361. John Mann de Wooton, adm. Oct. 1.;
resigned 1376.
1376. John Dyke, adm. 19 Sept.; died 1419.
1419. Thomas Fysh ; resigned 1422. f
1422. Nicholas Blake, pres. Dec. ; re
signed 1423.
1423 Richard Flemming de Kirkby, pres.
31 Oct. %
William Sugge; resigned 1435.
1435. William Bracley, adm. 15 Oct.§

Richard Colkyn; resigned 1445.
1445. William Reyzond, pres. June 1. 1|
Thomas Croxton; died 1454.
1454. Thomas Hamelyn, pres. 6 Feb. ; died
1468.
1468. Robert Bennet, pres. 21 Aug.; re
signed 1488. If
1488. Peter Clyve, adm. 19 Aug.; died 1506.
1506. Henry Moxum, A. M. pres. 20 March ;
resigned 1508.**
1508. Nicholas West, pres. 27 Sept.ft
John Jones; he died 1559.

* Ex Cartular. de Eynesh. f. 86. apud Par. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 117 — 121. f Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 241.
I Reg. Flemmyng, Probably a relation to the bishop of Lincoln, § Reg. Gray.
|| Reg. Alnewick, IT Reg. Chedworth. ** Reg. Smith.
tt In Wood's Athenas Oxonien. vol. i. c. 653, is some account of one Nicholas West, a Cambridge
man, who was first dean of Windsor, and afterwards bishop of Ely, though it is uncertain whether he was
the person who held the vicarage of Merton. West was a man of considerable abilities, and highly
esteemed by Henry VIII. though he forfeited the favour of that monarch by advocating the cause of queen
Catherine in the matter of her divorce. He was buried in his cathedral at Ely, and caused this inscription
to be engraven on his tombstone : " Of your charity pray for the sowle of Nicholas West, sometime bishop
of this see, and for all Christian sowles, for the which he hath graunted to every person so doying fqrtye
(layes pardon for every time they shall so pray, SfC."

14 MERTON.
26" Hen. VIII. At the general valuation of ecclesiastical benefices iri
the time of this vicar, the several sums received and paid by the monastery
of Eynsham on account of the parsonage of Merton, were thus entered in
the official books of the king's commissioners.
Receptis of the p'sonage of Marton imp'perid to the Prior & convent of
Eynesham, w' the which the Abbatt is chargid.
Item, received by the seid p'or & convent for the rent of the~i / *'
forseid gsonag' yearly lett by indenture  3 X1J 1X
S'nia  xij ix —
Wl this su the abbatt ys chargid and thereof
Deduccions.
Furste to my Lorde Byshop of Lyncolne for a ppetuall renfi
yerely going out of the same psonage  }
Item, a ppetual 8c a yearly rent to the dean & chap? of Lincolne — x —
Item, pxis 8c sinodalls for the seid psonage  — ij 3 ob'
Item, ppetual 8c yerely in almys to pore pepoull every Lammas-~>
day  5
Item, the vicar of Merton aforeseid for his ppetuall 8c yerely} ...
stipend by composicion *  5
Item, a ppetual 8c yerely rentpd to the clerk of the cburche ... — vj viij
S'ma  x ix xj ob'
And so remayneth clere  — xxxix j
On the surrender of the abbey of Eynsham, this parsonage became
vested in the crown, and, with other conventual estates, was subsequently
granted to Sir William Petre -j-, one of the visitors employed by Cromwell
* As the entry of the vicarage contains nothing more than an item of the tenths paid to the king,
(viz. sixteen shillings per annum) except what is specified in this article, it has not been thought necessary
to introduce it.
t William Petre was the son of John Petre, a rich tanner of Corbryan in Devon, and born at Exeter
about the beginning of the reign of king Henry VIII. He was originally of Exeter college, Oxford, but
elected fellow of All-Souls in 1523, and successively became principal of PeckwaterVinn, one of the visitors
of religious houses, master of the Court of Requests, secretary and privy-councillor to king Henry VIII.
and Edward VI. By the former he was knighted; and for his special services in producing charges against
the monasteries, and hastening the dissolution of their houses, liberally rewarded with grants of their lands,
churches, &c. In the reign of queen Mary, conforming to the measures of the court, he was constituted

MERTON. 15
to inquire into the government and behaviour of the votaries of both sexes
preparatory to the dissolution of religious houses, as a reward for those
services. In the latter part of his life, Sir William conveyed all right and
title therein, together with the appropriations and advowsons of the churches
of Yarnton, Ridlington, and Long-Wit tenham, in the counties of Oxon and
Bucks, to Exeter college, Oxford, where he had been educated.
Amidst the changes of religion which took place in the reigns of Henry
VIIL, Edward VI., Mary, and her sister Elizabeth, the before-mentioned
John Jones contrived to retain his vicarage of Merton, and died in posses
sion, A.D. 1559. His successor, Philip Wendover, was instituted therein
by Dr. Walter Wright, the guardian of the spiritualities in the diocese of
Oxford ; but how long he held it is unknown. Kennett says, " Several
successive vicars were presented to the church*;" if so, it is strange that
their names are not found in the bishop's register. It appears, however,
that the vicarage being scarce worthy of acceptance, the fellows of Exeter
college supplied it by annual turns without any institution or residence for
many years ; but of late, the parish has found a more settled minister in

one of the principal secretaries of state, and chancellor of the garter ; but, foreseeing that the re-establish
ment of the Romish religion might endanger his enjoyment of the abbey lands which he had formerly
acquired, he procured a special dispensation from pope Paul IV. to retain them, on the plea of being ready
to employ them to spiritual uses. He retained the favour of his sovereign during the whole of her reign;
and on the accession of her sister Elizabeth, was again chosen one of her majesty's privy council, and
employed in some of the most important transactions of the time. At length, warned by the infirmities
of age that he should soon be called to give up his final account, he began to think of retiring from the
busy scene, and devoting a part of his ample fortune to works of piety : accordingly, he settled several
advowsons on the college wherein he had been educated, and built an alms-house for twenty poor people
in the parish of Ingerstone, co. Essex, allowing each of them two-pence a day, a winter gown, and two
load of wood, besides feeding for six kine among the community in summer and winter, and a chaplain to
read service to them daily. He departed this life January the 13th, 1572, (13 Eliz.) leaving issue by
Gertrude his first wife, Elizabeth, married to John Gostwik of Willington, co. Bedford, esq. ; and Dorothy
to Nicholas Wadham of Meryfield, co. Somerset, esq. foundress of Wadham college, Oxford : and by Anne
his second wife, John, his only son, afterwards a peer of the realm, and two daughters, Catherine and
Thomasine. Dug. Baronage, vol. ii. p. 4l6 and 417.
* Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 397. Because this writer reprobated the practice of supplying the church by
the fellows of the college in pretty strong language, some members of that community meanly endeavoured
to prevent his taking a degree in divinity, and only withdrew their opposition in consequence of an excul
patory note addressed to the rector of the house.

16 MERTON.
the person of Mr. Hayes, who has performed the duties thereof from 1806
to the present time. Parish Registers.
These documents, like many others belonging to the neighbouring vil
lages, have sustained much injury from the carelessness of those to whom
they have been entrusted, and many portions irrecoverably lost. What is
now left is carefully preserved by the present vicar.
The first entries are written on a few quarto leaves of parchment, and
commence about 1636. Extracts, 8cc.
" John King, son of Henry King, was baptized Feb. ye 28th, 1637."
Underneath is this observation : " Now alive at Noake-upon-Otmore, 1765, and 128
years old." *
On the outside of the parchment is the following certificate :
" Thomas Gurden of Merton in the said county being made choice of by the major part of
the inhabitants of the saide towne to be their parish-register for marriages, births, and burials,
1 do therefore hereby allow and approve of him the said Thomas Gurden, to be parish-register
for the said parish of Merton, and accordingly have given him his oath for the execution of the
said office this nineteenth day of June, 1655." + 
" The death of the virtuous Lady Margaret Harrington was the 12th of December in
London, and was buried in Merton the 23d of the same month, in the year 1658."
" June the 29th. Mr. John Dunkin was buried, the sonn of Mr. John Dunkin. louful
man modo." (sic.)
" June the 15th. The virtuous Lady Dame Katherine Harrington was buried in Merton
chancil in the year of our Lord God, Anno Domini 1675."
(Interlined) " Oct. the 20th, 1675. Mr. John ( ) Harrington was buried."
" Mrs. Margaret Dunkin, wido, was buried May 24, 1683."
* Mentioning this note to Mr. Turner, the rector of Noke, he shewed me the following entry in his
parish register; " 1766. John King, ragman, was buried Dec. 16th, in his 93d year," and observed, that
he thought there must be some mistake in the person or date, for from all he could learn from those who
remembered John King well, though he was universally considered a very old man, his appearance did not
indicate him to have attained that extreme age; though Mr. Turner confessed himself somewhat staggered
by finding such a memorandum in Merton register.
t This lay appointment of a register was in pursuance of an act of Oliver's parliament; the paper is
signed by a neighbouring magistrate.

MERTON. 17
" John Dunkin, son of Thomas Dunkin, gentleman, by Sara his wife, was borne the
21st September, 1681."
" Sara Dunkin, wife of Mr. Thomas Dunkin, was buried September 3, 1683."
" March the second day, 1691, then was buried Mr. John Harrington, who was brother
to Sir James Harrington, late lord of this manor."
" Mistress Lucy Harrington, of y" parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, lately deceased, was
brought to Merton the 29th day of December, 8c was buried thear in the year of our
Lord 1713."
" John Cox of this parish, a great mat-maker, was buried the 21st day of May, in ye
year 1712."
" April 21, 1746. John Crips of Charlton, and Catherine Cobs of this parish, were
married by Mr. Upton in Exeter College chappell."
(Several other marriages of the parishioners, which took place in the same chapel are also
noticed in this record.)
" Oct. 31, 1763.! Mr. Richard Harrington was buried."
" Sir James Harrington, bart. was buried Feb. 5, 1782."
" P. Mary Simms was buried Aug. 1st, 1790."
" Dame Elizabeth Harrington was buried on the 28th April, 1794; died at Bourton-on-
the-Water on the 16th, 1794."
Extracts from the Churchwardens' Books.
' £ s d
1796. Oct. 12. Received for ten braces as belong to the bells, weight") ' '
22 1b. at Bid. per pound  5 ° U U
1797. April 25. Received for old iron of the bells, weight 1 cwt, 2 q.">
19 lb. at 3§d. per pound  )
Wm. Tanner and Wm. Hawkins.
1795. To ditto ditto, for the old brasses belonging to the bells  0 1111
1797. Received for old iron for the bells  2 14 6
1796. Paid Thomas Heritage his bill for taking down the steeple ...... 55 0 0
1797. Paid Thomas Whale for taking down the bells, and beer for the">
workmen  S
The disbursements of these two years were.  81 2 6
(Signed) S. Hart, Vicar of Merton.
1809. Paid for washing the surplice and table-cloth for two years  10 0

VOL. II.

18 MERTON.
Historical Particulars.
The manors of Merton and Piddington, with the earldoms of Hun
tingdon and Northampton, formed a part of the extensive grants which
William the Conqueror gave with the hand of his niece Judith when he
presented her in marriage to Waltheof, a powerful Saxon thane, whom he
was desirous of attaching to the Normans by the ties of blood and interest.*
And the event verified the policy of the measure ; — for though the alliance
was productive of domestic unhappiness to both individuals, this nobleman
preserved his fidelity unmoved by the severe measures subsequently adopted
to secure the king's authority. His attendance at the marriage-feast of Ralph
de Ware was solely dictated by private friendship, for he was totally un
conscious of the intention of the bridegroom, or his friends, to agitate any
political question amidst the mirth of such an entertainment : and when in
the heat of liquor the discontented barons denounced the king's opposition
to the match as the excess of tyranny, worthy only to be compared with his
general maxims of government, which rendered such an infamous bastard
unfit to reign over brave men-j-, Waltheof treated the observations as the
ebullitions of the moment ; and when they seriously proposed, by a confe
deracy of the Danes, Welsh, and discontented English, to deprive William
of his kingdom, he offered many objections, and with difficulty was brought
to acquiesce. Nor did he long continue in this party : his restless and re
pentant mind disclosed the guilty secret to his wife and his confessor Lan-
* Ordgricus Vitalis, p. 702. Waltheof was a warrior of gigantic stature, alike distinguished for sound
judgment, daring valour, and extensive possessions. The latter he inherited from his father, Siward earl
of Northumberland, and he evinced his military prowess in a tremendous conflict at York with the
Normans, where, it is said, he lopped off the heads and limbs of the soldiers by his personal strength, as
if they had been branches of a tree. A character so brave, and of such extensive influence, the Conqueror
wisely judged would be better secured as a> friend than provoked as an enemy.
t It seems a marriage was concerted between Emme, the sister of the earl of Hereford, and Ralph de
Ware, which the king, for some unknown reasons, prevented ; but upon his journey to Normandy, the
parties resolved to consummate the wedding. Knowing they had exposed themselves to the king's wrath,
they formed a design to depose him, and endeavoured to engage as many in the plot as possible, by
bringing forward the plan while the guests were sitting at the nuptial banquet. Orderic. Vital, p. 536.
W. Malms, p. 59. 11. Hoved. 26l. b.

MERTON. 19
franc, and particularly urged him to seek their advice in this critical conjunc
ture. But his repentance was unavailing : the perfidious Judith, whose
affections were secretly fixed upon another object, glad of an opportunity of
ruining her husband, immediately sent a trusty messenger into Normandy
to reveal the plot to her uncle, and aggravate the guilt of Waltheof as much
as possible. And though, in conformity with the advice of Lanfranc, he
hastened to the king, and by the disclosure of all the circumstances of the
conspiracy, he apparently obtained a favourable reception ; yet so far was
William influenced by the base machinations of his niece, and the rapacious
courtiers who longed for so rich a forfeiture, that Waltheof was committed
to prison, and soon after the king's return, beheaded on a rising ground
without the walls of Winchester, April 293 A. D. 1075*; a mode of execu
tion at that time unknown in this country. Thus fell one of the best, great
est, and last of the Saxon nobles, bitterly bewailed by his countrymen, whose
innocence and sanctity they considered sufficiently attested by the miracles
which the monks of Croyland solemnly affirmed were wrought at his grave. -j-
The manors of Merton and Piddington, as well as the earldoms, re
mained to his countess, after his execution ; yet the removal of an affec
tionate, though hated, husband did not facilitate her union with her
paramour. The king, intent alone on the measures that tended to consoli
date his authority, not attending to the gratification of female passions, pro
posed for her acceptance Simon St. Liz, a Norman knight, lame of one leg,
whom she refused because of his personal deformity ; and the refusal so
offended the king, that he gave away the earldoms to the said Simon on his
marrying Maud her eldest daughter, by her late husband Waltheof. J
* Stowe says, it was the last day of May ; that he was first buried where the chapel of St. Giles was
built, and fifteen days after his body was removed to Croyland.
t " When his wife Judith heard of the miracles wrought at his tomb, she came and offered a silken
pall in presence of the whole convent, who beheld it pushed off as if by hand." Hist, of Croyland.
Dugdale, however, gives a different version of the affair, and says, it is reported that the pall, though too
short when laid upon the tomb, by a divine power stretched itself out to a proper length. Baronage,
vol. i. p. 55.
X Ingulph. p. 153. b. n. 20. This writer asserts, that Judith was so terrified at the wrath of the king
her uncle, that she fled to an unfrequented part of the country, and at last became so sensible of her guilt
in promoting her husband's death, that she passed the remainder of her days in widowhood and penitence.

20 MERTON.
1082. In Domesday-book Merton is thus entered as a part of her
possessions :
Judita comitissa ten de rege Mereton. Ibi . st . x . hidse. Tra . xn . car.
• h " ^ T •
JNc in diico . n . car. 7 11 serui . 7 xix . uiiti cu vi . bord hiit v . car. Ibi . c . ac
pati. Grava 1111 . qa^ Ig. 7 una q*} 7 . dim lat. Valuit 7 ual viii . lib.
Translation.] Countess Judith holds Mereton of the king. There are ten hides there.
Land of twelve carucates. Now in demesne two carucates and two bondmen ; and nine
teen villanes with six bordars have five carucates. There are one hundred acres of meadow.
Coppice four quarentens long, and one quaranten and a half broad. It was and is worth
eight pounds.
Disgraced and despised, either by death or taking a religious habit, the
infamous Judith, about A. D. 1084, ceded to her son-in-law Simon St. Liz,
and his wife, the manors of Merton and Piddington, having previously sought
the expiation of her crimes by founding a nunnery at Helenstow in the county
of Bedford, and becoming a considerable benefactress to the monastery of
Saltry in Huntingdonshire.*
Simon is chiefly remarkable for having founded a priory at Northampton,
dedicated to St. Andrew, for Cluniac monks, as a cell to the abbey of Charite
in France ; for his grant of the manor of Piddington to Guido or Wido de
Ryhale; and for undertaking a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He died on his
return from thence in the abbey of Charite, where he was buried, A. D. 1115,
leaving three children, Simon his son and heir; Waltheof, afterwards abbot
of Melross ; and a daughter, first the wife of Robert de Lucy, afterwards
the wife of William Albini, and lastly, the wife and widow of Robert Fitz-
walter. This lady procured the body of her father earl Simon to be brought
to England, and interred in the abbey of St. Neots, Huntingdon, where' she
appointed two secular priests to pray for the repose of his soul, "j-
His widow Maud carried this manor by a second marriage to David,
brother to Alexander king of Scotland ; but the interests of the parish were
* Mon. Ang. vol. i. p. 360. Saltry was her favourite residence; in this place she inclosed a wood for
the use of the monks, and procured them a charter of large immunities within the precincts.
t Dug. Bar. vol. i. p. 113.

MERTON. 21
chiefly affected by their grant of the advowson of the church to the abbot
and convent of Eynsham in this county, who soon reserved themselves an
annual pension of thirty shillings from its revenues, which Kennett denomi
nates a simoniacal compact with the rector, tending to prevent his keeping
hospitality and maintaining the poor.*
In right of his wife, this manor remained a part of his possessions after
David attained the sceptre of Scotland -f-, until his eldest son Henry (by
Maud) came of age, who, doing homage to king Stephen at York, had livery
of the honour of Huntingdon, the manor of Merton, &c. A. D. 1136; but
the marked favour of the king at London procured him such affronts from
the English nobility, that he returned to Scotland in great displeasure, and,
having levied an army, accompanied his father in an irruption into England,
to revenge the insult. The quarrel afterwards subsided, without producing
any thing memorable.
On the death of this earl, Stephen restored the honour of Huntingdon
together with this manor, &c. to Simon St. Liz, the elder brother of the late
earl, and second earl of Northampton, who, with the assent and consent of
Simon his son, shortly after (circa 1152) gave Merton J with all its appur
tenances, excepting two virgates of land, the dowry of the wife of Simon de
Gerarmolin, which she held for life, to the Knights Templars §, in free and
perpetual alms, by the annexed charter :
Sciant omnes, &c. quod ego Simon comes Northampton, Sec. assensu et concessione Simo-
nis filii mei concessi et dedi Deo et Sanctae Maris, et fratribus militiEe templi Salvatoris de
Jerusalem §, in perpetuam elemosinam habendam et tenendam, Meritonam, cum omnibus ap-
* Par. Antiq. vol. i. p. 118. The clergy who possess the largest livings never think these duties in
cumbent upon them in this day. Times are sadly altered.
t This king of Scotland came into England in 1126, and resided here twelve months, spending Lent
and Easter at Woodstock with king Henry. Perhaps he then visited these parts. Ken. quot. Sax.
Chron. sub An.
I The Monasticon (vol. i. p. 802) recites a donation of half a hide of land in Merton given to the
monks of Thame by Hugh Constable, and another hide in the same village granted to them by Jeffery
son of Osmund. As the whole parish is stated to be the property of the Knights Templars in the reign
of Edw. I. (Vide Rot. Hund.) the above estate must have been reconveyed to the lord of the manor in
a few years.
§ This order originated about 1118, in the chivalry of a few knights resident near the temple of Jeru-

22 MERTON.
pendiciis ejus excepta dote Simonis de Gerarmolin quod habeat in Pedinton, et prseterea
concedo quod prsedicta uxor Simonis teneat in vita sua de eisdem fratribus illas duas virgatas
terree quas habet in Meriton, et post mortem ejus redeant illse duse virgatas in liberam pos
sessionem perpetuse elemosinee. Hsec autem concessi et dedi pro salute mea et uxoris
meae, et liberorum meorum et pro animabus patris mei et matris meae et omnium praedeces-
sorum meorum, habenda et tenenda soluta et libera ab omni exactione et secularibus servitiis
in bosco et piano et pratis et pasturis et aquis et omnibus aliis appertinentibus. Hujus
donationis testes sunt Theobaldus Cantuariae archiepiscopus, Ricardus episcopus Londonien-
sis, Robertus episcopus Lincolniee, Nigellus Helyensis episcopus, Gilbertus episcopus Here
ford. Willielmus episcopus Northwic. Willielmus comes de Warena, Willielmus comes
Cicestrise, Henricus de Essexiae constabularius domini regis, Ricardus de Lincolnia, Williel^
mus de Caisneto.*
This donation was successively confirmed by Malcolm king of Scotland,
6 Hen. II. ¦f by Simon St. Liz, the third earl of Northampton, A. D. 1178;]".,
and by Aubrey earl of Dampmartin, A. D. 1186 §, when he recovered his
inheritance in the king's court.
Though all the above noblemen are described as lords of the fee, and
exercised the privilege of confirming the donation, it appears that the ad
vantages which they derived from the manor were so trifling, that their
successors did not think the honour worth their claim, and therefore their
connexion with it ceased.
salem, who undertook to protect the Christian pilgrims visiting the holy places. Many of these pilgrims
being princes, prelates, barons, or persons of great wealth, they were very liberal to their protectors ; and
the Knights Templars speedily became numerous and opulent, having many valuable estates in every
Christian country. Some of them visited England at an early period after their recognition as a distinct
community, and obtained a house in London, where they settled under the government of a Grand Master.
Uniting valour with devotion, the order acquired excessive popularity, and in a few years other estates
were bestowed upon them in distant counties. On some of them they erected churches and convenient
houses, wherein they placed some of their fraternity under the government of one of those more eminent
Templars who had been created preceptores templi, to take care of the lands and rents in that place and
neighbourhood. One of these preceptories was built upon an estate at Covele, or Cowley, near Oxford,
given to the community by the good queen Maud, the wife of king Stephen, and continued to be inha
bited until the removal of the brethren to a new house at Saundford.
In Nichols's Leicestershire, vol. iii. p. 943, is the. following description of the costume of the Knights
Templars. " As for their habit, they wore linen coifs (like to the serjeants-at-law), and red caps close
over them ; on their bodies shirts of mail, and swords girded unto them with a broad belt; over all which,
they had a white cloak reaching to the ground, with a red cross on the left shoulder, and they wore their
beards of a great length." * Ex Cartular. de Saundford, f. 102. apud Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 151.
f Ib. p. 160. t lb. p. 182. § Ib. p. 198.

MERTON. 23
On the conveyance of this estate to the Templars, the Grand Master of
the order assigned the management thereof to the preceptor and brethren
settled at the house lately founded by Maud, the wife of king Stephen, at
Temple Cowley near Oxford, and the original charters were accordingly
lodged in their archives among those belonging to the estates in the counties
of Oxon, Berks, Wilts, &c. most of which were placed under the direction
of the same community.*
In 1160 the king (Henry II.) released and quitted to the Knights Tem
plars the payment of assarts, or yearly imposition on ground converted
from wood to tillage, of twenty acres of land in Merton ; which remission was
confirmed by Richard I. (at which time the quantity cleared seems to have
been doubled) with the proviso that the tenants do not trespass in the king's
forest. The same assarts were confirmed by charter 1 John, "j-
About 1164, Wydo de Meriton, knight, in consideration of fifteen shil
lings to himself, two seams of wheat to his wife, and one hundred marks to
his son, granted two acres of land in this village to the same religious
persons, with divers other privileges. And three years after, Simon, son
of the above, gave them one of his female vassals, with all that appertained
to her, by this instrument :
Translation.'] To all, &c. Simon de Meriton wisheth health in the Lord. Be it known
to all of you, that for the health of my soul I hav.e given, quit claimed, and confirmed to
God, the Blessed Mary, and the Brother Knjghts of the Temple of the Saviour at Jerusalem,
Agnes de Meriton, who was the daughter of William, father of Walter of the same town,
and all the chattel's which she has or may have, and all the profits which may or shall arise
from thence : also that I and my heirs in future can have no claim in her, or in her chattels,
nor the profits thence arising or to arise. And I will that the aforesaid Brothers of the
Temple shall have of me and of my heirs good and firm security of the present premises for
holding the same woman, without any revocation. This my charter we confirm with the
strength of my seal. This witnesseth, the lord Walter Paupere of Merton, Hamo de Sancta
Fide, Fulk of Merton, William de Mortlac, &c.f
* Tanner's Notitia, art. Saundford. Cartular. de Saundford, passim.
f Dodsworth's MSS. vol, xxv. p. 148. Probably the Knights Templars were indebted to one of
these monarchs for the charters granting them a view of frank-pledge, the_ assize of bread and ale, and
other privileges in Merton.
% See the original in the Cartulary of Saundford, f. 102.

24 MERTON.
Near the same timeWydo de Meriton, in consideration of fifteen shillings
to himself, two seams of wheat and one hundred marks to Simon his son,
granted to the Knights Templars two acres of land in this parish, with other
gifts and privileges * ; and soon after, Amory of St. Mary's, knt. the preceptor
of Cowley, demised to Hugh de Meriton one virgate of land in Merton, to
be held in demesne from the Templars for the yearly rent often shillings.
From an inquisition made by Jeffery Fitz Stephen of all the lands and
possessions of the Knights Templars (32 Hen. II. ), we gather the following
particulars :
Apud Meritune, ex dono Simonis comitis sunt vij hidae terrae, quarum duse sunt in do-^
minio, et v assisas de hominibus. Walt, filius reg. tenet j virgatam terrae pro vs. 8tc. Hae
sunt pertinentiae de Meritune apud Ham tune, ex dono Will. Belchii, virgata terras quam tenet
Robertus haeres ejus pro iijs. +
In another account taken A. D. 1434, is the following entry :
Simon comes Northamptoniae dedit eis manerium de Meritone cum pertinentibus eidem.
Will, de Bosco dedit eis plures terras in Meritone. J
A. D. 1194. The greater part of the lands in Merton were now held by
Sir Richard de Amory.
In the reign of Richard I. or his successor king John, the Knights Tem
plars acquired possession of the manor of Saundford by the bounty of Sir
Thomas de Sandford, knt. and judging it a more eligible situation than
Cowley, built themselves a house, and removed thither with their archives.
Some years after (circ. 1274), by direction of Robert le Escrop the preceptor,
the brethren transcribed the charters and other instruments relative to their
several estates, into a parchment volume, which still exists, and is now
known as the Cartulary of Saundford, and carefully preserved in the Bod
leian library at Oxford.
The following is the account of the lands in Merton, and the several
sums for which they were let, as given in the Hundred Roll, 7 Edw. 1.
Hundk' de Bolenden. Meriton.' Diciit jur' q' Mag'r Milicie Templi in Angi
ten3 in maruio de M'iton' duas carucat' tre que tenetur in capite de ctno Reg' g confir-
* Cartulary of Saundford, f. 103.
t Mon. Ang. vol. ii. p. 528. t lb. p. 554.

MERTON. 25
macoem pdecesso^ suo^ Regu Angi qui dedert eas ffib3 Militie Templi in Angi in libam
pram & ppet' elemos' & fuit antiq't9 ptines ad mansiu de Hedindon'.
Tenetes vu ipo^ fratru tenet in villenag' xviij virg' ?re qa5 quel3 virg' ?re reddit p aim'
ijs ixd ob qa de redd assiso faciut In plura oga ad volutate dni.
Assut & ibid qui tenet v virg' ?re ad feodi firma qaa qelib3 virg' ?re reddit g annu vs &
siit quieti de ogib3 suis.
Assut & ibid tes cotar' quo* quil3 reddit iijs.
Sut & ibid duo cotar' quoz ut% reddit xvijd g ami'.
Est ibid unus qui reddit g ann' ijs vjd. Et unus qui reddit g ann' ijs.
Siit 8c duo qui reddiit g ann' ijs utq, xijd.
Siit 8c ibid duo qui reddt g ann' iijs viijd u?q, xxijd.
Et est un5 qui reddit g ann' xviijd.
Siit 8c ibid duo cotar' qui oganf g cotag' suis & nftm dat redd.
Predci vero fres tenet unii boscu in dnico qui vocaf Gravenhull circa xxu acr' ut
credif vl eo aplius. Et tint dci fres lifetates g omes tras suas scil3 visum francipleg'
emendas assise fracte panis et csvis' 8c emedas clamoris levari & sang's effusi salvo hoc
q' ad corona dni Reg' pthi3.*
The piety and valour of the Knights Templars for a long series of years
secured them public favour, and loaded them with riches ; but in course of
time, their prosperity corrupted their manners, they gradually neglected
their dangerous expeditions to the East, and being all men of birth, scorn
ing the monastic discipline, they spent the chief part of their time in hunting,
gallantry, or the pleasures of the table : — thus they lost their popularity.
At the same period having unhappily fallen under the displeasure of the king
of France, two knights, who had been punished for their crimes, were en
couraged to charge the whole brotherhood with abjuring the Christian
religion, practising unnatural crimes, and the idolatrous worship of a wooden
head. And on these senseless charges were the body of French knights
in one day seized and imprisoned. Their guilt or innocence may safely rest
on the general conduct of the devoted Templars, who suffered the most cruel
torments rather than acknowledge they had committed those crimes. The
few instances of confession extorted from those put to the question, must be
justly received with suspicion, when it was the avowed object of their tor
mentors to overcome their constancy. The Grand Master of the order,
* Vol. ii. p. 715.
VOL. II. E

26 MERTON.
John de Molay, and another great officer, brother to the sovereign of Dau-
phiny, were conducted to a scaffold erected before the church of Notre Dame
at Paris ; a full pardon was offered them on the one hand ; the fire destined
for their execution was shewn them on the other : these gallant nobles still
persisted in the protestations of their own innocence and that of their order,
and were instantly hurried into the flames by the executioner.*
Though foiled in producing proofs of guilt, the interest of the French
king with the Pope was sufficient to procure a bull against the whole order,
which having been transmitted to England, was ordained by the king and
council to be carried into effect on Wednesday after Epiphany, A. D. 1308.
The seizure of their persons and possessions was accomplished in the several
counties by the sheriffs in one day, but with the single alleviation that they
should not be immured " in vile and hard prison until the king shall other
wise ordain." -j- Thus fell the famous order of Knights Templars (for the
paltry attempt at examinations which took place some years subsequently is
unworthy of notice), after existing almost two centuries in great wealth and
splendour, and enjoying the uninterrupted possession of the manor of Merton
for one hundred and fifty-six years.
This forfeited estate, with others in this neighbourhood, was shortly
after consigned to the care of Sir Roger D' Amory of Bucknell, a knight in
favour with the king, who accounted for the same from Michaelmas 2
Edw. IL, to July 25, 3 Edw. II. £24. 6s. 2d. In 1312, John de Bloxam
only debited himself 114s. 2d. for Meriton, from Michaelmas 5 Edw. II.
to Michaelmas 6 Edw. II. ij;
On the suppression of the order of Knights Templars, A.D. 1324 §, this
manor was granted among their possessions to the knights of St. John of
Jerusalem, who placed a fraternity of their order in the ancient preceptory
* Hume's England, vol. iii. p. 114. 18mo. Lond. 1812.
t Stowe's Annales, sub an. Wilkin. Concil. torn. ii. p. 314. The Templars who had been seized,
were brought to London before the synod, held by Robert archbishop of Canterbury ; and three confessed
they could not entirely exculpate from some slight articles of heresy, for which they were enjoined
penance in different monasteries. J Par. Ant. vol. i. pp. 510 & 518.
§ Rymer, vol. iii. p. 323. Pope Clement V. dissolved the order, and bestowed all their riches on the
Knights Hospitalers, A.D. 1312. Edward II. confirmed that grant November 28, 1313, and ordered
possession to be given them. Mon. Ang. ii. p. 513. Rymer iii. p. 452.

MERTON. 27
at Sandford, and committed the management of the same estates to the
community resident therein, as their predecessors the Knights Templars had
done. To this preceptory, therefore, Merton remained attached until the
suppression of • the hospital of St. John*, A.D. 1540, without anything
memorable occurring, though it comprehended the long space of two hun
dred and sixteen years.
The same act which compelled the unfortunate knights to surrender their
house, annexed the numerous estates of this order to the crown; and though
many of them were speedily alienated, this manor remained therewith until
the accession of queen Mary, when a grant of it was made to Robert and
John Doyley, descendants of the renowned Oxfordshire family in the time
of the Conqueror. -j~
On their acquisition of the estate, Robert Doyley made the manor-house
in this village his chief residence, and in those unsettled times seems to have
conducted himself with such integrity, as to obtain the general esteem of
the nobility and gentry. By lord Williams, A. D. 1559, he, together with
William Place of Lurgessall, were appointed trustees for the erection and
endowment of a free-school at Tame ; and how scrupulously they performed
their charge, was for many years evinced by its flourishing state. Ip At the
Heralds visitation in 1574, his pedigree was thus registered : §
Katherine, dau. ofcpRoBERT Doylie,=pElizabeth, dau. of John Cheney,

John Tregion, of Golden,
co. Cornub.

of Merton, co. \ deputie of Guisnes in France, and
Oxon. ob. 1577. | son of Cheney de . . . . co. Berks.

i  1  ' _ i  '  1  1  r

Robert, Martha, afterwards John Doyley,=j=Anne, dau. of 2. Ralph. Elizabeth, Jane.
living 1575. married to Barthol. 1. son & heire.
Tipping.

Fr. Barnard, 3. Charles, mar. to Rob. Susan.
of Abingdon, 4. David. Haslewood,
co. Northamp. co. North.
1577- (19 Eliz.) This year Robert Doyley was appointed high sheriff
for Oxfordshire, and attending upon the judge at the assizes holden at the
old Town-hall in the Castle-yard, Oxford, on the 4th, 5th, and 6th days of
* At the valuation of ecclesiastical possessions (26 Hen. VIII.) belonging to this order, the whole, of
the estates annexed to the preceptory of Sandford were valued, under the general title of Sandford and its
members, at £ 173. 6s. Sd. per annum : it is therefore impossible to ascertain what sum was allowed for
Merton alone. There is, however, a " New Rental" of all the estates belonging to Sandford taken by
order of Thomas Docwra, the prior of St. John of Jerusalem, dated the 14tb of February, 1512, still pre
served among the archives of Corpus Cbristi coll. Oxon. f Jones's Index to Public Records.
X Dugdale's Baron, v. ii. p. 404. § Harl. MS. No. 808. Copied from the Visitation books, A.D. 1574.

28 MERTON.
July, when one Robert Jenks was arraigned for sedition, there arose such a
stench from the prisoners' bodies and clothes, that it immediately infected the
judge, jurors, and almost every one present. The jury died in a few hours,
and shortly after, the lord chief baron Sir Robert Bell, Sir Robert Doyley,
Sir William Babington, Master Doyley the high sheriff, Master Wenman,
Master Danvers, Master Harcourt, and many others of the gentry, counsel,
&c. In the whole, there sickened and died at Oxford about three hundred
persons, and in other places two hundred ; though it was remarked that the
sickness was not contagious, and that no woman or child died thereof. This
assize has been ever since called the black assize*
On the death of Robert Doyley, pursuant to the tenor of the letters pa
tent granted by queen Mary, the manor of Merton devolved upon John his
eldest son-f, a gentleman who in the former part of his life (1 Edw. VI.)
had been joined in commission with Sir John Williams and Edward Cham-
berlaine, esq. for the suppression of all chantries, guilds, &c. in the county
of Oxon J, and been otherwise employed in many of the political transac
tions of that eventful age. But after his father's death, he quietly settled
on this estate, and erected the present mansion for his residence (probably
on the site of the, ancient manor-house belonging to the Knights Hospitalers),
where he lived for many years, served the office of sheriff for the county
(27 Eliz.), and was deservedly esteemed throughout the neighbourhood, for
his great hospitality, and for the honest discharge of his duty as a magis
trate. He departed this life A. D. 1593, having previously settled the
Merton estate upon his lady.

* Fuller's Worthies, by Nichols, vol. ii. Oxfordsh. Stowe's Annales, p. 681.
f By will dated July 27, 1557, Robert Doyley left to Katherine his wife, the rectory-house and the
whole of the tithe of the village of Merton, excepting the demesne lands ; to John his eldest son the manor
and demesne of the said village ; to his son Robert the manors and lands of St. Amonds and Brownes, in
Adderbury and Milton in this county; to Ralfe, Charles, and David, his other sons, his estate at Shob-
bington; to his daughters Martha and Susan, four hundred marks each, whenever they attain the age of
twenty-one, or become married. He further bequeaths to Katherine his wife, a considerable portion of his
household furniture, excepting brewing-leads and tables, which, as fixtures, go to the heir, and assigns her
two rooms in his mansion at Merton during her natural life; he also gives her forty cows and a bull, and
directs her to choose four geldings from among any of his animals; the remainder of the horses to be
divided among his sons, the eldest choosing first, and the others according to their ages.. The rest of
his property to be sold to pay legacies, debts, &c. it being especially provided, that the dowry of Kathe
rine his wife assigned upon the manors, &c. of St. Amond and Brownes stand cancelled. To this will he
nominates the said Katherine Doyley and William Place executors. Reg. Testament, in Off. Cur. Prerog.
X Chantry Roll, co.Oxon, in the Augmentation office.

MERTON. 29
From the inquisition taken upon his death, it appears that he died in
possession of the manor of Merton with its members and appurtenances, the
capital messuage or manor-house, and certain other messuages, lands, tene
ments, and hereditaments, comprising thirty-one virgates of land, each of
which virgates contained thirty acres or thereabouts.*
His widow Ann, the daughter of Francis Barnard of Northamptonshire,
esq. carried this manor in marriage first to Sir James Harington, bart. and
afterwards to Sir Henry Poole, described in the anonymous History of Al-
chester as a provident and prudent knight, in whose possession it remained,
A. D. 1622.
After the death of this lady, Merton became the property of Sir Edward
Harington of Ridlington, cO. Rutland, son of the above Sir James, by his
marriage with Margaret, the eldest daughter and coheiress of John Doyley.
This gentleman received the honour of knighthood in his father's lifetime -j-,
and was high sheriff of Rutland 19 James I. and 12 Charles I. By his lady
he had a family of fourteen children, nine of whom attained to years of
maturity, namely, two sons, James and John, and seven daughters : Ann,
who married Sir Richard Piget of Doddershall, co. Bucks, knight ; Eliza,
the wife of John Hacker, esq. £ ; Jane, the wife of Richard Serjeant, esq. ;
Elizabeth, the wife of Christopher Brown, esq. ; Bridget to Richard Ser, esq.
afterwards to Sir John Gore of Glyston, knight, and thirdly to Sir Thomas
Tyrrell, one of the justices of the court of Common Pleas ; Lucy, who died
unmarried ; and Theodosia, the wife of John Fountain, esq. serjeant-at-law.
Lady Margaret Harington survived her husband many years, and was buried
at Merton in December 1658.
Her eldest son, Sir James, married Katherine, the daughter of Edmund
Wright, an alderman of London ; and being a young man of promising
abilities, was returned one of the representatives for the county of Rutland in
the fifth and last parliament of king Charles I. §, where, generally engaging
* Lethieullier's MSS. M.j. No. 4701. Ayscough's Catalogue.
t He was knighted at Grimston the 18th of April, 1603. A. Wood's MSS. B. 9.
X Probably the celebrated Colonel Hacker, who commanded the troops which surrounded the scaffold
at the execution of king Charles.
§ Willis's Notitia Parliamentaria, vol. iii. p. 248. Sir Guy Palmer was his first colleague, and after
wards Thomas Waite, esq. The parliament began at Westminster November 3, 1640, and continued sit
ting till April 20, 1653, when it was forcibly dissolved by Cromwell.

30 MERTON.
on the popular side of those questions which too often involved that assembly
in disputes with their sovereign, he obtained public notice ; and on the breaking
out of the civil war was entrusted with the command of a brigade in the
London militia. Though it is not improbable that his first military appoint
ment arose out of his matrimonial connexion with the daughter of one of
the principal men in the city, yet it is evident that his political consequence
was attributable to his own talents, and the facilities which his employment
in the capital offered for the advancement of his interest. The brigade was
not often required to take any part in the military transactions of that
calamitous period ; consequently, his name only appears when the troop
accompanied the earl of Essex for the relief of Gloucester, and when they
were. engaged in the battle of Newbury (September 23, 1645.*) That he
was much esteemed by his comrades, is clear from the petition of the com
mittee of the Tower Hamlet militia for his appointment to the office of
lieutenant of the ordnance ; and though the success of the petition is not
apparent, the House of Commons considered his conduct so meritorious,
that they passed an order for allowing him ,£4. per week for his present
subsistence, to commence from January 1, 1645, and to be charged upon
the receipts of the committee of lords and commons at Haberdashers hall, -f
In 1646, upon the settlement of the treaty with the Scots for delivering
up the unfortunate king Charles to the English parliament, Sir James Ha
rington was one of the commissioners appointed to go down to Newcastle
and. receive his majesty, arid conduct him to Holmby house. J
* A true Relation of the most chief occurrences at and since the late Battell of Newbery, untill the
disjunction of the three Armies of the Lord-generall, the earle of Manchester, and Sir William Waller, to
gether with the London brigade under the command of Sir James Harrington. Penned by Simon Ashe,
who, as his chaplain, did waite upon his lordshippe in the Western Expedition. Lond. 1644. See also
Wbitelock's Memorials.
t Rushworth, vol. vii. A writer in the European Magazine (vol.lxxvii. p. 15) says, that each member
of this revolutionary parliament was allowed the sum of £4<. a week from the public money, and that the
real value of that sum may be best estimated by the circumstance of an estate now valued at ,£800. then
hardly producing £8. a year.
I Weekly Account, No. 2, Wednesday, January 13, 1645-6. The commissioners were, the earls of
Pembroke and Denbigh, lord Montague, Sir John Holland, Sir Walter Earl, Sir John Cooke, major-general
Brown, Mr. John Crew, and Sir James Harington ; the latter was appointed in the room of Sir William
Ermine, who desired to be excused. The commissioners took with them £2500. to pay the Scottish

MERTON. 31
By a vote of the House of Commons on the 26th of November, 1648,
he and Colonel Wayte were ordered to write to the county of Rutland, and
take care for bringing in the assessment for the army in that county.* On
the 6th of January, 1648-9, he was appointed one of the committee for
redressing the wrongs of plundered ministers, and one of the committee at
Haberdashers hall to call persons of quality before them to advance monies
for the navy; and lest these concerns should be insufficient, on the same
day he was nominated one of the commissioners in the act passed (in pur
suance of an ordinance voted on the 3d of January preceding) for erecting
a High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles Stuart, king of England, and
with them directed to meet on the following Monday at two o'clock in the
painted chamber. -f-
Fortunately for his life, the multiplicity of transactions in which he was
engaged, together with his constant attendance in the House of Commons,
so occupied his time, that he only found, or feigned himself at, leisure to sit
in the High Court of Justice on the fourth day of the king's trial, which
seems to have been occupied in hearing witnesses in support of the charges
against that monarch. X
On the 12th of January following, Sir James Harington, Oliver Crom
well, and others, were appointed a committee to consider how £ 300,000.
may be forthwith raised out of the dean and chapter's lands, 200 for the
use of the navy, and the residue for the public service ; and this committee
were further directed to consider of some way how a sufficient maintenance
may be provided for the ministry of this kingdom, and the advancement of
learning. §
The ruling powers having determined upon the abolition of monarchy,
army, left London January the 13th, and reached Newcastle on the 23d, when they had the honour of
kissing his majesty's hand, and informed him they were deputed by both houses to attend him to Holmby.
The king expressed no surprise at this intelligence, but coolly inquired the distance. On the 28th, the
Scots lords had an audience, and told his majesty, that as he had not taken the covenant, or signed the
propositions, they should deliver him to the English commissioners, and on the following Saturday,
January the 30th, marched out of the town, when it was immediately taken possession of by Skippon, and
the king received by the commissioners, who soon after conducted him towards Holmby, which place he
reached February the l6th. Rushwo'rth, vol. vi. p. 462.
* Journals of the House of Commons, vol. vi. p. 88. t lb. p. 113.
t lb. vol. viii. p. 60. § lb. p. 116.

32 MERTON.
Sir James was appointed one of the committee on the 17th of the same
month, for the discovering, inventorying, and preserving of the goods in the
king's several houses.*
The axe of the executioner deciding the fate of the unfortunate Charles I.
on January the 30th -f-, a republican system of government, designated a
Commonwealth, was agreed upon by the House of Commons, and the exe
cutive committed to a Council of State chosen by that assembly. This
council consisted of thirty-nine members, to whom all addresses were made,
who gave orders to all generals and admirals, who carried the laws into
effect, and digested all public business before it was introduced into parlia
ment. % In the list of this council, which certainly comprehended men of
the greatest talents that England ever produced, is found the name of Sir
James Harington, who was raised to that dignity by vote, February 14th,
the same year. §
* Journals of the House of Commons, vol. vi. p. 120. b.
t The adherents of Cromwell and the republic instituted " The Calves Head Club," which annually
met on the 30th of January to commemorate the event. After ths dinner-clnth was removed, an anthem
was sung, and a calf's skull filled with wine or other liquor, handed to each member, who drank to the
pious memory of those who killed the Tyrant. After some years, it changed from a political to a convivial
meeting; and in 1697, the anthem concluded with these stanzas:
Advance the emblem of the action, To the heroes gone before us,
Fill the calf's skull full of wine ; Let 's renew the flowing bowl,
Drinking ne'er was counted faction, While the lustre of their glories
Men and gods adore the vine. Shines like stars from pole to pole.
The Gentleman's Magazine notices a meeting of this club at a tavern in Suffolk-street, London, so late
as 1735, when several young noblemen and gentlemen dressed up a calf's head in a napkin, and, after some
huzzas, threw it into a bonfire ; then dipping their napkins in red wine, waved them out of the window.
In ridicule of his ancestor, the late Sir James Harington had a calf's head sent him during his residence
at Merton. J- On February 6th, the Commons voted the House of Peers useless and dangerous, and the next day
resolved, that the government by kings had been found by experience to be unnecessary, burdensome, and
dangerous to the liberty of the nation, and that an act be brought in for their abolition, and a Council oi
State of forty members created, to act according to instructions to be given by the house. The 14th of
the same month, the following persons were voted members of this council: — the earls of Denbigh, Mul-
grave, Pembroke, Salisbury, lords Grey of Werke, Fairfax, Grey of Grooby, lords Lisle and Rolle, Sir
John Wylde, Bradshaw, Cromwell, Skippon, Pickering, Massam, Haslerigg, Sir James Harington,
Vane, jun., Danvers, Ermine, Mildmay, Constable, Pennington, Wilson, Whitelocke, Martin, Ludlow,
Stapeley, Heveringham, Wallop, Hutchinson, Bond, Alexander Popham, Valentine Wauton, Scot, Purefoy,
Jones, and John L'Isle. § Journals of the House of Commons, vol. vi. p. 141.

MERTON. 33
Having attained this elevated situation, it does not appear that the
pressure of public business led him to neglect the advancement of his pri
vate interests. Accordingly, as a considerable sum was owing him for the
performance of certain eminent services, he procured an order from parlia
ment, dated October the 17th, 1648, " for the renewal of a lease for eleven
years of some lands in the county of Rutland, late belonging to the duke of
Buckingham, parcel of the forest of Leefield, disforested by king James
(whereof he had formerly a lease, which expired the 25th of March last)
under the great seal of England, in consideration of ,£1000. owing to
him on the public faith, at a yearly rent of <£5. payable to the state;" and
to carry the same into effect, the lords commissioners of the great seal were
directed to pass the lease upon the delivery of his bills for the said sum of
£ 1000. if found correct.*
The next personal transaction in which he appears engaged, is bringing
in an act for making George Crompton one of the treasurers for the receipts
of the commonwealth, ~f
In 1650 he was again ballotted a member of the council of state for the
ensuing year, and continued a prominent character in public affairs, till the
forcible dissolution of parliament by Oliver Cromwell preparatory to his
assumption of the Protectorate of the commonwealth of England, after
which the name of Sir James is found only once among the three members
returned for the county of Middlesex in the parliament which met September
the 3d, 1654, and was dissolved on the 22d of January following. £
Hume says, that Martin, Challoner, Sir James Harington, Sidney,
Wildman, and Nevil, were esteemed the heads of the small division of
Deists, who had no other object than political liberty, denied entirely the
truth of revelation, and insinuated that all the various sects so heated against
each other, were alike founded in folly and in error. Men of such daring
genius were not contented with the ancient and legal forms of civil go-
* In the Journals of the House of Commons is an order for the committal to prison of one Elizabeth
Alkin, for abusing Sir James Harington, as he was coming down to the House. The order is dated
July 6, 1649 ; but none of the writers of the time mention the cause of the insult.
t Journals, vol. vi. p. 309. I Willis's Notitia Parliam. vol. iii. p. 263.
VOL. II. F

34 MERTON.
vernment, but challenged a degree of freedom beyond what they expected
to enjoy under any monarchy. They were therefore perfectly hated by
Cromwell, because he had no hold of their enthusiasm by which he could
govern or overreach them ; and, consequently, he treated them with great
rigour and disdain, usually denominating them the heathens.*
1659. After his death and the deposition of his son Richard had in
duced the council of officers to invite the long parliament to res ume, its
functions -f, Sir James Harington took his seat as a member of that assembly ;
* History of England, vol. vii. p. 168. 12mo.
t The circumstances which led to the deposition of Richard, and the meeting of the long parliament,
were as follow. Richard confidentially told some professed friends, that it was his intention to pursue his
father's maxims of government, and that he hoped to make himself master of the debates of his council
by the introduction of a few new members, and secure the obedience of the army by the introduction of
officers of unsuspected fidelity. These professed friends, apprehending the measure might prove destructive
of their own importance, betrayed them to Fleetwood his brother-in-law, and Desborough his uncle, inti
mating it was the Protector's design to become master of the army, and deprive them of their power.
They therefore combined against him ; but observing that the dispersion of the troops over the country
rendered it impossible to offer any effectual opposition unless the officers could act in concert, they laid a
snare for Richard, into which he easily fell. It was insinuated, that as the parliament which he had called
might prove untractable, it would be prudent to assemble a number of officers around his person, who could
advise with him in any emergency, and demonstrate that he had the support of the army. The Protector,
believing the advice proceeded from zeal for his interest, issued an order for every regiment to send as
many officers as they could spare to London, which was done accordingly; and soon after their arrival, they
formed amongst them a council, which frequently met, and assumed the title of the Great Council of the
Army. This military cabal, joined with some members of the privy council, who met at Desborough's
house, soon displayed their importance by presenting the Protector with a petition, that no officer or soldier
should be turned out, or proceeded against capitally, but by a council of war, and that the army might
have liberty to choose its own general. As these demands were altogether contrary to Richard's designs,
he positively rejected them, and threatened to cashier any person who brought any more such proposals.
In the mean time the parliament, who had assembled the 27th of January, 1658-9, proceeded in no business
except the recognition of the Protector's title till April following, when observing that the officers who
met at Fleetwood's house were not only desirous of depriving Richard of the command of the army, but
also contriving some plot against themselves, the Commons voted, that the holding a council of officers
during a session of parliament was illegal. This vote, though not carried in the upper house, so much
alarmed the subjects of it, that on the 22d of the same month Richard was informed, the officers had
resolved to force him to dissolve his parliament. He immediately assembled his council, and hoped, by
their advice, to be directed to those measures which would frustrate the attempt. While they debated, the
military seized all the avenues of Whitehall, and perceiving no time must be lost, Desborough, with a strong
retinue, demanded an instant audience of the Protector, and insisted upon the dissolution of the parliament.

MERTON. 35
and on Thursday, May the 19th, was publicly announced one of the council
of state.* From this period, we find him acting a prominent part in all
public transactions, and generally employed in the different committees. -j~
On the 9th of August Sir James reported to the House, " that the
council of state had received certain information, both by letters and mes
sengers express, that Charles Stuart had been proclaimed king of England
at the market-town of Wrexham and other places in Cheshire; and that
many cavaliers are joined with Sir George Booth in the insurrection, and
do already fall to their old profane courses of drinking healths openly to
At first, Richard refused to grant their demand, but he was told that his refusal would be attended with
danger to himself, and would not delay the execution of the scheme for an instant. Finding his authority,
therefore, treated with contempt, he at last acceded to their request, and dissolved the parliament by pro
clamation. From that moment, Richard was only regarded as a private person, though he still ' bore the
title of Protector ; and a state of anarchy for a few days ensued, during which the officers continued their
meetings, elected Fleetwood for their general, displaced some colonels in whom they could not confide, and
restored Lambert, with some others dismissed by Cromwell a little before his death. They then began to
consider of some mode of government, as it was impossible for the nation to remain in this state. It was
evidently the first intention of the officers who had effected these changes, to raise Fleetwood, their general,
to the dignity of Protector ; but this plan was frustrated by the intrigues of Lambert, who secretly stimu
lated the inferior officers to oppose, it, though he openly professed himself a friend. Accordingly, when
Fleetwood, as general, convened his superior officers to Wallingford- house to settle the government, he
found that the inferior had also assembled at. St. James's in much greater numbers upon the same
business. In the latter assembly, occasion was taken to magnify the administration of the long parlia
ment, and hints were thrown out that its restoration would prove advantageous to the nation. The superior
officers hearing that this proposal was much applauded by the inferior, concluded that it would be best to
acquiesce in the plan ; and it was therefore finally resolved, in a general council held at Fleetwood's house,
to restore that parliament. In pursuance of this resolution (May 7, 1659), Lambert, at the head of a
considerable number of officers, repaired to the house of Lenthall the speaker, and presented to him the
declaration of the great council, by which the members' of the parliament dissolved by Cromwell on
April 20, 1653, were invited to resume their authority. Lenthall promised to communicate the document
to the members in London without delay, and the invitation being accepted, forty-two members took their
places at the time appointed, and instantly proceeded to business.
* Mercurius Politicus, No. 567, Thursday, May 19, 1 659. The council consisted of thirty-one persons,
and comprised Thomas lord Fairfax, Major-general Lambert, Colonel Disborough, John Bradshaw, Lieu
tenant-general Fleetwood, and some of the most noted men of the time.
t He was one of the members appointed on May 20, to prepare a declaration to satisfy the nation how
affairs stood when the long parliament was dissolved by Cromwell, and how they stood at the present
time. Journals. — On the. 1st of August he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of one of the Westminster
regiments of militia. Mercurius Politicus, No. 581.

36 MERTON.
Charles Stuart upon their bare knees, and declare themselves in the princi
ples of the old cavaliers, whatever disguises are put upon their design, to
the misgiving of many good people." * The result of this communication was
the sending of Lambert with some forces to suppress the commotion ere it
spread into the different counties.
On the dissolution of the parliament in the following October by the
forces of Lambert, the well-known talents of Sir James, combined with some
political intrigues, occasioned him to be appointed one of the committee of
ten of the council of state (October 19) ; and in a few days after, he was
one of the twenty-three persons nominated and appointed by the council of
officers to be entrusted with the management of public affairs, -j- These new
appointments, however, having taken place without the concurrence of
Monk, who commanded the northern army, led to some movements which
the government considered somewhat suspicious ; they therefore directed
Lambert to advance northward, watch his motions, and, if necessary, op
pose force to force. These prompt measures led Monk to propose settling
the differences by treaty ; and accordingly, four commissioners were ap
pointed by either party, of which Sir James Harington was one.
When Fleetwood's ill-founded fabric of government crumbled to atoms
in the following December, and was succeeded by the re-establishment of
the long parliament, Sir James again came into office, and on the 2d of
January, 1660, was once more appointed by the House of Commons a
member of the council of state j., and in a day or two proceeded with a
committee into the city for the purpose of establishing a good corespond-
ence therewith. Notwithstanding the professions of the lord mayor and
aldermen, it does not appear that the mission was pre-eminently success
ful, and it seems to have been the last public transaction in which Sir
James was engaged; for when Monk and his army entered London, the
* Harris's Lives of the Stuarts, vol. iv. p. 52.
t Mercurius Politicus, No. 591. Thursday, Oct. 20, 1659- Major-general Fleetwood was the. osten
sible head of the government, but Lambert and others had much influence in directing its concerns.
X Occurrences from Foreign Parts, with an exact account of the daily proceedings in parliament.
No. 52. Tuesday, January 3, 1 659-60.

MERTON. 37
members of the council of state were changed, and he never obtained his
office again.*
On the restoration of king Charles II. Sir James thought it most pru
dent to consult his safety by seclusion ; but, upon the appearance of the
king's proclamation, declaring that such of the late king's judges who did
not surrender themselves by a certain day, should receive no pardon, he
yielded himself up to the disposal of government. The following was the
result : a committee of the Commons was appointed to investigate the pro
ceedings of the High Court of Justice, and on June 6th, 1660, Mr. Pryn
reported a list of the names of some, who, though they did not sit at the
trial of his late majesty (January 27, 1648), yet did sit on some of the days
preceding ; which list being read, was found to contain the names of Sir
James Harington, Sir Henry Mildmay, Thomas Challoner, John Fry, and
Sir Gilbert Pickering, all of whom, it stated, took their seats on the fourth
day (January 23, both morning and afternoon) ; on which it was resolved,
that Sir James Harington be excepted out of the act of general pardon and
oblivion, for and in respect only of such pains and penalties and forfeitures
not extending to life, as shall be hereafter imposed on him. -f In conse
quence, a section was introduced to that effect, and the bill passed. By a
subsequent statute (cap. 15), he, and the others specified in the same bill,
were degraded, the estates and goods possessed by them, on the 11th of
February, l6595 declared forfeited, and vested in his majesty. £
The immediate execution of these acts closed the political career of Sir
James, and nearly reduced him to poverty, For though he twice petitioned
the House of Commons, his petitions were unavailing § ; the man who had
formerly majorities at command, could now hardly find a hearing among
these intoxicated ultras of loyalty. Still his friends did not despair : at the
instance of William Harington, LL. D. Sir Charles Berkley undertook to
* While Sir James indulged in his political pursuits, he chiefly resided at Suakeley in Middlesex, ex
cepting at those times when his presence was absolutely necessary in London. This house he inherited by
his wife, the daughter of alderman Wright, who was made Lord Mayor on the removal of Sir William
Ashton by the parliament. The house still exists in Ickenham parish. See Beauties' of England, vol.
p. 558. t Journals, vol. viii. p. 60. J Statutes at large. § Journals.

38 MERTON.
procure a grant of Merton to Dame Katherine, for the sum of £ 700. which
he ultimately effected, and obtained letters patent for the same, dated
October 14, 1662, 14 Car. II. under the plea of enabling trustees therein
named, to execute the provisions of a perpetually renewable lease of divers
parcels of the Merton estate, granted by Sir James Harington to John
Dunkin, gentleman, and his heirs, many years before; and also for the be
nefit of the said lady Katherine, and her children by her present husband.
These letters patent recite, that his majesty Charles II. " grants unto
George March, Edmund Warcupp, James Hayes, Thomas Raymond, Thomas
Bland, and Charles Porter, their heirs and assigns (among other estates
therein mentioned), all that the manor of Merton, co. Oxon, with its rights,
appurtenances, and all and singular the messuages, lands, tenements,
hereditaments, with their and every of their appurtenances in the parish of
Merton, late parcel of the estate of Sir James Harington, bart. all which
were forfeited to the crown by the delinquency of the said Sir James, to
hold to them, their heirs and assigns, for ever. Also the rectory impro
priate, with its rights, members, and appurtenances, late parcel of the estate
of the said Sir James, which were by the rector and scholars of Exeter col
lege, Oxon, by indenture of lease dated 4th of June, 1657, demised to the
said Sir James, his heirs, Sec. for ten years. To hold for the residue of the
said term, or of any further term to be thereof obtained, for the benefit of
the before-named Katherine Harington, and the persons concerned."
Accordingly, by indenture dated November 13, 1662, made between
the said six trustees and John Dunkin, gent, reciting the above letters patent
and second proviso therein contained, that the said John Dunkin stood
possessed of one yard-land and a half, parcel of the premises thereby granted
by virtue of a lease from Sir James Harington for ninety-nine years, deter
minable on three lives therein mentioned ; and that it was his majesty's
pleasure that the said John Dunkin, his heirs, &c. should hold lands pur
suant to the said lease without interruption, and should have liberty to renew
them on the terms therein mentioned : It is witnessed, that the said trus
tees did declare that the said manor of Merton (whereof the said premises
devised to the said John Dunkin were parcel) was granted unto them, their

MERTON. 39
heirs and assigns, under the said recited proviso in the said letters patent
mentioned on the behalf of the said John Dunkin as aforesaid; and that the
survivors of them, and the heirs and assigns of such survivor having any
estate in the said manor of Merton, should perform and keep the said pro
viso, in the behalf of the said John Dunkin, according to the true intent
thereof. This deed was duly executed by the several parties.
The expences incurred by obtaining these grants, as well as the debt of
£4091. for which Edmund, eldest son of Dame Katherine, stood bound for
Sir James, induced Lady Harrington to sell the manor of Snakely, co. Mid
dlesex, other part of the premises mentioned in the letters patent, and to
apply the money arising from such sale to the payment of the several sums
charged on this manor and rectory, the mansion-house of which they hence
forward made their chief residence. The lease of the rectory was afterwards
twice renewed in the name of Dr. Harington.
The eventful life of the above lady closed the 3d of June, 1675, and her
funeral is thus noticed in the parish register : " June 15. The virtuous Lady
Dame Katherine Harrington, wife to Sir James Harrington, knt. and bart.
was buried in Merton chancel in the year of our Lord God, A.D. 1675."
She had by him seven sons and nine daughters, and died in the fifty-
eighth year of her age.*
It is probable that her husband survived her ; but the mutilated registers
now contain no entry of his burial ; and though a stone to the memory of
his daughters marks the place of his interment, it does not mention the
time of his decease.
By subsequent indentures of lease and release, this manor was granted
to other trustees, for the uses of several members of the Harrington family,
that they might be entitled to certain annuities during life. — (1701.) But
the titular honours descended to Sir Edmund, eldest son and heir of Sir
James, who " married Sarah, only daughter of Penning Alston, esq. de-
* Granger notices a portrait taken in the thirty-sixth year of her age, A. D. 1654, engraved by Fai-
thorne, 4to. but by some mistake he supposes her to be the daughter of Sir Marmaduke Dorrell, and the
wife of Mr. James Harington, the author of" Oceana.'' Biog. Hist, of Engl. vol. ii. p. 103.

40 MERTON.
ceased," with whom he received a considerable fortune; a considerable part
of which (,£4000.) was paid to Dr. Harington, towards the removal of
the incumbrances which oppressed the estate ; and a further sum of £ 2000.
promised upon her death. The latter covenant probably was occasioned
by the appearance of some disease, and perhaps induced by a predilection
for another female, but most likely it remained a secret to lady Harington ;
for it is contrary to the feelings of human nature to suppose her a party to
an arrangement " for the special purpose of enabling her husband, in case
she died, to contract a second marriage," and, by means of her property,
" be at liberty to charge the Merton estate with £ 300. jointure for such
second wife." It is, however, unknown at what time he had an opportu
nity of availing himself of this part of the agreement, though it is certain
he contracted a second marriage, and departed this life about the latter end
of 1708, or beginning of 1709, from several important documents bearing
his signature in the former year, and the incidental mention of " Dame
Abigail his relict," in others of the following.
Leaving no issue by either marriage, his title descended to his brother
Sir Edward, whose name first appears as a baronet in some deeds bearing
date the 26th of August, 1709; and from an exemplification of a common
recovery taken soon after, wherein Edward Wood is demandant, James
Harington tenant, and Richard Harington and Sir Edward Harington
vouchees of the manor of Merton, the estate is said to comprise the manor
of the same, with the appurtenances, forty-two messuages, two mills, a
dovehouse, two gardens, six hundred and fifty acres of land, three hundred
and five acres of wood, and ten of furze and heath.
From the death of Sir Edmund Harington, Richard, the son of his
brother Henry, exercised the chief authority in this estate ; perhaps his in
terest was rendered paramount by the legacies of Dr. Harington. Accord
ingly, for the purpose of barring all estates in tail of the manor, Sir Edward
and Richard Harington, by indenture dated the 7th of November, 17 H,
granted, released, and conveyed to James Harington, to make him a perfect
tenant of the freehold of the said premises, to the intent that a recovery

MERTON. 41
might be had. The uses whereof are declared to be, to pay Sir Edward an
annuity of £ 105. per annum for his life ; and the said Richard Harington
did agree to find and provide Sir Edward and one servant, meat, drink, &c.
in the family of the said Richard, his executors, &c. during the life of
Sir Edward. — The same day, by another instrument, Sir Edward discharged
the above gentleman from the obligation of finding him with provision, for
an annuity of £4<0. per annum, chargeable on the manor-house.
In the following December (A.D. 1711) the windmill, watermill*, and
several fields, were mortgaged to John Handley for £ 1000.
January 8, 1711. Richard Harington, by will, devises to his wife Mar
garet an annuity of £60. during the life of his uncle, Sir Edward Haring
ton, and, after the death of his uncle, an annuity of £ 100. per annum,
chargeable on the manor of Merton ; to his son Richard, £ 1000. to be paid
at the age of twenty-one, or day of his marriage ; meantime his executors
are directed to pay him £50. for his maintenance, and charges all his
estate, except what he was entitled to in right of his wife, with payment
thereof. He died June 13, 1712, at the early age of thi rty- three.
After the decease of Sir Edward (A.D. 1717) the honours, &c. devolved
upon James (a minor) eldest son and heir of Richard Harington, who ap
pears by a mortgage deed to have been in full possession in July 1731. -j-
This baronet married Catherine, daughter of William Bouchier of the
Middle Temple, esq. by whom he had two sons, James his successor, and the
Rev. Richard Harington, afterwards of Penny Pound in Monmouthshire. J
Notwithstanding the incumbrances which heavily oppressed his estate,
Sir James, fond of field sports, ventured upon keeping a pack of harriers,
and afterwards of fox-hounds, at Merton ; connected with which, tradition
has handed down an anecdote, which shews what familiarity he permitted
an old servant to occasionally indulge in, — for it is said, that when the
baronet, highly elated, shewed the former animals to Master Irons, and
asked if they were not a fine pack, he pointedly reproved his master's in-
* The windmill stood near Court close, the watermill near Langford ; both were taken down by the
late Sir G. P. Turner, bart.
t Ex orig. penes G. O. P. Turner, bar. J Baronetage.
VOL. II. G

42 MERTON.
discretion by answering, " Oh yes ! but they cry oak and ash, oak and ash,"
thus quaintly intimating they would occasion the destruction of the timber
on the domain : and when they were subsequently exchanged for the fox
hounds, and the same inquiry repeated, the cynic answered, " Oh yes ! these
are a fine pack, but they cry land and all, land and all." * Unhappily, the
* Some years ago, the droll stories and strange whims of Master Irons enlivened the conversation of
many a long winter evening in this and the adjacent villages. Most of them are now forgotten ; but the
writer, 'when a lad, remembers to have heard an aged villager amuse a gaping auditory, by telling them
how a farmer once engaged Irons as a mower, but from his assumed awkwardness, entertaining no great
expectation of his abilities, clapped an old scythe in his hand, and set him hindmost in the gang; how the
old fellow at first willingly kept up the joke, by pretending to put himself in a mighty bustle, and partly
by chopping and partly by treading down the grass, contrived to keep up with his companions. That when
the master observed and bitterly complained of the havock, Irons coolly said it was all the fault of the old
scythe, but if he was furnished with a new one, and some fat bacon to grease it, he thought he might be
able to do as well as the rest. That this strange reply leading the farmer to suppose he had been mis
taken in the character of the man, he determined to humour him; and, to his inexpressible surprise, when
the scythe and meat was brought, he observed Irons take up the former, and, amidst the giggle of his
comrades, gravely grease the instrument from end to end ; then, setting to, begin to sweep down the
crop in the most workmanlike manner, while his terrified neighbour, who hud before quizzed him, now
observing the rapidity and extent of his movements, judged it necessary for his own safety to draw back
and let him pass ; and it was presently found that he had reached the end of the swath long before any of
the gang had advanced half way thither.
The same story-teller also said, that at another time Irons's wife becoming tired of seeing her husband
at home unemployed, went and took a quantity of drainage for him considerably under price, and then
came home highly pleased to tell how capitally she had succeeded. The old fellow patiently heard her
tale; then going out among his neighbours, contracted for bis wife to spin a quantity of yarn at a very
reduced rate ; when he returned, and told what he had done, she flew into a violent passion, called him all
the vile names she could think of, and positively declared she would not do it. " Well then, wife," he
gently replied, " how could you wish me to work under price?"
Among his other exploits it is said, that at one time having engaged himself as a thresher to a farmer,
whose wife was constantly upon the watch to see that the men minded their business, he contrived to elude
her knowledge of the extent of each day's work, by making a hole in the mow, and hiding all his un-
winnowed corn excepting a little which be hid under a bushel. When the men were gone home, and the
mistress as usual inspected their work, and found that all Irons had apparently done was comprised in the
small quantity covered with the measure, she was out of all patience, and bitterly complained to her
husband of the man's idleness. The master, however, suspecting there was some juggle in the business,
checked her complaint by observing, " I hear his flail constantly going, don't you trouble yourself about
him, and I have no doubt we shall be satisfied at last." But the mistress, not being quite so easy, con
tinued her morning and evening visits, though with no better success. Irons was at last tired out, and
observing that the only way from the house to the barn was across a narrow plank thrown over a wide
and deep ditch full of water, rose early in the morning, and, before any one was stirring, sawed the plank
nearly through from the under side, and then quietly went into the barn to wait the result. In a lew
minutes the old woman came out, attempted to cross the bridge, and was instantly precipitated into the
water; the moment he heard her plunge in, he began threshing away, pretending not to hear her screams,
which increased in violence as she floundered about, till she was at last heard, and rescued by her servants
from her perilous situation. Whether Irons was at that time considered as the author of the mischief, is,
unknown; — he continued, however, to hide his corn, and in consequence of apparently doing so little, was
laughed at by his fellow-workmen, though the master was silent. When winnowing time came, his com
rades jeeringly came one afternoon to assist him, observing there was plenty of time to winnow all be had
done. But to their utter astonishment, instead of the little under the bushel, he opened his mow, and
displayed nearly double their quantity of corn ; and thus convinced every, one he was by far the best
labourer on the premises.

MERTON. 43
hint of the old man was lost upon Sir James ; increasing expenses accele
rated his downfall, — for present relief, great part of the field had been
granted for lives to different purchasers by the previous lords of the manor,
and the same expedient continued by the present ; but these precarious re
sources proving inefficient, in June 1740, Sir James was induced to mortgage
the estate for ,£9500. to Sir Edward Turner of Ambrosden, bart. and in the
following May to raise a further sum upon it of £3000. when he purchased
the manorial estate and mansion of the Bards at Caversfield, to which he
shortly after retired.
It is confidently asserted in this neighbourhood, that his latter residence
afforded Prince Charles Stuart effectual concealment from his adversaries,
either after the battle of Culloden, or during a subsequent visit to this country,
to engage his partizans in fresh attempts in his cause. Here it is said he exer
cised the pretended regal prerogative of touching for the evil, a prerogative
which, it is well known, was ever claimed by the exiled family.* The known
attachment of Sir James to the Pretender's cause, and the consequent sus
picion of the existing government, induced him to quit both his residence
and his country (A.D. 1747); not, however, without the circumstance occa
sioning considerable alarm to Sir Edward Turner, who instantly pursued, and
overtook him just in time to procure an indenture of lease and release to
Richard Harington, gent, to sell the equity of redemption of the manor and
rectory of Merton, and apply the money to pay the sums advanced on mort
gage, bonds, &c. by Sir Edward Turner and others. The estate was ac-

* One John Wadup was the person who brought him thither under a feigned name. That the Pretender
was about that time in Oxfordshire is evident from the following extract from the Monthly Magazine.
" Dr. Brooks of Shipston told me, that when the Pretender, as he was called, was in England incog, he
visited lord Cornbury; and Banbury, a barber of Charlbury, who shaved the Prince and dressed his wig,
knew the Pretender by a word dropped incautiously from lord Cornbury, and the extraordinary respect
shewn to the mysterious stranger. The Doctor also repeatedly declared, the fear of the Catholic religion
was the great check that kept the gentry from declaring in favour of the exiled family in 1745 ; for so
strong was the attachment of the great families about some parts of Oxfordshire to the Stuarts, that if the
Scotch had been able to push forward, and the French court had sent such an army as accompanied king
William, they would have thrown off the mask, and taken up arms in their behalf. Lord Cornbury was
the soul of the disaffected in this vicinity; next to whom stood Sir Robert Jenkinson of South Lawn
Lodge." Vol. xlviii. p. 214.

44 MERTON.
cordingly offered for sale, but no eligible offer having been made, in De
cember 1749, Sir Edward Turner entered into a contract with Richard
Harington to purchase the entire premises, which he effected by paying the
balance, after deducting the sum already due on mortgage.
The connection of Sir James with this place,, as well as his request to be
buried in the church with his ancestors, warrant us in noticing the following.
incidents in his life. It appears that after he left England, he zealously
devoted himself to the Pretender's service, which then appeared very pros
perous, many persons of fortune and distinction having embarked therein,
who thought he might become the instrument of saving the country, which
they considered endangered by the maxims of corruption introduced by
Walpole, and acted upon by succeeding administrations. Sir James Ha
rington was one of the little band which formed the court of Prince Charles,
and was so extremely attached to his person, that when the definitive treaty
of peace between Great Britain and France (A. D. 1748) compelled the
latter power to insist on his quitting Paris, and his refusal to comply ren
dered it necessary for the French government to arrest him, and commit
him to the castle of Vincennes *, until such time as he could be conveyed
* Notwithstanding a residence was offered him at Avignon, and he had received the injunction of his
father to leave France, the government could not induce him to quit Paris by any representations. It was
at last determined in a council of state that he should be arrested publicly, and sent out of the kingdom.
An order signed by the king was therefore issued to the duke de Biron, and he took the following means
to accomplish the object On Tuesday, November 9, 1748, he selected thirty men from each company
of the guards, and placed them in the immediate vicinity of the Opera, and eight Serjeants, dressed in the
habit of tradesmen, were ordered to post themselves at the two entrances of the house. About five o'clock
in the evening, the young Pretender came thither, accompanied by three of his retinue. As soon as he
got out of his coach to enter the passage leading to the Opera, two of the Serjeants took him fast by the
arms to prevent any resistance ; and having lifted him up, two other Serjeants, crossing their arms, carried
him into the court of the fountains, where stood the duke de Biron with M. Vaudeville, a major in the
guards, while the soldiers with their bayonets kept off the crowd, and secured his followers. M. Vaudeville
having then announced the arrest in the name of the king, and required the delivery of his arms, he was
conveyed to the castle of Vincennes, and there kept prisoner till Sunday the 15th, when, pursuant to a
resolution in council, he was taken in a post-chaise with the marquis Peruzzi to Avignon, which place he
reached on the 24th, though he did not make his public entry till the 6th of January following. Gent. Mag.
vol. xviii. p. 533-535. Ib. vol. xix. p. 46.
On his arrest, Prince Charles inquired if they had also confined his English attendants, adding, " If
ycu have treated the Chevalier Harrington in the same manner you have treated me, I heartily pity the
poor man ; he is fat, and must have suffered a great deal." Lockhart papers, vol. ii. p. 354.

MERTON. 45
out of the kingdom, Sir James was one of those who voluntarily suffered
themselves to be imprisoned rather than desert him, though all his domestics
had fled. Fortunately, the young Pretender's English partizans eventually
discovered that he was totally unfit for the station assigned him, and that his
character was a compound of obstinacy * and avarice. They consequently
abandoned his cause, made their peace with the government, and the coun
try was saved from another revolution. Even those who had hazarded all
for his sake, and involved themselves in distress, experienced no relief from
his bounty, though the liberality of the king of France supplied him with
fifty thousand livres per annum, and Spain with five hundred thousand pis
toles. This was particularly the case with Colonel Goring and Sir James
Harington ; the former being necessitated to enter the Prussian service, and
the latter to quit him on account of his insolence and ingratitude, though
the active part which Sir James had taken in the Prince's service, compelled
him to remain in banishment till the accession of his late majesty, who gra
ciously permitted him to return to his native country, -j-
The manor of Caversfield having been sold, and the chief part of his
property dissipated during his exile, many of the neighbouring gentry after
wards assisted him in pecuniary matters ; but his circumstances were mate
rially improved, by his second marriage with Elizabeth Wright, a lady of some
property at Bourton-on-the- Water in Gloucestershire. At that place, after
a chequered life, he passed the evening of his days in peace and comfort ;
and when he had done with this transitory life, his mortal remains were en
tombed in the sepulchre of his fathers at Merton February 5, 1782. %
* When Prince Charles was in Scotland, he had a mistress whose name was Walkenshaw, whose
sister was, and still is, housekeeper at Leicester-house. Some years after he was conducted out of France,
he sent for this girl, who soon acquired such an influence over him, that she was acquainted with all his
schemes and his most secret correspondence. After this was known in England, those persons of distinction
who were attached to him, became alarmed, and sent over Mr. M'Namara to persuade him to abandon
her; but though he acknowledged he felt no passion for her person, yet would he not receive directions in
respect to his private conduct from any man alive. When Mr. M'Namara returned to London, and
reported the Prince's answer to the gentlemen who had employed him, they were astonished and con
founded ; however, they soon determined no longer to serve a man who could not be persuaded to serve
himself, and who chose rather to endanger the lives of his best and most faithful friends, than part with a
harlot, whom he often declared he neither loved nor esteemed. Dr. King's Anecdotes of his Own Times,
p. 198. + Ib. p. 208. X Merton Register.

46 MERTON.
This lady survived him twelve years, and her decease is thus noticed iii
the Merton register :
" Dame Elizabeth Harrington was buried on the 28th April, 1794; she died at
Bourton-on-the-Water on the 16th April, 1794."
1763. Fourteen years after the estate had passed into the hands of Sir
Edward Turner, an act of parliament was obtained for the enclosure of the
field, from which the following particulars may be gathered. The four open
and commonable fields, called Woodfield, Northfield, Homefield, and Arsley-
bridgefield, contain about seven hundred and forty acres; — that Sir E. Turner
is lord of the manor ; — that the rector and scholars of Exeter college, Oxon,
own about eighty-six acres of glebe land, and are entitled to common of
pasture in the said fields, together with the great and small tithe ; — and that
Richard Harington, esq. holds certain lands, together with right of common,'
by divers leases determinable on his death.
The alterations contemplated, and subsequently effected by the act were,
that the rector and scholars of Exeter college, in lieu of glebe land, common
of pasture, and tithe in the field, had assigned them a sufficient parcel of
land, which then amounted to £ 173. 13s. 9d. comprising the greater part
of the home field, and a considerable portion of Arsley-bridge field, the
whole of which was directed to be fenced by the lord of the manor, and
they entitled to the rents and profits from March 25, 1763.
The leases also of Richard Harington were agreed to be cancelled, and
his lands, &c. assigned to Sir Edward Turner for an annuity of £ 130. per
annum, charged on several ancient inclosures specified.
Necessary roads, fifty feet broad, were directed to be set out and made,
and ever after kept in repair by the inhabitants of the township.
The remainder of the lands were assigned to Sir E. Turner, and the act
proceeds with the usual clauses, securing to the above rector and scholars
their right to oblations, mortuaries, Easter offerings, and surplice fees in the
township, and enabling them to raise £ 300. on lease or mortgage, if ne
cessary, to complete their inclosure, and concludes by guarding the several
rights of the king, and lord of the manor.

MERTON.

47

Since the estate has become the property of the Turner family, no new
leases have been granted for lives, and the former tenures have been gra
dually extinguished by purchase, or the death of the lessee.

Principal Families in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth
Centuries.
William Tipping, the eldest son and heir of a Lancashire gentleman ot
the same name, settled at Merton in the reign of king Henry VIII. His son
William held a messuage or tenement, with four virgates of land and their
appurtenances, of Robert and John Doyley, as a part of their manor of
Merton. Bartholomew, grandson of the last-mentioned William, marrying
Martha, one of the daughters of the said Robert Doyley, settled in this vil
lage, and at the Heralds' visitation, A. D. 1623, thus entered the descent of
his family.
Arms: Or, on a bend engrailed Vert, three pheons of the first. Crest, on a Duke's coronet Or, a wyvern's head
Vert, mane Or, tusk and horns Or.
William Tipping*, of Merton, co. Oxon,==. . . . sister of William Reade,
son & heire of Tipping, of Tipping, of Borstal, Bucks.

co. Lancaster.

r~

Alice, wife of . . . Harte,
of Blackthorne, co. Oxon.
gent, t

William Tipping J,=Agnes, dau. & heir of Thomas
of Merton, co. Bart, of Shabbington, co,
Oxon. j Bucks, gent.

2. Thos. Tipping,==Margaret, dau

of Draycot, co.
Oxon. 1574.

of John Laton,
of Chilton, co.
Bucks, esq.

John Tipping,
son & heire.

 1 
Alice, mar. to
John Brown
of Shabbing
ton.

, i
Leonard Tip
ping, third
son.

 1
Margaret, mar. to Richard
Deane of Merton; 2. to
Thomas Vicars of Horton,
co. Oxon.

George Tipping §,:
eldest son, after
wards knighted,
1623.

=pDoROTHV ||, dau. of
John Burlace of
Marlow-parva, co.
Bucks, esq.

Bartholomew Tipping,
of Merton, second son.

I 
John Tipping, of:
- Draycot, died
in the lifetime
of his father.

_l_

r— r-
Thomas.George.

:Anne, dau. and
coheir of Sir
Christopher Pigot, by his
first wife.

 r— 1 
William Tipping,
of Draycot.
Samuel Tipping,
of Burcester.

"1 1

:Martha, dau. of
Robert Doy
ley of Merton.

Eliza, mar. to Richard
Hyde, of Sutton, co.
Bucks.

T

1

Mary, mar. .... Thomas Tipping of Woolay.co. Bucks,
Barteler. mar. Catherine, dau. of Henry Sam-
Anne, mar. John bourne of Moulsford, Berks, and had
Filder of Bur- issue Catherine, 7 years old 1633.
row ; 3 weeks old Bartholomew Tipping, mar. Eliza-
in 1589. beth, dau. of John Barker of Hurst,
Berks, servant to Queen Elizabeth ;
ob. 16 Sept. 1638. Had issue Fran
cis, Elizabeth, John, and Bar
tholomew.

* It is probable that he held the principal estate under the priory of St. John of Jerusalem.
t Harl. MS. No. 5812. p. 335. J Harl. MS. No. 3966. f. 156.
§ George Tipping was high sheriff of Oxon. 2 James I. Fuller's Worthies, vol. ii. p. 236. He was
also one of the commissioners appointed for hearing and determining the cause of the estate belonging to
the church of Ambrosden. See p. 83, vol. i.
|| She was baptized June 25, i564. See pedigree of Borlase in Langley's Hund. of Desborough, p. 316.

48 MERTON.

In the beginning of the seventeenth century it is traditionally said, that
John Dunkin, a young farmer of superior abilities, having acquired a con
siderable fortune by his marriage with a lady of good family *, for the sum
of £ 1000. paid to Sir James Harington, bart. purchased for himself and
Margaret his wife, their heirs and assigns, one yard land and a half in the
common field of Merton, together with several closes, and a messuage and
cottage situated on the Green in the same village, determinable on three
lives or ninety -nine years, with power to add any life not more than three,
paying on the addition of a third life, when there are only two in being,
the sum of £ 40. ; when only one in being, £ 120. ; and for change of any
lives after the rate of £ 10. for a life, -f-
About the same time he also acquired possession of several enclosed
lands, &c. in the parish of Bicester, the property of the Blounts, which he
continued to hold after the estate was sold to lord chief justice Glynne,
A.D. 1656, and transmitted to his descendants. They are still known by
the name of Dunkin s grounds.
The earliest entry in the Merton register relative to this family is the
following : " 1636. Feb. 19- Thomas the son of Mr. John Dunkin, was
baptized." For several years the important political transactions in which Sir James
Harington was engaged, generally requiring his presence in London, left
this gentleman and his family the chief inhabitants of the village, excepting
such time as the dowager lady Harington occasionally occupied the manor-
* From a biographical sketch of this family (of which twelve copies only were printed) 8vo. 1816. — I
suspect that the lady was the daughter of a gentleman of the name of Irons, resident at Ridlington, from
the incidental mention of John Irons his kinsman, among the executors to his will, and the circumstance
of that family being brought to Merton for burial.
In the library of the British Museum is a MS. marked No. 2177, Ayscough's Cat. containing " An
Account of money given by Thomas Dunckinn at the buriall of John Oxstyne, alis ffoxe, who departed
this life the 24th of December, 1596." The manuscript does not specify the place where the transaction
took place. It is written on two pages, but contains nothing memorable, and is here mentioned on account
of the surname agreeing with the above. + Ex origin, penes Rog. Bouchier.

MERTON. 49
house, when a social and nearly equal intercourse existed. His connexion,
however, with this family, or that which he subsequently formed with the
Glynnes, did not lead him to intermeddle with politics, and he seems,
during those distracted times, to have assiduously attended to the improve
ment of his property, without enlisting in any party whatever. And the
prudence and policy of this conduct became ultimately apparent ; for, on
the restoration of king Charles II. when Sir James Harington had all his
estates declared by parliament to be forfeited and vested in the crown, the
impossibility of fulfilling the conditions on which he sold the estate to John
Dunkin was made the plea of soliciting the Merton estate to be re-granted
to lady Katherine Harington, which could not have been done had not the
conduct of this person been exemplary. Accordingly, in the letters patent
dated October 14th, 12 Charles II. conveying the manor of Merton with its
appurtenances to trustees, for the use of lady Katherine Harington and her
family, it is expressly declared, that " whereas John Dunkin, gentleman,
stood possessed of one yard land and a half, parcel of the premises therein
granted, by virtue of a lease from the said Sir James Harington for ninety-
nine years, determinable on three lives therein mentioned, it was his majesty's
pleasure that the said John Dunkin, his heirs, executors, and assigns, should
hold land pursuant to the said lease, without interruption, and have liberty
to renew the said lease, on the terms therein mentioned." This proviso, there
fore, the trustees hastened to carry into effect, and by indenture dated No
vember 13, 1662, " covenanted for themselves, their heirs, and assigns, hav
ing any estate in the manor of Merton, that they should perform and keep
the said proviso, in the said letters patent contained, in behalf of the said
John Dunkin, according to the true intent and meaning thereof." *
From this period, nothing memorable occurs concerning this individual,
till near the close of the year 1672, when his declining health pointed out
the necessity of settling his worldly affairs : he survived, however, till the
following spring, when he died, and was buried April 9, 1673, leaving
issue by Margaret his wife, two sons, Thomas and Roger, and one daughter
named Mary.
* Ex origin, penes R. Bouchier.
VOL. II. H

50 MERTON.
By his last will and testament, dated 24th August, 1672, and proved
28th April, 1673, the said John Dunkin, under the title of John Dunkin of
Merton, gentleman, after committing his soul to the mercy of Almighty
God, and directing his body to be buried in the parish-church of Merton *,
gave to his wife Margaret for her life, the third part of his arable land,
meadows, and pastures lying dispersed in the common field of the said vil
lage, with the commons thereunto belonging, together with Dennell's cottage,
a great brass pot, &c. excepting the third part of his household goods, and
the wainscot in his great hall, which, with reversion and remainder of lease
hold premises, together with all interest in letters patent granted by king
Charles II. to Dame Katherine Harington, &c. he bequeathed to his eldest
son Thomas. To his aforesaid wife Margaret, he also gave several of his
best beasts, and his great silver bowl, further directing that the latter may
be given to his son Roger after her decease. To his son Roger Dunkin he
bequeathed £ 150. in money, together with his dun gelding, a plough, a cart,
and various implements of husbandry, as well as all the profits which should
arise out of the remainder of the time in Silvanus Urban's land. To his
daughter Mary, ,£150. to be paid after her marriage in the following man
ner, viz. £50. in three months, £50. in six months, and £50. in twelve
months, and a farther legacy of £ 20. to be paid a twelvemonth after the
birth of her first child, if it should live till that time. And so long as she
should remain unmarried, her brother Thomas is directed to allow her £5.
per annum for her maintenance. The execution of this will he commits to
his son Thomas, whom he nominates sole executor and residuary legatee,
John Irons, esq. his kinsman \, and John Brooks of Merton, his brother-in-
law, overseers of the same. The subscribing witnesses are, J. Brooks and
Humphrey Hunt. The will is written on a long sheet of paper ; the seal a
common chequer. J
* Himself and his family are said to have been buried at the west end of the southern aisle, partly be
neath a large stone, and partly beneath the adjoining pew, which, perhaps, they once occupied ; but no
inscription marks the spot.
t Probably the person intimated in the following entry : " Mr. John Irons, gentleman, who died in the
parish of Ridlington, and was buried at Merton the 22d day of June, 1705. Merton Register.
X The original is preserved in the archdeacon's court at Oxford.

MERTON. 51
It is probable Margaret his wife removed to Dennell's cottage, as she
survived her husband ten years ; her funeral is thus noticed in the Merton
register : " Mrs. Margaret Dunkin, wido, was buried May 14, 1683."
The only circumstance that has reached these times relative to Thomas
Dunkin is, that he accidentally discovered a piece of Roman pavement at
some distance below the surface of his lands in Bicester field ; which fact is
thus casually noticed by Kennet, as illustrative of the track of a Roman road.
" Upon the late digging of a pond in the lower end of Dunkin's ground,
has appeared the plainest evidence of a paved way." This paved way that
writer supposes to have been a street, leading from Alchester through
Launton and Stratton, to Lactodorum or Stoney Stratford.
The year 1683 was particularly fatal to this family : in May, Margaret,
the widow of the before-mentioned John, died; in the beginning of the fol
lowing September, Thomas Dunkin lost Sara his wife *; and about a fort
night after, his youngest son Thomas also died; — his eldest son John then
being only two years old.
By Alice his second wife he left two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary,
and, after holding the Merton estate thirty-one years, departed this life in
January 1704, aged sixty-eight, leaving the same (charged with payment
of some legacies) to his son John, and his stock, personal property, &c. to
his wife and daughters, -j-
* "Thomas Dunkin, son of Mr. Thomas Dunkin by Sara his wife, was baptized Aug. 2,1 683." Par. Reg.
— From this entry, it is probable that his mother never recovered after her confinement.
t By will dated the 28th of April, 1704, and proved at the archdeacon's court the 7th of February,
1704-5, Thomas Dunkin, gentleman, " after providing for the burial of his body in Merton church, gives
all his leasehold premises in Merton to his son John, his heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns,
excepting Dennell's house, and two closes called Westfield closes, which were settled on Alice his wife
at the time of marriage for her life; and after her death he wills that the said house and closes shall remain
to the said John Dunkin, his heirs, executors, and assigns, He charges the above estate with the payment
of £5. per annum to his daughter Sara, so long as she shall remain unmarried. He also bequeaths to
Alice his wife two of his best cows, a quarter of wheat, and divers articles of furniture. To his three daugh
ters, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary, the remainder of his household goods, plate, crops of corn, hay, stacks of
grain, &c. and money debts, to be equally divided among them, and commits the execution of this will to his
said daughters, his loving friend Nicholas Marshall, John Brooks, and William Vincent. The subscribing
witnesses are John Venniroore, C. Blower, and John Blower. The impression of the seal is a fleur-de-lis.

52 MERTON.
Having thus obtained possession of the estate at the age of twenty-four,
though deprived of stock and money, John Dunkin found himself necessi
tated to renew the lease from Sir Edmund Harington *, and afterwards mort
gage the same to Nathaniel Carpenter, an upholsterer in Oxford, for £ 250.
for the purpose of enabling him to cultivate the land. But contemplating
a marriage with Elizabeth, the daughter of Robert Markham of Middle-
Claydon, an eminent grazier and dealer in cattle, it is probable this cir
cumstance was thought of little moment, as her fortune would easily remove
the incumbrance. Whether he was disappointed in those expectations or
not, is uncertain : he had an unaccountable propensity to bell-ringing ¦f,
and when become master of his own time, sacrificed every thing to its gra
tification. He has been frequently known to leave his team at plough, and
take a number of men into different parts of the country for a fortnight, to
practise his favourite amusement. The expences in which he was thus
involved were excessive, and, what was worse, the passion increased by gra
tification ; besides, it generated the detestable habit of drinking to excess, j
* The indenture is dated February 4, 1705, and thus particularizes the estate: " Two messuages with
their appurtenances in Merton, and a meadow called Westfield, containing ei^ht acres, mure or less; one
other meadow called Bush-mead, containing four acres, and More Close containing ten acres and a half;
and all that yard and half of arable and meadow ground, and all that cottage called Dennell's, together
with a back side walled about with a stone wall, to hold from the date of this indenture for ninety-nine
years, if he the said John Dunkin, Roger Dunkin his uncle, Elizabeth Markham, the daughter of Robert
Markham, or any of them so long should live, &c."
t In the seventeenth century bell-ringing was a favourite amusement ; Anthony VVood informs us
that " he and his fellow colleagues often plucked at Merton college bells for recreation sake." Oxoniana,
vol. ii. p. 35. Dr. Rawlinson says, " that Christopher Pettie, esq. of Great-Milton in this county, was
a man much addicted to bell-ringing, cudgel-playing, wrestling, and the like ; he carried about the country
with him a set of silken bell-ropes, and a party of dissolute companions, by whose assistance he was re
duced to poverty, and finally kept an alehouse at Thame." MS. in Bib. Bodl.
X The following anecdote is subjoined from the biographical sketch mentioned in a former note rela
tive to thi3 person. " It is well known, that while he was spending his estate at the Woolpack, a small
public-house in Bicester, on the north side of the shambles, the landlady would watch for his coming up
the Water-lane, and as soon as she saw him, order a fire to be lighted in the parlour, and insist on the
company making room for Mr. Dunkin in his corner. But when his property was gone, her behaviour
changed, and he was frequently insulted by her address on the entrance of a better customer, — ' Get up
with your penny pot§, and let the gentleman have the corner.' "

§ A penny pot contained about three quarters of a pint.

MERTON. 53
Nor is it surprising this neglect of business and waste of property in
duced other calls upon Nathaniel Carpenter, and occasioned new bonds in
November 1706, May and November 1707, and May 1708, forming a debt
of £525. Without a radical change, it was impossible for matters to pro
ceed for any length of time: accordingly, on December 26, 1710, an in
denture tripartite was executed between the said John Dunkin, Nathaniel
Carpenter, and John Letherland, clerk, in which it was recited that, the
conditions of the bonds and mortgage not having been fulfilled, the afore
said N. Carpenter's interest in the lease had become absolute ; — that never
theless J. D. having agreed with one Thomas Wyatt for the sale of the pre
mises, together with the reversion of Dennell's cottage and Westfield close,
settled on Alice Dunkin, widow, his mother-in-law, for her life, the said
N. Carpenter did set over to T. Wyatt all his interest in the premises, on
condition of receiving the sum due to him out of the purchase-money, the
remainder being to be paid to the before- mentioned John Dunkin. This
indenture was executed by all the parties, and receipts given for the pay
ment.* Soon after the sale, he removed to the Bull inn, Bicester, -f
* Ex orig. penes R. Bouchier.
t After the sale of the Merton estate, his uncle, Mr. Marshall of Ardley, anxious to preserve him
from total ruin, generously took and stocked the above small inn near the market-plate, Bicester, and per
suaded many of the neighbouring farmers to visit it. But the same inattentive habits that had ruined him
at Merton, followed him to Bicester, and Mr. Marshall soon observed that he never could find his kinsman
at home. The men he employed converted his negligence to their private advantage, and his brewer
being detected carrying away the first wort at two o'clock in the morning, and questioned for the same,
answered it was tappings. Probably others wronged him in a similar way, and his ruin was accomplished
by his giving up the Bull, and the land in Bicester field. X
Without a home, or the means of procuring a livelihood, his wife returned to her father at Middle
Claydon, who had some time before taken her son Thomas; but Mr. Markham's indignation against his
son-in-law was so great, that he would never suffer him to come upon his premises. He was therefore
necessitated to remain at Bicester, and procure employment in the best way he could. What his feelings
were under this reverse of fortune, and under the insults of those who once flattered him, is unknown ;
without doubt, they were sufficiently poignant. When asked if he was not sorry that he had sold his
estate, his usual answer was, " I wish I had another to sell." Nothing, however, can be gathered from

t This second failure induced Mr. Marshall to leave his estate to a more distant relative, instead of
his nephew, as he had originally intended.

54 MERTON.
Alice Dunkin, his mother-in-law, lived three years after this transaction,
and was buried the 20th of February, A. D. 1713.* Roger Dunkin, his uncle,
only survived her about three weeks, and was buried on the 14th of March
following, -j- Thus closed the connexion of this family with the village, after
existing about one hundred years.
The terms on which Mr. Richard Harington renewed the lease of this
estate, materially differed from those on which it had been formerly held ;
besides a premium for three lives, a rental of twenty shillings yearly was
demanded, and all timber, trees, &c. declared the special property of the
lord, which the lessee was prohibited from touching. In August 1730,
John Wyatt, son of the above Thomas, sold it to Thomas Trafford, mathe
matical instrument-maker, and Frederick Bowler, who in 1736 conveyed it
to Roger Bouchier of Worcester college, which being agreed to by Sir James
Harington, on the payment of a fine, was settled on certain lives, the said
Roger Bouchier covenanting to pay the accustomed rent half-yearly, and
do suit and service at the court of Sir James Harington. In 1750 the
estate was sold by Bouchier to Sir Edward Turner, and is now the property
of his grandson. J
this expression ; perhaps he considered the question an insult. That he keenly felt his degradation is
evident, for in his last moments, when the heavy hand of death pressed on him, and his sufferings and
distress induced some of the inhabitants to take him into the workhouse, he refused to be laid on a bed, or
to accept of their proffered food. He was buried at Bicester October 25, 1730, aged forty-nine. Par.
Reg. Bicester.
His wife and son remained at Claydon till the death of Mr. Markham, when that gentleman by will
left them in possession of the farm, stock, &c. Of these they were soon deprived by the villainy of
Mrs. Dunkin's brother, who drew up an instrument, which conveyed the whole of the bequeathed property
to himself, and pretending it was a deed necessary to establish their right, persuaded them to sign it,
without reading or obtaining legal advice. No sooner had he accomplished his purpose, than he insisted
on their quitting the premises; and thus was the final ruin of the family effected. Biographical Sketch,
p. 9, 10.
* Parish Register, Merton. This lady left the whole of her property, except a small legacy to
Thomas her grandson, and Mrs. Banes his sister, to her daughter Elizabeth Dunkin, whom she constituted
full and sole executrix by will dated May 26, 1712, and proved at the archdeacon's court, 3d April, 1714.
f Parish Register, Merton.
X Ex orig. penes G. O. P. Turner, bar. There was a family of Bouchier settled at Hanborow, co.
Oxon, but it is not certain that Roger Bouchier was a member of it.

MERTON. 55
Specimen of Tenures in the Eighteenth Century.
July 25, 1705. Sir Edmund Harington granted by indenture for three
lives, or ninety-nine years, a messuage or tenement, with a half yard land
of arable and meadow to John Brooks, at £ 5. per annum, and a couple of
good fat live hens, and a couple of good fat live capons, to be delivered
yearly on certain days therein mentioned, the said tenant covenanting to
perform two days work with a team of horses, and two able persons to
attend the same at the will of the lord, or pay in lieu Ss. 4>d. for each day's
work, and also £ 10. per annum for head-silver.
And the said John Brooks farther covenanted for himself and his heirs,
&c. that he or they would pay unto Sir E. Harington, his heirs, &c. at the
death of any of the parties upon whose lives the estate was held dying in
possession, his or their best goods, or best beast which they should respec
tively possess, in the name of a heriot. — The indenture was signed by the
several parties, and its provisions remained in force till the time of Sir James
Harington, when several of them were discharged for a fine of £65.
Seve.al other leases were granted unto different parties on similar con
ditions, in this parish.* Entrenchments in Merton Woods.
Several antiquaries are decidedly of opinion, that the famous battle be
tween king Ethelred and the Danes, A. D. 871, called the battle of Mer-
tune, in which the Danes were victorious, and Heahmund, bishop of Shir-
bourn, slain, was fought in this neighbourhood. Dr. Plot considers this fact
established by the entrenchments which remained in Merton wood, and by
the circumstance of a Danish spur having been found near the spot, which
was in the possession of George Sherman of Bicester at the time of his
writing, -f- Kennet was of the same opinion, and says " that the Saxons under
Ethelred and Alfred having been lately worsted near Basing in Hampshire,
it was quite natural for them to retreat towards Bernwood, where they had
lately been victorious ; and being followed by the Danes, encamped near the
* Ex origin, penes G. O. P. Turner, baronettum. t Nat. Hist. Oxf. c. x. § 77-

56 MERTON.
borders of the forest, close by the Roman fort of Alchester, hoping to de
rive assistance or security from that place. Hither came the Danes, and,
dividing their army into two bodies, fell upon the Saxons who were en
camped on the west side of Graven-hill, where the signs of entrenchment do
still remain. The Danes at first onset were broke and scattered ; but they
rallied again, beat the Saxons, and kept masters of the field." * This
writer afterward acknowledges there have been other opinions entertained
respecting the place of battle ; but he considers that this village has the
fairest claim, and adduces the following reasons in confirmation. 1. There
was another Danish spur found on digging the foundation of a garden wall
belonging to the seat of Sir W. Glynne, A. D. 1674, which, he adds,
might well be dropped on the same occasion ; for as the Danes divided
their army into two bodies, one of them might rally on the rising ground,
where the church now stands, at a small distance, and within view of the
field of battle. 2. Ethelward calls it Merantune-f, and states that Heah-
mund, who was there slain, was buried at Cegineshamme (now Ensham),
then a famous place, and afterwards honoured with a cell of religion ; so,
as this interment took place in this neighbourhood, it may well argue that
his death and the battle were in these parts. 3. As Ethelred had been
recently defeated in Hampshire, it was natural to retire upon the resources
of Burred, and the Mercians his allies. And 4. The name of Graven-hull,
as well as the nature of the ground (then and still covered with wood),
indicates it to have been the spot selected by the Danes for the burial of
their dead, according to their usual custom. I cannot, however, close this
article without adding, that in consequence of reference being made to
these intrenchments in the history of Bicester, a gentleman of that place
took considerable pains to ascertain their situation, but was unable to dis
cover the least traces of them ; nor have subsequent inquiries among the
woodmen been more successful. Probably the vestiges of a fosse and vallum
were more apparent in the days of Kennet, or he would not have alluded
to matters so doubtful.
* Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 48-50. t Ethelwerdus, lib. iii. p. 43. edit. Savil.

MIDDLETON STONEY.

jVTiddleton is a village in Poughley hundred, situated on the turnpike-
road leading from Oxford to Buckingham, from the former of which it is
distant about twelve, and from the latter eleven miles. The parish is
bounded on the east by Kingsend and Chesterton, on the south by Kirt-
lington, on the west by Heyford, and on the north by Bucknell.
Description, Population, &c.
The highway from Oxford formerly entered the town near the church,
which it left on the right hand, and passing on the verge of the castle moat,
proceeded by the parsonage into the main street, where it joined the road
leading from Bicester to Heyford, and from thence turned round by the
Talbot inn into the present turnpike road.
The village is extremely pleasant; the greater part of the houses leading
to the park have been recently rebuilt, on a handsome and uniform plan,
by the countess of Jersey : most of them have a rustic porch, and small
flower garden in front, and convey an idea of comfort and respectability
seldom enjoyed by the lower classes. Other parts of the village have also
derived considerable improvements from the same liberality ; and the whole
town having materially benefited by the introduction of the Oxford turnpike-
road, evinces a degree of liveliness unusual in this part of the country.*
There are two good inns, but the Talbot is the chief posting-house.
In 1816 an act of parliament was procured to enable the earl of Jersey
to remove the parsonage-house from the immediate vicinity of his park to
* The projectors of this turnpike originally designed to have carried it through Bicester, hut Mr.
Potter of the Ring's Arms, and some others, petitioned against it, lest the town should be burdened with
soldiers on the march.
VOL. II. I

58 MIDDLETON STONEY.
some higher ground near the entrance of the town, and add the scite, as well
as some adjacent land, to his demesne * : this he has since effected, and there
by enclosed the parish church and cemetery within his pleasure grounds.
Within a few yards of the church stood an ancient Castle, generally sup
posed to have been erected in the reign of king Stephen by Richard Camvil,
a loyal and powerful baron, and lord of this town, on the scite of a Saxon
military work, -j- Though no part of the walls remain, the foundations are so
apparent, that its form and extent may be distinctly traced. From the
present aspect of the ruin, it is evident that on the north-eastern side an
artificial hill of considerable elevation, perforated by a well perpetually sup
plied with water, boldly thrust itself forward into the deep fosse which sur
rounded the whole fortress. Its summit was crowned by a strong and
perhaps lofty keep, which frowned defiance on all assailants. In the upper
rooms of this building, (probably, like others of that period, ascended by
stone steps on the outside to the first story) were the apartments occupied
by the lord and his family : these were slightly ornamented, scantily sup
plied with clumsy furniture, and, according to modern ideas, offered little
accommodation to the high-born inmates. Beneath was the dungeon or
prison for captives, where nearly in total darkness they passed their tedious
days and nights on the cold damp floor. From this keep, on the inner verge
of the ditch, ran a thick wall properly flanked with towers, inclosing a con
siderable court. The entrance into this fortress seems to have been on the
southern side, guarded by a drawbridge, portcullis, and all the means of
* The scite of the rectory, lands, meadows, and closes situated on the east and west sides of the
ancient road leading from Oxford to Middleton, conveyed to earl Jersey, contained seventy-two acres, three
roods, fourteen poles, and were worth £106. 13s. 5d. per annum; while those which the rector received
in exchange comprised one hundred and six acres, one rood, and fifteen poles, and were of the yearly value
of £ 125. 14a. 8d. besides the new parsonage. Private Acts, 56 Geo. III. cap. 39.
t About the year 778, Offa the Mercian king recovered this part of Oxfordshire from the West
Saxons, and soon afterwards separated the two kingdoms by a high bank and deep trench, since called
Avesditch, or Offa's ditch, which seems to have run on to Wansdike in Wiltshire. The extreme, parts of
the boundary in this county were at Mixbury, and near the church are the remains of a square fortification,
called by the Normans Beaumont, encompassed by a ditch one hundred and seventy paces one way, and
one hundred and twenty-eight the other. From thence it passed by Fritwell to Ardley, where was another
rampart, which the Normans converted into a castle temp. Steph. : its scite may be found in a wood west
of the town, distinctly marked by the fosse which once surrounded it ; and, some years ago, one Clifford
of Souldern discovered a lead pipe therein on digging up fox-holes. It then proceeded to Middleton Stoney,
where, as above stated, other works are supposed to have been erected, and then ran on to Northbrook and-
Rirtlington. The ruins of the bank and trench are visible in many places, and the road from Middleton
to Heyford bridge is cut through it, the bank rising on each side to a considerable height.

\s

^ r

7 ^

MIDDLETON STONEY. 59
defence which military architects in those days usually employed.* In the
absence of all authentic records, it is impossible to define more particularly
the nature of the structure, or give the size of any of the apartments, though
it is probable that the foundations of the whole would appear upon digging.
This castle continued to be the chief residence of the founder, Richard
his son, and Gerard and Richard his descendants, for nearly one hundred
years. Idonea, the sole daughter and heiress of the latter, carried it to the
family of Longspe, and it is not improbable that they also continued to
occupy it occasionally; but when it merged into the vast possessions of
Lacy and Lancaster, it was neglected, and gradually became ruinous. Suc
ceeding ages demolished the fabric, and swept away great portions of its
materials; so that when Leland saw it in the time of king Henry VIII. only
a few fragments of the walls remained, and the whole scite was over
grown with bushes. -f Since that period those vestiges have also disappeared,
but the spot is still marked by the excavation of the fosse, and the artificial
hill on which the keep stood. Of late years, the well in the latter has been
covered over for the security of cattle. £
In the reign of king John, A. D. 1202, the before-mentioned Gerard de
Camvil, anxious to add to the importance of this place, procured a charter
for a weekly market §; the mart, however, does not seem to have been
greatly frequented, for in the reign of Edward I. A. D. 1293, Henry Lacy,
earl of Lincoln, obtained another charter for a Monday market, and a
yearly- fair on the eve and day of St. Michael. || This market was held
near the precincts of the castle, and the spot is still marked by the shaft of
the Market Cross, which remains in a small plantation near the entrance
of the park.
In 1552, a female child was born in the house adjoining the lower inn,
* Ring's Munimenta Antiqua, vol. iii. passim. Archaeol. vol. vi.
f " The village and castle of Midleton in Oxfordshire is 2 myles by west from Burchester; the
castle stode hard by the churche. Sum pices of the walls of it yet a little apeare ; but almoast the whole
site of it is over-growne with bushys. Sum say this was Bassets castle, syns Lestrangs, and now the
erle of Derbyes. The lordship is a fiftie li. by yere." Leland's Itin. vol. vii. p. 4. Lond. 1767.
X It is said that the spring which supplied this well was so strong, that the water frequently stood to
the brim, and sometimes overflowed and ran down the side of the artificial hill into the moat.
§ Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 228. || Rot. Cart. 22 Edw. I. No. 23.

60 MIDDLETON STONEY.
now the Jersey arms, having two bodies, which lived some time, and was
baptized.* The following curious transaction took place during the civil wars. On
Sunday, September 1, 1644, a party of the parliament troops from Banbury,
after having disturbed the congregation at Wolvercot church, cut across the
field to lord Lovelace's house at Water Eaton, in expectation of surprising
his lordship, and making him prisoner. On their arrival thither, finding
the nobleman absent, they seized his lady, forced her into her carriage, and
compelled the coachman to drive to Middleton Stoney, " seven long miles,
and there turned her ladyship forth of her coach, which they took for a
booty, leaving the noble lady to foot it home, without regard to her birth
or quality ; unless they did it because she was daughter to the valiant earl
of Cleveland, who at Cropedy, near Banbury, so bruised Waller's army, as
to make him forsake king-catching." -j-
At the latter end of the seventeenth century, there was a small school in
this village for teaching four poor children, upheld at the charge of the
minister of the parish J ; probably the school expired with its patron : at
present, there is one upon the national plan for the education of the poor,
chiefly supported by lady Jersey.
* From a note in the parish register by Mr. OfHey. Stowe gives the following account: " The thirde
of August at Middleton, eleven miles from Oxford, a woman brought forth a child which had two perfect
bodies from the navel upward, and were so joined together at the navel, that when they were laid in
length, the one head and body was eastward, and the other west ; the legs for both the bodies grew out of
the midst where the bodies joined, and bad but one issue for the excrements of both ; they lived eigh-
teene dayes, and were women children." Annales, p. 608. n. 33.
t Mercurius Aulicus. — Their proceedings in the former part of the day are thus detailed. " This
morning one hundred and fifty rebels came from Banbury to Wolvercote, near Oxford, where some of them,
with their pistols spanned, rushed into the church while the preacher was in the pulpit, and would by
violence have carried him thence; a gentleman of quality then in the church, who too well understanding
the rebels' courage to yield himself prisoner, stood upon his defence, though beside his own, there were but
two more swords in the church. Yet this gentleman, with a few others, made the door good against those
without, and then disarmed as many as were within. One gentleman, with no other weapon but a paire
of white gloves, mastered two rebels at once, till they begged for quarters on their knees (the first time
they ever knelt in a church). At last the rebels fled, carrying with them the duke of York's dwarf, who,
had his strength been equal to his courage, had been much too strong for any one of them. In expectation
of a better booty, they then proceeded to Water Eton," &c.
J Magna Britannia, vol. iv. p. 478.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 61
From the memorandums of Mr. Offley, formerly rector of this church,
it appears that in 1705, wheat sold in this parish at 2s. 6d. per bushel, in
1708 at 5s., and in 1709 at 8s.
In 1811 Middleton was returned as containing seventy houses, inhabited
by seventy-three families, consisting of one hundred and seventy-six males,
and one hundred and eighty-seven females, forming a total of three hundred
and sixty-three persons. In 1776, the money raised by the poor-rates
amounted to £67- 7s. 6d. ; in 1803 to £410. 17s. 5%d., being assessed
at 6s. 8d. in the pound. In 1813 the sum declined to £208., and in 1815
increased to £232. The same year the annual value of the real property
in the parish was estimated at £ 2311., and assessed accordingly.
The -Church
Is situated within the boundaries of earl Jersey's park, and is dedicated to
All Saints. The structure was evidently erected by some of the Norman
lords of the village, most likely by the founder of the castle, to which it was
contiguous. It has undergone many alterations, though the chevron or
zigzag moulding still remains on the circular entrance to the chancel, and
the arches which adorn the upper part of the low tower. The building
chiefly consists of a nave, two side aisles, and a chancel, to which a sepul
chral chapel * has been recently added on the north side for the family of
earl Jersey. The aisles are divided from the nave by short stout pillars with
Norman capitals; the arches are pointed. Of late, the interior has been de
corated beyond most country churches; the ancient baptistery supplanted by
a marble font mounted upon a pedestal, and a handsome cast-iron circular
stove with a marble cover erected in the chancel. At the west end of the
nave, considerably elevated above the floor, is the family pew of lord Jersey,
elegantly fitted up with curtains, cushions, and carpet, to which is added the
singular and luxurious appendage of a grate and set of fire-irons, though
it is much to be regretted that the design of the chimney-piece does not
* The architecture of this chapel is altogether dissimilar to that of the church ; the pinnacles, &c.
seem to have been chiefly designed as an ornament to the park.

62 MIDDLETON STONEY.
harmonize with the character of the arch into which it is inserted.* The
pulpit and reading-desk are placed near the entrance of the chancel. Over
the communion-table is a fine altar-piece of the Virgin and Child; in the
south wall are the remains of a piscina with a double basin. The altar-
table is surrounded with a railing erected by Mr. Offley the rector, in the
reign of queen Anne, and within them is an inscription to the memory of
his children. There are few monuments in this church ; and the following are the only
inscriptions of interest to the stranger :
Ann, countess of Jeesey, who died June 16, 1762, married first to Writhosley duke
of Bedford, afterwards to William earl of Jersey, with whom she lived twenty-nine years
within two days, and had by him two sons ; the eldest died early, and was buried by her.
On a brass plate in the floor of the chancel .
Here lieth buried Elizabeth, wife of John Harman, lord of this towne, the daughter
of William Burrell, whose virtuous life deserved a perpetual memory, and in regard hereof
is erected this monument. She departed this life ye 12th August, 1607.
Annexed is the figure of a female in the costume of the age, and the
family arms; and near it the following :
Hie jacet corpus Nicholai Harman, armigeri, hujus manerii Domini, et Judith uxoris
prioris, filias Ricardi Sheppard mercatoris civitatis Londini: ilia obiit 9bris 20, 1649, ille Aprilis
2, 1688, setatis sure 82.
The church-yard is small, but contains several tombs, on one of them
are inscriptions " to the memory of Edward Tanner, who died May 12, 1786,
aged thirty-six ; and also of Sybilla his daughter, the wife of William Traf-
ford, who departed this life 24th November, 1808, at the age of fifty-three."
Near it is another thus inscribed :
Sacred to the memory of John Webb, esq.
of Middleton Stoney in the county of Oxford,
who departed this life 6th February, 1803, in the 69th year of his age,
This Stone is erected 8t inscribed by George Bussey Villiers earl of Jersey,
who joining his sentiments of regard and regret
with the feelings of a disconsolate widow and family, anxious
to record the acknowledged virtues of a much -loved Husband and Father,
wishes to bear his testimony to the unsullied rectitude of a character,
which the faithful, active, and disinterested services of 15 years
in every concern which was committed to his care,
whether trivial or important, have rendered unquestionable.
* The arch was originally open, and the bell-ropes reached the floor for the convenience of announcing
the elevation of the host.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 63

Sacred to the Memory of
Mary Webb,
relict of J. Webb, esq.
who departed this life
Jan. 10, 1813,
in the 76th year of her age,
deeply regretted.

Sacred to the Memory of
Anne Harriett Webb,
daughter of John Webb, esq. by
Mary his wife,
who departed this life
11th April, 1790,
in the 20th year of her age :
a most affectionate daughter,
sister, and friend.

Ecclesiastical Matters.
The advowson of the church of Middleton was granted to the abbey of
Barlings, co. Lincoln, by Gerard de Camvil, the lord of the village, temp.
Ric. I. who thereby became patrons.

List of Rectors.

1217. Gervase de Paveley.*
1250. Valentine de Dorset + ; died 1275.

1275. William de Caneford, 3 id. Jul. %
1291 . Ralph de Hengham, pres. 10 kal. Aug.;
res. 1293. ^
1291 . This year Pope Nicholas's taxation took place, and the church
was valued at £ 10. ||

Peter Durand ; died 1295.
1295. William de Luda, pres. 16 kal. Jan. f ;
resigned 1300.
1300. Rich, de Celleseye, adm. id. Maii.**

John de Tynton, resigned 1319.
1319. Thomas de Tynton, adm. 9 kal. Jul. ;
died 1334. ft

A. D. 1334. The king (Edw. III.) grants licence to the abbot and con
vent of Barlings to convey the advowson of this church to Henry bishop of
Lincoln, and his successors; and on the 17 kal. Jun. the same year, on the
death of the rector, the bishop collated Palmer Francis de Florentia. £lj".
* He was presented to the church by the bishop, at the petition of William Longspe and the abbot of
Barlings, between whom a dispute had arisen respecting their title to the advowson. Rot. .9 Hugh Wells.
t Rot. 16 Rob. Grosthead. J Reg. 17 Ric. Gravesend.
§ Kennett's MS. Collections in the British Museum.
|| In the Norwich Taxation, A. D. 1254, it was only valued at eight marks, or £6. 6s. 8d.
IT 16 Ol. Sutton. ** 1 Joh. Dalderby. ft Ib.
tt Pat. 8 Edw. III. dated 4th March. Reg. Burgwersh.

64 MIDDLETON STONEY.
1340. The following is the return of the inquisition of the revenues of
this church, in consequence of the parliamentary grant of the ninths for
two years. Decanatus de Burcester.
Mudelynton. Ecclia poch' ejusdm cu omib3 porconib3 suis taxat ad xh cup nona
pdca assedit' ad ixu vjs viijd et no plus p jur' & inquis' pdcam q> gleb'ecclie val' xiij" iiijd nee
siit ibi catatt ut dicut, &c*
List of Rectors.
Patron — The Bishop of Lincoln.

Walter Goodyer ; resigned 1510.
1510. William Standysh, A.M. col. 24 Oct. ;
died 1512.11
1512. Richard Walton, col. 30 April 1512.

1342. Thomas de Retford, pres. 6 kal. Oct.t
William Warewyke; died 1389.
1389. John Forest, acholite, pres. 16 June. %
Thomas Nash §; resigned 1424.
1424. William Tibard, adm. 4 Nov. ||
A. D. 1534. The following is the return of the commissioners, 26
Hen. VIII. £. s. d.
Middilton. Leonardus Arden clicus rector & rcoria sua ibm"> ...' '. ..."
¦ r*-» ci Li I VIII
valet p annu cum repris' coib3 annis ex recogmcoe sua, &c. . . >
Sma  xiij vj viij
Inde
Resolucoes. SC1I3. In pcuracoib3 & sinodalibj archidi"0 Oxon'7 _ ^
an"' solut' p annu  *
Sma alloc'  — x viij
Et reman' clar'  xij xvj —
Decima pars dfio Regi .... — xxv vij q' **

Rectors.

Leonard Arding ; died 1544.
1544. Clement Parrett; ind. 18 Sept-tt
1561. William Lluyd, 7 August.

Thomas Burton; resigned 1611.
1611. Francis Field, 26 Aug.
1620. Thomas W or rail ft, 15 December.

* Inquisit. Nonarum, p. 132- b.
t He was presented by the king during the vacancy of the see of Lincoln. \ Reg. Bockingham.
§ He seems to be the same person who was the author of Christ's Teares over Jerusalem, &c. Lond.
1593. || Reg. Chichley. % Reg. Smith.
** Valor F.cclesiasticus, vol. ii. p. lo'I. tt Beg. Epis. Oxon. vol. i.
tt According to a MS. in the llarieian library (No. 843.) the value of the living was £80. per annum
in this rector's time.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 65

Rectors.

Jacob Farren; deprived 1662.
1662. Henry Gregory, adm. 8 Oct.; died
1689*

1689. William Offley, M.A.t ind. 3 Oct.
died 1724.

* Probably Jacob Farren had been presented to the living during the interregnum. His successor,
and many others, were admitted and instituted at Launton, the residence of the bishop of Oxon.
t Mr. Offley was a fellow of King's College, Cambridge, and chaplain to Thomas Barlow, bishop of
Lincoln, by whom he was presented to this rectory. On December 31, 1691, he married Susan Keene
at Buckden, the residence of his patron, and immediately settled upon his living. From the number of
curious memorandums preserved in his hand-writing in the parish-books, he appears to have been a man
of much observation, and extremely desirous of preserving all the rights of his church ; though it might
have been reasonably suspected that the latter virtue arose out of a regard to self-interest, had he not given
some silver plate for the use of the communicants, and railed round the altar-table at his own expense.
On the death of Mr. Shaw of Souldern, he preached a funeral sermon, and published it in 1707.
Many persons were, however, much disappointed on finding that the publication did not notice the report
of the deceased having been forewarned of his death by an apparition whilst sitting in his study, especially
as it was known that an authentic account had some time previous been transmitted to his brother Mr.
T. Offley, at his special request, by Mr. Waller, a fellow of St. John's college, afterward an eminent phy
sician at Cambridge. — As this account, therefore, has not been hitherto printed, and relates to this part of
the country, a copy of Dr. Waller's letter is subjoined, divested of its abbreviations.
" Dear Sir, " St. John's, Dec. 12, 1706.
" I should scarce have mentioned any thing of the matter you now write about of my own accord ;
but since you have given yourself the trouble of inquiry, I am, I think, obliged in friendship to state all I
can of the matter, and that I do the more willingly, because I can so soon produce my authority. The
man to whom the apparition appeared was one Mr. Shaw, who had one of our college livings at Souldern
in Oxfordshire, nigh your brother. This gentleman, Mr. Grove, fellow of our college, called on last July,
in his journey to the west of England, where he stayed a day or two, and promised again to call upon him
on his return ; which accordingly he did, and stayed three days with Mr. Shaw. In that time, one night
after supper, Mr. Shaw told him there happened a passage which he could not conceal from him, as being
an intimate friend, and as one to whom the transaction might have something more relation than to
another man. He proceeded, therefore, and told him, that about a week before that time (which was
about July 28), as he was smoking and reading in his study about eleven or twelve at night, there came
to him the apparition of Mr. Nayler, in the same garb he used to be, with his arms clasped before him.
[This was formerly a fellow of St. John's, and a friend of Mr. Shaw's, dead about two or three years before.]
Mr. Shaw, not being wonderfully surprised, asked him how he did, and desired him to sit down ; which
Mr. Nayler did. They both sat a considerable time, and entertained each other with various discourse.
After that, Mr. Shaw asked him after what manner they did in a separate state. He answered, far dif
ferent from what they did here, but that he was very well. He inquired farther whether there were any
of their old acquaintance in that place where he was ? He answered, No, not one. He farther proceeded,
and told him, that one of their old friends (naming Mr. Orchard) should die very quickly, and that himself
VOL. II. K

66 MIDDLETON STONEY.

Rectors.

1724. Benjamin Holloway, pres. 4 Dec.
died 1759.

1759. Timothy Neve, pres. April 23; died
27 Aug. 1818*
1818. Egerton Robert Neve.

Parish Register, Memoranda, &c.
The parish register commences in 1598, and the different entries are
written in Latin to 1607, but contain nothing memorable.
" John, the son of Alexander Denton, esq. the lord of this towne, and of Madam
Hester, his wife, being borne upon Saturday, December 18, was upon the Monday following,
being December 20, baptized in the said Esquire's house, according to the Order of Private
Baptism; and afterwards, upon Tuesday December 28, being Innocents Day, 1680, was
brought to the church, and publicly received according to the Order of the Church prescribed
in the Common Prayer Book."
" 1742. The right hon. Frederick William Viscount Villiers, the son of the
right hon. William earl of Jersey, and the right hon. Anne countess of Jersey, buried
October 11."
should not be long after. They mentioned several other people's names ; but whose they are, or upon
what occasion, Mr. Grove cannot, or does not declare. Mr. Shaw then asked him whether he would not
visit him again before the time. He answered, No, he. could not, for he had but three days allotted him,
and farther he could not go. Mr. Shaw then said, ' Fiat D'ni Volu'tas,' and the apparition left him. This
is word for word what Mr. Shaw told Mr. Grove, and Mr. Grove told me. Now what surprised Mr. Grove
was, that as he had in his journey home occasion to ride through Caxton, he called on one Mr. Clark,
fellow of our college, and curate there, where, inquiring pf college news, Mr. Clarke told him that Sir
Arthur Orchard died that week on August 6, which very much shocked Mr. Grove, and brought to mind
the story which Mr. Shaw told him afresh. And about three weeks ago, Mr. Shaw himself died of an
apoplectic fit in the desk: the very same distemper as poor Arthur Orchard. Now since this strange
completion of the matter, Grove has told this relation, and stands to the truth of it ; and that which con
firms the thing itself and his veracity is, that he told the same to Dr. Balderston, the present vice-chan
cellor, above a week before Mr. Shaw's death; and when the news came to college, he was no way
surprised as other people were. And as for Mr. Shaw's part, it is the opinion of some men that cannot
digest the matter, that it was only a dream. But Mr. Shaw seemed to be as well satisfied of his waking
then, as at another time. And suppose it were so; the fulfilling of the things predicted, is a valid proof
of its being a true vision, let it be represented which way soever. And again, considering of them both
as men of learning and integrity, and (what farthers my belief) Grove's incredulity in stories of this
nature, the one would not have first declared, nor the other spread abroad the same, was not the matter
itself serious and real. This is all that is told of the matter; the rest I leave to your discretion.
" Yours, &c. Edm. Waller."
* Reg. Epis. Oxon. vol. iii. Dr. Neve published " An Animadversion on Mr. Thomas Philips's Life
of Cardinal Pole. Oxf. 1766.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 67
Memorandums in the Churchwardens' Books.
" 1692. I let all my tythes for three years, reserving to myself all tythe-wood, commons,
fuel, offerings, 8tc. for ,£84. 13s. 9d. per annum."
" The Sunday after All-hallowday is Middleton wake, on which day I usually preach, to
keep the people from playing, &c. I read a homily, and examine in the Church catechism."
" Since I railed in the communion-table, the people kneel at the rails ; only the clerk
comes with the rector within the rail, to be ready to fetch the wine for the sacrament."
" Alexander Denton, esquire, of Hillsdon in Bucks, married Mrs. Hester Harman,
only daughter and heiress of Nicholas Harman, esquire, and Susanna his wife, and be
came lord of this manor, which, at his death, descended to his eldest son, Sir Edmund
Denton, who was created baronet, of whom the hon. Henry Boyle, esq. now lord Carleton,
purchased this manor February 18, 1710-11. Ita est. GuV Offiey, Rector, 1719."
Customary Fees or Dues to the Rector, as appears from the Old Books.
For a marriage by licence . . 5s. Od. ¦ The clerk's fee  2s. 6d.

banns .... 2s. Qd.

N.B. No customs of any kind whatever in the parish. T.N. (Timothy Neve.)
Historical Particulars.
In Domesday-book Middleton* is thus entered as the property of
William earl Warren, a valiant Norman nobleman, who came over with
the Conqueror, and obtained one hundred and nine lordships in Norfolk,
besides many others in Yorkshire, Shropshire, &c. His feudatory vassal
was Roger, perhaps the ancient Saxon proprietor.
In Levecanole Hd.
Rogeri' f ten [de Feodo With Comi!] i hid in Mideltone . 7 . Aluui de eo.
* In this volume there are several entries under the common name of Middleton, which Bawdwen
has found extremely difficult to assign to their proper places. He was certainly mistaken when he sup
posed Middleton Stoney alluded to among the lands of the bishop of Lincoln in Dorchester Hund. (see
No. vi. Dom-boc, which compare with Rot. Hund. p. 750.) Perhaps his conjecture may not be better
founded in the following entry :
Ricard' Puingiant ten' de Rege x hid' in Mideltone. Tra xvi car'. N'c in d'nio m car' &c v serui
& xxv vill'i cu' bord' h'nt xiii car. Silva viii qar l'g & totid' lat. T. R. E, & post & modo val' x
lib'. Turi lib' tenuit. No. 33. .
t The following story respecting this earl Warren will shew what wretched falsities the monks could
propagate to deter an ignorant and credulous population from meddling with the possessions of the church.
The monks of Ely state, that this earl William did violently detain some of their lands, for which, being
often admonished by the abbot, and not making restitution, he died miserably ; and though his death
happened very far off the Isle of Ely, the same night the abbot lying quiet in his bed, and medi
tating on heavenly things, heard the soul of that nobleman, as the devil carried it away, cry out loudly

68 MIDDLETON STONEY.
Tra . i . car. Hanc lit in dnio. Ibi . ii ac pati. Silua . i . leu lg . 7 . mi
qap. lat. Valuit . xx solid. Post . xv . solid. M° vii lib.
Translation.] Roger holds [of the fee of earl William], and Alwi holds of him, one hide
at Mideltone. . Land to one plough. He has this in the demesne. There are two acres of
meadow. Wood one mile long, and four quarentens broad. It was worth twenty shillings,
afterwards fifteen, now seven pounds.
The village was subsequently possessed by Gerard de Camvill, and at
his decease passed to his son Richard, a faithful adherent of king Stephen,
who is generally supposed to have built and garrisoned a stately castle on
or near the scite of a military work, originally designed for the protection of
the West Saxon kingdom.*
The strength of the new fortress is believed to have preserved this neigh
bourhood from those scenes of war and desolation which afflicted almost
every other corner of the kingdom during the greater part of this monarch «
reicn. And when, at last, the principal chieftains, tired of rapine, mutually
agreed to settle their disputes by treaty, our baron cheerfully signed the
instrument which guaranteed the crown to Stephen during his natural life,
but secured the succession to prince Henry on his decease, -j- That part of
the engagement, however, which doomed Middleton castle to destruction,
seems to have been cautiously evaded, as it continued to be the residence
of this nobleman's posterity several generations afterward.
On the accession of the new monarch, Richard Camvill was constituted
sheriff of Oxon and Berks for the first two years of his reign :£, and received
a grant of the lordship of Sutton in the county of Northampton ; but he
with a known and distinct voice, " Lord have mercy upon me ! Lord have mercy upon me !" and on the
next day the abbot acquainted all the monks in chapter ; and four days after, a messenger came to them
from his wife with one hundred shillings for the good of his soul ; but neither the abbot nor monks could
take it, not thinking it safe for a damned person. Dugdale, who relates this story, invalidates it by assert
ing that his wife was dead three years before. He died 8 kal. Jul. 1089. Baronage, vol. i. p. 73.
* Kennett remarks, that it is evident this castle was built some time before Bicester priory, from its
name appearing in an ancient manuscript (No. 648 in Bib. Bodl.) that gives a catalogue of all the mo
nasteries and castles in England, but takes no notice of that religious house. A circumstance which proves
the manuscript to be at least as old as the time of Henry II. Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 140.
+ Joreval. 1309. 66, X Harl- MS- 2122- P- 141-

MIDDLETON STONEY. 69
had only enjoyed this acquisition two years, when he was arrested by the
hand of death, and called to give up his final account. This event hap
pened A. D. 1157.*
From the well-known piety of this baron, and the general features of
the architecture of Middleton church, there is good reason to believe that
edifice was built by his directions about the same time with the Castle. He
also founded Combe abbey in Warwickshire for the Cistertians -j-, gave
two hides of land at Godington to Missenden abbey ij"., and the chapel of
Leigh, co. Oxon §, with two virgates of land within the same parish, to the
convent of Reading, for the health and safety of himself, Milisent his wife,
Robert his son, and Robert Marmion, and for all their souls, that they
might partake of all the special benefits of the brethren of that house. ||
Richard de Camvill, his son and successor, manifesting the same fidelity
_,tr\the king, received with his hereditary honours a royal grant of Cornbury
forest for five years, at a rental of £3. per annum: in 1160 was sent
abroad with the king's austringers and falconers; and in 1164 summoned
to the great council of Clarendon, where he signed the famous constitutions
enacted for reducing the monstrous pretensions of the clergy. Two years
after, upon the assessment of the aid for the marriage of the king's daughter
Maud to Henry king of the Romans, he paid a scutage for one knight's fee
in Middleton, which he certified was held of the king de antiquo feojfa-
mento. f
1176. The last public commission which he received from Henry II.
was to convey intelligence to the king of Sicily of his sovereign having
granted him his daughter in marriage.** A more active scene, however,
awaited him under the reign of his successor: in 1190 that monarch ap
pointed him one of his admirals in the expedition to the Holy Land, and
on the settlement of a dispute arising between his sovereign and Tancred
king of Sicily, during the stay of the armament at Messina, he became one
* Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 158. t Dugd. Warwickshire, p. 145. J Regist. de Missendene, f. 129. b.
§ It is doubtful whether North Leigh or South Leigh ig hereby intimated.
|| Regist. Cart. Abbatise de Reading, c, 196. Harl, MS. No. 1078. f. 201.
11 Lib. rub. in Scacc. Oxon. ** Hoveden, p. 551.

70 MIDDLETON STONEY.
of the guarantees for the observance of the articles of peace.* When the
refusal of Isaac, the ruler of Cyprus, to permit the fleet to enter the harbour
of Limisso for the purpose of repair, led Richard to make a descent upon
the island, and compel it to surrender, the government was committed to
this nobleman in conjunction with Roger de Turnham. Becoming, how
ever, soon tired of this inactive life, without waiting for the permission of
his sovereign, he followed the army to Palestine, and joined the besiegers
before the walls of Acre, where he died the same month. -j~
Gerard de Camvill, his son and heir J, in early life had been introduced
to the notice of the leading men of the realm, and was present at the coro
nation of king Richard ; but his importance was materially increased by his
acquisition of the vast fortune brought by Nichola his wife, one of the
daughters and coheirs of Robert de Hay, together with the offices of con
stable of Lincoln castle and sheriff of the county. After the departure of
the king, he remained in quiet possession of these honours, till being dis
covered plotting with earl John against the government, he was suddenly
deprived by the chancellor, and besieged in his castle. This open attempt
at crushing his adherents, led the prince to assemble an army, and raise the
siege ; when Longchamp, finding himself likely to be overpowered, entered
into a treaty with the malcontents, and agreed to reinstate the deposed
sheriff. But this circumstance having accidentally proved the strength of
the conspirators, they soon proceeded to deprive the chancellor of his
office, and vest the functions of administration in more congenial hands.
The many traitorous attempts of that prince and his adherents, against
the person and authority of their sovereign, naturally exasperated him
against them on his return to England, A.D. 1194. § At a parliament
held at Nottingham, Gerard de Camvill was disseized of his castle and
shrievalty of Lincoln, and within a week after, at the instigation of the
bishop of Ely, accused of harbouring and abetting thieves who robbed the
tradesmen going to Stanford fair, and likewise of high treason, because he
* Brompton, p. 1184. inter X. Script. t He died July 1192. Hoveden, p. 692.
X Kennett's genealogy of this family is followed, though it materially differs from Dugdale.
§ A.D. 1194. This year Gerard de Camvill paid a rate of twenty shillings for one knight's fee in
Middleton towards the king's ransom. Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 214.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 71
had declined upon summons to appear before the king's justices when he
was sent for to answer that charge, and said, that as he had only acted in
the capacity of a feudatory vassal of earl John, he would be tried in his
court, and no other. This contempt of the king's authority was therefore
now punished by the confiscation of the manor of Bentham, co. Berks, and
of the manor and castle of Middleton. Nor were the latter restored till he
had paid a fine of two thousand marks to regain the king's favour.
Political and personal considerations continued' the depression of this
baron during the remainder of king Richard's reign ; but on the accession
of his brother John, his influence revived. He was present at Lincoln when
the king of Scotland did homage to king John November 22, A. D. 1200 ;
obtained for £ 1000. the guardianship of Eustace, only daughter of Gilbert
Bassett, and widow of Thomas de Verdon, with liberty to dispose of her to
his son * ; and in the third year of the same reign procured the following
charter for two markets to be held for two days in each week, one at Sutton,
co. Lincoln, and the other near his castle at Middleton.
1202. Johannes Dei gratia rex Angliae, &c. Archiepiscopis, &c. salutem. Sciatis nos
concessisse dilecto nostro Gerardo de Kanvill quod habeat duo mercata per duos dies dura-
tura in qualibet septimana, unam scilicet apud Sutton in Hoyland, et aliam apud Midlinton,
&c. Datum anno regni nostri tertio. Testibus, Willielmo Mareschallo comite Pembroke,
Roberto de Harecourt, Guarino filio Geroldi, Willielmo de Pratellis, &c.+
Still continuing in the king's favour, in the fifth year of his reign he
obtained a special licence to hunt the hare, fox, and wild cat, throughout
all the king's forests : and so great was the confidence which John reposed
in his fidelity, when his quarrel with the Pope occasioned the kingdom to
be laid under an interdict, that he constituted him, and William de Cornhull
the archdeacon of Huntingdon, joint commissioners for the seizure of all the
lands and goods of those ecclesiastics who refused to perform divine service
in the diocese of Lincoln ; and that he might be enabled to carry the mea
sure into full effect, the king appointed him, and his neighbour Robert de
Amory, justices itinerant for the same county that year. Yet though the

* Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 627- t Par. Ant. vol. i. p.

228.

72 MIDDLETON STONEY.
system of politics then pursued by his sovereign engaged him in open
hostility to the Roman see, his personal attachment to the holy church is
decidedly proved by his various donations to religious communities, and by
his having given conjointly with his lady Nichola de Hay, to the monastery
of Coomb the sum of one hundred shillings to keep his anniversary there for
ever. He died A. D. 1214, and on the 14th of January following, the king
issued his precept to the sheriff of Oxon to deliver Middleton Castle and
other parts of his possessions into the hands of his son Richard*, some time
before married to Eustace the daughter of Gilbert Basset, the lord of the
neighbouring town of Bicester.
Of this baron, little appears on record excepting his donations to several
religious houses, from which it is evident that he preferred the enjoyment
of his princely inheritance to the dangerous and flitting celebrity arising
from military exploits or courtly obsequiousness.
Idonea de Camvill, a female heir, carried the manor of Middleton, with
the ample possessions of the houses of Cam vii and Bassett, to William
Longspe ~f, whose granddaughter Margaret married H. Lacy earl of Lin
coln ; and by the general inquisition 7 Edw. I. it appears that the land in
this parish was divided among the undermentioned persons, and held by
the rents and services therein specified.
Mudeligton' Henr' de Laci die' Com' Lincoll ten3 totam villam de Mtjdeligton' de
ctno Reg' in capit' &. de Gerard de Camvill p mediu &, Vic' faciet turn' ad visu franci pleg'
semel in ann' & assportabit qatuor sol & ide Henr' ten3 in dnico iij hydas te & j pc' &
wareiiam set quo waranto nescif.

Nativi. Simo Halard ten3 unam vir-
gat' ?e de Henr' de Lacy Com' Lincoft p
iij3 ixd p ann' 8t opa & cosuetud.

Beatrix Vidua ten3 j virgat' te de eode
Com' in villinag' p iijs ixd &. opa & cosue-
tudin' q' tenr dno.

* Pat. 16 Joh. M. 7. Dodsworth, vol. liii. f. 7, gives the king's precept to the sheriff as under :
Rex. vie. Oxon. salutem. Sciatis quod reddidimus Ricardo de Camvill castrum de Middleton quod fuit
Gerardi de Camvill patris sui : et ipsi Ricardo haereditarie contingit. Et ideo mandamus, &c. Teste
meipso, &c. decimo quinto Jan.
t It seems that the countess of Warwick, aunt to William Longspe, held a considerable portion of the
land in Middleton; for on the marriage of Isabel, the king's sister, to the Emperor (20 Hen. III.) two
marks were demanded of the said countess for her estate, while that of the lord was only rated at one.
See Testa de Nevil, p. 113 and 116".

MIDDLETON STONEY.

73

Ysabel! Hapsild j virg' de eode eode
modo.
Ric' P'poit9 j virg' eode modo.
Alic' Brid j virg* eodfft modo.
Robs Bodicot' j virgat' eode modo.
Thorn' fil X'ne j virg' eode modo.
Thom' Coc2 j virgata eode modo.
Robs Juven' j virgat' de eode eode
modo. Simo de la Slode j virgatam eodem
modo. Johes ad Pontem j virgatam eode modo.
Johes le Bedel j virgatam eode modo.
Alica Vidua j virgatam eode modo.
Wills Philippfrs j virgatam eode modo.
Thorn' de Holindon' unam virgatam eode
modo.

Alica relicta Johis Arnald j virgata eo
dem modo.
Johes Crihps j virgat' eode modo.
Wills le Blunt j virgata eodem modo.
Robs Wippegor' j virgat' eode 'sVico.
Simo Carctar j virgatam eode modo.
Alica relicta Thom' Juven' j virgat' eode
modo. Wills de la Hale j virgat' eode modo.
Johes le PalrSe j virgata eode modo.
Johes Adam j virgatam eode m°.
Ric' de Godigdon' j virg' eode modo.
Petrus de Staton j virg' eode modo.
Nic' de Boscho ten3 unam virgat' de
pdco Com' in villinag' p iijs ixd sic' ceti
pnoiati.

Burgag'. Wills Vinetar' ten3 un' burgag' de dnico dni Comit' 8c reddit p ann' xijd,
Ric' de Wirhal j burg' p xijd. Ric' Tegulator j burg' p vjd p ann'.
Wilts Textor j burgag' p xijd. p ann'.

Alic' Godale j burg' p xijd. p ann'.
Ric' Scot j burg' p vj de' p ann'.
Agn' Harald j mesuag' p xijd. p ann',
Wills Hastel j burgag' p xijd. p ann'.

Cecilia relicta Fabri j burg' p xijd.
Lauret' de Lindesi j burgag' p vjd.
Walrus Hastel j burgag' p xijd.
Johes Hichu j burgag' p xijd.
Thom' Sturdi j burgag' p xijd. p ann'.
Robs Scot j burgag' p vjd p ann'.
De lib' Ten't'. Johes de BulirS ten3 iij virgat' ?e de Willo le AveS 8c ide de Johe
Hubrd de Leyre p iiij marc' 8c ide de Comit' Line' 8c des Johes d3 "sVicium poSe ultim'
ferclm coram Comit' 8c hebit roda de Comit' sic' alii life 'sVietes.
Ide Johes de Bolim) ten3 moledin' aquatic' p iiij li. cer' dno feod solved 8c dafe scutag'
qando currit qant' ptin3 ad iij virg' in eode feod.
Johes de la Gayme ten3 iij virg' p ij li pipis dno Com' 8c dabit scutag' scdm q^titate ?e.
Simo le Frankelain ten3 ij virg' p xijd p ann' dno feodi solved 8c dabit scutag' sed
qantitat' ?e.
Philps Venator ten3 j virgatam p una liba pipis dno Comit' Line' solvd 8c dabit scutag'
scdm qantitate te sue.*
It seems that the market in this town, formerly conceded to Gerard
Camvill, had now much decayed ; accordingly, after the successful expedition

* Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 833.

VOL. II,

74 MIDDLETON STONEY.
into Wales, the earl of Lincoln obtained a new charter of Edward I. dated
1293, granting him licence to hold a Monday weekly market at his manor
of Middleton, and a yearly fair to last for two days — to wit, on the eve
and day of St. Michael.*
Alice, his daughter and sole heir, whose vicissitudes in life render her
one of the most interesting characters in that age, conveyed this manor to
her cousin, Sir Roger le Strange of Knocking, 9 Edw. III. A. D. 1336 f,
who subsequently settled it as a jointure upon Joan, his second wife, the
daughter of Oliver de Ingham ; and the same year in which he died J,
(A. D. 1349) she attained the additional estate of her niece Mary, the
daughter of John Curzon, and did homage for the whole of the lands 26th
October the same year.
This extensive property shortly procured for her a second husband, Sir
Miles de Stapleton of Bedal, who, in consequence of remitting to the king
all the debts due to his father-in-law Oliver de Ingham, and other services,
received a full discharge of all arrears, &c. due to the king.
This nobleman was much employed in the wars of Edward III. in the
kingdom of France, and being an expert soldier, when Philip, brother to
the king of Navarre, came into England (30th of the same reign) to solicit
help for the recovery of his lands in Normandy, was selected as a proper
person to accompany him. He served in these wars with great fidelity and
courage, and in 1360 was rewarded with an annuity of £ 100. out of the
king's exchequer, and also obtained a licence to found a perpetual chantry
within the parochial church of Ingham, to celebrate divine service there, for
the good estate of himself and Joan his wife during this life, and afterwards
for the health of their souls, and all the souls of the faithful deceased. Unto
this chantry he gave the advowson of the church of Ingham, and the fifth
part of the manor of Halhamhalle. §
* Rot. Cart. 22 Edw. I. No. 23. By some mistake, Dugdale has stated this fair to be held on the
eve and day of St. Thomas the Martyr (Bar. vol. i. p. 104), and Kennett has copied the error into the
Parochial Antiquities. f Ex orig. penes G. O.P. Turner, bar.
I The inquisition taken August 7, 23 Edw. III. recites that Sir Roger le Strange died July 29th in
possession of the manor of Middleton, and that in it were two carucates of land in demesne, containing
three hundred acres. § Dugd. Baronage, vol. ii. p. 70.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 75
1372. On his death these estates reverted to Roger le Strange, son and
heir of the beforementioned Sir Roger, and was generally held in dowry by
the widows* of the successive lords, till it was carried by Joan, an heiress
of that family, to the Stanleys, afterwards earls of Derby, conjointly with
the neighbouring estate at Bicester.
1600. In the 43d year of the reign of queen Elizabeth, the manor,
with its appurtenances, was sold by William earl of Derby, to Sir John
Cotton, knight, and others, considerable portions of the land, tenements, and
hereditaments, having some time previously been in the possession of Thomas
Martyn, and Thomas Moyle, gent, formerly of Staple inn, London. ~j~
This manor, with a part of the estates, subsequently became the property
of John Harman, esq. and afterwards of his son Nicholas, who erected a
commodious mansion for his residence near the scite of the ancient castle,
and died in a good old age (eighty-two) April 2, 1668. Some years after,
it was carried by his only daughter and heiress in marriage to Alexander
Denton j of Hillsdon, co. Bucks, esq. (the son of the famous Sir Alexander
Denton, who so bravely defended Hillsdon house) ; and at his death de-
* Elizabeth, formerly the widow of Sir Richard le Strange, but afterwards the wife of Roger Kynaston,
esq. departed this life the 10th December, 1453; and on an inquisition taken in this neighbourhood, the
jury found that she held in demesne, as of fee, the manor of Middleton with its appurtenances, co. Oxon,
of the king as of his manor of Wallingford by the service of the twentieth part of one knight's fee, and
that she had granted this and the adjoining manor of Bicester to Sir Edward Hambden, William Burley,
and other feoffees, in trust for her son and heir John le Strange, who at his mother's death was eleven
years of age. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 393.
T Middleton Stone?. M. p' Thoma Martine legat Joh'i Martine p'ri suo p' vita cu' rem' ultra
p' vol. D. 16 ffeb. 29 E. Tent, in C. p' pd. 10 Feb. 32 E. fo. 326.
Dimiss mes. terr' ten' et hereditam' tent' p' Thom. Moyle nup. de Staple Inne gen. de D'na Elizabeth
Pawlet. Vide Esch. 36 E. fo. 19-
Terr' p' Thomam Ireland et al. rec. versus Anna Stanley un' fil Com' Derbie tent, in C. p. bre de
ingra. p. 42. E. fo. 133.
M. cum ptin' p' Wm. Com' Derbie et al. alien. Joh'm Cotton mil. et al. ten. in C. p' Id 1 M'cii. 43
Eliz. fo. 138.
X Alexander Denton of Stratton Audley in the county and diocese of Oxon, and Madam Hester
Harman, the only daughter of Nicholas Harman, esq. lord of this town, were married on Monday, No
vember 10, 1673, by a licence from the ordinary of the diocese. Parish Register.

76 MIDDLETON STONEY.
scended to his eldest son Edmund, afterwards created a baronet, of whom it
was purchased by the hon. Henry Boyle, esq. February 18, 1710-11.*
This distinguished character was the third son of Charles lord Clifford
of Lanesborough, second son of Richard first earl of Burlington, a noted
courtier and partizan of king Charles I. in the civil wars. Possessing con
siderable abilities, Mr. Boyle commenced a successful political career, and
in the reign of queen Anne was appointed chancellor of the exchequer and
principal secretary of state. On October 26, 1714, king George I. created
him a peer by the title of lord Carleton, and he died president of the
council, unmarried, on March 14, 1724-5, at his house in Pall Mall, which
he bequeathed to Frederick prince of Wales and his successors.
The parish is indebted to this nobleman for their handsome communion
plate, purchased and presented to the church in 1718:— his arms are en
graven thereon.
The manor (and the mansion, now rendered conspicuous as one of the
chief seats of the noble and ancient family of Villiers) was purchased by
William third earl of Jersey, who expended very considerable sums in re-.
pairing and enlarging the manor-house, with the view of rendering it a,
commodious residence for himself and his successors. These alterations,
however, had not been long effected ere the building was destroyed by fire
(May 3, A.D. 1753), occasioned by a female domestic -j- incautiously placing
some linen, which wanted airing, too near the grate. The violence of the
flames for some time overpowered every effort to subdue them; and when
that purpose was accomplished, little remained of the mansion except the
kitchen and some out-offices. J Fortunately, the whole was insured ; the
parties determined to rebuild, and a handsome brick structure arose upon
its luins : to add to the beauty of the domain, the park was improved, and
the surrounding scenery tastefully arranged.
This nobleman was the eldest son of William second earl of Jersey, by
Judith, only daughter to Frederick Hearne of the city of London, esq. He
was early appointed one of the gentlemen of the bedchamber to Frederick
* Notes in the parish books in the hand-writing of Wm. Offley, rector, and dated 1719-
+ Afterwaids married to William Hudson of Bicester. In her latter days she was quite blind.
X See Jackson's Oxford Journal of that year.

il  11111

Bi

o

V

MIDDLETON STONEY. 77
prince of Wales, and at his funeral was one of the six supporters of the pall ;
on May 12, 1740, he became lord chief justice in Eyre of all his majesty's
forests, chases, parks, &c. on this side Trent, and was afterwards sworn
one of the lords of his majesty's privy council. His lordship married June
23, 1733, the lady Anne Egerton, daughter to Scroop, first duke of
Bridgewater, and relict of Wriothesley duke of Bedford ; and by her had
issue, 1. Frederick William lord viscount Villiers, who was born on March
25, 1734, and died in October 1742 ; 2. George Bussey the late earl.
On June 16, 1762, his lordship had the misfortune to lose his lady, and
seven years after departed this life August 28, 1769, when he was succeeded
by his only surviving son.
George Bussey, the fourth earl of Jersey, was born June 9? 1735, and
commenced his public career in the twenty-third year of his age, by serving
in parliament for Tamworth in Staffordshire, on the elevation of his uncle,
lord Hyde, to the peerage. At the general election in 1761, he was again
chosen representative for the same place: on March the 21st, 1761, was
declared one of the lords of the Admiralty ; but resigned in April 1763.
On his appointment to the Admiralty, his seat in parliament became vacant ;
but he was afterward elected to represent the borough of Aldborough in
Yorkshire. At the great election in 1768 he was chosen for Dover in Kent;
on July 6, 1765, appointed lord chamberlain of his majesty's household,
which he resigned September 9? 1769 ; and the same day was nominated
lord of the bedchamber, in which post he continued till December 1777- On
March 30, 1782, he was appointed master of his majesty's buck-hounds ;
which resigning in the following May, he was made captain of the band of
gentlemen pensioners, which he retained until December 1790, He was
afterwards master of the horse to the prince of Wales.
His lordship married Frances*, sole daughter and heir of Philip Twysden,
* On the marriage of his present Majesty, then prince of Wales, in 1795, the countess of Jersey was
appointed one of the ladies in waiting to the princess ; received her on landing at Greenwich, and accom
panied her in the coach .to London, A late writer, who professes to detail every incident of that part of
her late Majesty's life, attributes the first misunderstanding between the Prince and Princess of Wales, to
the machinations of this lady, ^ilkes's History of Queen Caroline, vol. i. p, 75-149. Lond. 1821. It
js hoped that his statement is incorrect. Lady Jersey died at Cheltenham July 25, f 821, and was brought
to Middleton Stoney for burial.

78 MIDDLETON STONEY.
bishop of Raphoe in Ireland, a younger son of Sir William Twysden of
Roy den hall in Kent, bart. by whom he had issue, 1. Charlotte, born May 2,
1771, married July 11, 1789, to lord William Russell, a younger brother of
the duke of Bedford, and died August 31, 1808, leaving issue by him. 2. Anne
Barbara Frances, born March 22, 1772, married first to William Henry
Lambton, esq.* who died November 30, 1797? and afterwards to the hon.
Charles Wyndham, brother to Charles, second earl of Egremont. 3. George,
present earl. 4. Caroline Elizabeth, born 1774, married Henry William,
present marquis of Anglesey, and has issue ; divorced from him by the laws
of Scotland, and married November 29, 1810, to George duke of Argyle.
5. Georgiana, who died young. 6. Sarah, born November 17, 1779, mar
ried September 12, 1799, Charles Nathaniel Bayley, esq. 7- William Au
gustus Henry, born November 15, 1780, who, by his Majesty's permission,
assumed June 4, 1802, the surname of Mansel, pursuant to the will and tes
tament of Louisa Barbara baroness Vernon, and died in America July 1813,
unmarried. 8. Elizabeth Frances, married January 13, 1803, John lord Pon-
sonby of Imokilly. 9- Harriet, married December 21, 1806, the hon. and
Rev. Richard Bagot, a prebendary of Worcester, brother to William lord
Bagot. 10. A son, born July 29, 1806. f
The earl deceasing August 22, 1805, was succeeded by his eldest son
George, the present and fifth earl of Jersey, born August 19, 1770, who on
May 23, 1804, married Saran Sophia, eldest daughter of John earl of West
moreland, the inheritrix of the very large property of her maternal grand
father, the late Robert Child, esq. of Osterley ; by whom he has issue,
1. George Augustus Frederick viscount Villiers, born April 4, 1808. 2. Au
gustus John Child, born July 10, 1810. 3. Frederick William Child, born
July 20, 1815. 4. Francis John Robert, born October 11, 1819.
The earl and countess were authorized by his Majesty's licence in De
cember 1819, to take the name and arms of Child.
* She has issue by him an only daughter, who, August 6, 1811, married the hon. Fred. Howard, third
son of the earl of Carlisle, killed at the battle of Waterloo ; and 2. the Hon. Fred. Compton Cavendish.
t Collins's Peerage, with additions, by Sir E. Brydges, vol. iii. p. 796- London, 1812. The arms of
this family are, Argent, on a cross Gules, 5 escalops Or. Crest, on a wreath a lion rampant Argent.
ducally crowned Or; Supporters, two lions Argent crowned with ducal coronets Or, each having a plain
collar, charged with three escalop shells of the second. Motto, Fidei coticula crux.

MIDDLETON STONEY. 79
His lordship has lately very much enlarged the family mansion, which
originally consisted of a handsome center and two wings. Some tasteful
alterations have also been effected in the gardens and grounds under the
immediate direction of lady Jersey.
Conventual Estates.*
A. D. 1349. Thomas Cok chaplain, or curate of Middleton, William
de Stratton, curate of Launton, and Richard de Caversfield, jointly gave to
Bicester priory by charter all the lands, tenements, rents, and services,
which they had of the gift and feoffment of Thomas de Stapenhulle, in the
villages of Bicester and Middleton, to hold for ever from the capital lords
of the fee. Whether the convent afterwards acquired any additional estate
in this village is uncertain, though it is evident their lands were valued at
£2. per annum at the time of the dissolution.
In the 37th Henry VIII. this estate was granted among others to Roger
Moore and Agnes his wife, by letters patent dated the 28th of June, on
condition of their paying twenty shillings yearly at Michaelmas into the
court of Augmentation. After the death of these parties, and the subsequent
division of their property between the coheiresses, Mary the wife of Sir Mi
chael Blount, and Elizabeth the wife of Sir John Brochet of Brochet-hall,
co. Hertford, the greater part of these lands were sold to Thomas Martyn -j-,
* The English cartulary of Godstow contains the following donations to that convent : " Alicia Fitz
Richard in her owne fre . . . gaf. . . to God, and to the Mynchons of Godestowe all her londe and tenements
that she had in the towne of Mydalton, that is to say, ij houses wl their p'tyancis, and ij acres of arable
lond, the which she had of her fadir, of the which one lyeth in the Est felde of the same towne upon
Bradeweye, and another in the West field, of the which the half acre lieth upon Graneberne, and another
upon Bradeweye, &c.
A chart of Raf.fi tz Richard of Myddulton of iij acris of londe, and the confermyng of the charter of the
said Richard his fader, of ij acris of lond with ij mansions, &c.
As the abbess and convent did not return any account of lands in this parish 26 Hen. VIII. it is clear
the above estates were lost. Perhaps that community some ages before alienated them to Bicester priory.
t Midlington al's Mydleton Stony. Terr' tent' p' Thoma' Martyn in C. Esc. 29 Eliz. fo. 45.
M. ac in Mess, un Col' ij Cot' in toft' cc acr' terr' xx pati xx pastur' cu' p'tinen' ac un' Mes'
sive ten' cum p'tin' in Mydlington al's Midleton Stoney pd m' in tenur' Rob'ti Cuckone' patu' voc. Gar-
fyne al's Garven ac n p'cell' pat' voc. le Hammes in Wendlebury p'och' un acr' pat' voc. Bisteron. in Bur-
cester ac alibi, tent' p' Thom. Martyn in C. Esc. de A0 29 E. fo. 45.
M. ac ina mess, un' columbar. duo cotag' in toft' cc acr. terr. xx acr' pati xx acr' pastur' in Myd-

80 MIDDLETON STONEY.
and after some intermediate conveyances*, became the property of Thomas
Standard -j~, a gentleman who had also acquired a small estate in this parish,
heretofore belonging to Oseney abbey. J
From the inquisition taken after his death (which happened January 28,
1622) it appears that his estate in this parish comprehended the manor of
Middleton Stoney with its appurtenances §, three messuages, one dovehouse,
two cottages, three tofts, two hundred acres of land, and two hundred acres
of meadow, besides the manor of Adderbury, and the manors of Over and
Nether Arncott, together with lands in Bloxam, Bicester, and Wendlebury,
all of which remained to Henry his son and heir, who was of the age of
thirty-five years and upwards. ||
Henry Standard settled at Middleton, and resided in the capital mes
suage or priory farm during the greater part of his life. His son Henry, a
promising young gentleman, entered the church, became fellow of All Souls
college, Oxford, and obtained the degree of A. M., but feeling the pressure
of disease, retired to the house of Dr. Richard Lydall against Merton col
lege, where he died the 2d of December, 1670, at the age of twenty-three,
from whence he was brought to this village, and buried in the parish church
by his relations. %
On the decease of the before-mentioned Henry Standard, the estates in
this parish remained with Elizabeth his widow during her life, and afterwards
passed to his descendants, by whom they were alienated. The greater part
of the land is now the property of earl Jersey, but the mansion has been
demolished many years,
lington al' Midlington Stoney, ac un' mess' sive ten' cu' p'tin' in Mid' Stoney nuper in tenur' Rob'ti
Cuckone tent' ut prox. supa,
Capit' mess' voc. le Priorie fearme p' Joh'em Martyn gen' et al' alien' Thome Martyn gen. tent, in C.
p'd 1 Sept. 22 E. fo. 99. Lethieullier's MS. m. 2. No. 4701. Ayscough's Cat.
* John Denton did homage for divers lands, &c. in the villages of Middleton and Wendlebury, 4
Edw. VI. Originalia, 6367-
t Rot 22. No. 132. Fee-farm Rolls in the Augmentation office. Some lands in this parish had been
granted to Roger Moore and John Waterhouse the l6th of June, 33 Hen. VIII. Vide Originalia,
X Rot. 24. No. 1 50. From this estate a reserved rent of 6s. was payable annually to the Crown.
§ From this, as well as the preceding extract, it clearly appears that the conventual estate was a
reputed manor. || Cole's Escheats, vol. iii. p. 7. Harl. MS. No. 757- See also Arncott, vol. i. p. 73.
U A. Wood's MSS. 8436, F- 4. f. 119. in Mus. Ashmol.

NOKE.

JN ore is situated in Ploughley hundred, five miles and a half N.N.E. from
Oxford ; the parish is bounded by Islip, Wood-Eaton, Beckley, &c.
Etymology, Description, and Population.
Anthony a Wood says, the village obtained its name from its situation
on a nook or corner of Otmoor ; but, as it is uniformly written A ke, in the
most ancient records, it is equally probable that it might be so named from
Ak, an oak, with which sort of trees the place abounded. The scite is
extremely low, and in winter the lanes are nearly impassable ; the inhabit
ants are farmers and cottagers, whose dwellings are more or less separated
from each other; there is nothing worthy the name of a street. Great
part of the principal mansion was pulled down, after it was purchased by the
duchess of Marlborough, and the remainder converted into a farm-house ;
but the stables still exist, and plainly indicate they once appertained to a large
mansion. At a little distance from the church is the rectory, a neat and
comfortable residence, now in the occupation of Mr. Turner.
The village consists of thirty-one houses, inhabited by as many families,
of which twenty-eight are engaged in agriculture, and two in trade : the
population consists of seventy-seven males and seventy-six females, forming
a total of one hundred and fifty-three persons. In 1776 the poor-rate
amounted to £ 54. 2s. 10 d.; in 1803, the sum raised was £ 110. 3s. 3d., being
assessed at 2s. 4<{d. in the pound. In 1813 it advanced to £164. beside
the fraction, and, contrary to most parishes, in 1815 increased to ,£216.*
The same year the property was estimated and assessed at £ 1497 per ann.
* The real sum expended in 1815, was <£l62.
VOL. II. M

82 NOKE.
In ancient times much of the parish was comprehended within the liberty
of Islip, and those inhabitants did suit at the abbot's court.* Even within
the memory of man the villagers were required to attend the reading of
certain documents in Islip church, though it is evident they did not listen
to their contents, or all knowledge of them would not have perished, as is
now the case.
By an act passed 58th Geo. III. for allotting lands in Otmoor, we find
that the principal land-owners in the parish are, the duke of Marlborough
and the Blewbury charity ; the tithe is divided between the rector of Noke
and the rector of Islip ; five-twelfths of the cow-pasture belong to Noke, and
seven-twelfths to Islip.
Dr. Plot notices a branch of the Roman road, apparently leading from
Alchester to Oxford, about Noke. -j~
The Parish Church
Is a small structure dedicated to St. Giles, which has undergone so much
alteration, that nothing can be safely said respecting the period of its erec
tion. It consists of a low tower of two stories, covered with tiles, a nave,
and chancel. It is entered by a porch on the south side ; the interior is
nearly devoid of architectural ornaments; the seats open, and the pulpit and
reading-desk placed on the south side near the entrance into the chancel.
The communion-table is elevated one step above the floor, and separated
from that part of the church by a rail.
In the reign of queen Elizabeth, Joan Bradshaw, a lady then resident in
the village, and the grandmother of the lord of the manor, repaired the

* In the sixteenth century, several of the members of the university of Oxford sought a temporary
asylum in this village against the ravages of the plague ; but it afterwards broke out among them, and
some died, and were buried here.
" On March l6th, 1644, a letter was read in the House [of Commons] to his Excellency the earl of
Essex from Capt. Abercromy, a Scottish commander at Ailsbury, signifying that having intelligence of
a party of horse of the king's life-guard quartered out of Oxford for want of necessaries in the towne, he
and Capt. Ennis went out with a party from Ailsbury on Monday night last, and surprised the said horse
in their quarters at Noke, three miles from Oxford, their riders absent, and brought them aNvay to Ails
bury, there being about fifty of them, with other good plunder." Perfect Diurnal, No. 84.
f Nat. Hist, of Oxfordshire, c. 10, § 28.

Drayi/7^ k StchAL by J ,La S Acsres

<yh.At?, 7:^yyy[y

Pali di-y J yisiAAji. Jircrrdzy, Ncv.i.idzz

NOKE. 83
church and erected a chapel on the north side of the chancel for a burying-
place for herself and her descendants of the Winchcombe family. Here she
was afterwards buried ; and it appears, from some notes taken by a visitor
in 1660, preserved in the Harleian library, that the chapel then contained
the monuments thus described :
" Against the east wall of the chapel a table of marble, thereon a plate
of brass, on which are engraven the figure of a man kneeling on a cushion,
behind him a woman with four daughters, and beyond them a man with four
sons, kneeling in the same position, having over them these two coats : Ar.
two bars Gu. impaling Hurst, viz. Ar. a . . . B. two bends, in dexter canton
an annulet Gu. Q. two coats q'ly ; 1. per bend, over all a crosse botonee ;
2. On a crosse 5 lozenges ; 3d as 2d, 4th as 1st, impaling a . . .* Under
all, this inscription :
Here lyeth the body of Johan Bradshawe, daughter and coheire of John Hurste
of Kingston-on-Temes, in the countie of Surry, gent, who had to her first husband William
Manwayringe, of East Ham in the countie of Essex, gent, who died tho 10th day of
Octr. A0 1529 ; and to her second husband, Henry Bradshawe, esq. late lord cheife barron
of Thexchequer f, who had isswe betwene them 4 sonnes and 4 daughters: who died 27
day of Julye, 1553. The sayd Johan all her life was very charitable to the poor, and pchased
lands and rents for ever to the use of the poore of the towne of Noke in the countie of Oxon,
and to Halton and Wendover in the countie of Bucks; and at her chardges newlye builte this
chapell, and dyed 27th day of February, A" 1598. A0 Rfie Elizabethe 41°-
In the same chapel, a fair raised altar-tomb of black marble, on which
is the effigy of a man lying on a cushion, and on the sides of the monument
these inscriptions :

On the south side of the head this:
Hie jacet Benedictus Winchecombe
Armiger, Filius & Haeres Thomas Win
chcombe: duxit uxorem Annam Fal
coner Filiam & cohaeredem Gulielmi
Falconer Armigeri, et ex hae vita
Emigravit apud Noake vicesimo Maij
Anno D'ni Milessimo sexcentessimo
vigessimo Tertio, sine liberis, et re-
liquit unicam sororem Mariam sibi
Heredem que nupta fuit Gulielmo
Hall Ar'o inter cujus proles aliosq'
quosdam cognatos et ad nonnullos
pios usus omnia sua distribuit: cujus
anima requiescat in pace. Amen.

At the feet on the same side :
Also hereby lyeth buried ye bo-
dye of Johan Bradshawe, grand
mother to the said Benedict
Winchcombe, whoe willed his bo
dy to be interred neare this
place. He in his life repayred this
Chappell, after his death p'vided
it should be repayred, and gave
money to repayre this
church of Noake.

* The description of these coats should probably stand thus: — Hurst, Arg. a sun Gules, impaling on
the dexter, Arg. two bars Gules, for Mainwaring, and on the sinister, Arg. an annulet between two bend-
lets Sable, for Bradshawe. t Appointed chief baron 21st May, 6 Edw. VI.

84 NOKE.
" On the west end his arms cut in black marble, viz. On a chevron ingr.
between 3 lapwings, 3 cinquefoils ; on a chief a fleur-de-lis betwen 2 co
ronets of a tilt-spear with mantling and crest, a stag's head couped, hold
ing in his mouth ye branch of a tree." *

On the north side at the head:
We know thou are not lost, but sent before,
Thy'friendes all left thy absence to deploare;
Nor can thy vertues ever be forgotten,
Though in thy grave thy corpes be dead and rotten ;
For ill-tongued Envie to the world must tell,
That as thou liv'dst, thou died'st, and that was well.

At the feet on the same side :
Benedict Winchecombe
made Benedict Hall, his
sister's eldest sonne and
heire, sole executor; and in
remembrance of the said
Benedict Winchcombe,
his uncle, this monument
was erected.

" At the east end, Winchecombe as before, q'. 1. Bradshawe, viz. 2
bends, 2 q'. 1 per bend, over all a cross botony ; 2. on a cross 5 lozenges;
3. a  impaling; 4. three falcons, q' a cross molyn."
" In the east window of this chapel, Ar. a checquer B. . . . Ar. 2 bends
Sa. on a chiefe Or a fleur-de-lis bet. 2 demiroses Gu. Q. 2 coats quar
terly ; 1 per bend. B. ar. over a cross botony Ar. ; 2. Ar. on a crosse Sa. 5
lozenges, Ar. ; 3d as 2d ; 4th as 1st. -j~
This chapel was repaired by Benedict Winchcombe during his lifetime,
and was probably comprehended in the general reparation of the church,
which took place after his death, in consequence of his legacy for that purpose.
The edifice being considered private property, and neglected by the de
scendants of the Halls, after the alienation of their estate in the parish, it
fell into decay, and in 17 • • was taken down by consent of the feoffees of
the Winchcombe charity. The materials were used for the repairs of the
chancel, and some parts of the monuments affixed to the walls, where they
* The description should stand thus : — Azure, on a chevron ingrailed between three pewits Or as
many cinquefoils of the field ; on a chief of the last, a fleur-de-lis between two spear-heads of the field.
Crest, on a helmet with mantling, a stag's head erased quarterly Or and Azure.
t Harl. MS. No. 6365. p. 63-67- The Heraldic descriptions above cited, appear to the author in
many instances unintelligible : in this opinion he is confirmed by a gentleman of the Heralds' College, who
has obligingly communicated the preceding notes. The author has, however, preferred quoting the pre
cise terms of the MS. in the text, to making any conjectural alterations.

NOKE. 85
still remain ; but the tomb of Benedict Winchcombe was entirely done away
with except part of his effigy.*
The Chantry Roll states, that in the first year of Edw. VI. the parish of
Noke contained " sixty houselyng people," and that there were certain
lands, of the annual value of two-pence, given by some unknown person to
wards finding a lamp-light at the altar within the church, but that no orna
ments, plate, jewels, or stock, belonged thereto, -j-

A commodious burial-ground surrounds the church ; and on the south
side, near the church porch, is a decayed stone tomb, for John Harper the
elder and John Harpur the younger J; the former died September 23, 1617,
and the latter November 29, 1667- There are also grave-stones to the me
mory of the Lipscombes, Tippins, Steeles, &c.
Ecclesiastical Matters.
Rectors. Patrons.
 Walter ; died 1272.

1272. John de Draycote, pres. 7 kal. Oct. §; died 1293. Sampson Foliot.
1293. Richard de Scireburn, pres. kal. Jul. || Henry Ties.
Richard de Southampton; died 1320.
1320. John de Okele, pres. 2 non. Mar. Henry Ties.
1340. The following is the return of the revenues of this church, taken
in consequence of the grant of the ninths.
Decanatus de Burcester.
Ake. Eccriapoch ejusctm cu ofni):>3 suis porconib3 taxat ad lxs cup nona pdict' assedit'
ad liijs iiijd & no' plus' p jurat' & inquis' pdcam q, paupa nee sunt in ctca poch' ut dicut
catallar' nc mercator', &c. If

* Alderman Fletcher's MSS. at Oxford. I have a drawing of the effigy taken in 1819, which repre
sents the figure broken off at the knees; the other parts are perfect; it is habited in the costume which
prevailed in the time of James I.
t No. 25, Chantry Roll, co. Oxon.
X From a bill filed in Chancery by this person, to protect his right to certain copyholds, in which
Joan Bradshaw, Benedict Winchcombe, and R. Forley, are defendants, it appears that John Harpur,
deceased, plaintiff's father, was seised in fee of lands in Noke, and also of customary land held of the
manor of Noke, and that Henry Bradshaw, esq. and defendant Joan his wife, had agreed to purchase the
said Harpur's freehold, and make him a grant of copyhold. Chancery proceedings, Hh 5, No. 54. (In
Tur. Lond.) It is therefore evident they were men of very considerable property in the parish.
§ 14 Ric. Gravesend. || Reg. Oli v. Sutton.
IF Inquisit. Nonar. p. 133. — This church is not mentioned in the Taxation Roll of Pope Nicholas.

86 NOKE.
Rectors. Patrons.
Henry de Emberton; died 1345.
1345. Richard de Engleby, pres. 6 id. Mar.* Gerrard de Lisle, or De Insula.
1511. Edward Halsal, coll. 27 Aug. by the bishop of Lincoln by lapse.
1526. At the general valuation of ecclesiastical benefices, 26 Hen. VIIL
this rectory was entered among the churches in the deanery of Oxford,
as under :
Noke R'ctoria. Valt in una mancione cum ofnibus terris-\
glebalib} & certis pficuis cofnoditatib3 & emolument' pi-'. -¦
certificacoem Thome Burye Jacobi Burye Joftis Pilkington i
geSos' cornissionario^ in ea pte  ¦*
Inde in

? ,

Rep's', videl't in Sinodalib3 & pcuracoib3 ab eactm exeun-")  .
. . > — ui ij ob q
tib3 epo Oxoniens' dioc' annuatim solvend'  )
Et valet clare p annum  vij xix vij q'
Xma inde  — xv xj ob' f
Rectors. Patrons.
William Ashfield; died 1549.
1549. John Danyell, pres. 29 Sept. % Henry Bradshaw, esq. Attorney General
of the King.
Robert Warland, buried 26 April, 1636. Benedict Hall, esq.
1636. Hugh Holden, pres. Benedict Hall, esq.
John Gilder, buried 12 March, 1697.
1689. Richard Vesey, B. D. pres. 13 Sept.; Martha May of Kidlington, pro hae
died 1732.§ vice.
1732. Charles Hall, pres. 10 Aug.; died May 1739. Francis earl Godolphin, and Henrietta
duchess of Marlborough. ||
1739. Gilbert Stephens, pres. 12 May If ; died 1773. Charles duke of Marlborough.
Alexander Litchfield; bur. March 13, 1804.** George duke of Marlborough.
1804. Edward Turner, pres. March 1804. ft George duke of Marlborough.
* Reg. Beke. t Valor Eccles. vol. ii. p. 176".
X Reg. Epis. Oxon. vol. i. § Parish Reg.
|| Bacon's Liber Regis says, that the patronage of the church was vested in Sarah duchess of Marl
borough in 1726.
11 Reg. Epis. Oxon. vol. iii. ** Parish Reg. He was fifty-seven years of age.
tt Mr. Turner was formerly curate of Bicester.

NOKE. 87
Parish Register.
The Register begins with entries "p me Robertu Warland, Rectore' seade in Anno
Dom. 1554."
(The number of burials the first year, two; in 1594 there are five.)
" 1598. Mrs. Jone Bradshawe was buried the first day of March."
" Here begins the book of the Register of Noke 1636, April 27, by me, Hugh Holden,
' Rectore ejusdem'."
" Robt. Wharland, late parson of Noke, was buried the 28th day of April."
" 1674. Mr. Robert Stain, vicar of Sparsholt in the county of Berks, and Mrs. Dorothy
Bedby of the city of Oxford, widdow, were married Aug. 11."
" Thomas Spooke, an anabaptist, had a sonne borne, and never christened, y£ 12th
day of March, 1696."
" 17 1*5. Thomas, the son of John and Mary King, was buried on the 10th of March.
, " 1766. John King, ragman, was buried December 16, in his ninety-third year.
(The Hector says this is the man mentioned in the Merton Register, and suspects that there
must be some mistake either in the person or date ; the entry above is for his son.)
" 1771. John Lipscomb, yeoman, a very valuable man, buried Sept. 29."
" 1773. The Rev. Mr. Gilbert Stephens, the worthy rector of this parish above thirty
years, was buried on the north side of the chancel the 28th day of January, 1773.
(No entries from 1784 to March 2, 1786.)
Winchcombe Charity.
By deed of trust, bearing date 8th of February, 2 Queen Elizabeth, Joan Bradshaw
gave unto certain trustees the rent of three pounds six shillings and eight-pence from certain
lands, tenements, and hereditaments in Aston Clinton, Bucks, called the Vatches, to ten of
the poorest householders in the parish ; and if there are not ten poor people in the parish of
Noke, then to such of the parish of Halton, Bucks, as should make up the number of ten.
This sum is now paid by the Mercers' Company (in whom the estates are vested) for the
use of the poor.
Monies collected upon Briefs in this Parish since November 1, 1790.
£. s. d.
Stafford Lane and Chapel, from house to house  0 0 9
Stafford Church, Surrey, ditto  0 0 9
Doddington Church, Kent, ditto  0 0 9
Warslow Chapel, Staffordshire, in church  0 0 8f
Extol Fire, from house to house  0 1 3
St. Andrew's Church in Worcester  0 0 8
Muckleston Church in Staffordshire  0 0 8
Wronbury Fire, com. Chester, in church  0 0 10J

A memorandum in the same volume states, that on Easter Day 1779, there were twelve
communicants, and 5s. 8d. collected for the use of the poor.

88 NOKE.
Manorial Estate, &c.
The lordship of this village was granted by the Conqueror, among others
in the county of Oxon, to William earl Warren, who, conformably to the
practice of the age, either permitted the Saxon proprietor to hold it of him
on certain conditions, or divided it among his military vassals. At the
compilation of Domesday-book, two hides and a half herein were found to
be held by Rainald, and half a hide by Robert and Roger.*
In Levecanole Hd.
H h h
Ide [Rainald] ten Acham. Ibi st.n.hidae 7 dim. Tra . 1 car. De hae
tra s? . v . uirg in dfiio 7 ibi 1 . car. 7 11 . serui . 7 in uifti cu . vi. bord hnt .
1 . car. Pastura m qa^ lg. 7 11 qajp lat. Silua . 1111 . qaj? lg. 7 111 qajj la?. Va-
luit xxx solid. Modo . xl. solid.
Robt9 7 Roger5 ten dimid hid uasta in Acam.
Translation.] Rainald holds Acham. There are two hides and a half there. Land of
one carucate. Of this land there are five virgates in the demesne, and therein one plough
and two bondsmen, and three villanes with six borders have one carucate. Pasture three
quarentens long and two quarentens broad. It was worth thirty shillings, now forty.
Robert and Roger hold half a hide waste in Acham. +
After passing through a series of undistinguished proprietors in the
reign of Henry III. the lordship of Noke, together with the patronage of
the church, became vested in Sampson Foliot J, who held the same of lord
Lisle of Christ Church, for half a knight's fee, and paid one mark for these
and other lands in Adderbury, on the marriage of Isabel the king's sister. §
This Sampson Foliot, being a person of steady loyalty and undaunted
valour, was entrusted by his sovereign with several important commissions,
served the office of sheriff for Oxfordshire and Berkshire || 53 Hen. III.,
and the same year was appointed governor of Oxford castle, % By Edward I.
he was appointed one of the king's justices, and in the seventh year of his
reign commissioner with others his fellows to inquire into the tenure of all
the lands in Oxfordshire.**
* Dom^sd. LXIX. + Bawdwen's Translation.— Roger, one of the proprietors, also held Ducklington.
I He was a relative of Ralph Foliot, the lord of Fritwell, who gave the church of that village to
Oseney abbey. § Testa de Nevil, p. 100. Ib. 112. || Harl. MS. No. 2522. f. 143.
If Pat. 52 Hen. III. m. 53. ** Rot. Hund. Oxon. p. 688.

NOKE. 89
A.D. 1272. The following is the result of the general inquisition,
7 Edw. I.
Owe. Sampson Foliot ten' medietat' ville de Owe de Comitissa de Insula p dimidio
feod mjlit' et eact Comitissa de dno Reg' in capite 8c est ilia mediet' gyldabil dno Reg' & id
Sampson debet sect' ad hundred dni Reg' de Poch de tribus septiman' in tres septiman' et ad
com' Oxon' de mense in mensem. Et ten' in dnico unam carucat' tre cum pato 8c pastur'
adjacent' et redd Abbi Westm' ij sol 8c vjd. p hnd husbote 8c heybot in bosco dci Abbis de
Ysteflepe. Et lit advocacoem ecclie ejusd ville.
Vil'n'. Rics Derling' tenet de dco Sampson' unam virg' ?re p v3. vl opabitr talliabif &
redim'p3os suos ad voluntat' dni.
Adam Prepos' ten' de eod j virg' ?re eode modo.
Rics de Erdington' ten' de eode etiam virg' ?re p ij sol 8c vj den' vl opabif tail 8c
redim' ut supra.
Wills Ate Churchehaye ten' diam virg' ?re eod mod.
Robts Canville ten' de eod diam virg' terre eod mod.
Wilts Godefrey tenr de eod diam virg' tre eod modo.
Nichs le Foweler ten' de eod diam virg' tre eod mod.
Rads Stake ten' de eod diam virg' tre eod modo.
Ydon' Vidua ten' diam virg' tre eod mod.
Marg)ia Vidua ten' de eod diam virg' ?re eod modo.
Henr' de Eyford ten' de eod diam virg' tre eod mod.
Lib'i. Philippus le Marchal ten' libe de eod Sampson' unam virg' ?re p jd p ann' &
faciet sect' ad hundred dni Reg' de Poch de tribus septiman' in tres septiman' & ad com'
Oxon' bis p ann' 8c scutag' dco Sampson' qant' ptin' ad tant' ten'.
Wills Coleman ten' de eod diam virg' ?re p xld p ann' 8c facit sect' ad hundred 8c ad
com' 8c scutag' ut sup\
Phs Boveton' ten' de eod diam virg' ?re p dimid marca p ann' 8c facit sect' ad hund 8c
com' 8c scutag' ut sup\
Rads de Eyford ten' de eod diam virg' ?re p qa est atom' dci Sampson' in comitat' 8c
hudred 8c faciet scutag' ut sup". Et debet sect' p ten' suo ad hundred 8c comitat' ut pMcs
Plis le Marsch.
Et tota $dca villa debet dno Reg' ad hydag' quinq, sol' p ann' 8c fricsilver ad
turnu vie' ijs.*
The manorial estate, with the advowson of the church of Noke, the
manors of Fritwell, &c. descended to Henry le Ties, a nobleman who had
* Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 838.
VOL. II. N

90 NOKE.
previously obtained a grant of Sherborn from Richard earl of Cornwall *,
and at his decease A. D. 1307 •f, passed to Henry his son and heir, who so
much distinguished himself in the Scottish wars J, that he was summoned
to parliament by Edward II. as a baron of the realm, until the fifteenth year
of his reign, when, having joined Thomas earl of Lancaster in the northern
insurrection, he was taken prisoner, and suffered death at London. §
The hamlet of Noke, together with his other estates, descended to his
sister and heir Alice, the wife of Warine de Lisle, another nobleman who
was executed at York for engaging in the same rebellion. || It is not, how
ever, clear that she obtained them before the deposition of Edward II.
when the new government, anxious to secure its power by acts of popularity,
restored the heirs of the late conspirators to their honours and possessions.
Notwithstanding this liberality, Alice de Lisle judged it prudent to procure
the king's pardon for herself by a special patent %, well knowing that, without
this security, a tyrannical administration might at any time strip her of all
she possessed. In 1332 she obtained a charter for a market and fair at her
manors of Pensans and Moshole ; and in 1337, a charter of free-warren at
divers villages in Wilts, Berks, and Oxon, together with liberty to enclose
one hundred acres of wood, and forty acres of waste in Sherbourn, to
make a park.**
On her decease, the manors of Noke, Sherbourne, Fritwell, &c. passed
to her son Warine de Lisle, with whom they remained till his death A. D.
1362, when it appeared by an inquisition taken at Sherbourn the 15th of
January, 36 Edw. III. before John de Estbury the king's escheator, that

* In 28th Edw. T. be had a charter for a Tuesday weekly market at bis manor of Mosehole, co. Corn
wall, and a yearly fair on the eve, day, and morrow after St. Barnabas, together with a grant of free-
warren at Allerton in the same county, Sherbourn, co. Oxon, and Hordwell, co. Bucks. Cart. 28
Edw. I. No. 13. t Esch. 1 Edw. II. No. 6l.
I Rot. Scoc. 2 Edw. II. m. 14. 4 Edw. II. m. 13. 7 Edw. II. m. 1. 15 Edw. II. m. 2.5.
§ Dugdale (Baron, vol. ii. p. 21) siys, he was summoned to parliament from the 21st Edw. I. till bis
death; but Banks (Dormant and Extinct Peerage, vol. i. p. 428) suspects it was the father who was
summoned during the reign of the first monarch, and the son afterwards.
|| Walsingham, p. 119- The Inquisition (Esch. 1 Edw. III. No. 54) recites the manors of Alverton
and Tynwell, co. Cornwall, and Sherbourne, co. Oxon, as held of the manor of S. Walery of North
Oseney. 1T Pat. 4 Edw. III. m. 37- ** Cart. 10 Edw. III. No. 43.

NOKE. 91
the manor of Noke, together with the advowson of the church, was held
by the said Warine of Robert de Lisle for half a knight's fee ; and that
Warine the son of Gerard, brother of the aforesaid Warine, was his next
heir, and of the age of twenty-four years and upwards.* The advowson of
the church, however, remained with Joan his widow; and in the inquisition
taken at her decease 15 Rich. II. , was returned as held as a part of the
fee of John duke of Lancaster, but by what services the jury were
ignorant, -j-
Warine de Lisle, the nobleman to whom this estate devolved on the
death of his uncle, conducted himself so much to the king's satisfaction in
the expeditions into Gascony, 33, 43, and 46 Edw. III. that he was retained
by indenture (A. D. 1372) to serve in those wars for a whole year, with
twenty men at arms, and thirty archers, of which himself was a banneret,
and four knights and five esquires a part. J The following year he con
tracted his son Gerard to Ann, the daughter of Sir Michael de la Pole, knt.
and agreed to give her ^933. 6s. 8d. for a portion. In 1377 he obtained
licence to castellate his mansion at Sherbourn, co. Oxon, and subsequently
engaged in the wars in France and Ireland. But his comfort in the honours
and riches which he had acquired seems to have been much embittered by
the loss of his only son, who died soon after the above contract took placer.
In his latter days, therefore, he sought for happiness in the company of Mar
garet his daughter, the wife of Thomas lord Berkley, and generally resided
with them at Berkley castle. He departed this life June 28th, A. D. 1382,
leaving all his lordships and lands to his son-in-law, who had previously
covenanted that he, and his issue begotten on the body of the before-
* Esch. 36 Edw. III. p. 1. No. 100.
t Escb. 15 Rich. II. p. 1. No. 40. It appears by an inquisition taken at Wallingford A.D. 1388,
that one messuage and fourscore acres of land in this parish, held in farm by John Bale, were seized by
the king on account of a debt, and that they were worth four marks per annum. Inquis' ad inquirend'
de possessionibus Regis 12 Ric. II. No. 182. — About this time the seigniory of the village was con
veyed to John of Caunt, duke of Lancaster.
X By the feudal law, a nobleman was compelled to attend his sovereign in the wars for a certain
period at the bead of his military vassals; but if he displayed great skill, and his services were required
for a longer period, it was usual to engage him by a special agreement.

92 NOKE.
mentioned Margaret, would always use and bear the arms of the said
lord Lisle.
Thomas lord Berkley, the inheritor of these vast estates, was married to
Margaret de ITsle at the early age of fourteen*, and in the beginning of the
reign of Richard II. much employed in the wars in France and Scotland.
In 1386 he had the honour of entertaining his sovereign at Berkley Castle ;
and five years afterwards lost his lady, while resident at his seat at Wootton-
under-Edge. Having interred her with all honours due to her rank, and
erected a tomb to her memory in the parish-church, he procured licence of
the king to travel into foreign countries, with a retinue of fifteen persons,
and take with him a thousand marks for his support. On his return he was
one of those who attested the resignation of Richard II. in Flint Castle, and
announced the same to the barons in the Tower of London. In the 3d of
Henry IV. he marched against Owen Glendour, and, by his subsequent, ser
vices, materially contributed towards establishing that monarch upon the
throne. He was also a great lover of learning, and an especial favourer of
John Treviso, vicar of Berkeley, who dedicated some works to him. He
died at Wootton-under-Edge, and was buried by his lady, A. D. 1415. -j-
The manor of Noke, together with the hereditary estates of lord Lisle
* This lady was only seven years old when the marriage contract was signed ; and it was agreed by
the parents of both parties, that, by reason of her tender age, the said Margaret should remain with her
father for four years. Her portion was eleven hundred marks, whereof four hundred were paid
down, and the other seven hundred to be paid at four days, in three years following ; it being settled,
that after the solemnization of the marriage, Maurice, the father of Thomas lord Berkley, should allow
them two hundred marks per annum for their support, and one hundred marks presently. But the sick
ness of lord Maurice increasing, they were married in November following, A.D. 1366, at Wengrave,
Bucks ; and his lordship being unable to attend, sent three of his household knights, and twenty-three of
his household esquires. The knights attended in their liveries of fine cloth of ray furred with minniver,
and the esquires in their liveries of a coarser ray and less costly fur. The young bridegroom was clad in
scarlet and satin, and wore a silver girdle; and the lord Maurice himself, though he kept house, in honour
of the marriage made himself a suit of cloth of gold, and gave the minstrels forty shillings. Fosbrooke's
Extracts from Smythe's Lives of the Berkleys, p. 143. Lond. 1821. This nobleman and his lady spent
much of their time on their different manors, generally expending the produce on or near the spot where
it was raised. Lady Berkley was mild and devout, but not active. Ib.
f Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 36l. He left to the church of Wootton a gilt cross, with several
relics inclosed therein.

NOKE. 93
and some others, at his decease passed to Elizabeth his only child *, then
thirty years of age, the wife of Richard Beauchamp earl of Warwick. The
countess, however, did not survive her father many years, and was buried
in the abbey church of Kingswood, co. Gloucester, leaving three daughters,
coheiresses, all of whom were afterwards married to some of the principal
nobility, -f-
Richard earl of Warwick, to whom these estates remained for life by
the custom of England, was distinguished during the reigns of Henry IV.
Henry V. and Henry VI. , by his martial prowess in every court in Europe.
At the tilt and tournament he uniformly bore away the palm of victory; nor
was he less successful in real action. In 1415, as a commander under
Thomas duke of Clarence, he took divers strong towns in France, blocked
up the city of Rouen, and won Mount St. Michael. ij] He was afterwards
employed to negotiate the marriage treaty, by virtue of which his master
was to succeed to the throne of France on the death of the reigning king § ;
and so high was the opinion which Henry V. entertained of his talents and
loyalty, that in his dying moments he committed the tutelage of his son
Henry to his care, till he attained his sixteenth year. And when political
motives induced the council some years after to discharge the earl of that
burden, they constituted him lieutenant-general of the whole realm of
France, thereby placing the whole military force at his disposal. This
office he retained till his death, which took place in the castle of Roan
April 1439- ||
On the division of the hereditary estates of his first countess among her
daughters, the manor of Noke was sold, and, after several intermediate con
veyances, became the property of Robert Babington of Nether Kiddington,
* Esch. 5 Hen. V. No. 50. This inquisition, taken at Cromarsh before John Baldington, the king's
escheator, recites the manor and advowson of the church of Noke as held of the duchy of Lancaster, and
that the manor of Noke was of the annual value of ,£13. 6s. 8d. without reprises; the manor of
Fritwell £7-, &c.
t Henry, the eldest son of Isabel, the second wife of the earl of Warwick, was born in 1424, and
Elizabeth, his first countess, must have been then dead for some years.
X T. Elmham, c. 27. T. Walsingham. p. 445. § lb. p. 452.
|| Dugd. Baronage, vol. i. p. 247. Esch. 17 Hen. VI. Stowe, p. 377-

94 NOKE.
esq. who dying circ. 1460, left it to his son and heir William Babington, esq.
by whom it was conveyed to his uncle Thomas, A. D. 1466, 6 Edw. IV.*
Though the Babingtons long continued to reside at Kiddington, it is
uncertain when they became dispossessed of this estate ; in the following
century it was the property of the Fermours, and on the 2d of January, 19
Eliz. sold by Thomas Fermour, esq. and Bridget his wife, to Benedict
Winchecombe -j-, the son of Thomas Winchecombe of Charlgrave in this
county, and the grandson of Joan Bradshaw, the owner of the estate lately
belonging to Oseney abbey.
How long, or by what means, the conventual society acquired an estate
in this village, is unknown ; in the 26th Hen. VIII. it was returned as con
sisting of a messuage and close adjoining, eight acres of arable, and three
acres of meadow, with their appurtenances, all of which were let to John
Andrews for sixteen shillings per annum. J At the suppression of the abbey,
the estate devolved to the crown; and in 36 Hen. VIIL was granted among
others to Henry Bradshaw, his heirs and assigns §, for ever, on condition of
their rendering to the court of Augmentation seventeen pence per annum
for all services. || This Henry Bradshaw was lord chief baron of the ex
chequer, and, like most of the courtiers of that age, much enriched by the
spoliation of religious houses. He married Joan, the widow of William
Manwarring of East Ham, co. Essex, by whom he had four sons and four
* R. Dodsworth's MSS. vol. 136, f. 124.
t Letbieullier's MS. m. 2. No. 4701. Ayscough's Catal. Thomas Fermor was the nephew arid heir
of Mr. William Fermor, a clerk of the crown in the court of the King's Bench in the reigns of Henry VII.
and Henry VIII. who commonly resided in his latter days at his manor-house of Somerton, co. Oxon.
Thomas Fermor served in parliament 5 Eliz. for Chipping Wycomb. He founded a school at Somerton,
and was buried near the body of Bridget his wife ; pursuant to his will, an alabaster tomb was erected over
his remains, and the effigies of himself and his lady placed thereon. His descendants continued to reside
in the manor-house till Sir William Fermor removed to Tusmore; the family were noted Roman catholics,
and, at different times, suffered by fine, &c. for their loyalty and religion. In the old mansion at Tusmore
was a neatly furnished room, below ground, for hiding the priest in cases of emergency ; the entrance was
by a trap-door, constructed in the window-seat of a parlour, which turned on a pivot, and rose or fell with
the weight of a person. The great fish-pond is said to have been dug by a priest and a single labourer
. during the times of persecution, and to have constituted their daily occupation for twelve years.
X Valor Eccles. vol. ii. p. 218. § Originalia, No. 6366, p. 20. Addit. MSS. in Brit. Mus.
|| Rot. 24. No. 149- Fee-farm Rolls in the Augmentation-office.

NOKE. 95
daughters, and departed this life July 27, 1553. Christian, one of his
daughters and coheirs, married Thomas Winchecombe, a descendant of the
famous John Smallwood, alias Winchecombe*, and, with her husband, settled
at Charlgrave in this county, leaving issue the before-mentioned Benedict,
and a daughter named Mary, -j-
After this gentleman had rendered the manor-house at Noke sufficiently
commodious, he was joined by Joan Bradshaw his grandmother, who spent
the residue of her days in the village, in the performance of acts of piety
and beneficence ; the latter she endeavoured to perpetuate by settling cer
tain lands in Aston Clinton upon the Mercers' Company in London, charged
with an annual payment of £3. 6s. Sd. towards the relief of the poorest
householders in Noke for ever. She also repaired the parish-church, erected
a sepulchral chapel on the north side of the chancel for herself and her
descendants, and died in a good old age, A. D. 1598. Benedict Winch-
* " John Winscombe, commonly called Jack of Newberry, was the most considerable clothier (without
fancy or fiction) England ever beheld. His looms were his lands, whereof he kept one hundred in his
house, each managed by a man and a boy. In the expedition to Flodden Field against James king of
Scotland, be marched with an hundred of his own men (as well armed and better clothed than any), to
shew that the painful to use their hands in peace could be valiant and imploy their arms in war. He
feasted king Henry VIII. and his first queen Katherine, at bis own house, extant at Newberry at this day,
but divided into many tenements. Well may his house now make sixteen clothiers' houses, whose wealth
would amount to six hundred of their estates. He built the church of Newberry from the pulpit west
ward to the tower inclusively, and died about 1520; some of his name and kindred of great wealth are
still remaining in the county." Fuller's Worthies, edit, by Nichols, vol. i. p. 95.
t In a curious folio manuscript, which contains brief notices of most of the towns and villages in
Oxfordshire, collected and written by alderman Fletcher of Oxford, are the following extracts from some
memoranda of A. Wood, under the article Noke. " In the prerogative office in the dean of St. Paul's
church, London, I once saw in the Registry, called Ju. 27, the will of John Smallgood the elder, alias
John Winchecombe, of the parish of St. Nicholas in Newbury, Bucks, made 4th January, 1519, proved
24th March following, wherein is mention made of Joan his wife and John his son, and of his great riches
that he to them bequeathed. In a north aisle near the chancel of the church in Newbury, is this inscrip
tion under the figure of a man and woman in brass, Of your charitie pray for the souls of John Smallwood,
alias Winchecombe, and Alice his wife, which John decess'd xv. day of Februarie, An. Dom. MVIX."
Mr. Wood goes on to say, " I think this Alice was his first wife ; I have by me a book containing the
life and ghests of Jack of Newbury, printed in a black character. I bought it of a pedlar in Warwick
shire, and it is very pleasant to read and see the innocence of those times." The alderman has a note at
the close of the article: — " This book remains in Wood's library, bound up with some other pamphlets."

96 NOKE.
combe seems to have inherited, her piety, with her estates ; for he also left
a sum of money for the reparation of the church, and was a.rconstant bene
factor to the poor and indigent. He served the office of sheriff of Oxon,
8 James I. ; married Anne, a daughter and coheir of William Faulkner of
Tavistock, co. Wilts, esq.; but having no children, devised his property to
Benedict Hall, the eldest son of his sister Mary, the wife of William Hall of
Highmeadow, co. Gloucester, esq. and departed this life May 20, 1623.*
Benedict Hall also made this village his residence, and, in remembrance
of his uncle, erected an altar-tomb in the sepulchral chapel to his
memory, on which he placed his effigies cut in alabaster in the costume
of the age. His descendants -j- continued to enjoy these estates till
the following century ;["., when they were alienated to Sarah duchess of
* The Inquisition taken at Oxford, September 26, before Ralph RatclifFe, the king's escheator, recites,
that the manor of Noke, and other premises in the parish of Noke, were held by Benedict Winchcomb,
at the time of his death, of the dean and chapter of Westminster, as of their manor of Islip, in soccage, by
fealty, at a rent of 36*. 6d. per annum for all outgoings and reprises, and that it was of the yearly value
of .£40. ; that he also held the manor of Langhill in Cbarlgrave, and land and premises in Holcumb, held
of the priory of Wallingford by fealty, and a rent of 48*. per annum, valued, with all outgoings and
reprises, at £10.; that he also held ten messuages, ten gardens, ten orchards, and a fishery in Water-
Eaton and Islip, in soccage, by fealty, and a rent of 32*. 8d. per annum, valued at ,£40. with all out
goings, &c. together with the manor of Laverstock, three messuages in Southwark, valued at 30*. 4rf. and
a considerable portion of the lands and messuages in the manors of Asbendon, co. Bucks, and Wymondley,
co. Cant, by fealty, &c. and that Benedict Hall, his next heir, was fifty years old and upwards. Esch.
22 Jac. p. 1. No. 149.
t From the last will and testament of Henry Benedict Hall of Highmeadow, co. Gloucester, dated 11th
November, 16.91, proved the 25th of the same month, it appears that the testator had conveyed the
manor of Noke, together with all bis other estates, to his only son Benedict Hall, some time before his
last illness ; and that he charged his personal property with the payment of his debts, and demised the
greater part of the remainder thereof to Anne, his second wife, whom he constituted sole executrix and
residuary legatee. Reg. Test, in Cur. Prerog.
X Village tradition asserts, that one of the last residents of this family sent his son to the university,
where, becoming a dashing young man, he engaged a friseur of Oxford to ride over and dress him occa
sionally at the manor-house. At one time, when the barber came to Noke for this purpose, accidentally
seeing an old man meanly habited on the premises, he hailed him, and promised him a penny if he would
hold his horse while he went in and dressed the young 'squire. As the offer was readily accepted, the
shaver immediately dismounted, and proceeded to business. When he had about half done, the young
sprig happening to look out of window, suddenly exclaimed, " Whose horse can that be which my father
is leading about the yard f" The inquiry half petrifying the barber, he stammeringly replied, " He hoped

NOKE. . 97
Marlborough*, and settled upon the successive dukes her representatives,
whose property they remain.
Estates belonging to the Church of Westminster.
Within this parish was a considerable estate comprehended in the ori
ginal grant of the liberties or fee of Islip, made by Edward the Confessor
to the church of St. Peter at Westminster. In the reign of Edward I. the
lands were held by Richard de Williamscote, a person of some consideration
and influence,, whose name was returned in a list of Oxfordshire gentlemen
of that period possessed of rents to the amount of £4<0. per annum, -j- The
following extract, however, proves that only a small part of his income
was derived from this village, and that the whole of the estate was held of
the abbot and convent of Westminster for a rental of thirty shillings, and
doing suit at the court of Islip.
[7 Edw. I.] Ake. Ric' de Williamescot' ten3 in hamleta de Ake iij virg' te in dnico de
Abbat' de Westmonas?io de feod de Yistlep reddend annuatim fJdco Afebi xxxs 8c ij sectis
ad cur' de Yistlip.
Ric' de la Wose ten3 de pdco Ric' lirje unam virg' ?e reddedo p ann' vjs.
Joh le Fauconer ten3 lifee de eode Ric' iiij acas te p xviijd p aim'.
Ric' Aleyn ten3 unam virgatam ?e de eode Ric' p iij5.
Ric' Godhyne tenet' di' virgatam te p xviijd.
Radulph in Agglo ten3 unam virgatam te in villin' p eode redditu.
Rots le Wodeward ten3 unam virgat' ?e de eode p xviijd.
Petrus Fag' ten3 unam virgatam ?e de eode p xviij d.
Wills in Agglo unam virg' te p xviijd.
Vt sex cotag' tenet' de eode Ric' ad q'libet cotag' vj acas unuqq., cotag' tenr p iijs p ann'.
At the general valuation of ecclesiastical possessions 26 Hen. VIII. this
estate was valued and returned among those comprehended under the
general title of Islip and its members. At the dissolution of the convent of
Westminster, it became the property of the crown ; and in the second year
that person was not his honour's father ; for he had engaged him to hold his horse, and promised him a
penny for his trouble," adding at the same time, in a distressed tone, " If it is the 'squire himself, what
shall I do?" — " Do!" said the young buck, lemarking the poor tonsor's confusion, and heartily enjoying
the joke, " do! why go and take your horse, and give my father the money you promised him, and then
nothing will be the matter, otherwise he will rriake you." The barber took the advice, paid the penny,
and rode away, glad to get off so easily. t Harl. MS. No. 5173.
* When this lady destroyed the manor-house at Noke, she despoiled the village of its richest orna
ment : yet, in the antiquary's eye, the public loss bears no proportion to that which the country sustained
VOL. II. O

98 NOKE.
of Elizabeth, together with the lorclship of this and the neighbouring vil
lages, was granted towards the endowment of the collegiate church of West
minster. The dean and chapter accordingly claim all the immunities and
privileges of lords paramount of the village of Noke.
Blewbury Charity.
In the beginning of the last century Mr. William Malthus, by will, di
rected several estates, of which he died in possession, to be sold, and their
produce to be vested in trustees for the support of a school in the village of
Blewbury, co. Berks. This school was established for the education of thirty
boys and thirty girls, and a school-house erected in the church-yard of that
village, A. D. 1709-* Accordingly, about 1707, the trustees applied those
sums to the purchase of a copyhold estate belonging to the Halls, and, pur
suant to the founder's intention, settled it upon that school for ever. The estate
contains about five hundred and sixty-six acres, and is now in the occupation
of Henry Salwood, Wm. Stone, Wm. Stephens, and WTm. Blackhall. -f
when she caused the remains of the ancient palace of the kings of England in Woodstock-park to be de
molished. — Those remains stood opposite Blenheim, and consisted of the gatehouse where Elizabeth
had been imprisoned, a noble porch, several turrets, and some portions of the walls of the hall and the
chapel; the latter containing two or three magnificent windows entire. At a little distance on the south
west side, was a part of the celebrated bower of Fair Rosamond, consisting of a room over the bath or
well. Had these ruins been suffered to exist, and the surrounding scenery been tastefully arranged, asso
ciated as they were with the names of Henry and Rosamond, ;md the royal pageants of an elder day, they
would have formed the most picturesque and interesting subjects in Blenheim-park. Nichols has pre
served a view of the gatehouse as it appeared a short time before its demolition (A.D. 1714), in Queen
Elizabeth's Progresses, vol. i. p. 9. Lond. 1788. The wood-cut below exhibits the palace as it appeared
before the civil wars in the seventeenth century.
* Lysons's Berkshire, p. 245. t Information of the rector.

i

i >«^^Rsdfe^ ¦¦¦'¦-¦ ! - ''^vAAyy -y_ A:-^^^^&
«J /'• = - """ " . 'fill-
It :~ '*.x - '• #
m J ij&* "-> " ¦¦--¦¦¦-re
» HP - - I %

JM

11

WmmS, '

ODDINGTON.

Uddington is a village in the hundred of Ploughley, situated on the
borders of Otmoor, about six miles from Oxford, two from Islip, and seven
from Bicester. Description, Population, &c.
On entering this village from Charlton, the houses (chiefly cottages) are
built so as to form a small square, having the highway on the western side.
A short street leads from the south-west corner to a larger square or green,
where the public-house and the habitations of the more respectable inhabit
ants are situated, built with the stone of the country, and generally covered
with thatch.* At the lower end is the church, and at a short distance an
ciently stood the manor-house, taken down about twenty-eight years ago by
Mr. Sawyer. Its scite is immediately contiguous to a wooden pump, which
once supplied its inmates with water.
In 1811 the parish contained thirty-four houses, inhabited by the same
number of families, of which seventy-nine were males, and eighty-one
females, forming a total of one hundred and sixty persons, the greater part
of whom were engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1776, the sum raised
for the use of the poor amounted to £36. lis. '4c?. ; in 1803 it only in-
* " At Oddington is a well of water of the calcareous kind, proceeding certainly from some neighbour
ing limestone, «vhich, besides its dry and restringent taste, manifests itself in the providential cure of a
local disease among cattle, called the Otmoor-evil: — the cure is effected by giving them dry meat, and suf
fering them to drink of this water only for a time." Magna Britan. vol. iv. p. 405.

100 ODDINGTON.
creased to £ 86. 15s. 2f A. and was assessed at Is. 4£«f. in the pound ; ten
years after it amounted to ^215., and in 1815 advanced to ^£216. The
amount of the annual value of the real property the same year was estimated
and assessed, at ^2176. Parish Church.
This edifice is of considerable antiquity, but so disguised by alterations,
that it is impossible to assign its erection to any distinct period, though the
character of the arch by which the church is entered may be of the four
teenth century. On the south side is a modern porch, and upon the apex
of the pediment the letters W. W. 1810. The walls of the nave have been
lately lowered three or four feet to admit of a slated roof; the edifice con
sists of only a nave and chancel. At the west end is a tower of two stories,
surmounted by a low spire covered with shingles. Within it are four bells.
The church has been recently paved, and many of the monumental
stones transposed : opposite the door is a circular font, lined with lead,
about a yard in diameter. The reading-desk, and hexagonal pulpit with a
sounding-board ornamented with pendants, is placed at the south-east
corner. The arch leading into the chancel is filled up to the top of the
wood screen ; the latter is divided into three arches, decorated with tracery,
painted and gilt.
On a large flag-stone in the nave in capitals :
Here lieth the body of Gabriall Brathwaite, son of Francis Brathwaite, who
departed this life January 24, in the year of our Lord 1686.
My days are past ; as the grave is mine house, I have made my bed in the darkness.
On a black stone at the entrance of the chancel :
In memory of James Moore, who died 7th July, 1806, aged 49 years.
Near the rails of the communion-table :
Here lies the body of Thomas Dickenson, M. A. rector of this parish. He was born
December 1673 ; he died October 26, 1746.
Jane, daughter of Mr. William Wright of Oxford, goldsmith, wife of Thomas
Dickenson, rector of this parish, by whom she had four children, Jane, William, Catherine,
and Lydia; she departed this life May 5, in the 36th year of her age, and of our Lord 1733.
She was a dutiful daughter, a good wife, a loving mother ; she was discreet, sincere, cour
teous, and obliging : her mind being endued with all the virtues that adorn the sex. Beloved
while living, and when removed, lamented by all who knew her, her parents and her dear
sister sadly laid to heart their great loss; but the greatest was to her husband and her
young children.

ODDINGTON.

101

On a brass plate inserted in the floor of
the chancel, is the annexed figure :

m

qui oMjt %W£ g flMM- w #TO$

In capitals on a black marble :
To the memory of Mr. James Robins,
minister of the gospel in this place, who de
parted this life the 2d day of April, 1659.
Lo, here a burning, shining light,
Is wrapped up in shades of night :
The labourer is gone to rest,
Call'd from the vineyard which he drest.
The shepherd 's taken from his sheep ;
But oh! may they his doctrine keep,
And walk by that good rule which he did give ;
So shall the pastor in the people live ! *
On a large flag-stone in capitals :
Here lieth the body of Henry Brookee,
late rector of Oddington, who deceased the
15th July, in the 30th year of his age, An.
Dni. 1679.
Within the rails on a black marble :
In memory of Maey, the wife of the Rev.
P. Brett, A.M. minister of Charlton-upon-
Otmore ; she departed this life in hopes of
a better, the 3d day of December, 1771,
aged 32.
Permit these bones in peace to rest,
Kind stranger, or a friend ;
Comply with this her last request,
And happy be your end.

On a marble tablet affixed to the wall at the east end of the chancel :
Near this place are interred the remains of the Rev. John Betjere, B. D. formerly
fellow of Trinity college, Oxon, and thirty years rector of this parish. He died May 29th,
1776, aged 70. Few were his foibles, and many his virtues. He was zealous for the inte
rests of his religion and country : an affectionate husband, a kind master, and sincere friend.
Margaeet Betjere, his wife, died November 28th, 1761, aged 53; and their infant son,
John Brueee, died December 12th, 1749. His dutiful niece, Frideswade Bruere, in
gratitude to their memory, erected this marble. They were all buried underneath the east
window in the church-yard.

* This epitaph was written by one of his admirers, probably a Nonconformist.

102 ODDINGTON.
Close to the north wall on a black marble slab :
William Dickenson, son of Edmund Dickenson, rector of Appleton in Berkshire,
brother of Edmund Dickenson, Doctor of Physic, and lord of this manor, father of
Thomas Dickenson, rector of this parish, and of three other sons and seven daughters,
after an useful and well-spent life, he fell on sleep the sixth day of September, in the eighty-
ninth year of his age, and in the year of our Lord 1716.
This stone is laid over his ashes, in hopes that they may lie unmoved till he shall rise
again in the Resurrection at the last day, and be made partaker of life and immortality
through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ.
The altar-table is raised two steps above the floor, and stretches from
side to side : in the south wall is a piscina with a trefoil head beneath a
pointed arch ; on the opposite side a square hole, perhaps used in Catholic
times as a sepulchre. The chancel is unceiled, and evinces a poor attempt
at ornamenting the timber of the roof.
Several new pews have been recently erected in the church, but many
of the old open seats remain.

The church is surrounded by a commodious burying-ground, but there
are no graves on the north side. Opposite the tower are three steps, and
the base of a cross, broken off about eight feet from the ground. Near the
church-porch are two decayed tombs erected for Edward and William
Rosins ; — there are no inscriptions of particular interest on any of the
grave-stones.
Rectors. Patrons.
1222. Roger de Turbevill, pres. kal. Oct.* Genteschive le Poure.
1250. William de Mara, presented by the Prior and Convent of Bicester, by lapse, as agent
to the bishop of the diocese, who was beyond sea. +
1291- In pope Nicholas's taxation this year, the church was valued at
£6. 13s. 46?.+
Richard le Poure; died 1327.
1327. John de Wy, presented by the Bishop by lapse, in consequence of a dispute between
Walter le Poure and Walter de Islip, both of whom claimed the patronage.
1329. William de Fordham, kal. Feb. Walter le Poure. ^
* Rot. 14 Hugh Wells. t 16 Rob. Grosthead. I Taxat. P. Nicholai. § Reg. Burgwersh.

ODDINGTON. 103
1340. The following is the return of the inquisition of the ninths
taken this year : Decanatus de Burcester.
Otyngdon. Ecclia poch' ejusdm cu. ofriib3 porconib3 suis taxat ad x mre' cuj' non'
garb veil & agn' assed' ad vju xiij3 iiijd sicut patet p inquis' indentat' capt' p sacrm diet'
jurat' nee sunt ibidm catallar' neq' mcator' ut dicut, &c*
Rectors. Patrons.
Reginald Povy ; resigned 1403.
1403. Thomas Thame, pres. 9 April. + Roger Power.
1442. John Beek, pres. 17 Jan. J; resigned 1447. Roger Poure.
1447. William Wagge, A.M. pres. 9 June; resig. 1450. Thomas Poure.
1450. JohnHaleway, A.M. pres. 20 March §; resig. 1459. Roger Poure.
1459. John Pavy, A.M. pres. 13 Feb. || ; died 1478. Roger Poure.
1478. Oliver Sompneur, pres. 9 Nov. ^f; resig. 1483. Roger Power.
,,„„ -iTir-iv r. x M » ., ** ("Presented by Thomas Tempall, guardian of John,
1483. William Petyr, 22 April.** 1 „ T , J „ r > &
(. son of John roure.
William Fendyk; resigned 1487.
1487. Thomas Randolph, 1 6 Oct. ; res. 1499. Pres. by John Lewysson and Elizabeth his wife.
1499. Ralph Hamsterley, A.M. pres. 8 May; resig. 1507.++ John Power of Blechington.
1507. Robert Lawson, A.M. pres. 4 March; died 1515. John Power.
1515. Dr. Edmund Horde JJ, 10 Jan. ; re- f Presented by John Pecocke, by permission of
signed 1520. C. John Power.
1520. John Leycester, pres. 10 May. John Power.

1534. The following is the valuation of this rectory 26 Hen. VIII.
p' Otmore. Robtus Sachevle
tuus 8c rcoria sua valet p annu

Odyngton sup' Otmore. Robtus SachevJell rector ibm ppe-") ..'. ! .!.
jxiij vj Vllj

* Inquis. Nonarum, p. 132.
t Thomas Thame was the master of the hospital of the Holy Trinity, near Berkley, Worcester. Reg.
Beaufort. J Reg. Alnwick. § Reg. Lumley.
|| Reg. Chedworth. 11 Reg. Rotherham. ** Reg. Russel.
tt Reg. Smith. On his resignation, the new rector covenanted to allow him ten marks per annum
out of the revenues of the church. He died 1510; and there is a curious monumental brass for him in
the chancel of Oddington church, for which see the preceding wood-cut, p. 101.
|I He was originally of All Souls college, Oxford; in June 1510, supplicated for the degree of Doctor
of the Civil Law, was successively principal of Greek-hall andBurnell's-inn; and about the same time that
he obtained this rectory, was a noted advocate in the Court of Arches, and procurator of the Charter
house near London. Fasti Oxon. vol. i. p. 16 and 20. In 1520 he professed himself a monk at Oseney
abbey, and resigned this church to John Leicester his successor, who swore thereupon that he had neither
given nor promised any thing for his promotion, or knew of any thing being given. Reg. Atwater.

104

ODDINGTON.

£. s. d.
Sin*  xiij vj viij „
Inde
Resolucoes. Vid3. In pcuracoibj & sinodalib3 archno OxonS
an"' solut' p annu  y
Sma alloc'  — x viij
Et reman' clar'  xij xvj ¦ —
Decima pars dfio Regi  — xxv vij q' *
Rectors. Patrons.
William Ashfield ; died 1549.
1549. Adrian Drury, pres. 20 Nov. ; died 1558. Vincent Poure, esq.
1558  pres. 21 Jan. + Dorothy, relict of Vincent Poure.
1573. William Davis, inst. 8 Sept. J Francis Poure, esq.
Roger Ewer; died 1614.
1614. Richard Ingram, pres. 23 ....
1622. Robert Ffoukes, pres. 24 Feb. §
Circ. 1625  Ashlie, S. T. P. || Edward Ewre, esq.
1630. Gilbert Sheldon^", S. T. P. pres. 2 May ; resigned 1639.
1639. Laurence Bridgman, M. A. admit. 20 June. William Moreton of Winchecombe, co.
Gloucester.
1640. Thomas Browne**, inst. 7 Dec. 1640, ex- Orlando Bridgeman.
pelled, and James Robins appointed mi
nister; the latter died 2 April, 1659, and
at the Restoration, Browne was restored
to the living.
* Valor Eccles. vol. ii. p. 160. b. t Reg. Epis. Oxon. vol. i.
X Reg. Parker, Arcbiep'i Cant. § Reg. Epis. Oxon. vol. i.
|| Harl. MS. No. S43. p. 22. The value of the rectory was now £ 100. per annum.
fl" He was the youngest son of Roger Sheldon of Stanton, co. Stafford, a menial servant to Gilbert earl
of Shrewsbury, and born lQth July, 1598. As the godson of that nobleman, he was sent at an early
age to Trinity College, and in 1622 elected fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, lie afterwards became
domestic chaplain to lord keeper Coventry, and was by him recommended to king Charles I. as a good
politician. From that monarch he obtained considerable ecclesiastical promotion; but the civil wars
following, he was stripped of his preferments, and imprisoned for some time. On the Restoration he ob
tained the bishoprick of London, and in 1663 was translated to the archiepiscopal see of Canterbury. lie
died November 9th, 1677, and was buried in the church of Croydon, Surrey, near his predecessor
archbishop Whitgift. The theatre at Oxford is a lasting proof of his munificent spirit ; the building was
undertaken and completed at his sole expence, and cost upwards of £l6,0OO., besides which he gave
£ 2000. to purchase lands to keep it in repair. He also built the library at Lambeth palace, and was a very
considei able benefactor to St. Paul's cathedral, Trinity college in Oxford, and Trinity college in Cambridge.
** Thomas Browne was born in Middlesex, and elected student of Ch. Ch. A.D. 1620. After

ODDINGTON. 105
Rectors. Patrons.
>Henry Brooker; died 15 July, 1679.
1679. Jonathan Blagrave*, pres. 30 July. John Lord Bishop of Oxon, by lapse.
John Cooper,, 1704.
Thomas Dickenson f; died 1746. Dr. Edmund Dickenson.
1746. John Bruere, pres. 20 Dec.J; died 1776. The President and Fellows, and Scholars of
1818. Philip Serle. Trinity College, Oxon.
Parochial Customs.
In the parish register is the following memorandum, entitled " The
customary way of taking the tythe of pigs."
If but seven in a litter, the fourth best pig is the tythe-pig. If under seven, to pay one
penny and a halfpenny for every pig. Nov. 2, 1761.
The ancient customary way of taking the tythe of milk in this parish begins on the
tenth day after Easter-day at night, and the next morning, and so continues every tenth-
night and every tenth-morning without any intermission till the first day of January : the
following morning on which first day of January the tythe of milk is always to be taken in
the morning only, notwithstanding the last preceding tything-day should happen on the last
day of December ; and then the tythe of milk ceases till after Easter-day following, as above.

(Signed) John Loch.
Josias Davis.
The mark of ><! Rebecca Price.

Thomas Williams,
John Room.
Henry Kirby.

I do allow and confirm the above written account subscribed by the farmers, to be the
customary way of taking the tythe of milk in this parish. John Bruere, Rector.
Nov. 2, 1761.
taking his degrees, and serving the office of proctor in the university of Oxford, he was appointed domestic
chaplain to archbishop Laud, and soon obtained the rectory of Aldermary in London, and a canonry at
Windsor, to which he subsequently added the living at Oddington. But upon his joining the king at
Oxford on the breaking out of the civil war, all his benefices were sequestrated except that which he held
in this village ; and upon the ruin of the royal cause, this also was seized, and conferred upon a clergyman
of the prevailing party, while he himself was compelled to seek an asylum in Holland. At the restoration
of king Charles be returned, became reinstated in his spiritualities, and retained them till his death,
A.D. 16'73. He was buried at Windsor, on the south side of St. George's Chapel. Dr. Browne trans
lated the second volume of Camden's Life of Elizabeth, and published it with an Appendix, 1629. He
was also the author of several political and religious works. Athens Oxonien. vol. ii. c. 523.
* He was originally of Magdalen-ball, afterwards rector of Longworth in Berkshire, chaplain in ordi
nary, and sub-almoner to queen Mary, prebendary of Worcester, &c. Fasti, vol. ii. c. 196.
t His monument is in the chancel. J Buried under the east window of the church-yard. Par. Reg.
VOL. II. P

106 ODDINGTON.
Underneath this :
The before-written customary way of taking the tythe of milk, I believe to be a void
custom. See Burn's Eccles. Law, vol. ii. p. 433. John Bruere, Nov. 14, 1765.*
No fee for the burial of the parishioners ; but the cus
tomary fee for the burial of those who are not pa
rishioners, either  3s. 4d.~\
6s. 8d. > Discretionarily.
13s. 4dJ
Parish Register.
The oldest register of marriages commences with the following entry :
" Humphrey Osbosten and Mtis Elizabeth Collet were married the xvij day of July, 1572."
" Richard Baber, gent, and Dorothy Edwards, daughter of Mr John Edwards of Little-
more, were married April 24, 1628."
(From 1644 lo 1651 no marriage appears.)
" Anno Dom. 1654. Memorandum. That John Wooley of Marston in the county of
Oxon, husbandman, and Joane Walker of this parish, widow, weare three severall
Lord's-days published in our parish-church of Oddington, (viz.) the ffourth, the
eleventh, and the eighteenth of June, in the year 1654.
John Wooley and Joane Walker above-named were marryed upon the . . . . "
" Mem. That Richard Pullen and Ann Hervey, both of this parish, weare three severall
Lord's-dayes published in our parish-church of Oddington, (viz.) August the 6th,
the 13th, and the 20th, Anno Dom. 1654.
Richard Pullen and Ann Hervey (above-named) weare marryed uppon the
9th of October, 1654, by Sir ffrancis Norreys, as appears by a certificate under
his hand and seale. Dated Octob. 9th, 1654."
Several other entries of a similar kind follow, from which it appears that the parties were
usually married by Justice Bury of Oxon, Mr. John Cartwright of Aynhoe, or Mr. John
Nixon (alderman) of Oxford. The last of this kind is in 1657, from which time no marriages
(excepting those neglected to be registered in \QQ\) are to be found till 1663.
The register of burials commences Anno 1572, and is continued with
little intermission.
"Richard hacke was buried the xxviijte daie of December: this man was foure score
and viij yeares owld, and verie sencible, and cowld reed withowte spectacles ; he was a
howse keeper three score and viij of thees years."
" Mtris Phillipp Poure, the daughter of Mr. ffrauncis Poure, esquier, was buried the iiij
day of November, 1580."
" 1625. Ann Davis, ye widdowe of William Davis, sometimes parson of this church, was
buried November ye ninth, 1625."
" 1625. Randal Catherall was buried y6 ninth day of June."
* This way of tithing milk was abolished about twenty-seven years ago, and a composition estab
lished, regulated by the price of corn.

ODDINGTON. 107
" 1629. William, the sonne of Mr. John Dynham, was buried ye ninth day of June."
" Joane Catherall, wife of Mr. Randal Catherall, was buried ye 12th day of ffebruary, 1622."
" Elizabeth, ye daughter of Thomas Berrie, was found dead in a hay-mo we, and after the
Coroner's inquest had passed upon her, was buried the 18th day of June, 1638.

" Mem. May 17th, 1654. Then att a Meeting it was agreed that Mr. Robins should be
our Parish Register, according to a late act of parliament, entitled ' An Act
touching marriages, and the registering thereof; and also touching births and
burials, made Aug. 24, 1653.' (Signed) " Robert Bury, &c."
1657. John Corbet, sworn Register of Oddington before Alderman Nixon at Oxford.

" Mr. James Robins, the parson and late painful minister of Oddington, was buried the
sixt day of April, 1659."
" 1747. John Sawyer was buried March 7."
" 1750. Edward Sawyer was buried March 13."
(In 1751 are no entries of burials.)
" 1761. Margaret, wife of Mr. John Bruere, was buried December 1, under the east
window in the church-yard."
" 1771. The nearest relation of the late Rev. Dr. Thomas Pardo, principal of Jesus
college in Oxford, was buried April 25, 1771, in the chancel at the south-east corner. The
grave was lined with brick, and covered over with large stones from the bottom of the lowest
step almost to the east wall."
" 1776. John Bruere, clerk, rector of this parish for the space of thirty years, was buried
1st of June, 1776, under the east window in the church-yard." " John Filkes, Curate."
(In 1811 are two burials only.)
The register of christenings begins in 1571.
" Bridget Osbosten, the daughter of Mr. Humphrey Osbosten, was christened the xxij
of January, 1575."
" William Davis, the sone of Will1" Davis, rector of this ch. the xxj of Sept. being
Thursday. 1581."
" Crescent Sawyer, son of John Sawyer by Mary his wife, was baptized January ys
14th, 1721."
(In 1759 are four entries of baptism.)
"Jan. 1769. John and Mary, base-born of the body of Rebecca Snowshill of this
parish, John Collier being the reputed father, whose settlement is unknown, were baptized
March 9, and sent to the Foundling Hospital March 12."
Inventory of Goods delivered at the Archdeacon's
Visitation, Oct. 4, 1757-
A folio Bible — Common Prayer — One surplice, new about four years ago — A green cloth
for the communion-table, new this present year 1757 — A silver chalice and paten, the gift of
Mr. Wm. Phipps of Oxford, the weight of both, 26 oz. 3 dwt. — Two pewter flaggons — One
table-cloth — One Napkin — A cushion and cloth for the pulpit, very old — A black cloth for
funerals, very old — A bier.

108 ODDINGTON.
Manor of Oddington.
This village was included among the members of the fee of Islip, granted
by Edward the Confessor to Westminster Abbey ; and at the Conquest
seized by king William, with some other conventual estates in this neigh
bourhood, and bestowed upon Hugh de Grentmaisnil, who gave it to his
daughter Adeline, the wife of Roger de Ivery. It is thus entered as her
property in Domesday inquisition :
h h i, .
Uxor Rogerii de Ivri ten de rege . in . hid 7 dimid v trse in Oten-
done. Tra . in car. Nc in dnio . n . car. 7 n . serui .7.x. uiiti cii . nn .
h h
bord. hnt. n . car. Ibi . xl . ac. pati. Pastura in qa^ ]g. 7 n qa^ lat. Valuit
xl . sot. Modo . lx . solid. Aluui tenuit libe. T. R. E.*
Has . 11 . tras hi: uxor Rogerij de Rege in cofndatione. j"
Translation.] The wife of Roger de Ivery holds of the king three hides and half a
virgate of land in Otendun, land to three ploughs. Now in the demesne two ploughs and
two bondsmen; and ten villanes with four borders have two ploughs. There are forty acres
of meadow; pasture three quarentens long and two quarentens broad. It was worth forty
shillings, now sixty shillings. Aluric held it freely in king Edward's time.
The wife of Roger has these two lands of the king for his protection (in commendatione. )-\
The greater part of the lands in this village remained with this lady
and her descendants till the reign of Henry II. J, when they escheated to
the crown, on the death of Jeffrey de Ivery without issue. The lordship
was subsequently recovered by the abbot and convent of Westminster as a
member of their fee of Islip, and granted by that community to the de
scendants of Roger Poure, bishop of Salisbury, by Maud of Ramsay his
harlot. § In the reign of king John, the estate was held by Gentischieve le
* Domesday-book, No. LVI. p. 160. t Bawdwen's Translation.
X A fourth part of the lands in Oddington were probably granted by this family to Sir Robert Gait, as
he was in possession thereof in the beginning of the reign of king Stephen. If this estate was originally
included in the grant of king Edward, it was never recovered by the abbot of Westminster.
§ Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 496. As a considerable part of the lands were held by Sir Robert le Gait
in right of Maud le Poure, the natural daughter of the bishop, and the remainder by her brother, it is
likely that the estate was purchased by that prelate, and settled upon his children.

ODDINGTON. 109
Poure, a gentleman who married Emma de Podus, and in her right pos
sessed considerable property in Tackley. He increased the revenues of the
monks of Tame by a donation of five acres of his land in this parish.*
Walter, his son and heir, was a justice itinerant for the county of Oxford
A. D. 1227. "j" Of Otwell (perhaps his brother-in-law) nothing is known,
though his son Hugh is distinguished as a benefactor of twenty shillings and
three-pence yearly rent in Orleston to the nunnery of Cornbury (otherwise
Acornbury) %, co. Hertford. John, the son of Walter, held this estate in
the latter part of the reign of Henry III. ^ of the abbot and convent, as
half a knight's fee : he was succeeded therein by William le Poure, whose
name frequently occurs as a subscriber to several charters granted to Bicester
priory, as well as to divers instruments in the chartulary of Borestal, be
tween Sir Richard le Poure and John Fitz-Nigel ; but the chief record in
which he appears conspicuous in connexion with this village, is the Hundred
Roll, which specifies the tenure by which he held it, and details the rents
and services of the several tenants as under :
Ottindon. Witts le Paup ten3 in vitt de Otigdon' de antiquo conquestu iij carucat' te
in diico de Afebe de Westmonestio p duab5 sect' ad visu franci pleg' ad maSiu de Yistlep
& ten3 illud maSiu p dimid feodo milit' &. ide Abbas de dno Rege in capit' 8c ten3 de dco
Abbe unu boscu qui contin3 iiij ac"s et unii moledin' aqatic' q' val3 unam marcam et advoca-
coem ecce de Otigdon'.
Lib'i. Beatrix Vidua ten3 in pdca Otigdon' unam virgatam lifee p iijs p ann' solved
pdco Wilto.
Henr' de le Claler' di' virg' ^e de ]3dco Witto in vitt p iijs & opabr & tall & redim^
pueros suos ad voliitatem dni.
Rogl us Lunen' ten3 di' virg' p eude 'sViciu in vitt.

Ric' Payn di' virg' eode modo.
Witts de Bleechesdon' tfh eode modo.
Philippfts Assit di' virg' eode modo,
Hugo le Forest' di' virg' eode modo.
Joh le Rus tfn eode modo.
Job le Blunt di' virg' eode modo.

Thom' le Prust di' virg' eode modo.
Ric' Fressun di' virg' eode modo.
Ric' Urlewyn' ten5 de eode ?ciam ptm
unr9 virg' in villinag' p ijs p ann'.
Hug' le Bladene tata tam eode modo.
Witts le Leche ten3 tant' eodem Svico. %

* Harl. MS. No. 6950. f. 6\. Rot. Hund. vol.ii. p. 835. t Dugd. Chion. Series A0 1226.
X Dodsworth's MSS. vol. 63 f. 84. Walter le Poure is also a witness to a charter of William del
Osse of some lands to the Knights Templars. Cartular. de Sandford.
§ Testa de Nevil, p. 101 and 104. 11 Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 835 & 836.

110 ODDINGTON.
At the beginning of the following century, the manorial estate was the
property of Sir Walter le Poure, knight, who in 1303 paid a fine to the
king to give the pasturage of eight oxen in this village to the master and
brethren of St. John's Hospital without the east gate, Oxford*; and in 1329
* Dodsworth's MSS. vol. xliv. f. 314. St. John's Hospital formerly stood on the scite of Magdalen
college, Oxford, and is said to have been rebuilt in the time of Henry III. when the king himself laid the
first stone A. D. 1233. The hospital was declared to be " for infirm people and strangers to receive
remedy of their health, and for the necessities of others;'' it was also designed to afford relief to poor tra
vellers or pilgrims to St. Frideswide's, St. Edmund's, or any of the holy wells in the neighbourhood, and
for these purposes amply endowed with manors, lands, and churches, in various counties, besides many
immunities and privileges of a special nature. The edifice itself, for those times, was indifferent, and situ
ated on extremely low ground, the river Cherwell running under the walls on the eastern side. Part of it
is yet standing, and used for a kitchen for Magdalen college, but the chapel on the south side is converted
into lodgings. Peshall says, a view of this ancient building was preserved in the fellows' room in the last
century. The institution was finally subverted by a patent granted to William Wainfleet Sept. 27, 1456,
for leave for these hospitalers to quit their habitation ; and on the 27th of October following, a power
was granted them to convey the advowson of the hospital to the same person, with all their manors, lands,
and tenements, that he might be enabled to found a college on its scite, and endow it therewith; the said
William covenanting that the brethren should receive a stipulated maintenance in return during their
natural lives. Peshall's Oxford, p. 288, 289- For some time after the dissolution of the hospital, the
college charged itself with the .relief of travellers; and it was said, that those persons entered by a door,
now walled up, near the tower. Some years ago it was currently reported in Oxford, that after the
founder of the college had settled the new community, he took a journey to the Holy Land, and was
absent from England many years, during which, no tidings having been heard of bim, the society, con
cluding him to be dead, ventured upon altering some of the statutes, and refusing entertainment to strangers.
At length, tired with wandering, he returned to his native land, but so changed by age and travel, that
none knew him. Anxious to ascertain how the regulations of his beloved college were observed, he
hastened to Oxford, and to his astonishment, found the door closed against pilgrims. In that garb, how
ever, he ventured to solicit relief, and was rudely repulsed; but his marked disappointment and venerable
aspect led a poor scholar of the house to follow him and put a piece of money in his hand. This act of
kindness induced the stranger to ask him several questions respecting the general management of the
College, when, finding that they were at variance with his directions, he requested the scholar to take
a ring which he drew from his finger to the president. With much reluctance the young man at last
consented, but was greatly surprised when the head insisted upon seeing the person from whom he had
received it. On the stranger being introduced, and questioned respecting the ring, he boldly declared it
was his; and upon the president exclaiming " Why, it is the ring of our founder!" he rejoined, " Then
I am founder.'' This disclosure was followed by a reproachful recapitulation of the violated statutes, and
particularly the abolition of relief to pilgrims, which he had himself that day experienced: and, to deter
the community from similar practices, he concluded his address by expelling the head and all the fellows,
taking care to place the future government of the college in the hands of the generous scholar who had
relieved him when he appeared poor and necessitous. Nor was it before the offenders had repeatedly

ODDINGTON. Ill
presented a rector to the church. Roger le Poure, his successor, who was
in possession from 1403 to 1442*, generally resided at Blechington, and
was succeeded in the Oddington estate by Thomas Poure, whose name ap
pears as patron of the church A. D. 1447. The Lincoln registers succes
sively enumerate, Roger Poure, who presented a clerk in 1450, and again
in 1478 ; and John, the son of John Poure, who also exercised the office of
patron from 1483 to 1520, and died 31 Hen. VIII. Vincent Poure, his
descendant, also resided at Blechington -j-, and, after the sequestration of
the estates belonging to religious houses, acquired the patronage of the
churches of Kirtlington and Blechington £ ; he likewise presented rectors to
Oddington from 1549 to 1557- At his decease the following year§, he
acknowledged their sorrow for past misconduct that he was induced to reinstate them in their fellowships.
This restoration of the fellows was also said to have given rise to the choir music in the open air,
which was subsequently changed into a requiem for the soul of Henry VII. and ten pounds per annum
charged upon the rectory of Slimbridge in Gloucestershire for its performance upon the top of the
tower of the college for ever.
Whoever compares this ancient and romantic tale with the sober details of authentic history, will
discern that the period allotted for the founder's visit to Oxford is antecedent to the removal of Tybarde
from the government of the college A. D. 1480. That gentleman had presided for twenty-one years,
but could not violate any statutes, for Wainfleet gave none before July 1482 ; at the same time some
deviation from the founder's injunctions may have procured bis dismissal, and it is not impossible that the
bishop came to the knowledge of these facts by a visit in disguise. No writer, however, has produced
any document which countenances a visitation of this sort. Nor is there any proof of the founder's
undertaking a journey to the Holy Land; indeed, the probability is against it, and Dr. Chandler has
adduced instances of his public or private transactions in England every year from the foundation of his
college till the time of his death, excepting those which intervened between 1464 and 1467, and between
the latter year and 1471. See Life of Wainfleet by R. Chandler. Lond. 1807.
* Contemporary with him was Robert le Poure, a feodary of Humphrey earl of Stafford and duke of
Buckingham, who received twenty-five shillings for a relief, and five shillings for a tenable aid of Edmund
Rede of Borstal, for half a knight's fee in Ardingrave, co. Bucks, at the marriage of the duke's daughter: —
there was also one Galfred le Poure, the chaplain of Piddington. Paroch. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 373. See
also the article Piddington. Probably both were relatives.
t At the Heralds' visitation of this county A. D. 1574, the family of Stephen Power, or Poure, were
also resident at Blechington ; they bore the same arms, with a bendlet or cresset for difference. His
eldest son Henry married Mary, the daughter of Thomas Gibbon of Ditchley, and settled at Shipton-
underwood. Richard, the youngest son, who lived at Wilcot, married Anne, the daughter of  Dethick
of Bradshill, co. Derby, and left one son and daughter. Harl. MS. 808. The arms of Poure were,
Argent, a chief indented Sable. X l*eg- Epis. Oxon. vol. i.
• § Originalia, No. 636'5, p. 102.

112 ODDINGTON.
demised the advowson of the parish-church to Dorothy his wife ; but the
manor and bulk of his landed property passed to Francis his son and heir,
who had married Prudence, the daughter of Sir George Gifford of Middle
Claydon, co. Bucks.
By this lady, Francis Poure had two daughters, between whom he di
vided his property ; Margaret married to Edward Ewere, esq. and Philippa,
who died unmarried, and was buried at Oddington A. D. 1580.*
Edward Ewere-f, the gentleman to whom this estate devolved, partly by
purchase, and partly by his marriage with Margaret, the daughter of
Francis Poure, was necessitated to defend his title thereunto against the
claim of one Tawyer, who attempted to wrest it from him by legal pro
ceedings. The last years of his life were occupied by a tiresome and ex
pensive lawsuit, and he died without witnessing the issue. By his last will
and testament bearing date 28th September, 13 Car. I. £ (A. D. 1637), he
* Oddington Parish Reg.
t In 1561 one Robert Hitchcock married Joan, the widow of John Langstone, and in her right ob
tained a conveyance of the manor of Caversfield from queen Elizabeth A.D. 1563. But his title being
disputed by Thomas Moyle, who had married Ann, or Amy, the sister and heir of John Langston,
Hitchcock sold his claim to Edward Ewere and  Bedel. Ewere settled in the village, purchased the
advowson of the vicarage, and, with William Ewere of Lincoln's-inn, presented to the church in February ¦
1602. Moyle, however, ultimately recovered it back to his family, and the lawsuit was ended before
1614, 12 Jac. I. Willis's Caversfield, p. 166. — The Moyles subsequently sold Bucknell to Ewere.
X In this document the testator describes himself as Edward Ewere of Minster Lovell, co. Oxon, and
specifies his landed property to consist of the manors of Bucknell and Bainton, and the leasehold estate of
Oddington. The whole of these estates, subject to the undermentioned legacies, he demises to his eldest
son Francis, pursuant to a settlement at the time of his marriage. To his daughter Ellen he gives ^200.
payable by his heir eighteen months after his decease ; and until such time as the legacy becomes due, he
directs that she shall continue to reside with her mother, who shall maintain her in the manner she has
been hitherto accustomed : he also directs that she shall receive several articles of household furniture,
excepting the bedstead, whereon he was then accustomed to lie in the kitchen of his manor-house at
Bucknell, and the bedstead aud furniture of bis sister. Poure, which formerly belonged to his wife's grand
mother, lady Clifford, and, according to common report, was made of Irish oak, To his wife he demises
the chief part of the issues out of the manor of Bainton, in case he shall live till the termination of Mr.
Coker's lease, which has yet six years to run ; but if he should die before that time, he charges his son
Francis, on pain of God's curse and his curse, to allow his [Francis's] mother £200. per annum out of
the manor of Oddington ; he also gives her several beds, and other articles of furniture, and assigns the
house below his mansion at Bucknell for her future residence. The residue of his household goods, together,
with the fixtures, &c. &c. he demises to William Jones, esq. and his loving friend Samuel Trotman, esq.

ODDINGTON. 113
demised his manors of Oddington, Bucknell, and Bainton, to Francis his
son, charging them with the payment of divers legacies and annuities for
the support of his wife and younger children. — There are no means of
ascertaining in what way the law-suit terminated, or how Francis Ewere ful
filled the testamentary bequests of the deceased; yet, though the strong in
junctions of the will imply the testator's doubts of his ready acquiescence,
the monumental brass placed over his father's grave at the expence of him
self and his wife, intimates that he was in no wise deficient in filial duty.
It is evident that these heavy legacies and annuities led to the sale of
the Oddington estate ; for we find it soon after in possession of William
Moreton of Winchecomb, co. Gloucester, and subsequently of Orlando
Bridgeman * : it. did not, however, remain long with the latter family, for
at the close of the same century, the manor was the property of Dr. Edmund
Dickenson -f, a physician of much celebrity in Oxford and London. At his
in trust, that they may sell the same, and therewith raise a sum of £1500 for his daughter Prudence.
And whereas it has long been and still is his intention to settle his estate at Oddington upon bis younger
son Richard; in case he shall not live, to carry this design into effect, he directs his son Francis to pay
him out of the proceeds thereof an annuity of £ 100. per annum. The execution of this will be commits
to the before-mentioned William Jones and Samuel Trotman, whom he constitutes joint executors, and
furnishes with ample powers for carrying the provisions thereof into eff. ct. Reg. Test. OfKc.Prerog. Cant.
— For a further account of this family, see Bucknell, vol. i. p. 200.
* Orlando Bridgeman was the son of Dr. John Bridgeman, bishop of Chester, and a lawyer of consi
derable practice in Cromwell's time, but made no figure before the restoration of Charles II. In May
l66*0 he was called to be king's serjeant, and in June following appointed lord chief baron, in which office
he was distinguished for equity and moderation. After the great seal had been given him, he became
timid and irresolute, and his good name declined; for bis wife, a woman of cunning and intrigue, was but
too apt to interfere in chancery suits, and his sons did not bear the best characters. He was created a
baronet by king Charles, and is said to have been removed from office for refusing to affix the great seal
to his successor's declaration for liberty of conscience, Nov. 17, 1672. Biog. Diet. vol. vi. p. 609. Sir
Orlando died at Teddington in Middlesex in the summer of 1674. Wood's F'asti, vol. ii. p. 286. ed. Bliss.
f Dr. Dickenson was the son of William Dickenson, rector of Appleton near Abingdon, educated at
Eton college, and in his sixteenth year entered as a post-master at Merton in Oxford, where he first ob
tained notice by an oration spoken in the hall (July 10, 1653) in defence of freedom of philosophising.
The talents which he displayed, induced Dr. Sheldon to persuade him to enter into holy orders, but he
preferred taking his degrees in medicine, and some time after, he commenced practice at his house in
High-street. In l66"9 he married Mrs. Elizabeth Luddington at Carleton Scroop, Lincolnshire, and by
this lady had his only daughter; the mother dying in childbed, was interred in St. Peter's church, Oxford.
He married to his second wife Helena, the daughter of  Mole, esq. of Aylesbury. On the death of
VOL. II. Q

114 ODDINGTON.
decease he devised it, in trust, to Sir John Mears and William Stratford,
esq. for the sole use and benefit of his only daughter Elizabeth, married to
Charles baron Blomberg*, so that she alone might enjoy all the rents,
profits, &c. during her natural life, without the said manor or lands becoming
answerable for any debts of her husband ; and after her death, he devised
the manor of Oddington to Edmund Charles, eldest son of the aforesaid
baron Blomberg and Elizabeth his wife, and his heirs ; with remainder to
the younger sons Charles Dickenson, John, Thomas, and William Nicholas -f.
Dr. Dickenson died of the stone in his house at Westminster, April 8, 1707,
in the eighty-third year of his age, and was buried in the church of St.
Martin-in-the-Fields, London.
Baron Blomberg and his lady both survived their father many years,
and generally resided at their seat at Kirkby Misperton in Yorkshire. Lady
Blomberg departed this life in April 1744, and the baron in December 1745.
Their eldest son for some time resided in the manor-house at Oddington ;
and in 1732 became avenor, clerk martial, and equerry to the king, which
offices he retained till his death A. D. 1757- William Nicholas, the youngest
son, who wrote the life of his grandfather, obtained the rectory of Cliff, Kent,
and the rectory and vicarage of Fulham, co. Middlesex, and died in 1750.
The manorial estate at Oddington was sold by the descendants of Dr.
Dickenson, about 1740, to John Sawyer, esq. and occupied by that gentle
man and his family for many years. The mansion, however, at last became
so much dilapidated, that they judged it prudent to remove ; and some time
after their settlement at Maidenhead, caused the house to be taken down.
Dr. Thomas Willis he was persuaded to remove to London, where his practice greatly increased ; and
having restored Henry earl of Arlington to health, when all hope of recovery was lost, that nobleman in
gratitude introduced him to the king, who in 1684 appointed him one of his physicians in ordinary. He
grew into great favour with Charles II. and retained his office under his successor till the abdication of
James II. when he resigned his warrant, and sought retirement, having acquired much wealth, and pur
chased estates in Yorkshire and Oxfordshire. For many years he was afflicted with the stone, and at
last fell a victim to that disease. Biog. Brit. vol. iii. p. 169- * He was a nobleman of Courland.
t Regist. Testam. Offic. Prerog. Cant. The will specially provides for the burial of Dr. D. under
the east wall in the church-yard of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and directs, that a tomb three feet high be
erected over his remains. The Life of the Doctor written by his descendant does not account for the
violation of these solemn injunctions.

ODDINGTON. 115
John Sawyer, esq. the grandson of the purchaser of that name, is the pre
sent lord of the manor.
The dean and chapter of Westminster are lords paramount, and enjoin
all holders of their lands in this vicinity to do suit and service at their
court at Islip. Manor of Oddington Grange.
In the beginning of the reign of king Stephen, a fourth part of this vil
lage was the property of Sir Robert Gait, knt. lord of the manor of Hampton,
who built an abbey for monks of the Cistertian order, on a plot of ground
situated on a corner of Otmoor near Oddington*, and named it from an
adjoining wood, the Abbey of Ottlei. This house he peopled with some
monks from the convent of Waverley, and endowed it with five virgates of
land, which constituted the fourth part of a knight's fee. -j- In a short time
the monastery was found so much exposed to inundations, that the society
petitioned for a removal ; and in consequence of their representations, Alex
ander bishop of Lincoln, was induced to grant them the park of Thame in
this county, and some land which had belonged to Nygel Kyre for the
purpose of building thereon. On their acquisition of this gift, the monks
lost no time in proceeding with the new fabric ; the convent was removed,
and on July 21, A. D. 1138, the church was dedicated to St. Mary by the
same bishop, who, in gratitude thereof, was hereafter reputed the founder.
* Leland's Itinerary.
t Copy of the foundation charter. " Notum sit omnibus sanctse eccletias filiis tam pnsentibus quam
futuris, quod ego Robertus Gait dedi omnem terram de Ottendun, et omnia eidem terrse pertinentia in
bosco et piano, prato et pasturis et aquis, liberam et quietam ab omni servitio seculari et consuetudine
terrena Deo et S. Maria? ad abbatiam construendam de Ordine Cisterciensi in provincia Alexandri Lin-
colnise episcopi. Testibus, magistro Osberno de Hache, Roberto de Oili constabulario regis, Warkelin
Waudardo, Rogero de Aumari, Radulfo de Salchei." Mon. Ang. vol. i. p. 802. — The abbey having been
founded under the sanction of the abbot and convent of Waverley, v/as naturally entitled to some claim
upon their bounty ; and they accordingly bestowed upon it a hide of land in Norton, which they had latelj
acquired from Robert de Siffrawast, and ratified the same to it with their public seal. Dodsworth MS.
vol. xc. f. 107. Its revenues were also further increased by the piety of Edith, the wife of Robert
Doyley, who, with her husband's consent, gave out of her own dowry in Weston, that part of her demesne
which lay on the corner of the wood belonging to the convent, and continued on without the intermixture
of any other lands, the quantity of which was thirty-six acres. Mon. Ang. i. p. 802. a.

116 ODDINGTON.
Reginald, the son of Sir Robert Gait, confirmed the above donation to
the convent of Thame A.D. 1151. His only daughter married Fulco de
Fontibus, and left issue two daughters, coheirs, Alice married to Hugh
Constable, and Petronilla wife of Hugh de Braimustre ; and on the partition
of his estate, the village of Ot ten dun was allotted to the former, who granted
to Henry de Coleville one knight's fee in Oddington and Nortun for thirty-
five marks sterling, and the yearly rent of one besantine/, or two shillings ;
this land the said Henry gave to the monks of Tame.* In 1158 the manor
was given by Hugh de Braimustre to his wife's brother Henry de Fontibus,
who covenanted to make him his heir if he died without issue.
The revenues of the convent were subsequently increased by a donation
of Gentischeve le Poure, of five acres of arable and the fourth part of a mea
dow in Brienesmede, with a meadow given by Hugo le Poure, and one hundred
and five acres by other benefactors, besides some lands in Weston. The fol
lowing is the account of their possessions 7 Edw. I. as given in the Hundred Roll :
Abbas le Tham' ten3 in Otindon' iij carucat' te de don' Rob le Gay de feod Comit'
Glovernie in pura 8c ppetuam elemosinam ex dono Gent Eschy le Pour' v acas ptin'
& qartam ptem pati sui in Breinesm'e in pura 8c ppetuam elemosin'. Ex dono Hugon' le
Pur' totu patu suu q' vocat' La Den' in puram & ppetuam elemosina. Ex dono .. ..ehald
8c fil sui Mart' iiijxx 8c xv acas in pur' 8c ppetuam elemos'. Ex dono Radulphi le Wayte -
x acas in pura 8c ppetuam elemosina. Ex dono Mile xxxv acas in camp' de Weston in
pura & ppetua elemosina. +
At Pope Nicholas's valuation of ecclesiastical possessions A. D. 1291,
the estate belonging to the convent of Tame in this village was estimated
and assessed in lands, rents, and courts, at £9- Is. 3d. per annum, and in
fruit, flocks, and other animals, at £ 5. % In the general valuation 26'
Hen. VIII. it was returned as being in the occupation of Richard Andrews^
at a rental of £ 13. 6s. 3d. §, and at the surrender of the abbey devolved to
the crown, where it remained till the 24th February, 34 Hen. VIII. when
that monarch granted it, together with the manor of Gosford and other
conventual lands in the county of Oxford, to Sir John Williams and Anthony
Stringer to hold in fee. || The latter gentleman subsequently relinquished
* Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 150. Ib. 159- t Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 836.
f~Taxat. Ecclesiastica P. Nicholai, p. 45. § Valor Ecclesiasticus, vol. ii. p. 214.
|| Pat. 34 lien. VIII. p. 11. M. 20. It is therein described as "the manor and grange called
Oddington Grange."

ODDINGTON. 117
his interest herein to his colleague, and on the death of lord Williams A. D.
1559, his estate in this village was returned in the Inquisition Roll to be
of the annual value of ,£30. and held of the king in capite as the hun
dredth part of a knight's fee.*
By his last will and testament the manor of Oddington Grange and its
appurtenances were settled upon Henry lord Norreys and Margaret his wife,
the daughter of lord Williams, who 25th Eliz. obtained licence to alienate
the same-f-; and on April 9, 1582, conveyed two messuages, six tofts, five
hundred acres of arable land, one hundred of meadow, eight hundred of
pasture, and forty of wood, with their appurtenances, to Richard Huddle-
ston, esq. John Barnes, and their heirs. % The estate was subsequently pur
chased by Sir Thomas Chamberlayne of Kirtlington, who died possessed
thereof September 27, 1625, at which time the manor was valued at £13.
per annum. § Thomas, his eldest son and heir, married Margaret, a
daughter of Richard Chamberlaine of Temple-house, co. Warwick. Pe
nelope, a daughter and coheiress of Sir Thomas Chamberlayne their de
scendant, at the close of the seventeenth century carried it in marriage to
Sir Robert Dashwood, who was created a baronet May 16, 1684, and died
July 1734. || In this family it remained for upwards of one hundred years,
when it ^[ was sold by his great-grandson Sir Henry Watkin Dashwood,
ba'rt. April 1804, to the Rev. William Frederick Browne, D. D. ** the pre
sent worthy proprietor, and the rector of Launton.
* Esch. 2 Eliz. p. 1. No. 150. ' + Originalia, f. 32. No. 6375. Addit. MSS. in Brit. Mus.
X Lethieullier's MS. O. 1. No. 4701, Ayscough's Cat.
§ By the inquisition taken at Oxford 17th January, 15 Car. I. it appears that he also died in posses
sion of the manor of Kirtlington, held of the king by fealty, and valued at £43. 6s. 8d., and the manors
of Fulbury, Wardington, Burford, and Sawford, and half the manor of Wreckham in the same county.
Cole's Escheats, vol. v. p. 104.
|| He died seised in fee simple of divers messuages, farms, lands, &c. in Bletchingdon, Bignel, Ban
bury, Dunstew, North-Aston, Bicester, Wigginton, and Tackley, co. Oxon.
1T During the latter part of the last century, Oddington Grange, and two or three neighbouring farms,
were tenanted by one Richard Gifford, a wealthy grazier, generally known in the vicinity by the name of
buttermilk Dick. He commenced business with a few closes at Cutslow, and carried on the -operations of
his dairy in a cow-house, where he resided. For several years he supplied all his individual wants with
bis own hands ; but as his gains increased, he took other lands, and from his liberal behaviour became
much respected. He was never married ; and at his death left his stock, &c. among his servants, ob
serving that those who had helped to acquire it, were most entitled to the spending thereof.
** Information of Dr. Browne. His arms are, Sable, on a bend Ermine, an escutcheon Sable, 3 owls
between a chevron Argent; on a chief Argent 3 torteauxes. Crest, an eagle displayed.

118 ODDINGTON.

Literary Inhabitant.
In the early part of the seventeenth century this village was honoured
with the residence of Randal Catherall, a gentleman celebrated by
Wood and other writers for his extensive knowledge in British antiquities.
He was the third son of John Catherall of Horton and Broxton, co. Chester,
by Joan, daughter to Robert Maddocks of Crewe, and the descendant of a
long line of respectable ancestors. He was baptized at Tilson March 26,
1562, and at a competent age sent to the university of Oxford, where he
made considerable progress in his studies, and took the degree of Bachelor
of Civil Law December 5, 1570. After some time he married Joan,
the daughter and sole heir of Richard Jones of Merton (son of William
Jones of Thornbury, co. Gloucester) and settled in this village ; but whether
he exercised the clerical office herein, or lived as a private gentleman, is
uncertain. His natural genius led him to study antiquities ; and in this
obscure retreat, having much industry, and few other objects to divert his
attention, he made numerous collections from leiger books, concerning the
neighbouring monasteries, and relating to the subjects of genealogy and
heraldry. Many of his papers were transcribed by Dr. Robert Sanderson,
bishop of Lincoln, for his own use ; but his voluminous collections them
selves passed into unknown hands.* He was buried in a small vault under
the chancel of the parish-church of Oddington, on June 9, 1625, leaving two
sons, James and Edmund Wood ; Joan his wife having died three years be
fore, and been interred in the same church February 12, 1622. -j-
* Ormerod's Hist, and Antiq. of Cheshiie, p. 388. Wood's Fasti Oxonienses, vol. i. p. 104. In the
new edition of the latter work by Dr. Bliss, vol. ii. p. 185, it is said, that Catherall's papers are among
Dr. Sanderson's manuscripts in the library of the late Sir Joseph Banks; but Mr. Brown the librarian, at
my request, has made a particular search, and assures me they are not among those collections.
t Oddington Parish Register.

ODDINGTON. U8*
Substance of the various Instruments in the Cartulary of Thame
RELATIVE TO LANDS IN ODDINGTON, AND WeSTON-ON-THE-GrEEN.
The first day on which the convent came to Ottlei, Edith, the daughter of Forne, the wife
of Robert de Oilly, with great devotion, gave thirty-five acres of land out of her dowry in
Weston, to God and the church of St. Mary, and the brethren of Ottlei, of the Cistertian Order,
being that part of her demesne which lay on the corner of the wood belonging to the convent,
and continued on without the intermixture of any other lands, for the health of her husband,
herself, her sons Henry and Gilbert, her parents, and the soul of Henry king of England.*
Witnesses; Fromond, priest, Fulk de Oilly, Nichell, Ranulf son of Joscelin, Fulk LuneL Henry
son of Robert, Robert son of Aumeri, and Robert, chaplain.
A charter of Robert de Oilly confirming his wife's donation of the land above Weston park.
A confirmation of the same grant by Henry de Oilly, constable of the king, and son of the
above, to the abbot and convent of Thame. No date ; — the witnesses are, Richard Daumori,
chauntor and archdeacon of Lincoln, Ralph Daumori, Gora, priest, Thomas Damal, and others.
Reginald le Gai, with the assent and consent of the earl of Gloucester, the superior lord of
the fee, confirms to the abbot and brethren of Thame, the whole of the land which Robert
le Gait, his father, gave for the health of the soul of his father and mother, and for the preser
vation of his sons and friends, freeing it from all services which may hereafter become due,
which the men of the same fee are accustomed to perform, &c. No date ; — witnesses, the
prior of Oseney, Robert de Chesnei, William de Chesnei, Hugh his brother, Roger Foliot, &c.
Robert, son of Reginald le Gay, for the love of God, and for the health of himself and his
parents, confirms to the church of St. Mary of Thame, and the monks there serving God, the
donation which his father made them in Oddington, and for one mark of silver conveys to
them the wood near their grange, free from all secular services pertaining to him or his heirs.
No date ;  witnesses, Thomas de Dadenton, and Henry his son, Baldwin Druton, and others.
Thorold,son of Henry deOttendun, confirms the donation of four acres of land in Oddington
which Thorald, his grandfather, made to the monks of Thame, two of them situated upon
Bandun, a third near Greenwaie alias Such, and a fourth in Lambert-furlong, and half an acre
which his father Henry gave with his body, lying near the entrance of the grange of the monks,
and exchanges three acres which his father gave to the aforesaid monks, for one acre above
Bandun,N another above Lambercot-furlong, the third under the church of the grange : and for
the health of his own soul, and his parents', gave to the same community four acres and one
but ; two of them above Bandun, a third in the meadow at the end thereof, the fourth oppo
site Littlemore, and the but in the old division. No date ; — witnesses Thomas de Dadington,
and Hemy his son, Baldwin Druton, and Fulk, the donor's brother.
Robert son of Ralph, with the consent of his wife and his heirs, confirms the gift of a mea
dow and two acres of land which Ralph, his father, gave to the convent free from all services,
or auxiliaries, for the soul of Henry de Oilli, and his ( Ralph's ) father and mother. No date.
* By some mistake the donation is ascribed to Mile, instead of de Oilly, in the Hundred Roll,

*H9 ODDINGTON.
Hugh Poure, with the assent of Genteschive his lord, gives and confirms to God and the
church of St. Mary of Thame, with his ,body, his meadow of La Dene, which runs along
from Lacolputte-ditch by the wood of Genteschive Poure to that of Henry de Oilly of Weston,
and on the other part near the wood of Ralph, the son of Almaric of Chesterton, from thence
descending along the course of the Wivering to the aforesaid ditch of Lacolputte, in pure and
perpetual alms, free from all services and exactions, excepting Twelve pence rendered annually
by his heirs at the feast of St. Michael, for the soul of Walter his father, William Poure his
maternal uncle, and for the salvation of himself, Matilda his mother, Genteschive his lord, and
his ancestors and successors. No date; —witnesses Robert de Whitfield, Robert Daumalri
and Robert his son, Robert de Standford, Walter de Sancto Fide, Genteschive the lord, Thorold
de Ottendon, Wydo de Charlton, Fulk Poure, Robert his brother, Walham and Hugh, Gilbert
and Richard, brothers of Genteschive the lord, and many others then present.
Genteschive, son of William Poure, confirms the donation of the aforesaid meadow by Hugh
Poure " his man," to the ccnvent. No date ; but evidently of the same period.
Genteschive Poure, with the assent of his heirs, gives to the same community four buts
in the eastern corner near the grange, and a piece of land called Adgerd, which extends from the
moor to the water running towards his mill, free from all services to him or his heirs, the afore
said monks rendering one capon on Christmas day. No date;~witnesses Robert de Almari, &c.
Genteschive le Poure, quits claim, and confirms to the monks a fourth part of the meadow
which descends from the moor against Hicteslep de la Chenous formerly held by Hugh le Cur-
tei3, to the little ford, and one acre of land in Brunesmere, as appurtenant to thejtenement
which he held in the village of Oddington.
A. D. 1200. Genteschive lord of Oddington, in the second year of King John, before
Master A. de Cennor, the then official, and all the clergy assembled in Synod at Oxford, on
his oath promised fealty and indemnity to the monks of Thame, and in no wise thereafter to
revoke the inheritance, either in corn, meadow, wood, or whatsoever other thing shall be
known to belong to the aforesaid gift.
William Poure to all men and friends whether French or English ; an exchange between
him and the abbot and convent of Thame of four acres of land belonging to the grange of
Ottlei, for a close between the houses of Ralph Albus, Wlfric, Nigel, and Herbert, sons of
Thorold of Ottendon, and the head of the croft which was Nigel Carpenters'. No date;— witnes
ses, William de Esse, Ralph Albus, Robert and Henry, sons of Thorold, & Walt. Perrehace.
Genteshive le Poure, for the health of his soul, the love of his wife and the souls of his
ancestors and heirs, confirms to God, St. Mary, and the monks of Thame, in free alms, the
five acres which they hold in the culture beyond the running ditch, and six buts with their
appurtenances in the culture near Chalvercroft with a piece of assart at their head. No date.
Ralph Albus* of Ottendon, with the assent of his lord Genteschive, gives to God St. Mary
and the monks, ten acres of his arable land, and three of his meadow, in free alms, free from all
services, saving those which pertain to the king for the fourth part of a virgate of land, and two
* He is called Ralph the white, in the Hund. Roll, vide, p. 116. prphably, a siniame derived frein dress or complexion,

ODDINGTON. 120*
pence, which he and his heirs render yearly at the feast ot St. Michael; one of these acres lying
in Lambercroft-furlong, before the grange of the monks, "and one acre near their two acres,
shooting upon Havedlond ; in Stollinge, near the acre of Thorold one acre ; and behind two acres
and a half in the same culture, half an acre ; and in Buftum or Wivering half an acre, in Stal
ling and Putternersding, three half acres ; in Bandun one acre near the second acre of the monks,
and another acre in the same culture after their four acres ; in Chippefen near Greenway, one
acre, between the acre of Thorald and William de Prestele ; half an acre near Littelescote
above Latam ; in Stolinge near Exlan half an acre ; and near the bridge at the west part be
tween the acre of Thorold and the church-acre, one acre in Fenniford ; between the acre of
the monks and the acre of Thorold, one acre of meadow ; in Longland one acre, and in Wive
ring one acre. And because the aforesaid monks assisted him in his urgent necessity with four
marks of silver, he and his heirs warrant the said' land to the monks against all men and women.
No date ;— witnesses, Hugh Poure, Hamo de Sancto Fide, Wydode Cherleton, Robert Templar,
Thomas de Weston, Thomas Juniore, and others.
Genteschive the lord, confirms the donation which Ralph Albus "his man" made to the
monks of the land in his fee in Ottendon. No date, but signed by the same witnesses.
Ralph le Alvernaus exchanges four buts of land near the entrance of the grange of Ottlei,
[or upon leaving it,on the left hand side ;) and warrants the said acre to the monks against all
men and women. No date ; but the witnesses nearly the same as the last.
Gentescheve le Poure confirms the exchange made by Ralph le Alvernaus, his man.
Thorold de Ottendon, gave to God the blessed Mary and the Monks of Thame, in free alms,
two acres of his meadow in Chippifen, one side bounded by the south head of the culture called
Bandun, another abutting on the north head of Rusifurlung, and proceeding by a meadow of
the monks m Luchlemore near the mill called Backesmille ; which meadow he warrants to
the religious against all men and women. No date ; witnesses nearly the same.
Thorold de Ottendon, gave to God the blessed Mary and the monks of Thame,* &c. three
acres of his arable land and one acre of meadow in the same village ; one of them abutting
upon Perifurlong, another lying on the western side of the monk's windmill, the third in
Brokefurlong as you approach Greenway, and the acre of meadow in Langelond.. No date.
22 Hen. III. Thorold le Ottendon, for the health of his soul, &c. gave to the monks one acre
of his land called Holeredaker, extending itself beyond the mill-pool of Backesmulne, and a
virgate of land abutting on the ditch of Periforlang. Dated 1237. Witnesses, Hamo de
Sancta Fide, Gent, le Poure, John le Poure, Peter le Wendlebury, William le Juvene, &c.
Robert le Gait, for the health of his soul &c. confirms the donation of his ancestors, and
the lands, &c. in Oddington to the monks against all men and women. No date.
Martin son and heir of Thorold, for the health &c. confirms the donation of his father, and
warrants and acquits the monks from all [payments for] sequels, counties, hundreds, scutages,
demands, and customs, against the lord the king, and all other men and women.
25 Hen. III. Martin, son and heir of Thorold de Ottendon, for the health of the soul of
himself, Mabel his wife, &c. gave to the monks of Thame, &c» eleven acres of his arable

*121 ODDINGTON.
land, with all their appurtenances, in Ottendon, whereof three acres lie in Bakkesbroc,. and
the fourth acre lies in a furlong extending to Chippefen, near an acre of the said monks on the
west, and half an acre in Eldelond, extending into Fulrithe, and another half-acre in Chippefen
in a furlong called Smaleirde, and the fifth acre extends to Bakkesmuln-river, and the sixth acre
which is called Burlinegore is uncultivated ; the seventh acre extends into Luttokeslake, and two
'acres extend into the drift-way ; and half an acre which was the drift-way for his cattle, reser
ving free ingress and egress for his cattle in his pasture of Brokforlang in the same half-acre
or elsewhere. And also four acres and a half of arable and three acres of meadow land, with
their appurtenances, in the same town, to wit, one acre abutting on Pereforlong, and another
acre near the windmill of the said monks on the west, and the third acre in Brokeforlang, near
the green, adjoining to two half-acres of the said monks on the south ; and a fourth acre lies near
an acre of the monks called Holeard acre, and extending beyond the mill-pond of Bakkes-
muln ; and one acre of meadow in Langeforlang, next arable land in the same furlong on the
east, and two acres in Chippefen meadow, to wit, beginning at the south end at a place called
Bandun, and extending northward to Rusiforlang, and are next to a meadow of the said monks
on the west, and one rood of arable land extending into Lattlemore near the mill, and another
rood abutting upon the dyke of Periforlang. And, moreover, confirmed all gifts, sales, and
exchanges, which the aforesaid Thorald, or any of his predecessors made to the said monks.
Witnesses, Hamo de Sancta Fide, William de Hampton, John Poure, Peter, and Roger de Wen
dlebury, William Juvene of Weston, and others. Dated, March, in the year of grace, 1240.
Martin de Ottendon, for the health of his soul, &c. gave to the monks of Thame, in free
alms, four acres and one rood of land, with the appurtenances, in Oddington, to wit, four acres
in a place called Brokeforlang, next land of the said monks, and the rood lying in a place
called Croft. Witnesses, Richard de Prestercott, John le Poure, and others. No date.
Martin, the son of Thorold de Ottendon, for the health of his soul, &c. gave to the monks
of Thame, with his body after his decease that it might be buried there, in free alms, one
acre and one rood of land with the appurtenances, in Ottendon, lying in Bancuneshall.
Moreover, he quitted claim to the said monks, all his common of pasture from Fenniford by
Chippefen unto the half-acre which is called Droftwey, and from the said Droftwey unto the
water under Bakkesmulne. Witnesses, Roger de Aumeri, Hamo de Sancta Fide, &c. No date.
Martin Thorold of Ottendon, for the health of his soul, &c. gave to the monks of Thame
in free alms, two acres of arable land in Ottendon, to wit, one acre called-Stoninge, between
land of the said monks and land of John le Poure, and one half-acre in Eldelond, and one head
land upon the Hull which lieth for half an acre, and one half-acre in Stoninge, between land of
the said monks on both sides, and extending to Petemosditch ; and one virgate lying near
Genteschive cross, between land of the parson of Ottendon and land of John Petcheto. And
moreover, one portion of meadow in the meadow of Luthtukkeslake extending into Banbroks-
broc, and that portion of meadow lying in the same meadow of Luthtukkeslake towards the
head of the Blackeyard. No date ;— witnesses John le Poure of Cherlton, and others.

ODDINGTON. 122*
Martin the son of Thorald de Ottendon, for the health of his soul, &c. gave to the monks of
Thame, in free alms, one headland, to wit, that headland which lieth west of the town of Ot
tendon, near land of the said monks. No date ;-witnesses, Peter le Franklaine of Wendlebury,&c.
. 37 Hen. III. Martin, son and heir of Thorald de Ottendon, for the health of his soul, &c.
gave to the monks of Thame, in free alms, two acres of arable land, in the north field of Otten
don, and two portions of meadow in the same field, to wit, that half-acre of arable land which
lieth near the Culputte, with a small piece of meadow lying at the head of the said half-acre,
between land of the aforesaid monks, and land of John le Poure; and one acre of land lying in
Culputte, between land of the said monks and land of John le Poure ; and half an acre of land
in Hullimede ; and that half-part of the meadow abovenamed, viz, one sidling at the Hulimede,
and another piece of meadow, to wit, one sidling at the Culputte, between land of the aforesaid
monks, and land of John le Poure. And, moreover, one sidling of meadow at Banbrock, be
tween land of the said monks and land of John le Poure ; and one sidling at Lutteslakestabl,
abutting on Longehavelond. And, furthermore, half an acre of arable land lying under the hill
and extending itself into Brumesmere. Witnesses, John le Poure of Ottendon, Johi le Poure
of Charlton, Neven de Ychteslep, and others. Dated, 5th of the nones of March, A. D. 1252.
John, abbot of Oseney, and the convent of the same place, in consideration of one hundred
shillings, quit claim to dom. Hillary, abbot of Thame, and his successors for ever, the scutage
pertaining to them out of his tenement in Ottlei, which is in the parish of Ottendon, which he
had of the gift of Robert de Gaie. No date ;~witnesses, Roger Gerum, Roger de Aumeri, Peter
de Esseruge, then bailiff of lord Richard earl of Cornwall, and others.
John, son of Richard le Poure, confirms the donation of five acres and six buts near Chal-
vercroft made by his grandfather, Genteschive le Poure, to the abbot and convent of Thame.
A. D. 1E56. Roger de Aumari, for himself and his heirs, in consideration of four marks
Sterling, quits claim to dom. Roger de Marrham, abbot of Thame, and his convent, to all the
lands, meadows, and tenements, which the monks held in his fee of Weston, in the field called
Westhull, which fee he then claimed in the king's court at Westminster. Dated 41 Hen. III.
Witnesses, the lord Ralph de Chesterton, the lord John le Poure, Genteschive the lord, & others.
William, son of Thomas Manduit, confirms to God, the blessed Mary, and dom. Roger,
abbot of Thame, and his convent, all the lands and tenements with their appurtenances which
they have of the gift of Thcrold de Ottendon, and Martin his son. Witnesses, Ralph de
Chesterton, the lord William Quartermaines, the lord Fulk de Ricot, and others.
Memorandum. That dom. Hillary,abbot of Thame, and his convent, on one part, and master
Roger de Turbervill, rector of the church of Ottendon, on the other, have mutually agreed for
themselves and their successors, that henceforth it shall be lawful for the said parties without
mutual consent to bring any thing into new cultivation in the vill of Ottendon. Also, the abbot
and convent for themselves and their successors, have granted that the way which goeth under
their grange of Ottlei on the western part between Oddington and Weston, shall remain open
for footmen and horses, without waggons. Also, if any one of the servants of the abbot and con
vent residing at Ottlei shall there be taken ill, and by reason thereof be carried to the abbey, it
shall not prejudice the church of Ottendon, but the rector shall have his due from him as his pa
rishioner without contradiction of the convent. Done on St. Crispin & Crispiana's day, A.D. 1246.

*123 ODDINGTON.
Circ. 1240. Robert [Grosthead], bishop of Lincoln, to all the faithful in Christ, &c.
an instrument given at the request of Genteschive the knight, patron, and with the assent of
Roger de Turbervill, rector of the church of Oddington, granting and confirming to the abbot
and convent of Thame, that they may have a chapel at their grange of Ottlei, and may celebrate
divine [offices] in the same, at the costs of the said abbot and convent ( excluding all the parish
ioners of the said church of Ottendon). So that on Sundays, or Feast-days, the household of the
said grange do not hear divine [service] in the said chapel, nor take therein holy bread, or
water, or other sacraments, to the prejudice of the mother church of Ottendon, but attend the
mother church on the same days in due manner as hath been accustomed. And the said abbot
and convent shall make oath of fealty for the monks and converts there abiding, to wit, that all
obventions howsoever coming to the said chapel, shall without any diminution be immediately
given up to the mother church of Ottendon, with this exception, that if a bishop, earl, or baron,
or any person having the liberty of the chapel by custom, and passing through the country shall
hear divine [service] in the said chapel by the proper chaplain and make an oblation, it shall
be taken away by the chaplain, and the parson of the aforesaid church, or his successors, shall
not commence any action or suit against the abbot and convent by reason thereof. But if, by
occasion of the said chapel he shall attempt any thing to the prejudice of the said church,
waving all appeal, privilege, &c. the said chapel shall cease until the mother church is satis
fied for such injury. The bishop also further ordains with the consent of the aforesaid patron,
and rector, that the abbot and convent shall be for ever hereafter freed from the payment of
all tythes, coming from the cultures called Chalcroft, and Periforlang, which said cultures are
closed by a ditch towards the grange of Ottlei at the time of this composition, for the quit
claim of which tythes the said abbot and convent have granted to the said Roger, and his suev
cessors in the church of Ottendon, two acres of land with their appurtenances, in quiet, pure
and perpetual alms ; viz, one acre in Bradwelsforlang, which lies between half an acre of the
lord Genteschive, and half an acre of Isabel the widow ; the other acre extends itself from
east to west, on the north part of the house of the parson of Ottenden, and lies between the
acre of William Botte, and three roods of Richard Herbert. And the said abbot further grants
licence to the rector to enclose the aforesaid acre together with certain acres nearer to the
court, so that he may build upon them or dispose of them at his pleasure, and no one be able
to demand common of pasture, or any other thing, so long as they remain enclosed. &c. No date
A confirmation of the bishop's decree by pope Alexander II.
On the authority of Leland*, and Kennett-j", it is stated in a preceding page that
Ottlei Abbey was built upon a corner of Otmoor ; but as the above charters clearly
prove the wood from which it was named to be contiguous to Weston park,it is pretty
evident that it occupied the present site of Oddington grange. Indeed, on the
removal of the convent, the monastic buildings seem to have been converted into a
farm- toiise ;-and according to the above instruments, occasionally inhabited by the
monks of Thame, privileged with a chapel, and denominated the grange of Ottlei.
* Itin. vol. iv. p. 126. Lond. 1769. f Par, Ant. vol. i p, 128. There are no traces of foundations upon Otmoor.

PIDDINGTON.

J: iddington is a small village usually reckoned in the hundred of Bul-
lington, though locally situate in the hundred of Ploughley: it was anciently
a hamlet of Ambrosden, from which it is about two miles distant, but for
many ages has acquired distinct and separate rights, though it still only
ranks as a chapel ry.
Etymology, Description, Population, &c.
In many ancient records this place is written Piddlington, or Pitlington,
from Piddle, Fr. Petit, Lat. Petilus, and ton, a town, literally signifying
the little town.
The village is situated at the foot of Muswell-hill, and consists of a few
scattered farm-houses and cottages, of the usual character, placed on either
side a public road; the church is situated on the western side at the southern
extremity. In 1811 the parish contained seventy-one houses, inhabited by
seventy-six families, of which one hundred and forty-one were males, and one
hundred and seventy-six females, forming a total of three hundred and se
venteen persons, of whom sixty-six were employed in agriculture, seven in
trade and manufactures, and three not comprehended in either class. In
1776 the sum raised for the poor-rates was £148. 12s. 2d., in 1803 £448.
being assessed at five shillings in the pound; in 1813 it increased to £749-,
and in 1815 the sum raised was £509- The same year the annual value of
the real property was estimated at £3043, and assessed accordingly.

120 PIDDINGTON.
The parish is estimated to contain about two thousand five hundred
acres, and is bounded by Lurgessall, Brill, Borstall, and March Gibbon,
Bucks, and Arncott and Blackthorn.*
The open and commonable fields were enclosed pursuant to an act of
parliament procured A. D. 1757- The Church
Or Chapel, is dedicated to St. Nicholas, and supposed to have been erected
in the early part of the fifteenth century. It consists of an embattled campa
nile, or tower, furnished with three bells ; a nave, south aisle, and chancel.
In the south wall of the latter were three stone stalls, surmounted by lofty
pyramidal canopies adorned with crockets and finials ; two of these still
exist, but the third has been destroyed in making the present entrance.
Above the arch which opens into the nave, is a vile painting of Abraham
offering up Isaac ; the writing on the labels which issue from the mouths of
the principal figures, is illegible, and the whole picture much damaged.
On the ceiling also is a coarse representation of the sky, partly obscured
with clouds, and spangled with the sun, moon, stars, Sec.
On the north wall near the altar-table are monuments for John Walker,
sen. gent, who died July 9, 1731, aged ninety-three; Elizabeth his wife,
who died September 29, 1709, aged seventy-two ; William Walker, eldest
son of the above, who died June 16, 1723, aged fifty; Joan his wife, who
died December 19, 1747, aged fifty-nine; and William, the infant son of
the latter. Also for five children of John Walker, jun. and Mary his wife,
viz. John, Elizabeth, James, Rebecca, and Elizabeth, who died young.
Near it is another for " John Walker, M. A. a priest and pious son of
the church of England," who died September 16, 1722, aged forty-five.
On a loose brass plate,
Here lieth the body of Kathetune Hussay, widdowe, late the wife of Gilbert Hussey
of Oundle, in the countie of North', esq. disceased, who departed this life the xxiij day of
June, in the yeare of our Lord God 1613, aged 40.
On a stone in the floor are inscriptions to the memory of Mr. Benjamin
Bly, late curate of Piddington, who died May 31, 1729, and Mary his wife,
* Information of Mr. Williams.

PIDDINGTON. 121
who died November 13, . . . aged 73 ; and also for Matthew Quick, who
died Feb. 5, 1735, aged 73; and  Coles of Muswell, .... 1691.
The pulpit and reading-desk are placed near the entrance of the chancel,
but possess no peculiarity of character to entitle them to description. The
interior of the church is gloomy. A burying-ground surrounds the fabric,
but there are no inscriptions of interest to the stranger.
Ecclesiastical Matters.
Kennett supposes this chapel to have been erected by the joint contribu
tions of the inhabitants of the hamlet of Piddington, in consequence of their
distance from the parish church of Ambrosden, about the reign of Henry IV
and consecrated, with the chapel of Borstal, by William Sokton, A. D. 1418,
when it was dedicated to St. Nicholas. He is also of opinion, that all the
divine offices, excepting the administration of the sacraments of baptism and
burial, were performed by a resident chaplain, maintained by an annual sti
pend of five marks, collected among the inhabitants, and paid through the
hands of the vicar of Ambrosden, who had the sole appointment of the mi
nister. That as a mark of dependance, the inhabitants were required not only
to bring their infants for baptism and their dead for burial to the mother
church, but also to attend themselves therein, and make their oblations at
the three great festivals of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday, unless
prevented by age or sickness : and that until the erection of pews, they
stood or knelt promiscuously among the whole assembly in the nave or body
of the edifice, but afterwards took their station in the south aisle, which
from that circumstance obtained the name of the Piddington seats.
As population increased, these obligations produced perpetual disputes
between the vicar and the hamlet, so that at last it was found necessary to
apply to the archbishop of Canterbury ; and by his recommendation com
missioners were appointed by the diocesan, who effected an accommodation
A. D. 1428, and by the following instrument divided the village from
Ambrosden, and invested it with distinct parochial rights, thereby in
trusting the inhabitants with the free choice of a chaplain, who at first
was to pay due obedience to each successive vicar, in token that the chapel
vol. 11. R

122 PIDDINGTON.
did depend upon the church of Ambrosden, the vicar himself, in considera
tion of a reservation of twenty shillings in money and a quarter of wheat, to
be yearly paid and delivered by the said inhabitants*, releasing and quit
ting claim to all right and title to all tithe and other profits arising from
the said village.
dotatio capell.e s. nlcholai confessoris in vlllula sive hamlf.tta
de Piddington.
Universis ad quos prsesentes literse pervenerint, quorumve interest vel interesse poterit
quomodolibet in futurum, Richardus permissione divina Ecclesise Lincolniensis Servus hu-
milis et Minister, Salutem in complexibus Salvatoris. Ad Universitatis vestrse notitiam tenore
prsesentium voluimus pervenire, quod cum nuperrime inter venerabiles et religiosos viros
Robertum Rectorem domus de Ashrugge et ejusdem loci conventum Ordinis Sancti Augus-
tini nostrse Lincoln. Dioeceseos, Ecclesiam Parochialem de Ambresden ejusdem nostrse Dioe-
ceseos, cum omnibus suis juribus et pertinentiis, salva congrua portione Vicarii perpetui in
eadem, canonice obtinentes, per Dominum Johannem Audley dictse domus confratrem, dic-
tumque Johannem Outrede Vicarium perpetuum ejusdem Ecclesise de Ambresden ex parte
una, per Dominum Galfridum Power Capellanum, ac Willielmum Hedington, Johannem Watts,
Johannem Weston, Johannem Bowden, Thomam Brond, Johannem Prest seniorem, Johannem
Prest juniorem, Willielmum Palmer, Johannem Benevale, Walterum Leper, Thomam Willey,
ac cseteros omnes et singulos Villulam sive Hamlettam de Pidington infrascriptam inhabi-
tantes ex parte altera, per Richardum Gomme literatum dictorum Roberti Rectoris et con
ventus Proprietariorum dictique Johannis Vicarii, et prafatorum Willielmi Heddington,
Johannis, Johannis, Johannis, Thomse, et aliorum inhabitantium, superius specificatorum
procurators, quorum procurat. tenores inferius de verbo in verbum conscribuntur, coram no
bis infra scriptis die et loco legitime comparentes de et super inventione, exhibitione, et ex-
pensis, unius Capellani perpetue deservituri, et divina celebraturi in Capella Sancti Nicholai
Confessoris in Villula sive Hamletta de Piddington, infra fines et limites et loca decimabilia
Parochise Ecclesise Parochialis de Ambresden prsedictse fundatse dedicatee et scituatse, in
Visitatione venerabilis viri dilecti filii nostri Johannis Southam, Archidiaconi nostri Oxon. in
Ecclesia nostra Lincoln, in Ecclesia Parochiali de Ambresden prsedicta per eundem Archidia-
conum nostrum et ejus auctoritate nuper facta et exercita, aliisque articulis (ut asseritur)
ibidem compertis et detectis coram dilecto filio nostro Magistro Willielmo Simond ipsius
Archidiaconi nostri Officiali, lis (ut prsetenditur) exorta fuerat et materia dissensionis : hujus-
modi lis et dissensio de unanimi consensu dictorum Domini Johannis Audley, ipsorum Ro
berti Rectoris et Conventus Proprietar. Domini Galfridi Power dicti Domini Johannis Vicarii,
et Richardi Gomme, prsefatorum Willielmi Hedington, Johannis, Johannis, Johannis, Thomse,
* As the parish was only slightly cultivated, probably the above reservation was the full value of the
revenue which the vicar obtainedfrom the hamlet.

PIDDINGTON. 123
aliorumque inhabitantium superius descriptorum procuratorum de et supra prsemissis et sub
scripts, prius communiter tractatis plene et perfecte deliberator. et bene, ut asserunt, avi-
siator. (sic) est finaliter sopita et ad finem perpetuum deducta sub ea quse sequitur forma.
Volunt et concedunt prsefati Dominus Johannes Audley dictorum Roberti Rectoris et Con
ventus proprietariorum antedictorum, et Dominus Galfridus Power ipsius Domini Johannis
Vicarii antedicti, Procuratores et nominibus procuratoriis prsediotis, et pro dictis dominis
suis et suis successoribus futuris quibuscunque, ac sic vult et concedit eorum uterque nomine
procuratorio antedicto ad majoris amoris inter dictos dominos suos ac dictos inhabitantes ut
antea nutrimentum : quod habeant dicti inhabitantes moderni et sui successores futuri qui-
cunque dictorum inhabitantium propriis sumptibus et expensis, salvis subscriptis, unum
Presbyterum in eadem Villula de Pedington continue residentem ad ipsorum inhabitantium
proprium arbitrium eligendum et nominandum atque prseficiendum, qui futuris perpetuis
temporibus in eadem Capella omnia et singula divina Officia et Servitia dictis inhabitantibus
qui nunc sunt et eorum successoribus qui erunt perpetuis temporibus futuris, atque suis
domesticis, secundum modum, formam, et observationem Ecclesiarum Parochialium, in om
nibus et per omnia celebrabit, ac omnia et singula sacramenta et sacramentalia toties quoties
opus fuerit eisdem inhabitantibus ministrabit, cadaveraque omnium et singulorum eorundem
inhabitantium et habitandorum ac suorum domesticorum ibidem qualitercunque decedentium
et morientium in eadem Capella et ejus Coemeterio jam tandem de novo rite et canonice et
legitime dedicatis sepeliat, seu sic saltern celebrari, ministrari, et sepeliri faciat et procurabit,
prout decet. Ac omnes et singulos fructus, decimas, reales, personates, majores, minores, seu
minutas, mortuaria, emolumenta, ac proficua, quocunque nomine nuncupantur, ad ipsum Domi
num Johannem Vicarium modernum et suos futuros successores in eadem Vicaria, jure et
nomine ipsius Vicarise, prsetextu et occasione cujuscunque ordinationis, donationis, compo-
sitionis, fundationis, consuetudinis, seu alterius observationis cujuscunque, dicto Domino
Johanni Vicario moderno suisve successoribus, ac Vicarise hujusmodi, qualitercunque debita
et debenda atque spectantia et spectatura ex dictis inhabitantibus et inhabitaturis, eorum
uxoribus, liberis, servientibus atque famulis, dominiisque et Capellis de Pedington et Muswell,
a terris, pratis, molendinis, aquis, sylvis, domibus, pasturis, omnibus cseterisque animalibus
eorundem dominiorum ac inhabitantium ac inhabitandorum, ibidem depastis et nutritis de-
pascendisque et nutriendis qualitercunque provenientia per manus ipsorum inhabitantium et
inhabitandorum totaliter et integraliter percipiet, ac locum Mansionis pro presbytero ibidem
ab antiquo deputatum libere habebit pro suo manso, et de eisdem libere disponet in perpe
tuum absque dictorum Roberti Rectoris ac Conventus proprietariorum, ac ipsius Domini
Johannis Vicarii et suorum successorum, in eisdem contradictione et . reclamatione quibus
cunque. Ex alia parte vult et concedit Dominus Richardus Gomme dictorum inhabitantium
procurator, et procuratorio nomine quo supra, pro se et dominis suis et eorum successoribus,
quod quilibet presbyter per eosdem inhabitantes et inhabitaturos, seu successores, ad prse-
dictam Capellam (ut prrefertur) nominandus et eligendus toties quoties, in suo primo adventu
in signum quod eadem Capella a dicta Ecclesia Parochiali de Amersden dependet, Vicario
ejusdem Ecclesise de Amersden cuicunque pro tempore existenti obedientiam debitam faciet.

124 PIDDINGTON.
Ac dicti inhabitantes et eorum successores in eadem Villula de Pedington prasdict. Domino
Johanni Vicario moderno et suis successoribus qui pro tempore erunt ad Festa Sancti Mi
chaelis Archangeli et Annunciationis beatse Marise Virginis viginti solidos monetse Anglise
per sequales portiones, et unum quarterium frumenti ad festum Omnium Sanctorum Ariiman-
tium annis singulis ad Mansum Vicarise prsedictse solvent et liberabunt, seu solvi et liberari
absque dilatione ulteriori facient in perpetuum : et omnis et omnimoda dicti Presbyteri in-
ventio, exhibitio pensionis, seu salarij solutio, seu conductio, et provisio, una cum dictse
Capellse et ejus Cancellse, ac Mansi et loci Mansionis prsedictse pro eodem Presbytero anti-
quitus deputati reparatione, constructione, et emendatione, omni tempore futuro ad eosdem
inhabitantes et inhabitaturos solum et insolidum pertineant et pertinere debeant, et nullatenus
ad dictum Rectorem et Conventum Proprietaries, aut Johannem Vicarium, aut eorum succes
sores in eisdem. Proviso tamen, quod in casu quo dicta Capella hujusmodi Presbytero per
unum terminum anni integrum ex negligentia, culpa, fraude, seu dictorum inhabitantium et
inhabitaturorum malitia careat seu defraudetur, omnes et singuli fructus, redditus, decimse,
mortuaria, emolumenta, et proficua antedicta a tempore vacationis hujusmodi provenientia ad
dictum Dominum Vicarium modernum et suos successores futures pro tempore existenti
totaliter pertinebunt, et eos omnes et singulos ac omnia et singula Vicarius pro tempore hujus
modi existens percipiet, et de iis libere disponet, absque dictorum inhabitantium et inhabita
turorum reclamatione, concessione, et ceeteris prsedictis in aliquo non obstantibus. Post vero
omnia et singula (sic ut prsemittitur) facta, gesta, habita et concessa, prsefati Dominus Jo
hannes Audley, memorati Roberti Rectoris et Conventus Proprietariorum, Dominus Galfridus
Power, ipsius Domini Johannis Vicarii, ac Richardus Gomme, prsefatorum inhabitantium
procuratores, et procuratoriis nominibus prsedictis, Nos Richardum, Servum humilem et
Ministrum antedicti loci Dicecesanum in hae parte pro tribunali sedentem debita cum in-
stantia requisiverunt, et quilibet eorum requisivit, humiliter supplicantes quatenus nos in
honorem et laudem Dei ac divini officii augmentum, eorundemque supplicantium et suoi/um
dominorum favorem hujusmodi litis et materise, (sic ut prsefertur) sopitionis et finalis materise
in prsemissis inter partes prsedictas concordationi concordationisque de et super eisdem de-
ductionem, ad earundem sopitionis concordationis et deductionis majorem valetudinem et
roborationem, nostrum decretum interponere, et prsemissa omnia et singula (sic ut prsemit
titur) ad finalem concordiam, ut speratur, deducta auctoritate nostra ordinare, confirmare, et
perpetuo stabilire dignaremur. Unde nos considerantes hujusmodi requisitionem et suppli-
cationem fore justas et consonas rationi, prsemissa omnia et singula (sic ut prsemittitur) inter
partes prsedictas facta, deducta, et concordata, rata, grata, firma et stabilita habentes ad
omnium et singularum partium procuratorum antedictorum requisitionem et supplicationem
(sic ut prsefertur,) factas, auctoritate nostra ordinaria confirmamus, approbamus, stabilimus,
et perpetuis futuris temporibus inviolabiliter observanda decernimus per prsesentes. Tenor
vero Procuratorii dictorum religiosorum magistrorum Rectoris et Conventus Proprietariorum
prsedictorum sequitur in hsec verba. Noverint universi per prsesentes nos, &c. Datum in
domo nostra Capitulari vicesimo nono die mensis Aprilis, Anno Domini 1428. Ac dicti
Domini Johannis Vicarii supradicti Procuratorii in hae parte tenor talis est. In Dei nomine,

PIDDINGTON. 125
Amen. Per prsesens publicum instrumentum cunctis appareat evidenter, quod anno ab In-
carnatione Domini, secundum cursum et computationem Ecclesise Anglicanse, 1428, mensis
vero Aprilis die vicesimo quinto in aula Vicarii de Amersden Lincoln. Dioec. in mei Notarii
publici et testium subscriptorum prsesentia, personaliter constitutus discretus Vir Dominus
Johannes Outrede, Vicarius Ecclesiee Parochialis de Amersden prsedicta, Dominum Galfridum
Power Capellanum, et Johannem Drewe literatum conjunctim et eorum utrumque divisim et
in solidum, &c. suos veros et legitimos procuratores negotiorum suorum gestores et nuncios
speciales fecit et ordinavit et constituit, dans et concedens, &c. Procuratorii que prsefatorum
inhabitantium in hae parte facti tenor sequitur in hunc modum. In Dei nomine, Amen. Per
prsesens publicum instrumentum cunctis appareat evidenter, quod anno ab Incarnatione
Domini, secundum cursum et computationem Ecclesise Anglicanse, 1428, mensis vero Aprilis
die decimo octavo, in cancello Capellse Sancti Nicholai de Pedington, infra fines et limites
Parochise Ecclesise Parochialis de Amersden in Comitatu Oxon. situat. Lincoln. Dioec. in
mei Notarii publici et testium subscriptorum prsesentia, personaliter constituti discreti Viri
Willielmus Hedington, Johannes Watts, &c. et cseteri omnes et singuli dictam Villulam de
Pedington inhabitantes tunc ibidem ad unius campanse pulsationem, cujus sonitu unanimi
consessu convenerunt, ac Magistrum Richardum Pedington Clericum, et Richardum Gomme
literatum, conjunctim et eorum utrumque divisim suos veros et legitimos procuratores, actores,
factores et negotiorum suorum gestores et nuncios speciales fecerunt, ordinaverunt, constitue-
runt, dantes et concedentes, 8tc. Datum in hospitio nostro, apud vetus Templum London.
decimo quinto die mensis Octobris, Anno Domini millesimo quadragintesimo vicesimo oc
tavo, et nostrse translationis anno quarto.
[The above has been corrected in several places from the Copy in the Oxford Register, but
there are still some doubtful readings.]
From the period when this instrument was granted to the present time,
the inhabitants of Piddington have continued to enjoy the privileges therein
specified, and render the money and corn payments to the successive vicars
of Ambrosden at the proper seasons. In the days of Kennett five or six
of the parishioners usually attended at the delivery of the corn, and in
return received an entertainment at the vicarage*; but this practice has
been long discontinued.
* Kennett sadly complains of the custom, and argues that it ought to be discontinued, lest hereafter
they should augment their company so as to come in a sort of procession, and devour more than they bring
with them. He also says it was traditionally asserted, that the money was paid by the inhabitants of
Piddington for repair of the bells at Ambrosden, and as a consideration for their liberty of ringing at all
times. This assertion he refutes by a memorandum from the church-book A. D. 1552, wherein it is
entered as paid to the plumber for repair of the church ; and he supposes the tradition to have arisen from
their practice of ringing the bells when they made their annual oblations. Par. Ant. vol. ii. pp. 249 & 298.

126 PIDDINGTON.
During the greater part of the last century a custom prevailed of allow
ing the chaplain a modus of eighteen shillings for every yard-land, and so
in proportion in lieu of all tithing whatsoever* The sum raised by this
modus amounted to ,£40. 18s. 9d. and was proportionately assessed upon
the different farms. This custom was broken by the late curate, who
caused a survey of all the parish to be taken, and then set the tithe to the
tenants according to its value.
List of Curates as inserted in the Parish Register.

John Fogg, 1661.
Nicholas Gawenf, elected 1670; buried June
26, 1682.
Edmund Marshall, Fell, of University Coll.
elected in 1682.
John Bly, minist. in 1703; buried 1711.
Benjamin Bly, buried 1729.
Humphrey Quick, elect. July 1, 1729.
Henry Burgess, elected in 1736.
Zaccheus Wood, elect. January 31, 1759. J

John Cokerill, Fell. Univ. Coll. Oxon; elect.
Feb. 5, 1770.
John Pearson, elected Sept. 9, 1801 ; not
licensed.
Isaac Knipe, nominated May 4, 1802; not
licensed.
Thomas Pardo Mathews, presented by the
King, by lapse, and licensed July 1, 1803;
died 1820.§
John Cleobury, elected March 1822.

* The enclosure act passed in 1757 seems to consider it doubtful whether the chaplain was entitled to
this modus or the small tithes ; a proof that the modus had then prevailed for a very long time. When
the trial mentioned in the note below took place, the judges supposed it passed in 1797> and gave sentence
accordingly. — Query. Does not this mistake invalidate their decision ?
t Nicholas Gawen was bora in the west of England, educated at Queen's college, Oxford, and sub
sequently chaplain to a merchant vessel in a voyage to Portugal. On his return he became curate to
Mr. Hall at Bicester during his indisposition, and at his death in 1670 was made curate of Piddington,
where he finished his course. He was the author of a work entitled " Christ's Pre-eminence, in a ques
tion propounded, discussed, and resolved, that Christ was the first that with flesh and blood entered into
the kingdom of heaven." Oxon, 1666. X Afterwards curate of Bicester.
§ At the vacancy which occurred in the church in 1801, the inhabitants considering the former salary
of ,£40. 8*. 2d. with the surplice fees, insufficient for the maintenance of a curate, at a general meeting
proposed to raise an additional sum of .£29. 1 Is. 10c?. for the clergyman, either by a rate or some other
means, if the two candidates, Mr. Stopes and Mr. Pearson, would individually sign an engagement " that
the said <£29- 11*. 10rf. should be made and continued only upon the occupiers of lands and hereditaments
in Piddington, and should not in any respect alter the money payment of .£40. 8s. 2d. wherewith the said
lands and hereditaments are, and have been time immemorial, charged in right of the said church." This
agreement Mr. Stopes refused to sign, and Mr. Pearson was chosen without opposition. Meantime -the
agreement coming to the ears of the bishop, he declared it simoniacal, inasmuch as it was apparently in
tended to restrain the present curate from asserting his claim to the small tithes (to which he was sup-

PIDDINGTON. 127
The Parish Register
Commences A.D. 1654. " Thomas Kelly appointed Register 1654."
(Signed) " Francis Norreys."
(In this year, 9 Baptisms are entered.)
" Richard Edmonds of Grindon, and Jane White of Piddington, were published at Pid
dington, and married according to the act now in force by a justice of the peace July 28, 1656."
" 1729. Wm. Mc Gilchrist, commoner of Baliol Coll. in Oxford, his former baptism by
a Presbyterian minister being in his own opinion invalid, was baptized March 22."
" 1729. Mr. John Leath, commoner of Baliol Coll. in Oxford, his former baptism by a
Presbyterian minister being in his own opinion invalid, was baptized March 22."
" 1730. William Forbes of Ch. Ch. College, Oxon, re-baptized November 5, on the
same account as the two former."
In 1756, eight baptisms; and 1758, eleven ditto and four burials.
In 1792, six burials ; and 1812, five ditto.
Benefactions, &c.
In 1640 William Ward of Piddington gave a small paten or plate for the use of the com
municants in this chapel, and caused his name and time of the donation to be inscribed
thereon. 16 Caroli II. In the last will and testament of John Hart of Cottsford in the county of
Oxon, gent, bearing date May 12, 1664, and proved at London May 5, 1665, amongst other
bequests, is the following donation :
" Item. I give and bequeath unto the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of Pid
dington in ye co. of Oxon, one annuity or yearly rent-charge for ever of Three Pounds of lawful
money of England to be paid for the binding of one honest poor godly boy yearly, to some
good trade ; to be issuing out of my manor, lands, and premises at Easington in the co. of
Oxon, to be paid by yearly and equal payments on the usual feasts or days of payment in the
posed to be entitled), and furnish evidence against his successor, and that the presentation was, therefore,
void. When the inhabitants understood the bishop's objections to the paper, they offered to give it up,
provided Mr. Pearson would consider himself bound in honour to abide by the conditions ; but the bishop
would not consent to license any person who was not perfectly free to assert his rights. The inhabitants
then offered to cancel their agreement, and wave their nomination ; and on the 4th of May, 1802, at another
meeting elected Mr. Knipe, who afterwards applied to the bishop for a licence. This was refused, the
bishop informing the parties, that the preceding election having been simoniacal and void, the right of
nomination had vested in the King by Stat. 31 Eliz. c. 6. § 5, and.that his majesty having exercised that
right in the nominatiou of Mr. Mathews of Ambrosden, it was intended to license that gentleman, which
he accordingly did on July 1, 1803. These measures were followed by divers law proceedings: Mr.
Mathews brought an action against some of the individuals who had signed the aforesaid agreement for
simony, but failed in formal proof; and the inhabitants of Piddington twice sued for a writ of mandamus
to be issued to the bishop, to compel him to license the chaplain they had elected, but were unsuccessful.
Vide East's Reports for Easter and Trinity Terms 1806. At length, feeling the inutility of further op
position, the parish acquiesced in Mr. Mathews's appointment, and offered £150. as a composition for the
tithes, but the curate preferred a fair valuation.

128 PIDDINGTON.
year: that is to say, on St. Michael the Archangel, and the Annunciation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, immediately, after the decease of the said Ann my wife, and my said heirs law
fully begotten by me of the said Ann my wife. ,
" And I do hereby give and grant to every ye churchwardens and overseers as aforesaid,
full power to distrain for the said annuities in any of the aforesaid premises set by me, given
and granted aforesaid, in case they be not paid at the days of payment as aforesaid, or wiftiin
twenty-eight days of payment, if lawfully demanded, on manor, lands, and premises, as
aforesaid." 1683. This year Jane White gave a large chalice or cup, and a paten or great plate to
the parish, and caused the following inscriptions to be engraven thereon : " Sacred to the ser
vice of God, and to the use of the chapel of Piddington in the county of Oxford, with a paten,
the gift of Jane White, born in the said town, daughter of Thomas and Mary White, 1683."
On the paten, " This paten, together with the chalice, given by Jane White." *
Fifty pounds was left to the poor of Piddington by Lady Turner, relict of the late Sir E.
Turner, bart. and distributed to them by the minister thereof February 23, 1772.
The memory of the just shall be blessed.
[The Abstract of returns of charitable donations, notices a donation of £20. to the poor
by some unknown benefactor, which in 1788 was vested in the hands of the parishioners, and
produced 20s. per annum ; and also a rent-charge of 6s. per annum, for the benefit of poor
widows, then vested in Thomas Motley and John Philips.]
Memorandums in the Register.
By an award dated 16th September, 1759. The commissioners named for dividing and
enclosing the field, assigned Henry Bruges the chaplain, and his successors, in lieu or recom-
pence of all his cottage right of common for one horse, two roods and four perches, the
hedges, ditches, and fences, to be made and enclosed by the chaplain and his successors.
In 1783 an act was passed for granting a stamp-duty of threepence on every entry of
burials, marriages, births, and christenings : the clergy to be allowed 10 per cent, on the
duties they receive. This act was repealed in March 1794.
April 2, 1798. £8. 8s. was paid into the Bank of England, being the amount of a col
lection made in the parish of Piddington for the defence of the countrv. +
(Signed) W. Johnson.
Manorial Estate.
This village was a part of the possessions brought by Judith the niece of
the Conqueror to the unfortunate Waltheof, and at Domesday survey thus
entered : £
* The small paten is only marked with the initial P.
t Similar contributions were encouraged throughout the country by the king's ministers.
X See the previous account of Merton, vol. ii. p. 17-21.

PIDDINGTON. 129
Judita comitissa ten Petintone. Ibi si mi hidse. Tra ix . car. Nc in
dnio . in . car . 7 . cu i . seruo 7 xn uifti cu . vi bord . tint . v . car. Ibi
xxx . ac pati. Silua 11 leu lg . 7 v. q'rent la?. Valuit vi lib. Modo 1111 lib.
Hacun libe tenuit has 11" tras.*
Translation.] Countess Judith holds Petintone. There are four hides there. Land to
nine ploughs. Now in the demesne three ploughs with one bondman, and twelve villanes
with six bordars have five ploughs. There are thirty acres of meadow. Wood two miles
long and five quarentens broad. It was worth six pounds, now four pounds. Hacon held
there two lands freely. +
In 1084, after having experienced the folly as well as guilt of sacrificing
her husband to the gratification of a criminal passion, the countess Judith,
either by death, or retirement into a monastery, left this village to her eldest
daughter, Maud, the wife of Simon St. Liz, now earl of Huntington and
Northampton ; and that nobleman soon after gave it for life to Joan, the
wife of Guido de Ryhale, a sister of Thomas Bassett %, and in 1093 con
veyed the reversion thereof to the priory of St. Frideswide at Oxford. §
While this estate remained in possession of these parties, Guido and
Joan granted the tithes thereof to the chapel of St. Cross, which they had
founded upon Mus well-hill. — Guido died in 1106, leaving Thomas his son
and heir, but Pidding-ton remained with Joan his widow.
The manor was subsequently the property of Simon de Gerardmulin,
who retained it above forty years, and chiefly rendered himself conspicuous
by a confirmation of the above donation to Missenden-abbey, to which it
had been previously conveyed by Ralph the hermit and chaplain, with the
consent of the former lord. Simon died about 1150, leaving it to Joan
his widow. ||
The prior and convent of St. Frideswide seem to have obtained posses
sion of the estate by the death of the lady, about the latter end of the
reign of king Stephen, or the beginning of Henry II. , and to have procured
* Vol. i. Oxon. t Bawdwen's Translation.
X Regist. de Missenden, p. 128. Harl. MS. No. 3688. § Regist. de S. Frideswide, p. 117-
|| Regist. de Missenden, p. 128. Kennett supposes her to be the same lady who married Guido de
Ryhale. This is a mistake, for he calls Guido his ancestor in the charter.
VOL. II. S

130 PIDDINGTON.
charters of confirmation from David, Malcolm, and William, successively
kings of Scotland and lords of the fee* But the latter monarch having
forfeited his English estates by assisting the young king in his rebellion
against his father Henry II. A. D. 1173, the earldom of Huntington, toge
ther with the fee of Merton and Piddington, were conferred upon Simon
St. Liz, the grandson of the before-mentioned Simon and Maud, -j- On
his first obtaining possession of these honours, this nobleman seems to have
confirmed the manor to the prior and convent without hesitation, but sub
sequently, by a stretch of power no ways unusual in that age, he suddenly
seized upon it, and after retaining it a short time in his own hand, be
stowed it upon Aubrey Dammartin earl of Boloigne ; nor could all the
thunders of the church induce its restitution. |. From the latter nobleman
it descended to his son Reginald, a baron chiefly remarkable for his mis
fortunes ; he at first lost his French estates by adhering to the English in
terest; and in 1214, on the defeat of king John in the battle of Bovines,
was taken prisoner by the French, laden with irons, and chained to a piece
of timber in a strong tower in Picardy. §
On the death of Reginald A. D. 1227, the manor was granted by
Henry III. to Guido de Bado||, and subsequently to Godfrey de Crau-
combe %, a military chief of considerable property and influence in the
county, who in 1235 paid two marks for one knight's fee therein. At his
death it again escheated to the crown ; and in 1247 was placed in the
custody of Hugh Gargate of Caversfield, who answered for the profits to
the king.** In the 54th of the same reign, Walter Giffbrd, bishop of Bath
and Wells, obtained a grant of this and the adjoining manor of Brill, to-
* Cartul. S. Frideswidas, f. 117 & 118. + Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 59.
X On the seizure of this estate, the prior and convent complained to pope Alexander, who issued letters
to the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of Chichester, his legate, to cause all divine offices to cease
throughout the fee. See the documents in the cartulary of S. Frid. and printed in Kennett's Par. Ant.
vol. i. p. 548 & 549- § Math. Paris, p. 231. Brady's Hist. p. 493.
|| Testa de Nevil, p. 120. He is called Isolda de Do by Dodsworth, MSS. vol. lxviij. f. 109.
11 For an account of Godfrey deCraucombe, see the note to page 137, vol. i.
** While in the king's hands, the tenants of Piddington manor were discharged from a tax of sixteen
pounds and half a mark by a mandate to the sheriff, A. D. 1249.

PIDDINGTON. 131
gether with the castle of Oxford, for seven years, on condition of rendering
annually £ 30. for the former, and £ 40. for the latter.* Probably this
agreement was subsequently cancelled ; for in a few years Edward I. gave
Piddington to Alan de Plugenet in exchange for some lands in and about
the new forest in Hampshire ; and at the general inquisition A. D. 1279? it
was thus returned among the villages, &c. in the hundred of Bullingdon.
Pidinton.' Dicut Jurat' qct 'Pidinton' fuit in man9 dni Reg' Henr' fil Reg' Johis p
xxij ann' & eo ampli9. Ita qd p\ea alienatu fuit maSiu p voluntate dni Reg' & lifetatum ctno
Alano Plangenet in excamfe cu ce?is maSiis in divisis Comitatib} p Lindhurste in Nova
Foresta. Dicut 8c qd ictm ctns Alan9 tenet in ctnico i eodm maSio viij virgatas ?re cu ptinenciis
p uno feodo militis.
In s'vitute tenentes. Dicut qd Jons le Grey custumar' tenet j virgata tre in eoctm
manlio reddo p ann' dno vs qando dat redditu 8c ad auxiliii dni con" Nathale ij'. Et qrl
opatr debet opari p iiijor dies in qalib3 ebdomada p ann' exceptis dieb3 festivalib5. Et p die
Satsfei debet averagiu cu uno hoie et uno equo ad foru si dns volu) it ita qd redire possit p
diem et ftebit qa' ad gentaclm suu. Et int purificacoem Be Mar' & ad Pascha del>3 arare
ctno quolib3 die Lune n' festu intcurrerit vi tepestas ipedierit. Dabit & ctno suo ad festu
Sci Martini p sale qerendo jd de consuetudine qd vocatr Salt Selver. Et sciend est qd in
tepe autiipnali veniet altna die cu duob3 hoib3 ad blact dni metend quosq, plenarie me-
tanf & i alio tepe p unii homine.
Assunt 8c ibidem xxiiij01" q°ru quilib3 tenet dimid virgat' ?re unde duo semp facient
in 6ib3 sviciis redditib3 auxiliis consuetudinib3 sicut Jofas le Grey supadictus.
Dicut & qd oms custumar' supadici veniet in ripe falcacois ad patu clni falcanct p unu
diem & riebut xld de consuetud de bursa ctni & vocatr Medsipe.
Dicut & qd octo siit in maSio quo? quilib3 tenet j ferthinglond scilicet qinq, acr' ?re de
q'b3 q"tuor tenebant carucas quos dns vl ej^ bafts eligJe volu) it & sic rem' quieti de oniib3
aliis serviciis & consuetuct sic' custumarii p noiati qantii ad tantu tenement' ptinet.
Cotauii. Ernald9 de Stock' tenet unu cotagiu & una acr' tre reddo p ann' xxvjd p
omi svicio.
Ascelina Vidua ten3 unu cotag' et una acr' tre reddo p ann' xijd & iiijor gallinas & deb3
juvare ad fenu dni vid3 levand & tassand feni facienct quosq, pficiatr & ad bederip' I au-
tupno opabit.
Assut & tres cotarii quox quiscj, redcto p ann' vjd & dabit iiijor gall & opabitr ad fenu &,
ad bederip sicut pdca Ascelina.
Assut & tres cotar' cruoi quisq, dat vjd p ann' p oi ^vico pt' bederip' in autupno.
Dicut & qd dns maftlii tenet cur' sua' bis in ann' de visu fancipleg' & capit j marc' de
consuetuct SCI13 in ufq, die dimid marc'.
Lib'e tene'tes. Robs Dickerell tenet viij t0 virgat' ?re cu ptirit' in M'iton' que ptinet
ad maSiu de Pidinton' unde ipe Sc teiites sui facient sectam cur' de Pidinton'. Et dabit
scutag' qfi crrit ctno de Pidinton' qantu ptinet ad tantu tenefftt' in eadm villa.
Hug' Poucok ten3 dimict virgat' ?re redcto p ann' in hudredo de Bolenden' noie visus fan-
cipleg' pro secta maraii et faciet sectarcur' de Pidinton'.
Maths Lovecok ten3 dimict vrgat' tre p carta ad tminu vite sue de dono dni Alani Plu
genet reddo p ann' xijd & faciet sectam cur' ibictm.t
* Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 383. Ex Reg. Walt. Gifford Arch. Ebor. f. 77- t Rot. Hund. p. 71 7-

132 PIDDINGTON.
Alan de Plugenet, who obtained this estate, recommended himself to
the special favour cf Henry III. by his valour and fidelity during the rebel
lion of the barons, and was rewarded by a royal grant of the forfeited lands
of Ralph Musard, until such time as they were restored by composition.*
He was also highly esteemed by Edward I., and distinguished himself in the
Welsh and French expeditions ; for which he was rewarded with several
important charters -j-, and summoned to parliament as a baron of the realm
for the last five years of his life. He died A. D. 1297 %, and was succeeded
in his honours and estates by a son of the same name, who, treading in the
footsteps of his father, proved himself a bold warrior in the several expedi
tions against Scotland in the 28th, 29th, and 31st years of Edward I., and
was made a knight of the Bath with prince Edward and several others A. D.
1305. The same year he also accompanied the prince in another attack
upon that nation ; and in the 4th and 8th of Edward II. received sum
monses for the like purpose. At his decease, circ. 1320, the lands of his
inheritance passed to Joan, his sister and heir ; but dying without issue
1 Edward III. her estates descended to Sir Richard de la Bere, knight, half-
brother to Alan Plugenet, her father; but the manor of Piddington reverted
to the crown, when the king bestowed it upon his favourite Hugh de
Spencer, who granted two parts thereof to his kinsman, Sir John de Handlo
of Borstal, to hold during life § ; and a third part to Henry de Pembruge.
1326. When the high crimes and misdemeanors charged upon the
imperious favourite, had led to his death and attainder, the prior and con
vent of St. Frideswide judged it a favourable opportunity to prefer their
claim to this manor, so long unjustly detained. They accordingly directed
their attorney to institute proceedings, in their name, in the court of king's
bench for its recovery, A. D. 1330. By divers subterfuges, Sir John de
Handlo, however, contrived to retain it till his death, A. D. 1340 1|, when
*Pat. 54 Hen. III. m. 23. t Cart. 10 Edw. I. No. 2. Cart. 14 Edw. I. No. 42. Cart. 18 Edw. 1. No. 2.
X Esch. 27 Edw. I. No. 54. He held the manor of Piddington of the king for one knight's fee.
§ Cartular. S. Frideswydae, f. 118. Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 548.
|| This law proceeding was conducted in the following way. In Hilary term 1436, William de Marshton
the prior's attorney, pleaded that the manor of Piddington was the right of St. Frideswide's church, and
that prior Helias was seised of the manor in the time of Henry III. Sir John de Handlo by his attorney
answered, that he rightfully held the said manor by the demise of Hugh de Spencer, sen. for the term of

PIDDINGTON. 133
a new claimant, Sir Nicholas de la Beche *, appeared, who had some time
previous procured a grant of the reversion from the crown -j~ : the death of
Sir Nicholas happening the same year, they became free from his personal
opposition ; but it was soon discovered that he had granted his interest
therein to John, son of John de Sutton J and Isabel his wife, who, finding
the insecurity of their title, paid a fine to the king for liberty to convey it
to John de Peyto for life. The following year the prior and convent pro
ceeded against the new proprietor, and, after much delay, succeeded in ob
taining a verdict, A.D. 1359 J whereupon the king immediately issued his
precept for the sheriff to give them possession. Thus circumstanced, the
defendants, Sir John de Sutton and Isabel his wife, joined with John de
his natural life ; but, by the forfeiture of the said Hugh, it was now escheated to the king, without whose
leave he could not answer, and therefore prayed time might be allowed that he might consult the king.
This was accordingly granted till the beginning of Trinity Term, and fifteen days after. At the beginning
of Trinity Term both parties again appeared by their attornies, when the defendant pleading that he had
not yet obtained the king's consent, had the hearing deferred to the first day of Michaelmas Term ; at
which time he suffered himself to be nonsuited, and had, by essoign, time allowed till Easter Term in the
year following, when the prior of St. Frideswide appeared in his own person, and Sir John de Handlo by
Thomas de Tychewike his attorney; at which time a writ from the king was delivered to the judges,
requiring them no longer to admit the excuses of the defendant, and to proceed in the trial, but not to
give sentence without his knowledge. In pursuance of this precept, Sir John put himself upon his trial,
and desired a recognizance to be made, that for three marks paid to the king, he might hold the manor of
Piddington for his life as in right from the king, and by several other pleas and excuses, had the process
continued till Easter Term 7 Edw. III. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 11-14. Cartular. de St. Frideswide,
f. 118 and 119.
* Nicholas de la Beche was a valiant soldier preferred by Edward II. and esteemed by his son, who
in the third year of his reign made him constable of the Tower of London, and two years after granted
him the reversion of the manors of Whitchurch, Watlington, the two parts of the manor of Piddington,
which John de Handlo held, and the third part owned by Henry de Pembrugge. But in the 13th Edw. III.
he sustained a temporary disgrace, for the military operations of the king having been much dis
concerted by the want of a punctual remittance of cash, Edward suddenly returned to London, and,
entering the Tower about midnight, discovered that important fortress left unguarded, with only his own
children and three servants therein. This glaring neglect of duty produced an immediate order for the
constable and several other officers to be committed to prison. He did not, however, long remain under
the king's displeasure, for we soon find him employed in the wars of Brittany, subsequently summoned to
parliament as a baron of the realm, and engaged in divers public transactions abroad. Dugd. Baronage,
vol. ii. p. 127. t Cart. 11 Edw. III. No. 17-
X Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 90. This John de Sutton was present in the famous battle of Cressy fought Aug. 25,
A. D. 1346, and one of the ancestors of John Dudley, created duke of Northumberland by Edward VI.

134 PIDDINGTON.
Peto, and made the convent a full and free release of all right and claim by
an instrument dated on the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, 34 Edw. III.*
* Paroch. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 103-128. Cartular. de S. Frideswid. f. 120-125. Soon after the prior
and canons had recovered their estate, they caused the extent, customs, and privileges of the manor to be
taken on oath, and thus recorded :
" The Verdict of the Men of the Manor of Pydinton. — The jury say that the lord holds in his manor
there in demesne three hundred and twenty acres of land, of which each acre is worth 6d. per annum,
ploughed as well as sowed, and each acre may be sowed in its season with two bushels of corn, of beans
three bushels, of pulse six bushels, and of oats six bushels; and the said lands may, &c. Of meadow
and wood therein, &c. they say also that the lord holds there twenty-nine acres of meadow, and each acre
is worth 2*. per annum. Of wood they know not how many acres, but they say that it is worth 13s. 4>d.
per annum, towards the support of the manor. Of separable pasture they know nothing ; but they say
that in common pasture, as in wood and in arable fields, they can support sixteen cows and one bull, with
heifers. Also between How-day* and the day of St. Martin, they can support there two hundred and
forty rams for the convenience of the lord for manuring his land ; but in winter time they cannot support
them there. Also forty goats may there be supported for the convenience of the lord ;— concerning the
hogs there to be supported, let it be done at the pleasure of the lord and of his bailiff's.
Of the Court. — They say also of the easements of the court with gardens, stews, dovecotes, nothing;
but that there is within the court of the lord, one curtilage for raising pottage and pot-herbs, which is
worth 12rf. per annum.
Of Free Tenants. — They say, that Robert Pikarel holds eight virgates of land with appurtenances in
Meeiton, which belong to the manor of Pydinton, and are held of the lord of the same by knight's
service ; and when scutage is on foot, he shall give one mark to the lord. The said Robert and his tenants
shall make suit and other customs to the two courts of Pydinton yearly, at view of frank-pledge. They
say also that Hugh Pocock holds one half virgate of land in Pydinton for 3*. to be paid thence to the
hundred of Bollenden at the feast of St. Martin for all services ; the same holds five acres of land and
two acres of meadow of the demesne for half a mark yearly for all services. They also say that Alan
de Pont holds five acres of land and two acres of meadow of the demesne, for half a mark per annum, in
the same manner, saving the tallage of the lord at Christmas-day. They also say that Robert Clark
holds the old plot of garden and two acres of land for half a mark per annum.
Of Villanes, &c. — They say that Robert Gray the bailiff holds one virgate of land, and twenty-five
tenants each a half virgate of land, and nine tenants, of whom each holds the fourth part of one virgate
of land, of which each virgate of land shall pay per annum five shillings and four days of custom, namely,
one day for mowing the meadow of the lord at the feast of the Lord, or shall give to the lord forty pence
for Mettesept, and also for cutting the corn of the lord for three days in autumn; to wit, the first day
for their own custom, the second for the right of the lord, the third for their own custom. On the first
day they shall come with all their servants ; and on the second day they shall come to the dinner of the
lord, they and their wives, with cloths, plates, platters, cups, and other necessaries. And each Virgater of
land shall give to the tallage of the lord against Christmas-day two shillings, and shall collect nuts
for one day for the use of the lord in his wood with one man, and for closing the hedge in the field
towards the wood for another day. It is to be observed that for the two days in autumn when they
shall work on their own custom, all and every the sheaf-binders shall have a garb (or sheaf) in the evening.
When also they shall make customs or rents, all the ploughs within the town of Pydinton shall come to
plough the land of the lord on any one day which the bailiff shall choose within the four days next after
the feast of St. Michael on the summous of the bailiff or steward, which is called Gras-herth; and for
this reason, that the lord shall make neither hay nor separable pasture from his men in the arable field,
only on this day shall he make it, and no more. It is to be known, that all the X virgaters of arable
land shall work for four days throughout the year in every week, except the feast-days, and stormy days
intervening. At winter-sowing, every one of them shall come with one horse and one harrow to harrow the
* The Tuesday fortnight after Easter-day, celebrated in Oxfordshire with sports and rejoicing in
memory of the massacre of the Danes, and their expulsion from England A. D. 1002.
t The name of the fine for omitting that customary service.
I Virgatarius, i. e. holder of a virgate.

PIDDINGTON. 135
From this period the convent of St. Frideswide remained in quiet and
undisturbed possession of the estate till the reign of Henry VIII. when
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey procured two bulls from pope Clement VII. em
powering him to dissolve the priory of St. Frideswide, and as many small
religious houses as he thought proper, and to apply their revenues, lands,
and goods, to the endowment of his intended college. To the execution of
these bulls, the king gave his consent by an instrument, dated July 1, 1525.
But though the cardinal proceeded with his buildings, and introduced his
community, he neglected to execute his foundation-charter ; and therefore,
at the time of his disgrace, A. D. 1529, all the lands and revenues which
he had collected with so much care, were found to be his own property, and
land of the lord until it be fully sown all over. And they shall do in the like manner at Lent sowing.
In the week next after the feast of St. Martin, each virgater of land shall plough for the lord three roods
of land, and also shall enter the barn of the lord to thresh the seed of the said land ; and after, they are
to winnow that seed, and carry it forth in the field to the land of the lord; and the servant of the lord shall
sow the said land, and after, they of custom shall harrow it that week only. And each Virgater shall
give to the lord one penny for salt silver per annum at the said feast of St. Martin, or shall carry the salt
of the lord from the market, where it may have been bought, to the larder of the lord ; and the lord shall
give to each Virgater at their breakfast one farthing. Also each customary Carucater * shall plough for
the lord every Monday, from the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Mary to the Paschal feast of the
Lord, that day only for all things. At time of reaping each Virgater shall come, and shall find one man
to mow the meadow and carry off, by their custom, to wit, four days of custom ; and they shall also
come with one horse and plough-cart, with the carts of the lord, to carry that hay. And they say that
each mower shall have at evening each day, as long as he shall mow, a scythe of grass, as much as he
can take up at once with his scythe without other help. Ernaldus the Carucater holds one messuage
and two acres of land in two fields, and gives yearly two-pence and other customs at Bedrepe in autumn.
Ancelina the widow holds as many, and gives twelve-pence, and four hens at Christmas-day or four-pence,
and help to carry, and cock and make the hay of the lord until it be finished. There are three Coterellsf
who give yearly one penny each and other customs at Bedrepe. There are three others who give six
pence each yearly, and four hens against Christmas-day or four-pence, and help to carry and cock the hay
of the lord. Henry Carpenter yields to the lord one penny purpresture. Also in autumn it is the custom
that each Virgater shall come one day with one man, and another day with two men, and so on always
until the corn of the lord be entirely cut. Also each Virgater shall prepare for the lord one quarter of
malt yearly, if the lord find wood for drying. If any villan die on the fee of the lord, he shall yield to
the lord his best ox, and thus because he (the lord) shall support his wife in house and land as long as
she shall live, provided she keep herself a widow. Without occasion, no one shall marry his daughter
without the licence of the lord, &c. They say also that of old custom they have HousboteJ and
Heybote§ in the wood of the lord, by license of the lord and view of his bailiff, when at the itinerary
of the justices of the forest, they make suit by four men ; and if the wood of the lord should go to waste,
they shall acquit the lord for the said Housbote and Haybote. They say that the steward shall be quit
of all service for his labour except Grasshert.
* i.e. Holder of a carucate.
t The Coterell was held in absolute villenage, and his person and goods disposed of at the pleasure
of the lord.
I Liberty of cutting sufficient wood on the manors that is necessary to repair the farm-house, barns
stables, or other buildings for the use of the tenants.
§ Heybote from Sax. hay, a hedge, and bote, repair. The liberty of cutting underwood and bushes
for mending and repairing the fences or hedges.

136 PIDDINGTON.
declared to be forfeited to the king. That monarch, however, after some
delay, determining to refound the college, and to give it his own name, in
1532 conveyed Piddington, among other estates, to the new foundation :
accordingly, in the general ecclesiastical survey A. D. 1534, it was de
scribed among the possessions of king Henry VIII/s college, and valued at
£26. Is. Sd. per annum.*
On May 25, 1545, Dr. John Oliver, the second dean, resigned his col
lege, with all its revenues, to the king, preparatory to the establish
ment of a bishoprick on the dissolved foundation, by which means the
manor of Piddington once more reverted to the crown, where it remained
till 7 Edw. VI. when it was granted to Thomas Dynham of Borstal, esq.
his heirs and assigns, for ever, in consideration of his paying the sum of
£587- 5s. 6d. into the hands of the treasurer of the court of augmentation. -j~
A considerable portion of this estate was subsequently alienated to
Henry Poole, esq. ; and in 1586" it appears from Lethieullier's MSS. that
twenty acres of meadow, and one hundred and twenty of wood in Pidding
ton and Ambrosden, were held of him by Anthony Terringham, esq. and
Francis Morgan, gent. ; and also that a like number of acres of woodland
and meadow, with their appurtenances, were sold to the same gentleman
December 2, by John Dynham of Borstal, esq. and Katherine his wife, in
the 29th of Elizabeth.
In December 1597 (40 Eliz.) thirty-six messuages, thirty-six orchards,
thirty-six gardens, a pigeon-house, one thousand acres of land, one hundred
and fifty of meadow, five hundred of pasture, and two hundred of wood, in
these villages, were also conveyed by the said Dynham and his wife, to
Joseph Hebborne and Vincent Coventry, and their heirs; and on the loth of
January, 43 Eliz. the same parties alienated other messuages, &c. to Edward
Ewere, gent. J and soon after sold the manor and wood called GillingV
place, to the before-mentioned Henry Poole, leaving little more for them
selves and their descendants in Piddington than the bare manorial rights. §
The following Table will convey a clear idea of the descent of this and
several of the adjoining estates, to Sir John Aubrey, the present proprietor.
* Valor Ecclesiasticus, vol. ii. t Pat. 7 Edw. VI. p. 2.
X Ewere immediately conveyed them to Francis Poure his father-in-law, who resettled them upon him.
§ No. 4701. p. I. Ayscough's Catalogue.

PIDDINGTON.

137

Thomas Dynham, esq.; Borstal and other vast estates of his wife's=pCATHERiNE, dau. and sole heiress of Leonard Rede,

inheritance, settled by fine 1 Edw. VI.; died Feb. 16, 1562, 4 Eliz

esq. and Ann his wife, of Borstal, co. Bucks.

John Dynham, esq. ob. May 29, 1602, 44 Eliz.*=pCATHERiNE, dau. of Sir Christopher Broome, knt. of Halton, co.
Oxon, and sister of G. Broome, high sheriff of Oxon A.D. 1597.

Penelope t, 2d wife, dau. of Sir
Richard Wenman.

r

Sir John Dynham, knt. ob. 16 Feb.=ELiZABETH, dau. of Sir John Dormer
1634, 10 Car. I.

died without issue.

1. Mary, inherited Borstal,==LAURENCE Banistre, esq. son and
Piddington, &c. j heir of Robert Banistre, esq.

 1 
2. Alice.

3. Margaret.

Margaret, sole dau. & heiress, mar. 24 Car. I. an. 1648.==William Lewis, esq. of the Van in com. Glamorgan
,__! 

Margaret, dau. ofc
Sir John Lowther,
of Lowther Hall in
Westmoreland, first
lord Lonsdale.

:Sir John Aubrey, bart. of=
Lantrithyd, co. Glamorgan;
he died of a fall from his
horse returning home from
Sir William Glynne's at
Ambrosden, Sept. 1700.

:Mary, eldest dau. .^William Jeph-

who having no is
sue, settled Bor
stal and Piddington
upon the son of her
second husband.

son, esq. ob.
Trinity Sun
day, 1691.

I
Edward, died un
married
Septem-
berl672.

 1
Another daugh ter.

Frances Jephson, 2d wife,:
Jane Thomas, 3d wife.

I 
Martha, died un
married 1793, &
buried at
Llantri-
thyd.

:Sir John Aubrey, born June 20, 1680 ; M. P. for Cardiff:
in two parliam. temp. Queen Anne, ob. April 1743. J

T

:Mary Staley, 1st wife.

Frances, married
Denham Jeph
son of Mallow,
co. Cork, esq. by
whom she had 3
sons, Denham,
who is unmar. &
John, both dead.
She died in 1775. r

i 
Sir John
Aubrey,died un
mar. Oct.
1767.

I
Sir Thomas:
Aubrey,
ob. Sept.
4, 1786 j
buried at
Llantri- thyd.

:MARTHA,eldestdau.of Sir Richard Car
ter of Chilton,
Bucks, one of the
Justices of theGrand
Sessions for co.
Glamorgan, Bre
con, and Radnor,
ob. 1788.

I I
MARY.died Elizabeth,:=Hen.Lin-
unmarried died 1734. tot of
1768; bur. Horsham,
at Borstal. co. Sus
sex.

Martha CATHE-=pSir John Aubrey, 4^Mary, eldest
rine, dau. of
Geo. Richard
CARTERofCllil-
ton, Bucks, el
dest son & heir
of Judge Car
ter.

I
John Aubkey,
died in in
fancy.

J

times M.P. forWal-
lingford, 1 for Ayles
bury , 1 forClitheroe,
& 4 times for Alde-
burg, co. Suffolk, &
in 1812 Steyning;
present lord of ma
nor of Piddington.

dau.&coheirof Sir James
Colebrook,
bart.Gatton, co. Surrey, &
sister to Em
ma, countess
Tankerville.

2. Thomas Aubrey,
a major in the ar
my, served during
the American war ;
M.P. for Walling
ford from 1784 to
1790; diedJan.15,
1814.

 1 
3. Richard;
Aubrey, colonel of
the Gla
morgan mi
litia; died
March 31,
1808.

I 
Thomas Digby:
Aubrey.

-Frances, 2d
dau. of the
hon. Wri-
othesleyDigby, of
Meredon,
co. War
wick.

Patty Mary,
died unmar
ried Sept.
1774.

. . Wright, niece of Rev. Rob.Ver- JuliaFrances,=
ney, Middle Claydon House, co. married May
Bucks, died Nov. 27, 1817. 29, 1810.
No issue.

:Wm. Ralph Cartwright,
of Aynhoe, co.Northam.
M. P. for the county.

* He died possessed of the manor of Borstal valued at £4., of the manor of Brill valued at £5., and of the manor of
Oakley valued at £ 4., all of which were situated in the county of Bucks, and held of the queen, but by what service the
jury were ignorant. He also died in possession of the manor of Piddington valued at £4., and held as the fortieth
part of a knight's fee, and the manor of Muswell valued at £i., and held of the queen, but by what services the jury
were ignorant, besides the. patronage of the churches of Borstal and Oakley, all of which remained to his son John Dvn-
ham, then of the age of sixteen and upwards. Esch. 44 Eliz. p. 2.
+ This lady resided in Borstal-house when it was occupied as a parliamentary garrisou in October 1642 ; and lady
Fanshaw says, she acted very kindly to Sir Thomas Fanshaw, when he was taken thither as a prisoner after the battle of
Worcester ; for when she understood how much he was distressed for want of linen, she fetched him some shifts of her
own and some handkerchiefs, saying, that she was ashamed to give them to him, but having none of her son's shirts at
home, she begged him to wear them. Memoirs, vol. iii. p. 309. Lady Dynham was generally considered attached to
the Parliament interest.
X Tbis baronet left his estate in Wales to his eldest son, and the lordship and manors of Borstal, Piddington, &c. in
trust to his grandson the present proprietor, then a minor of six years old, when he should attain the age of twenty-one ;
until which time the profits were to be received and applied to the uses of his two daughters, Frances, the wife of Denham
Jephson, and Margaret Aubrey, spinster. The exclusion of the eldest son from these estates, is traditionally said to be
owing to the discovery of the body of an infant in a wood near Borstal, suspected to have met its death unfairly, and to
have been the fruit of an illicit connexion with a female in humble life. It is also said that Sir John was with difficulty
dissuaded from submitting the matter to a judicial investigation. The present baronet was born in the manor-house
at Stoke-Lvne.

VOL. II.

138 PIDDINGTON.
Sir John Aubrey holds a Court Baron for this manor whenever requested
by the inhabitants, which perhaps is about once in seven years, to prevent
intruders on the waste, remove nuisances, inquire into neglected water
courses, &c. Manor of Chilling Place.
There is little doubt of Chilling-place having claimed and exercised
manorial privileges within the manor of Piddington from remote antiquity ;
but the earliest recognition of those rights which I have seen, is in an
indenture bearing date the 7th of December, 29 Eliz. by which John Dyn
ham of Borstal, esq. and Katherine his wife, conveyed " the manor and
wood called Chilling-place," to Henry Poole, his heirs and assigns, with all
its rights and appurtenances.* This gentleman seems to have been the same
person who was subsequently knighted by king James, and ultimately be
came the third husband of Margaret, eldest daughter of John Doyly of
Merton. The manor was again sold by his heirs, and after passing through
several hands, became the property of Sir Jeremiah Snow, who left it to
William Snell, from whom it descended through Robert, to Sir Thomas, who
at his death devised it to his nephew William, whose son, the Rev. John
Snell, is the present owner, -f-
Other Estates in this Parish.
1597- On the 1st of April, 40 Eliz. John Dynham, esq. and Thomas
Buckley, for certain valuable considerations, conveyed seven messuages, a
dove-house, seven orchards, and seven gardens, with four hundred acres of
land, one hundred of meadow, one hundred and eighty of pasture, thirty-
six of wood, and 2s. rents in the village and fields of Piddington, to Ralph
Vine, his heirs and assigns J, together with the great tithe of the afore
said hamlet, which latter is said " to be held of the king as of his manor
in East Greenwich in Kent, in free and common socage, and worth
£6. 13s. 4d. per annum, above reprises." §
' Lethieullier's MS. P. 1. No. 4701. f Information of Mr. Williams.
X Lethieullier's MS. ib. § Ex Orig. penes G. O. P. Turner, bar.

PIDDINGTON. 139
On the purchase of this estate, Ralph Vine settled at Piddington *, and
remained for many years the principal inhabitant in the village ; but cir
cumstances at last inducing him to remove, in 1625 he enfeoffed Huo-h
Barker, esq. LL.D. -f and Mary his wife, of a capital messuage, lands, &c,
as well as the great tithe ; and some years after, disposed of the rest of his
property to different individuals. After the death of Dr. Barker, the estate
remained to his widow during her life, when it devolved to Mary, their sole
daughter and heir. This lady, 14 Charles I. married Samuel Sandys of
Ambrosden, esq. and on the death of her mother became possessed of her
inheritance, comprising not only her estate in this parish, but the manor
and rectory impropriate of Fritwell, besides divers messuages in that parish.
Most of the property in this village remained to himself and descendant
during that century; but in the following (A.D. 1721), an act of parlia
ment was procured " for the sale of all the estates of Samuel Sandys, and
Samuel his son." In consequence of which he conveyed a messuage, one
hundred and forty acres of land, forty of meadow, sixty of pasture, sixty
of wood, and common of pasture for all cattle |, together with all tithe of
corn, grain, and hay, from the said premises, to Sir Edward Turner, bart.
of Ambrosden. §
Other Estates of the Family of Vine.
On August 27, 16'38, Ralph Vine, esq. granted a deed of feoffment with
livery and seizin to John Hunt, clerk, of certain lands, tenements, &c. lying
in Piddington ; these, John Hunt and wife conveyed to Mr. Clement Somer-
• Ralph Vine was descended from Vine, of Ash and Vine-place, co. Berks. His father and mother,
Henry and Jane Vine, were buried in Henley church. This Ralph Vine of Piddington had two wives;
by Frances, daughter of Edmund Lee of Pitchstone, co. Bucks, he had issue a son named Ralph, and two
daughters, Eleanor and Ann ; the latter married Edward Suckley of Astlebury, co. Northampton ; by Ann,
his other wife, the daughter of Thomas Dabridgecourt, and the widow of one Hickford, be had no issue.
t Hugh Barker was originally of New College, took the degree of LL. D. in 1605, and near that time
became chancellor of the diocese of Oxford, afterwards dean of the Arches, and president of the College
of Civilians in London. He was also a magistrate for the county of Oxford, and dying in 16S2, was
buried in New College Chapel.
X The indenture says, that the wood-ground was divided into two coppices, called Pipely-Hill Coppice,
alias Clay well-Hill ; and that there was common pasture in the fields of Piddington for four hundred sheep,
and for fifty beasts in the cow-leaze and ox-leaze, and all the common woods of Piddington.
§ Ex orig. penes G. O. P. Turner, baronettum.

140 PIDDINGTON.
ford the 17th March, 1646; and the latter enfeoffed John and Robert
Eccles the 10th November, 1662.
By will, John Eccles left this estate to be divided among his three
daughters, Sarah, widow of Richard Gough; Elizabeth, widow of George
Bower ; and Mary, wife of Andrew Longe ; in consequence of which it
was sold to the latter, and settled in dower upon his wife A. D. 1740.
May 12, 1757, William Longe, their only son, sold the above, contain
ing one quarter of a yard-land, half a yard-land, and the tithes thereof, to
Oswald Jackson, who mortgaged the same to John More. The death of
John More shortly following this transaction, his son conveyed his interest
in this property to John Westcar, who left the same by will August 14, 1754,
to his sons Thomas and John Westcar. In 1761 the above Oswald Jackson,
and Thomas and John Westcar, sold the estate to Sir Edward Turner, bart,
in whose heirs it still remains. The indenture specifies the estate as then
consisting of one messuage, one stable, two cow-houses, fifty acres of land,
one hundred of meadow, one hundred of pasture, and common of pasture ;
the common field in this parish having been previously divided and en
closed.*

The other land-owners in the parish are Sir John Aubrey, bart.,
Mrs. Beck, Mr. Walker, Mrs. West, Mr. Kirby, Mr. Stone, Mr. Stevens,
Mrs. Wallington, Mr. Mottley, Mr. Shaw, Mrs. Pryor, Mr. Booth, Mr.
T. Stevens, Clue-hills, Mr. Richard Clarke, Mrs. Kirby, Bicester, Mr.
C. J. Clarke, Misses Ellis, and the trustees of Thame, Marsh-Gibbon, and
Islip poor. These several estates had, anciently, right of common ; but at
the enclosure of the A. D. 1757> had allotments in lieu thereof. They were
also at the same time exonerated from the future payment of the great
tithe. Manor, Hermitage, and Chapel of Muswell.
Circ. 1092. In the reign of William Rufus, Guido de Ryhale, and Joan
de Piddington his wife, gave Muswell, then an extremely solitary place in
* Ex orig. penes G. O. P. Turner, baronettum.

PIDDINGTON. 141
this parish, to one Ralph, a hermit, who built a Hermitage just below the
brow of the hill, towards Brill, and dedicated the Chapel belonging there
unto, to the honour of the Holy Cross. His austerity and sanctity so
much recommended him to the favour of the lord and lady, that they en
dowed his chapel with the whole tithe of their demesne in Piddington, toge
ther with the tithe of pannage, common of pasture, wood for the repair of
houses or hedges, and two acres of meadow yearly; to wit, when the western
field is sown, the two first acres of the meadow called Westmede, and the
two eastern are sown, the two acres in the meadow called Langdale, near
the ditch which divides Piddington from Ludgershall.
These endowments having provided for the perpetual support of a
chaplain, that the divine offices might be continued to be performed therein
to the end of time, with the consent of his patrons Ralph shortly after con
veyed the Hermitage, with all its endowments, to Missenden-abbey in Bucking
hamshire, trusting that this religious community would specially provide for
the observance thereof. Guido not long surviving this transaction, it was
confirmed to the abbot and convent by Joan his widow, and Thomas his
son and heir, with the sanction of Robert, bishop of Lincoln, and Robert,
archdeacon of Oxford, both of whom issued letters for this purpose. About
fifty years after this, (14 K. Steph.) Simon de Gerardmulin, who held lands
in Piddington and Merton in fee from the earl of Huntington, again con
firmed the above donation to the abbey of Missenden, and increased their
possessions by a further benefaction of a wood, situated between the Her
mitage-chapel and the wood of Brill, along the footpath going from Horwell
to Scottgarth, which he exonerated from all services and customs, and gave
for the health of the soul of himself, his wife, and children, and the soul of
the before-mentioned Guido his ancestor.* It was also successively con-

* Regist. de Missendenc, f. 128. Cartular. de Borstal, f. 30. 31. Mon. Ang. vol. iii. p. 1. p. 18.
Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 103-105. Ib. p. 147. The prior and canons of St. Frideswide afterwards pro
cured a deed of release from the abbot and convent of Missenden, of all pasturage and other profit within
the wood and manor of Piddington, which they might claim from the charters of Alberic earl of Da-
martin, and Joan de Piddington, the wife of Guido de Ryhale. Probably this deed was executed about the
time of Henry II. or Richard I. ; but it is not clear that the prior and convent derived any benefit for many
years after. Cartular. S. Frid. f. 127- Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 134.

142 PIDDINGTON.
firmed by Malcolm and William, kings of Scotland, and Alberic, count de
Dammartin, the lords of the fee, as appears by their charters in the register
of Missenden and cartulary of Borstal.
About the same period Hugh de Gurnay also granted to the Chapel of
St. Cross of the Hermitage of Muswell, and the canons there (in the aforesaid
Chapel) serving God, the whole of the rents and services of John Brisepot, and
the whole: of the tenements which Galfrid or Geoffrey de Morden held in the
village of Wendover, freely and quietly from all secular services and customs.*
These endowments remained annexed to the Chapel of St. Cross and the
convent of Missenden, till the latter end of the twelfth century, or the be
ginning of the thirteenth, when the brethren of that house began dismem
bering the estate by releasing and quitting claim to the prior and convent of
St. Frideswide of all pasturage or other profit to which they were entitled
within the woods or manor of Piddington, by the charters of Alberic earl of
Dammartin, or Joan de Piddington, the wife of Guido de Ryhale -f: and
some years after, (circ. 1240) this was followed by a conveyance and con
firmation of all their estate at Muswell by Robert abbot of Missenden, and
his convent, to John de Plessetts and his heirs, for his homage and service,
and for a payment of twenty marks in hand, and a yearly rent of two marks
of silver, one of which should become payable at Lady-day, and the other
at Michaelmas. £ It remained with this nobleman, who was a Norman by
birth, and a domestic servant of Henry III. advanced by him to great wealth
and honour §, during his life ; but his son and successor, Hugh de Plessetts,
alienated the whole, consisting of one carucate of land, a messuage, mill,
several closes, commons, &c. within the forest of Bernwood, to Sir Richard
* Reg. de Missendenj f. 128. b. t Cartular. S. Frideswid. p. 127. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 134.
X Cartular. de Borstal, f. 31. Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 318.
§ He was so great a favourite of Henry III. as to obtain that king's direct intercession to Margery
the widow of John Mareshall, and the sister and sole heiress of Thomas earl of Warwick, to take him for
her husband, though it is strongly suspected that she was privately married to another at the same time.
His successful suit greatly pleased his royal patron, and ultimately obtained him the earldom of his de
ceased brother-in-law. He was greatly distinguished for valour and fidelity both in the Gascon and
Barons wars; but he died before the latter were ended, and was buried in the choir of Missenden-
abbey, Bucks.

PIDDINGTON. 143
le Poure, knight, for his life ; and the latter, for certain considerations, con
veyed his interest therein for the above term, to John Fitz-Nigel, son and
heir to the lord of Borstal, A. D. 1279-* The same year Sir Hugh de Ples
setts released the annual rent of two marks, and reserved only the acknow
ledgement of one clove, payable at Missenden on Christmas-day. -j-
From several deeds transcribed into the cartulary of Borstal, bearing
date at Muswell, it is evident that Sir John Fitz-Nigel dwelt in the mes
suage above-mentioned several years, most likely during the lifetime of his
father, though it is equally clear that he subsequently removed to the ancient
family mansion. In 1299 he married Joan, his only daughter by Isabel his
wife, to John, son of Richard de Handlo of Borstal, and settled the manors
of Borstal, Muswell, &c. upon his son-in-law and his heirs. % These estates
remained with Sir John de Handlo till his death, A. D. 1346, when they
descended to Edmund his grandson, a child only seven years old ; but he
dying June 1, A.D. 1355, while yet a youth, his inheritance became divided
between his sisters, Margaret, first the wife of Gilbert Chastelein, then of
John de Appulby, and Elizabeth, the wife of Sir Edmund de la Pole. The
manors of Muswell, Borstal, &c. were assigned to John and Margaret de
Appulby ; but at their decease passed to Sir Edmund de la Pole, who died
in possession A. D. 1418. § Sir Edmund had two daughters, coheiresses,
Elizabeth, who married Sir Ingelram Bruyn, and Catherine, who became
* Cartular. de Borstal, f. 32. The Hundred Roll, compiled from an inquisition taken this year, states
that " John Fitz-Nigel, junior, held the carucate of land at Muswell within the parish of Piddington, of
the abbot and convent of Missenden, rendering two marks of silver per annum for all services." p. 718.
t Cartular. de Borstal, f. 33. Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 414. By a subsequent fine passed in the king's
court, Sir Hugh de Plessets, for himself and his heirs, guaranteed the estate at Muswell to John Fitz-Nigel
and his heirs, for their payment of the said clove, against all services, customs, and exactions; and for
warrant John Fitz-Nigel gave the said Hugh one gold spur. Ib.
X Cartular. de Borstal, f. 33 & 34. Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 4S1 & 482. Sir John de Handlo was
created a knight of the Bath with prince Edward, son of Edward I. and attended the king in bis expedition
into Scotland ; but departing without leave, had all his lands seized, and procured his pardon with difficulty
by the intercession of queen Eleanor. From Edward II. he obtained a charter of free-warren for divers of
his demesne lands, and in 1312 had license to castellate his manor-house at Borstal. In 7 Edw. II. he was
in the Scottish wars; in 19 Edw. III. in those of France as a banneret; and had summons to parliament
in 1 and 16 Edw. III. as a baron. Dugd. Baronage, vol. ii. p. 6l.
§ Dugdale's Baronage, vol. ii. p. 6l. Paroch. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 144-146.

144 PIDDINGTON.
the wife of Robert James, esq. of Wallingford. By an arrangement between
these parties in the lifetime of their father, the manors of Borstal and
Muswell at his decease became the sole property of Robert James, who had
some time before held those lordships, together with the custody of the
forest of Shotover and Stowood, as tenant to his father-in-law.* Robert
James died February the 16th, 10 Hen. VI. and assigned Maud, his second
wife, a dowry upon his manor of Oakley ; but these estates descended to
Christiana, his sole daughter and heiress, a lady then thirty years of age,
who had lost her husband, Edmund Rede, in the preceding October.
She, however, only survived him three years, and dying March 28, A. D.
1435, left her vast possessions to Edmund her son, a young man who
had attained the age of twenty-one on the feast of St. Matthew, -j-
This gentleman seems to have spent the greater part of a long life at
his residence at Borstal, in the enjoyment of the inheritance transmitted
by his ancestors, little distinguished, unless by his benefactions to the
religious, j He was knighted by Edward IV., and departed this life
2 Henry VII. A. D. 1487, leaving Borstal, Muswell, &c. to his eldest son
* Robert James gave five hundred marks in silver for the reversion of the moiety of the manors of
Borstal, Muswell, &c. to Sir Ingelram Bruyn and Elizabeth his wife. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 177-
t Cartular. de Borstal, f. 105 & 106. Esch. 14 Hen. VI. No. . The inquisition states, that
Christiana Rede had increased the dower of Maud her mother-in-law with the third part of the moiety of
Muswell and Hedington, and of the bailiwick of Shotover and Stowood. From the statement of the age
of the heir, it is evident the deceased Christiana Rede must have been married early, and that her son
Edmund was born when she was only fourteen years old.
X In 1438 he gave £20. to the abbot and convent of Dorchester, co. Oxon, for the benefit of their
prayers, and the privilege of having his name and the names of his wife and their relations John Stokes
and Alice his wife, and Thomas Wyfold and Isabella his wife, inserted in their Martyrology; and
that the said convent should keep their anniversaries, and allow three-pence to a canon who should say
mass for their souls at the altar in the chapel of St. Mary. Cart, de Borstal, f. 132. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 328.
In 1447 he gave timber and stones for building the divinity-school at Oxford; in 1453 gave two acres of
arable land to the priory of the Holy Trinity in Wallingford, in exchange for a yearly rent of two shil
lings from a garden in that town ; and three years after, for a sum of money procured himself, as the
lineal descendant of Sir John de Handlo, to be recognized as the founder and patron of the Augustine
priory at Oxford, and to be allowed some chambers therein, and some part of the garden, for the lodging
and use of himself and William his eldest son, whenever they should visit the said convent, or reside in
Oxford. Cartular. de Borstal, f. 99. Ib. f. 136 & 137. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 374. 392. 399.

PIDDINGTON. 145
William, by Agnes his first wife.* On the decease of the latter gentleman
it passed to his son, Leonard Rede, esq. who settled it, together with his
other estates, by fine 1 Edward VI. upon Thomas Dynham, the husband of
Catherine, his sole daughter and heir by Anne his wife. From this gentle
man the manor has regularly descended through the several families of
Banastre and Lewis to the Aubreys, and is now vested in Sir John Aubrey,
bart. of Dourton. But the Hermitage farm was sold by John Dynham, the
son of the before-mentioned Thomas, about the same time with his Pidding
ton estates, and, after passing through many undistinguished proprietors, is
now the property of William Tennant, esq. of Little Aston-Hall, near Lich
field, co. Stafford.
From the charter of Hugh de Gurney it seems that some of the canons
of Missenden-abbey at first settled in the Hermitage, and performed the
offices of devotion in the Chapel. But after the estate was granted to John
de Plessetts and his heirs in perpetuity, for a payment of two marks per
annum, the chapel was considered as an appendage of the manor, and
a small salary allowed to some neighbouring priest to perform the duties
thereof. A prosecution for trespass in the court of the Marshalsea of the
king's household at Oxford, proves that Richard Monteyn, the vicar of Am
brosden, was the officiating chaplain of Muswell in the reign of Richard II. -j-
As the congregation was usually composed of the family of the lord and
his tenants, the number of worshippers must have been small. But on the
festivals of the Invention and Exaltation of the Holy Cross, it was customary

* By his last will and testament, dated April 7, 1487, proved on the 31st Jannary following, Edmund
Rede of Borstal, knight, bequeaths his body to be buried in the chapel of the Holy Trinity, on the south
side of the church of Borstal, leaving Catherine his wife and Robert Arderne his executors ; appoints
several legacies to William Rede bis heir apparent, to John Sebastian and Thomas his younger sons, and
to Catherine Rede and Joan Wykeham his daughters, besides providing for three priests in Oxford to sing
mass for the souls of Dame Catherine and Agnes his two wives. His widow Dame Catherine, who seems
to have been formerly the wife of one Gainsford, died in 1487. Paroch. Antiq. vol. ii. pp. 406 & 407.
t Richard Monteyn was prosecuted by Robert James, the lord of the manor, A.D. 1395, for leaving
the common path, and making a new way in walking over from Ambrosden to officiate in Muswell chapel.
The matter was settled by the vicar confessing the action, and agreeing to allow the said lord 6s. 8d. per
annum for five years, for a reasonable footpath from Ambrosden church to the Hermitage chapel. Cart.
de Borst. f. 50. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 179-
VOL. II. U

146 PIDDINGTON.
for the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages to make solemn processions
thereunto; and there is an indenture in the cartulary of Borstal (f. 118) by
which Edmund Rede, esq. lord of the manor of Muswell, granted to the
inhabitants of Piddington A. D. 1448, a reasonable footway from the said
village to the Chapel of the Hermitage for this special purpose, on condition
of their rendering to him and his heirs a yearly rent of 6s. 8d. half of which
should be paid on the festival of the Invention, and the other half on the
festival of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.* It is highly probable that
divine service continued to be performed therein until the dissolution of
monasteries, and perhaps as long as the estate remained in the hands of
the Dynhams.
The site of the Hermitage is now occupied by a framed brick building,
still bearing that name, but exhibiting none of the characteristics of remote
antiquity ; it is used as a farm-house, and has been inhabited by Mr. James
Griffin, an aged farmer, and his father, for nearly a century past. Built on
the steep slope of the hill, the architect has availed himself of the situation,
and, by the erection of doors in the two lower stories, enabled the inhabit
ants to walk into the fields from either floor, without the intervention of a
staircase. The rooms partake of the same irregularity, and some of them
are several feet higher than the rest. To complete the singularity, nearly
half of the chief apartment called the house, is elevated so much above the
other part, that it is necessary to ascend three or four steps in passing from
side to side : — and these steps are said to divide the counties of Oxford and
Buckingham, and the parishes of Brill and Piddington. Formerly this
boundary was so much regarded, that at every parochial perambulation it
was customary to thrust a boy through a small window now stopped up,
and compel him to pass along one of the steps between two beams, and so
through the house, to mark the limits of each parish. But at all late pro
cessions, the practice has been to leave the house altogether in Oxfordshire,
and pass close to the south side. Perhaps the spot thus precisely marked,
was originally the mouth of the cave or dwelling which the hermit hollowed
* The document is printed in the Parochial Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 378.

wl'Slfe'i'S
y to*
n.r:. ! f
il

J

PIDDINGTON. 147
out on the side of the hill, and that the inhabitants of the two parishes
anciently passed in procession close by it to obtain his blessing. The Chapel
of St. Cross stood a few yards above the house, but was desecrated long
beyond the memory of man. Mr. Griffin says, the edifice was about fifty
feet long, and of a proportionate breadth, having a large window filled with
tracery at the east end, and others on the sides : — when he was a lad, his
father used it for a cart-hovel. It was taken down about forty years back ;
and some time ago, when Mr. Griffin himself caused the foundations to be
dug up, a human skeleton (apparently that of a youth who had not wholly
shed his teeth) was discovered just without the chancel wall, but there were
no traces of sepulture within, nor was any thing found worth preservation.*
There is now no remnant of antiquity existing on this spot, and nothing
but its loneliness can induce the contemplative stranger to believe that it
has been the scite of a religious foundation.
* This information was received from the workman employed, who suspected that it was the body of
some murdered person, secreted in that nlace.

STRATTON AUDLEY.

o tratton Audley is situated on the borders of Oxfordshire and Buck
inghamshire, the church and the greater part of the village being compre
hended within the hundred of Ploughley, while several of the houses on the
eastern side of the street are included in the parish of Caversfield.* It
is distant about three miles from Bicester, and seven from Buckingham.
Etymology, Description, Population, &c.
The name of Stratton is derived from the village standing upon the
Roman road or street leading from Alchester to Lactodorum *f- : the termi
nation Audley from a noble family of that name, who in the reign of Henry
III. obtained possession of the lordship, and afterwards built themselves a
mansion therein, and procured a charter for a Thursday weekly market,
and an annual fair for three days, to be held on the eve, the day, and the
morrow of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross J, (13th, 14th, and 15th of
* From a terrier taken 3d November, 1639, it appears that a house of three bays in the village of
Stratton, together with an adjoining close containing one rood, besides a rood of meadow, and the great
and small tithes of thiee yard-lands and a half in Stratton-field, belonged to the vicarage of Caversfield.
In the last century Browne Willis estimated the village to consist of nine houses in Caversfield parish, and
fourteen in Stratton Audley. Hist, of Buckingham, &c. p. 166.
t Dr. Plot says that coins and urns have been found here. Nat. Hist. Oxfordsh. cap. 13, p. .313.
X Cart. 12 Edw. II. No. 89.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 149
September.) The ruins of their mansion are still apparent in a small field
opposite the church, known by the name of Court Close.*
The village -f consists of one long, but extremely crooked street, situated
on the highway leading from Bicester to Buckingham, having the manor-
house, the property of the late Sir John Borlase Warren, bart. on the right
hand, the parish-church near the middle, and a school-house at the north
end of the town. Many of the houses bear marks of considerable antiquity,
but have no peculiar characteristic. Opposite the school are three large fish
ponds, which communicate with each other by sluices ; and at no great dis
tance is a small pit or pond, formed by some experiments of the late
baronet, to ascertain the different strata, but chiefly in expectation of find
ing coal, though nothing of that sort was discovered. %
The parish contains sixty houses, inhabited by sixty-three families, of
which one hundred and forty-three are males and one hundred and forty-
five females, forming a total of two hundred and eighty-eight persons. In
1776 the money raised for the use of the poor was ,£83. Os. Sd. ; in 1803
it amounted to ,£310. Is. Sd., being assessed at four shillings in the pound ;
in 1813 it increased to £561., and in 1815 advanced to £567. The
same year the real property in the village was estimated at £3518. per
annum, and assessed accordingly.
* In this place are very considerable remains of a moat, which once enclosed a square area. The
heaps of rubbish at each corner and along the inner bank, indicate that the building was quadrangular, and
defended at each angle by a tower. The entrance was evidently on the northern side, where the moat is
nearly filled up. About nine or ten years ago the late Sir J. B. Warren caused the north-east corner of
this area to be opened, and it is said large foundations, spear-heads, and pieces of ancient armour, were
discovered. If any reliance may be placed on the posts said to have been then set up to mark the boun
dary of the foundation walls, it would seem that the tower at the east angle was about thirty feet by fifty.
Perhaps the castellated mansion might be two hundred feet square.
T , Near this village Capt. Bunce, a lieutenant of Sir William Campion, governor of Borstal-house, and
his party, in the civil wars, temp. Car. I. met with major Jeremiah Abercrombie, and some parliamentary troops
belonging to Aylesbury garrison, and commenced a sort of running fight, in the course of which, a ball
entered deeply into the side of the latter commander; he fell from his horse, and with several of his men
was carried prisoner to Borstal March 7, 1644, where he died full of sorrow for his activity in the re
bellion. Life of A. Wood, prefixed to Bliss's edit, of the Athena?.
I He also bored at the quarry-pit, the stone-pits, and stottle-banks.

150 STRATTON AUDLEY.
The open and commonable lands in the parish were enclosed pursuant
to an act of parliament passed in 1780.*
The Church
Is a handsome structure, apparently erected about the reign of Henry VII.,
and dedicated to St. Mary and St. Edburg. It consists of a tower, nave,
side-aisles, and chancel, the former containing a tolerable ring of five bells -f ¦
and a clock. On the apex of the wall, between the chancel and the nave,
are the remains of an arch, in which formerly hung the sanctus, or saints'
bell, for the conveniency of notifying the elevation of the host to the vil
lagers. There are porches on the northern and southern sides of the church ;
but the former, which is much the handsomest, is chiefly used, and contains
the remains of a holy-water-basin, placed beneath an ornamented trefoil arch.
* This act states, that the open and commonable lands extended into the liberties of Stratton Audley
and Caversfield, and were reputed at thirty-seven yard-lands and a quarter, containing two thousand two
hundred and sixty-eight acres or thereabouts ; that the dean and chapter of Christ-church in Oxford, and
Richard Arnold as their lessee, are the owners of the impropriate rectory of Stratton, and as such, entitled
to five yard-lands and a half of the above quantity ; that the said Richard Arnold is also seised of another
half yard-land in his own right; and that the manor containing thirty-one yard-lands and a quarter is the
property of Sir John Borlase Warren, bart. That these several parties being desirous of dividing and
enclosing their several estates, and freeing them from all future demands of tithe, commonage, cutting
fuel, &c. have procured the before- mentioned act to enable them to divide and apportion the open fields in
the following manner : — First, four acres of ground are to be allotted for those poor inhabitants of Stratton,
and that part of Caversfield which is comprehended in Stratton, whose respective rents do not exceed
4<0s. per annum, in lieu of the advantage which they derived from the ancient custom of cutting furze
and heath for their own use which grew upon the waste ; and for the immediate application of this land
to the benefit of the said parties, the land to be vested in the overseers of the poor for the time being, and
the poor permitted to cut as usual upon it. Secondly, a certain proportion of land of equivalent value is
to be assigned the dean and chapter of Christ-church in lieu of tithe on the manorial and other estates ;
and four-fifths of the charges of division and enclosure to be borne by the said lord, and the remaining fifth
by the lessee, who, with the owners of the rectory, are declared for ever freed from keeping a bull or
boar for the use of the inhabitants. Thirdly, the herbage of Berry field, as well as that of one acre in
West-furlong, and another in White-hilt Leys, are assigned to R. Arnold, and a certain plot to the lord of
the manor for a stone pit; while the remainder of the field, after the deduction of necessary roads, &c. is
to become the property of the lord.
f The MS. of Alderman Fletcher gives the following inscriptions on the bells. " 1. Thomas Baylis,
John Shepheard. Pack Sf Chum. 2. 1693. 3. 1693. 4. 1693. Richard Keen cast this ring. 5. Henry
Bagley made me 1721. On the bell-frame, Alexander Robbins, 1636."

STRATTON AUDLEY. 151
A MS. in the Harleian library states, that a visitor in May 1660 ob
served several escutcheons hung up in the chancel of this church for Mr.
Chamberlaine, on which his arms were thus depicted : " Gu. an escutcheon
Ar. between an orle of mullets Or, impaling Ar. a Bend ingr. bet. 2
choughs Sa." He also noticed that the edges of the east window in the
north aisle were filled with lions rampant Sable, lions passant Or. and towers
Or, and that the centre contained these arms : " Three lyons passant, and a
file of three pieces, B.; 3 lions ramp. Or; Sa. a lion ramp. Ar. crowned Or.;
Er. a chief Gu. ; Ar. 3 fleur-de-lis bet. cross crosslets Sa. ; Or, a chevron Vert.
cheeky Or. B." In the east window of the south aisle were, the arms of Eng
land, with a border Ar. ; Gu. a fret Or, a border A. and the edges of the
window filled with cups covered Or; and in the great western window of
the church, " Or. 3 chevrons Gu." * None of these paintings now exist.
The nave is separated from the aisles by three clustered pillars on either
side, supporting pointed arches ; the pulpit and reading-desk are placed on
the north side of the entrance to the chancel, but have no claim to parti
cular notice. The inscriptions on the floor of the nave are uninteresting.
Within the north aisle is a mural monument thus inscribed :
Near this place lieth the body of Edmund Woodward, esq. son of George Wood
ward, esq. of this parish, by Anne his wife, daughter of Sir Alexander Denton, knt. of
Hillsden, Bucks. He was born 1660, and departed this life January 17th, 1713. Near also
lieth Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Ralph Holt, esq. of this county, by Susanna his wife,
daughter of . . . Dodsworth, esq. of Bedfordshire. She was born November 21st, 1666, and
departed this life October 4th, 1727. They had issue one son, George (who was Envoy
Extraordinary to the King of Poland, and is buried at Hillsden), and five daughters, Martha,
Anne, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Mary.
In memory of Anne Woodward Eyles, wife of Thomas Eyles of this- place, who
departed this life March y" 8th, 1763, aged 47.
In the south wall of the chancel is a piscina, and over the altar-table
the Lord's Prayer and Creed. On the floor are several inscriptions for the
family of Bush.
At the east end of the south aisle is a beautiful white marble monument,
with figures weeping on either side, bearing a skull. Beneath an orna-
* Harl. MS. No. 4007.

152

STRATTON AUDLEY.

mented open pediment, supported by carved pillars, is the effigy of Sir
John Borlase, clad in the dress of a Roman warrior, reclining on a white
mattress, laid on a black marble slab. And on the same monument the
following inscription, carved on a black pannel, surrounded by roses, &c.

Longo peregrinationum, sed vitae lassus itincrc
Et grato Mortis sopore resolutus
Decumbit hie Johannes Bohlasius Baronettus,
Natus Bockmore, cujus etiam et incola,
In comitatu Buckinghamensi.
Claris ortus Majoribus, qui talera moerentur Haeredem,
Qui tamen ita quaesivit ex Moribus Claritatem
Ac si millam habuisset ex genere,
Avorum gloria nobili nobilior sua,
Antecessorum gloriae nihil debitum.
His quod priores fuerint relinquens
Vir omni Eulogio dignus, et omni major,
Heros rirtutis consummates unde.
In se perficiens quod caeptum erat in suis

Primitiis aetatis Academiae dedit Oxoniensi
Artes inter humaniores maturandas
Quibus etiam in omni vita litavit,
Infra probitatem nil habens Literis charius,
Proscenio valedicens in Theatrum prodivit
Et celeri Mundum pervolavit gradu
Velocius interim Virtutis iter cmensus.
Diu tandem peregrinatus,
Et dierum, et errorum satur
Suos revisit, et libens fatis cessit,
Familiar Agmen verendum claudens,
Quae cum alterum talem emittere non posset
Maluit extingui.
Obiit primo Februarij 1688, jEtatis 48.

This monument is enclosed by iron railing, and paved lozenge- wise with
black and white marble.
Near this are two mural tablets, one to the memory of Diana Martha
Clavering, third daughter of Sir J. Borlase Warren, bart. K. B. and his wife
Caroline, born February 17, 1790, at Stapleford-hall, Nottinghamshire ;
obiit June 5, 1 802 ; and the other for Baldwin Borlase, esq. brother to the
above Sir John, who died July 28, 1678, thus inscribed :
iEternitati Sacrum.
Ba ldwin us Borlasius Armiger ex antiqua
Et illustri Borlasiorum stirpi in
Agro Buckinghamiensi oriundus, multas et
Varias Regiones pervagatus, nee tamen
Satiatus, ulteriora et meliora
Spirans & anhelans loca,
Tutus, fcelix, volens, ad ccelos
Evasit Anno jEtatls XXIII10.
Orbe peragrato fessus lassusq, quietem,
Quam nondumobtinuit, jam dabiturnabrevis.
This oval monument is of white Grecian marble, ornamented with dra
pery. At the top are the arms of Borlase, and below an angel's head.

Hoc amoris ergo monumentum
Posuit Dominus Johannes Borlasius
Eques Auratus Fratris charissimi memoriee
Sempiternae.
Anno MDCLXXXIII.
Excessit e hae vita
Decimo Octavo
Mensis Julij
MDCLXXVIII.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 153
On a black marble slab,
Here lyeth the body of Elizabeth, daughter of George and Sarah Parker, South-
cote, Lincolnshire, gent, who died ye 23d April, 1765, aged 10 months.
On a beam in this aisle is the date " 1593" carved ; this probably re
fers to some repairs which then took place.
An octagon font/ lined with lead, is placed near the southern entrance,
which seems to indicate that the inhabitants mostly entered by the southern
porch at the time of its erection. The floor of the church is partly earth
and partly brick.
A convenient cemetery surrounds the edifice : the names which most fre
quently occur on the grave-stones are those of Cole, Sirett, Attenborough,
&c. The base of the cross now adjoins the north-east angle of the church,
but originally must have stood at some distance from its present situation.*
The Parish Register
Begins in l6'96 ; the first baptismal, marriage, and burial entries, are
as follow :
" Birth Noy. 28. Christened Nov. 30. Martha, daughter of Edmund and Elizabeth
Woo&ward." " Dec. 22. Simon Betsworth of the parish of Tickford in the county of Bucks, and
Susanna Bourton of this parish, by licence."
" Buried March 29, 1697, Thomas Philips."
Mem. John Baylis did penance in the parish-church of Stratton, in the morning of St.
Andrew's Day, Nov. 30, 1724, for a bastard child.
Clergymen whose Names appear in the Register, &c. as
Curates of Stratton. -j-
1696. William Hodson, Curate. 1756. William Ellis, Curate. X
1715. William Docwra, Curate.  Oldridge.
1736. Fielder Hammond, Curate.  Chitwood.
1820.  Gurnet, ordained Whit Sunday.
* May not this have been the original market-cross ?
t There are few if any entries in the bishop's register at Oxford.
X Mr. Ellis was vicar of Caversfield, and an active magistrate for the county of Oxon ; about the time
when he was curate, Mr. Bush, the lessee of the rectory, allowed £40. per ann. to the officiating clergyman.
VOL. II. X

154 STRATTON AUDLEY.
«
Ecclesiastical Matters, Rectory, &c.
In the early ecclesiastical division cf the country, Stratton was compre
hended within the parish of Bicester, and the inhabitants constantly attended
that church for public worship ; but, after the coming in of the Normans, the
lords of the village, in compassion to the aged and infirm, erected a chapel
of ease, and assigned the third part of the tithes for the support of an
officiating priest. The two other portions had, by the laws of king Alfred,
been appropriated to the reparation of churches and the maintenance of the
poor ; but in the Conqueror's time, a custom had long prevailed for the
lords of the manor to receive these tithes, and allot them at their pleasure.
This practice prevailed at Stratton till the beginning of Henry I., when
Gilbert Basset, then lord of the village, granted them to the convent of
Eynsham, circ. 1109-*
1182. At the foundation of Bicester priory, Gilbert his grandson gave
the chapel, together with two virgates of land in the common field, towards
the endowment of the new monastery. By this benefaction the two reli
gious communities were brought into contact, and disputes arose respecting
the tithes : after continuing two or three years, they were settled by the
arbitration of Philip, prior of St. Frideswide, and Richard of Aylesbury,
A. D. 1188, who in consideration of the proximity of Bicester priory, as
signed them to that convent for a pension of 125. per annum, payable within
fifteen days after Michaelmas to Eynsham-abbey. The agreement was con
firmed by Gilbert Basset.
About thirty years after, the convent obtained another donation of one
virgate and a half of land in the field of Stratton, from Muriel and Isabel,
the daughters of Hugh Gargate of Caversfield, for the maintenance of three
canons. This donation was confirmed by their mother Sybilla A. D. 1219- -f*
127.9- The general inquisition 7 Edw. I. specifies that the prior and con
vent then held four virgates, and a half in this village in demesne, two
of which pertained to the chapel, and one and a half were of the gift of
* Bedse I list. Eccles. lib. i. c. 17. Leges Alfredi, No. 24. Mon. Ang. vol. i. p. 625.
+ Par. Ant. vol. i. sub ann.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 155
the before-mentioned lady, and that he made suit of court for the remainder,
paying l5d. for hidage, and 5d. at the view of frank pledge, beside ward-
silver, and attendance twice a year at the hundred court of Ploughley. The
whole of this land was divided among five of the priors villanes, and pro
duced a rental of 21s. per annum.* In the Taxation Roll of Pope Nicholas,
A. D. 1291, the amount of the prior's rents is, however, only entered at
13s. 5d. ; and at this rate they were assessed till near the dissolution, f
From the Bursary accounts it appears, that in 29 Edw. I. the reeve of
Stratton only paid 4s. 10%d. for the profits of this estate J; but in the 19th
Rich. II. William Bayley rendered ",£20. for the manor-farm, and Nicho
las Allen 6s. Sd. for a tenement." In the 22d of the same reign, A. D. 1398,
Thomas Byfield, the sub-prior, and brother Richard Albon the bursar, ac
counted the net proceeds at 106.?. Sd. ; probably the deficiency was occa
sioned by a considerable sum having been expended in improvements or
necessary repairs, for in the 3d Hen. VI. Nicholas Alleyn the bailiff paid
" =£33. 6s. Sd. for the grange, besides 6s. Sd. for a tenement;" and in the
following year £31. 13s. 4>d. §
A. D. 1423. The inhabitants of Stratton Audley having long felt the
inconvenience of carrying their dead to Bicester for interment, in the spring
persuaded their chaplain to bury two corpses in their chapel ; this violation
of the rights of th© mother church compelled the prior and convent, who
were patrons and impropriators, to institute proceedings against them in
the ecclesiastical court. Accordingly, after duly apprising Hugh earl of
Stafford, the lord of the manor, then resident at Holdemess, of the circum
stance, the convent directed their attorney to libel ; and in November fol
lowing, the prior in person went to London, to direct Thomas Beckington,
dean of the Afches, Thomas Brons, commissary of the archbishop, William
Hooper, and others, to prosecute. It seems the canons had some appre
hensions that lord Stafford would interfere, and therefore feed his chamber-
* Rot. Hund. co. Oxon. vol. ii. p. 828. t Taxatio P. Nicholai, p. 45.
X From an Audit Roll of Bicester priory 29 Edw. I. in the Augmentation-office.
§ Vide Audit Rolls \9 Rich. II., 22 Rich. II. , and 3 Hen. VI. now deposited in the Archives of
Trinity college, Oxford.

156 STRATTON AUDLEY.
lain to mediate between them. Various circumstances contributed to pro
tract the prior's stay in London for three weeks, and swelled his expences
to one hundred and ten shillings ; but he ultimately succeeded in bringing
the matter to trial. The bishop of Winchester, as a delegated judge, came
to Stratton, and on St. Thomas's-day, attended by the proctors, commis
saries, and other officers of the court of Arches*, examined the old men of
divers neighbouring towns, " Whether at any time in their day they had
seen, or in the days of their fathers had heard, of any burial in this village."
Their evidence proving nothing of the kind had occurred within their know
ledge, the court adjourned -f, and after several months delay, during which

* The bursar's account states, that the convent provided for the entertainment of this party at Stratton,
three gallons of wine, sixteen pennyworth of beef, ten pennyworth of veal, three sheep, besides pork, nine
geese, thirty-four capons and pullets, ten couple of rabbits, nine woodcocks, and forty-two gallons of ale.
The beef seems to have been for the poor old men who gave evidence, and the entertainment made at
the rectory-house.
t The following is the detail of expences incurred the first year, as given in the accounts of Richard
Parentyn the prior, and brother Richard Albon the bursar of Bicester priory, from the morrow of St.
Michael the Archangel in 2 Hen. VI. until the morrow of the same saint in the third year of the
same reign.
[Translation.] Expences against the Parishioners of Stratton. — The same account in the expences of
Thomas Baldwin, sent with a letter unto Holderness to the lord and earl of Stafford, by reason of his lord
ship in this matter, 13*. 4d. And in his expences at another time, viz. before the feast of St. Martin at
London, to speak with the attorney of the prior there, for six days, 4*. 4d. And in the expences of the
prior at London for three weeks before the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, by reason of prosecuting the
same matter this year, 110s. And in reward to Master Thomas Bekynton, dean of the Arches, at the
same time to prosecute and to proceed in the same cause, 20*. And in reward to Master Thomas Bront,
then Commissary of the lord archbishop, for the like, 20*. And in gifts to their valets, 5s. And in re
ward to Master David Brys, then Proctor in the same cause, 13*. 4rf. And in reward to Master Simon
Ketupston for the like, 6*. Sd. And in reward to Master William Howper, Doctor of Laws, and proctor
to the prior in this behalf, 6s. Sd. And in reward to John Darcy, chamberlain of the earl of Stafford,
that he would be a good proctor and mediator to his lord in this behalf, 13*. 4</. And in gift to John
Salveyn, the esquire of the said earl, for the like, 13*. 4d, And in gifts to two servants of the aforesaid
John Darcy, 6*. 8rf. And in payments to one Longoberdo carrying a letter beyond sea to the lord bishop
of Lincoln, 6s. 8d. And in eight woodcocks bought and sent to the prior, being at London for the same
cause, 14rf. And in three couple of rabbits bought and sent at the same time, 15d. And in the expences
of William Golde carrying a letter to Master Nicholas Byllyndon at London for the same cause, 18d.
And in the expence of procuring the evidences of old men in divers towns to appear before the lord bisliop
of Worcester at Stratton on the day of St. Thomas the Apostle, and of examining if at any time in their
day they saw, or in the days of their fathers heard, of any burial made there, 6d. And in reward to the
said Master William Howper (on the same day) the prior's proctor before the aforesaid bishop, 13*. 4c/. And
in reward to the aforesaid Master Thomas Bekyngton on the same day for the like, with his expences at
Wycumbe, 28*. 8rf. And in three gallons of wine bought at Buckingham for the same, and others, being
with the prior in the same cause, 2*. 2d. And in gifts to three servants of the aforesaid Master Thomas, 4*.
And in reward to Master Walter Lond, commissary of the lord bishop of Worcester, 6s. 8d. And in reward
to divers officers of the said lord, 20*. And in twenty-four pair of gloves bought and given to the servants

STRATTON AUDLEY. 157
the prior (Richard Parentyn) again found it necessary to take another
journey to London for a week, the bishop came to Bicester ; and on the
morrow of St. Ann the mother of Mary (July 26, 1424), gave judgment
that the two bodies so illegally buried should be taken up, and brought to
the parochial cemetery for interment, the inhabitants compelled to pay
costs, and otherwise punished for their offence.*
1472. There is a parchment-roll still extant in the Augmentation-
office of " ihe accounts of Thomas Northcote, bailiff of the prior and con
vent of Bicester, in the rectory of Stratton Aludley, from the morrow of
St. Edmund the King and Martyr, in the llth year of king Henry the
of the said lord, 20*. And in beef bought for divers men being with the prior in the same cause at Stratton
on the day of St. Thomas as aforesaid, l6d. And in veal bought for the same, lOri. And in three sheep
bought, 3*. 9d. And in pork bought, 6s. 8d. And in four pigs bought, and in nine geese bought, 2*. 5d.
And in thirty-four capons, hens, and pullets bought, 4*. 8d. And in ten couple of rabbits bought at Stokp,
4*. 3d. And in nine woodcocks bought against the aforesaid day, 17d. And in payment to the cook of
Walter Cotton employed to assist in the kitchen, 20ri. And in a gift to William Spyne, 20d. And in a
gift to Walter Sommerton at the same time, 3*. 4ri. And in twenty-four gallons of ale bought of Alice Bedale
against the aforesaid day, 3*. And in eighteen gallons of ale bought at the same time of the wife of
John James, 2*. 3d. And in the expences of Richard Dymby towards London to inquire of the coming of
the lord bishop of Worcester unto Burcestre on the last day of July, 18ri. And in reward to the said
Master William Howper on the day of St. Oswald the king, to confer with the same bishop concerning
this matter, 20*. And in reward to him at another time to prosecute the same, 13*. 4<7. And in reward
to his servant carrying a letter to the prior in this matter on the day of St. Matthew the Apostle this
year, 8d. And in the expences of John Baldewyn carrying a letter to the aforesaid lord bishop, 1 2d. And
in reward to the valet of the rector of Wycheford, on the day of St. Lambert, coming to the prior from
the aforesaid bishop, 12d. And in reward to Master Thomas Bront aforesaid, on the day before the feast
of St. Matthew the Apostle, to proceed in and to prosecute this matter to a good end, 40s. — Sum .£'22. 1 6*.
From the original Audit Roll in the possession of Trinity college, Oxford.
* Detail of the expences of the suit the following year. — " In gift to Master John Carton, the prior's
proctor, against the same, 3*. 4rf. And in the expences of John Baldwyn of London, to confer with
Master William Howper for taking counsel in the same matter, before the feast of St. Osith the Virgin this
year, 20ri. And in the expences of the prior there for seven days to prosecute the same cause, 40*. 8ri. iS:c.
And in the expences of John Saleman, carrying rabbits, capons, and other victuals to the prior whilst he
was there, \2d. And in gift to the servant of the rector of Wycheford bringing good news concerning
the same cause on the day of St. Theodore, 20d. And in gift to Thomas Beckyngton, on the day of St.
Catherine the Virgin, the prior's attorney before the bishop of Worcester, in the same cause, 20*. And
in the expences of the rector of Wycheford at London for four days with two horses, before the same bishop
to confer about the same cause, /*. Sri. &c. And in Richard Boteler riding to London, ut the feast of St.
Mary Magdalen, to inquire concerning the coming of the said bishop to Burcestre touching the same cause,
20(7. And in gifts to the four servants of Thomas Beckyngton aforesaid, when he was before the. said
bishop on the morrow of St. Anne the mother of Mary, concerning the two bodies which were buried in
the chapel of Stratton, which were to be taken up agnin, and brought to Burcestre; and concerning the
reparation of other injuries done to the prior and convent by the tenants there, 6'*. Sri. And in gifts to
Thomas Somerton at the same time for counsel, 6*. 8ri. And in sundry victuals, &c. 27*- 5d. And in
gift to the aforesaid bishop at that time pronouncing the aforesaid judgment, 67. 13*. 4r/. And in gifts to
clerks and gentlemen at that time, 46*. 8r/. — Sum £l6. 15*. 9d. From an Audit Roll in Par. Ant.
vol. ii. p. 248, translated in the Appendix to Hist, and Antiq. of Bicester, p. 246.

158 STRATTON AUDLEY.
fourth after the Conquest, until the morrow of St. Michael thence next
ensuing, in the 12th year of the same king," in which all the various ex
pences are detailed. The following are the several heads, and the amount
of the sums attached thereunto : " Rents of Assize, 32s. 2d. ; Issues of the
Grange, 20s. lOd. ; Land demised [and let] 74s. 11 d.; Sale of Herbage*,
45s. 3d.; Sale of Grain f, ll. 6s. 6d ; Tithe of Milk and Wool%, 48s. 10d.;
Small Tithes%, 20s. 3\d. ; Sale of Mortuaries ||, 2~ls. 6d. — Sum total of
Receipts, £20, l6s. 3\d. — Allowances for Victuals, §c. f 24s. 3d. ; Ex-
* The following are the items : " And for 6s. received for old hay sold after the decease of Lawrence
Morrymer this year. And for 13*. 4rf. received for all the meadow of the aforesaid prior and convent, with
the tithe there, viz. in the flagge sold to John Togode this year. And for 23*. 4ri. received for the residue
of all their meadow, and the tithe in all other places of the field there, sold to John Symmes and Alan
Webbe this year. And for 4(i. received for the head-lands of four butts at Stradforde Slade sold to Nicholas
Aleyn this year. And for 18ri. received for the tithes of head-lands at Wyldemore this year."
t " And for 67. 12*. 4rf. received for a rick of peas sold this year. And for 13*. received for twelve
bushels of wheat sold this year. And for 14rf. received for two bushels of barley sold there this year."
I " And for 11*. 6ri. received for the tithe of milk sold to Alan Webbe there this year. And for
36*. 6ri. received for the tithe of wool sold there this year. And for lOri. received for three sheep-skins in
the collection of the tithe of lamb there this year.
§ " And for 23i|r/. received for tithe-eggs collected on Wednesday next before the feast of Easter by
custom sold this year. And for 2*. 3d. received there on the day of St. Martin the Evangelist for the tithe
of colts, every colt tithed \d. And for 5s. 3d. received there for the tithe of calves, every calf tithed one
halfpenny. And for 8*. received for the tithe of lambs and fleeces, every lamb tithed one halfpenny, and
every fleece one halfpenny. And for 13fi. received for one bushel of wheat for the tithe of the mill sold
there this year. For another bushel of wheat of the tithe of the said mill he answers nothing, because it
was delivered at the bakehouse of the lord the prior. And for 13d. received for two bushels of maslin of
the tithe of the said mill sold this year. And for Sd. received for one bushel of malt of the tithe of the
said mill sold this year. For three bushels of malt received of the tithe of the said mill, he answers no
thing on the sale, because it was delivered to the aforesaid Thomas Northcote for his corrody this year."
|| " And for 8*. received for one cow, the mortuary of the wife of Richard Haynes deceased, sold this
year. And for 8*. received for one cow, the mortuary of Joan Myle deceased, sold this year. And for
11*. 6ri. received for one bullock, the mortuary of the wife of Hugh Gulbert deceased, sold this year. For
one cow of the price of 10*. the mortuary of Gilbert the miller deceased this year, he answers nothing on
the sale, because it was delivered to the dairy of the lord at Wrecchewyk, and remains in store. For one
ewe-sheep of the price of 8d. the mortuary of Magote Browne, widow, deceased this year, he answers
nothing on the sale, because it was delivered at the lord's kitchen at Burncester.
11 Under this head are charged, " Victuals bought at divers times for brother Richard Albon," [a
canon] and " in ale bought for the banner-bearers on Rogation-day.'' The latter item proves the inha
bitants went on that day in procession.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 159
pences of Houses, 62s. 2d. ; Stipends of Labourers, 21s. 6d. ; Necessary
petty expences for articles of Husbandry, 8cc. 21d. ; Threshing and Win
nowing, 33s. 4<d.; Harvest Expences, 3°s.6c/. ; and Payments to the Bursar,
161. 16*. Ad. f — Total of Expences, £25. 6s. 1 Id.*
Shortly after the date of this document, the prior and convent either
becoming tired of keeping the estate in their own hands, or desirous of
obliging some friend, granted it upon lease for a term of years to Thomas
Home, at a rental of £ 20. per annum -j-; and upon the expiration thereof,
continued the practice upon receiving a moderate fine for renewal. At the
general valuation of ecclesiastical estates 26 Hen. VIII. the tenements, lands,
and rectorial tithe of Stratton, were returned as let by indenture to Edward
and Thomas Denton at a yearly rent of £ 16., the said property still re
maining charged with a pension of l6s. per annum to Eynsham abbey £ ;
and .after the suppression of the convent, the king's minister accounted for
the same sum as its net proceeds in the court of Augmentation 26 Hen. VIII. §
It is highly probable that this village assumed the privilege of burial,
and other distinct parochial rights, upon the dissolution of the conventual
society ; and that the changes introduced in ecclesiastical government pre
vented the inhabitants from being questioned on that subject.
In 1542 the king granted the rectory and advowson of Stratton Audley
towards the endowment of the first chapter of the see of Oxford at Oseney ;
and in 1546, on its removal to St. Frideswide's, re-granted it to the same
community, whose property it still remains. ||
The Woodwards appear to have been settled in this village as some
of the earliest lessees of the chapter of Oxford, and to have resided here
more than a century. They bore the same arms as Lyonell Woodward of
Filkins, co. Oxon, who died 21 Hen. VIIL, and probably were his descend
ants. The Heralds' books recognize George Woodward of Stratton Audley
* The items include, " And in 66s. 8ri. paid to the bursar for the pension of the abbot of Messendeu."
t Vide Audit Roll of Richard I Jyndebest, prior, and brother Robert Dogget, bursar, of Bicester priory,
3 Edw. IV. in Trinity coll. Oxon.
| Valor Eccles.' vol. ii. p. 188. § Ministers' Accompts for that year in Augmentation-office.
|| Pat. 34 Hen. VIII. Willis's Cathedrals, vol. iii. p. 418. A MS. (No. 639) in the Lambeth library
states that the parsonage was worth £4. yearly.

160 STRATTON AUDLEY.
(temp. Eliz.) as the son of a gentleman of the same name by Frances,
daughter of .... Smallpene ; the aforesaid George married Jane, the
youngest daughter of Edward Bellamy of Eardley, co. Hertford. His son
William*, who also succeeded his father in the Stratton estate, left issue by
his wife Anne, daughter of Francis Duffield of Medmendham, co. Bucks,
two sons, George and William ~j~ : the former married Anne, the daughter
of Sir Alexander Denton, knt. of Hillsden, Bucks, by whom he had one
son, Edmund, born 1660, who afterwards became the husband of Elizabeth,
the daughter of Ralph Holt, esq. of Stoke, by Susanna his wife j, and had
issue one son, George (afterwards envoy extraordinary to the king of Po
land, who died before his father, and was buried at Hilsdon), and five
k He was one of the. Oxfordshire gentry, having estates of £40. a year, who in 1630 were summoned
to be knighted, but declined the honour, and compounded. A. Wood's MSS. 8495. F. 33. f. 67.
f Harl. MS. No. 1557. f- 23 & p. 746, William, the youngest son, disclaimed arms and gentry at
the Heralds' Visitat. 1634.
X Ralph Holt was the sixth in descent from Robert Holt, who married Elizabeth Lyne, the daughter
and heiress of a family who were lords of the village of Stoke-Lyne for many ages, and imparted their
name to it. Thomas Holt, the father of the before-mentioned Ralph, married a daughter of Charnel
Pettie of Tetsworth, and died 1644, leaving the latter guardian to his son; and theie is an account of a
visit paid to him at Stoke by his kinsman Anthony Wood in November 1658 and April 1659, in the Life
of that author. Bliss's Athenae, p. 28 and 36. Ralph Holt married two wives, 1. Susanna, daughter of
John Risley of Chetwood, by whom he had one daughter, Susanna; and 2. Susanna, the daughter of
Francis Dodsworth, who died January 12, 1677, by whom he had issue three sons, Charles, William,
and Thomas, and four daughters, Elizabeth, Mary, Susanna, and Frances: he died A.D. 1702, aged
sixty-five. Charles Holt, his eldest son and heir, died unmarried about 1740; and at the hour appointed
for his funeral, there happened such a tremendous storm, that it was with difficulty the corpse could be
taken for interment into the church, notwithstanding the mansion was so near. The superstitious villagers
attributed it to the agency of the devil, in consequence of the man's wicked life, who it appears had been
somewhat faulty among the lasses.
After his death the Stoke estate was claimed by John Baxter, esq. in right of his wife, the eldest
daughter of Edmund Woodward, grand-daughter of Ralph Holt, esq. and niece of the last proprietor. At
Mr. Baxter's decease, the right was supposed to devolve upon his eldest daughter, Ann Woodward, then
married to Thomas Eyles, a farmer of Stratton Audley, said to have been originally her father's coachman:
but all their efforts to obtain possession were unsuccessful, though backed with all the influence and pro
perty of the late lord Cullen, her brother-in-law. — Perhaps posterity may be surprised to learn, that a
woman and her daughter held the office of parish-clerk of Stoke, for a considerable part of the eighteenth
century.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 161
daughters, Martha, Anne, Elizabeth, and Mary. Edmund Woodward died
at the age of fifty-three, and was buried in Stratton Audley church A. D.
1713, but his wife survived him fourteen years.
Soon after the death of this gentleman, the rectory of Stratton was pur
chased by Mr. Bush, who in consequence of the irregularities of his son, at
his decease left it to his daughters ; but they dying unmarried, it became
the property of his son Edmund*, whose widow sold it in 1788 to Richard
Arnold, the steward of Sir John Borlase Warren -f, for upwards of £2000.
The last buyer not having sufficient ready money to complete the pur
chase, mortgaged it to governor Wynch, in which state it remained till
1800, when it was redeemed by his eldest son Charles, who had married a
lady of considerable fortune. Charles Arnold retained it in his possession
two years, and in 1812 sold it to Mr. Parry, an architect resident in
Parry-place, Oxford-street, London, the present proprietor.
Historical Sketch of the Manor.
At the close of the Saxon dominion this village was the property of
Wigod de Wallingford, and at his death (10 Will. Conq.) devolved upon
Robert D'Oilly by marriage with Aldith, his daughter and sole heir. At
the time of the survey it was held of him by Alward, perhaps the original
Saxon tenant of Wygod, and thus entered:
Peritune Hund. Aluuard9 ten de . Ro. [de Oilgi] Stratone. Ibi st . v .
hidse. Tra . vi . car. Nc in dnio . 1 . car. cu . 1 . seruo . 7 viii. uitfi. cu . n .
bord hiit . 11 . car. Ibi xxv. ac pati. Valuit . xl . sot . 7 post 7 modo .
lx . solid.
Translation.] Alward holds of Robert, Stratton. There are five hides, and land of six
carucates; now in demesne J one carucate, with one servant, and eight villanes with two
bordars, who have two. carucates: there are twenty-five acres of meadow. It was worth forty
shillings, afterwards and now sixty shillings.

* The estate was then considered worth about £300. per annum.
t It is said that Sir John sent Arnold to purchase it for him; but when the latter had closed the
bargain on advantageous terms, he requested £600. of his master for his trouble: the baronet considering
this an imposition, discarded him, and declined purchasing the estate. J Domesday, No. xxviii. f. 158.
VOL. II. Y

162 STRATTON AUDLEY.
On the death of Robert D'Oilly A. D. 1096 (10 William Rufus) without
male issue, the village reverted, with his other estates, to his brother Nigel,
and descended to Robert his son A. D. 1112, by whom it was granted for
a marriage portion with his daughter to Gilbert Bassett 2 Steph. A. D.
1137*, as a member of the Honour of Wallingford. At his decease (13
Hen. II.) the manor passed to his son Thomas, evidently a nobleman of
civil and military talent, who exercised the office of sheriff of the county in
the 10th Hen. II. , occasionally presided in the king's court of judicature,
and travelled as a justice itinerant through several counties. His special
services in war were rewarded with the lordship of Hedindon, the hundred
of Bullenden, and the hundred without the north gate of Oxford, in consi
deration of his rendering £20. annually fee-farm rent into the exchequer.
From Gilbert Basset, his eldest son by Alice de Dunstanville, (the
founder of Bicester priory, and the donor of the estates mentioned in a pre
ceding page) the manor of Stratton passed to Richard de Camvil and
William de Longspe, in right of their wives, Eustace de Basset and Idonea
de Camvil. -j~ Ela, the daughter of the latter, carried it in marriage, toge
ther with the moiety of Wretchwic in the parish of Bicester, to James,
baron of Aldithley %, or Audley, the eldest son of a nobleman of that name,
in considerable favour with Henry III. for his fidelity and military exploits
among the Welsh ; and in 1253 the new proprietor obtained a grant of free
warren in this parish, and over all his demesne lands in Staffordshire, Shrop
shire, Cheshire, &c. §
1257- Enrolled among the chieftains attached to Richard earl of Corn
wall, now chosen king of the Romans, he attended at his coronation ; and
upon his return into England with Henry, king Richard's eldest son, hearing
that the Welsh had committed much devastation upon his estates which
* The marriage portion comprised seven knights' fees therein.
t Ex origin, penes G. O. P. Turner, baronettum. The above dates materially differ from those given
in Kennetl's Parochial Antiquities. That writer supposes Wigod to have died about the time of the
Conquest; but he lived ten years longer.
J The Aldithleys were a branch of the Verdon family, one of whom, Thomas de Verdon, had married
Eustace, the grandmother of Ela Longspe. This James Audley bore for his arms, Gules, a frette Or.
§ Cart. 37 Hen. III. No. 8.9.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 163
adjoined their country, he suddenly marched down, and with the assistance
of some German horse, made ample retaliation. For seven successive years
he was more or less engaged in military enterprises agairist that people ;
and in the 48th Hen. III. only prevented from entering upon another cam
paign, by learning that his sovereign had become a prisoner to the rebellious
barons. Though his courage and skill materially contributed towards the
king's liberation, and met a proportionate reward, he shortly after felt
desirous of entering upon acts of devotion, and accordingly, in 1268, went
on pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella in Spain *, and two years after
to the Holy Land. What farther religious objects he contemplated is im
material ; they were all frustrated by a fall from his horse, which broke his
neck, A. D. 1272. -j- The manors of Stratton and Wretchwic, however, re
mained with his widow, who soon after gave the greater part of the former
to her husband's nephew, Hugh de Audley, and the latter to the priory of
Bicester. Ela died 19 Edw. II. $
1279- The following is the account of this manor as given in the Hun
dred Roll 7 Edw. I.
STRATTON'. Hugh de Audei ten3 in hamleto de St4ton' duas carucat' ?e & di' in
ctnico de don' Ele de Lugspeye & ipa Ela huit iff de Witto pre suo in libo maritag' & ide
Witts de dno Reg' in capit' & est in pcinctu honor' Walliggefoedie.
Nativi. Walrus le Fowell ten3 unam virg' te in villenag' de dco Hugon' de Audei p
viijs & opabit1' ad voltitate dni 8t veniet semi in ann' ad visu fraci pleg' apct Burcestram
senexcallo Walliggeford.
* The body of St. James was pretended to be discovered by bishop Theodimer, buried in a marble
coffin in a wood, A. D. 797, and revealed by the appearance of angels with torches on the spot. At the
first discovery thereof, the Spaniards themselves much marvelled, for none of their ancient historians had
once intimated that the Apostle had ever visited their country. The king Alphonso, however, believed
the tale, and built a temple on the spot; the pope permitted the episcopal see of Iria to be removed thither,
and, ultimately, the nation made him their patron saint and protector. Miracles were speedily said to
be wrought at his tomb, and his fame spread into other countries ; so that, in the twelfth century, it be
came common for pilgrims to visit his shrine. Many of these pilgrimages originated in vows made in
imminent danger; and Erasmus mentions a person in danger of shipwreck, who vowed a pilgrimage to
Compostella with bare feet and head, only an iron corslet on his body, and begging his bread all the way.
Fosbrooke's Monachism, p. 466-468. London, 1817-
+ Dugdak's Baronage, .vol. i. p. 748. Esch. 56 Hen. III. No. 8.
X Esch. 19 Edw. II. No. 50;

164

STRATTON AUDLEY.

Rog'us Boveton' ten3 una virg' ?re eode
redditu & 'sVico.
Witts le Hopper' ten} unam virg' p eod.
Alic' relca Thom' un' virg' p eod.
Robs Aldwyn unam virg' p eode.
Isodode atte Brohc unam virg' p eode.
Elias Gold ten3 una di' virg' & j qartru
p vjs & p opib3 &, cosuetudinib3 sic' pdcs
Wal¥us. Matheus Alani ten3 Im eode reddit' &,

SVICO

Witts le Ruk tant' p eodem.
Wal?us Pag' tant' p eodem.
Johes Pilegrim ten3 dimid virgat' te in
villenag' & reddit iiijs p ann' & opa & co-
suetudin' j3dcs Elias Golde.
Ranulphs Sturard di' virg' p eode.
Rog'us Alein di' virg' p eode.
Joh' ad Cruce di' virg' p eode.
Agnes Vidua di' virg' p eode.
Hug' le Neywenha di' virg' p eode svico.
Ric' Duning di' virg' p eode.
Robs Pinchin dimid virg' p eode.
Maths Pinchu di' virg' p eode.
Simo Aldwin di virg' p eode.
Walt' Aldwin di' virgatam p eode.
Ada Mace di' virg' p eode.
Hug' nT Mathey di' virg1 ?e p eode.
Rog'us fil' Wal?i di virg' eode^m0.
Wal?us Pag' di' virgat' eode svico.
Alan5 ad Ecca di' virgat' eod mod.
Rog's Moidenar' di' virgat' p eode "sVico.
Matheus le Brod di' virg' p eode.
Wal?s fil Stephani di' virgat' p eode.
WalPs Ysabett di' virg' p eode.
Math le Fowel di' virg' p eode.
Hug' ad Aula di' virgat' p eode.
Matheus le Sthicker di' virg' p eode.
Robs le Welekindon' di' virg' p eode.
Godwin' di' virg' eode modo.
M. Vidua di' virg' eode modo.
Ric' ad Fotem ten3 di' virg' eodem ^vico.
Alic' relicta Hugon' de Viridi ten3 di'
virgat' ?e p iiij sol p ann' in villenag'.
De cotar'. Simo Mile ten3 un' me-

Hugh de Audley, the lord of this
in the French and Scotch wars, and

suag' & v acas in camp in villenag' & redd3
p ana' ijs.
Johes Hobbe ten3 v acas p ij'.
Witts Mich v acras eode modo.
Math fil Radulphi v acras eode modo.
Joh Huweman v acras eode modo.
Joh ad Fontem v acras eode modo.
Gilebs ad Fonte v acras p eode.
Alic' ad Eccam v acaas p eode.
De lib'is. Wal?us Purcel ht in dco
hamleto unam virg' Se de pdco Hugon' red
dendo p ann' ijs.
Nich de Berkewell ten} in dco hamelet'
duas virg' ?e de don' Hugon' de Audei.
Math Hobbe ten} una virgat' Se & v
acas & reddit p ann' xxs p ofhi svico.
Isti orris veniut semel in anno apd Bur-
cest' ad visu fraci pleg'.
Abbas Cirencestrie hit in dco hamleto
unam virgatam Se & j q"rtuu un' Radulphs
Boveton' ten} di' virgata p vs iijd p ann' p
ofhib} ^viciis & WalSus Bovetun' ten} di'
virgata p eode.
WalSus Splig' ten} j q'rt1 p iiijs p ann'
& veniet ad visu apd Burckst' sic' pdci.
Prior Burncest'e ten3 in pdco hamelet'
iiij virgat' te &, di' in dnico un' ij virgat'
ptinet ad capfta 8t una virg' & di' dat' erant
P'orat'Burcest'e p q"nda dnam de BerefFeld*
cu iij canonic' 8c faciet secta p ij virg' & di'
sil} in hidag' xvd &. ad visu fraci pleg' vd &.
ad ward de selver 6 & veniet bis p ann' ad
magnii hiidredu de Phoh'.
Nativi P'or'. Wal?us Burgays ten}
unam virg' te in villinag' de dco P'or' p vjs
p ann' & veniet ad visu & dab ijd & p hydag'
vjd & ad wardeselver qa.
Joh ad Castett ten} di' virg' in viftnag'
de dco Prior' p iijs p ann'.
Thom' Wag'te ten} di virg' eode modo.
Simon de Winecet ht unam virgatam &.
di' un' Simo Hobbe tenet unam virgat' in
villan' & reddit p ann' vj5.
Witts Waleys di' virg' & reddit p ann'
Iij s & facit in oihib} sic' pdci.
manor, was employed by Edward I.
by his successor made governor of

* Caversfield.

t Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 828.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 165
Montgomery castle for life A.D. 1309; in the 7th, 10th, and 11th
Edw. II. he was engaged in the several expeditions against Scotland, and
in the following year obtained a charter from the king for free-warren in his
manor, and to hold a weekly market and an annual fair in his village of
Stratton Audley.* But subsequently feeling dissatisfied with the conduct
of the Spencers, he joined the confederated barons under Thomas of Lan
caster, and in one of the party skirmishes was taken prisoner, and lodged in
the castle of Wallingford A. D. 1322. From this confinement he was un
expectedly liberated by the daring valour of some of the conspirators, who,
one dark night after Christmas, surprised a postern-gate, and obtained
possession of the fortress. He dextrously employed his liberty to regain
the royal favour -j~ ; and by the interposition of Margaret, his son's wife,
one of the daughters and coheirs of the earl of Gloucester, remained un
questioned, while many others lost their estates and lives. He died soon
after this transaction, leaving issue by Isoldo, the widow of Walter Balun,
Hugh, his eldest son and heir, and James, who succeeded to the manor
of Stratton. :{:
4325. James de Audley was personally engaged in the Gascon expedi
tion 18 Edw. II., and in the enterprise against Scotland 1 Edw. III. ; but
dying the same year without issue, the manor of Stratton escheated to the
crown, in consequence of Hugh, his elder brother, standing outlawed for
refusing to attend the late king upon his summons. The preponderance of
his party, however, enabling him in parliament to point out various errors
in his prosecution, the outlawry was reversed, and his estates restored, by
which means he came into possession of this village. § In the 7th Edw. III.
having a private dispute with William le Zouche, the two noblemen armed
all the power they could muster against each other ; but their forces being
summoned to attend the king into Scotland, no violence ensued. He was
retained by indenture to serve again in that country 10 Edw. III., and
* Cart. 12 Edw. II. No. 89. Probably it was intended to hold the market and fair in the wide street
near the castle. t Thomas Walsingham, sub ami.
X Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 563. Ashmole's MS. in Mus. Oxon.
§ Ib. p. 581. Dugd. Baronage, vol. i. p. 751.

166 STRATTON AUDLEY.
received twenty hogsheads of wine in part of his wages ; and the following
year was created earl of Gloucester in right of his wife. In 1339 he with
others was appointed to array all the able men of Essex for defence of the
sea-coasts against a threatened invasion ; and the same year he accompanied
his sovereign into France to prosecute his claim to the Gallic diadem. The
difficulty, however, of raising money in that age sufficient to equip himself
and his knights for the expedition, may be inferred from his being com
pelled to mortgage his manor of Stratton Audley to William Minot, citizen
and vintner of London.*
The seven remaining years of the earl of Gloucester's life were chiefly
spent in the public service, and he departed this life 21 Edw. III. leaving
issue by Margaret his wife, one daughter of the same name, his sole heir,
thirty years of age, married to Ralph lord Stafford. -j-
Hugh, the son of this nobleman, gave the manor of Stratton to his
youngest son of the same name, who having married Elizabeth, the daughter
and heiress of lord Bourchier, was summoned to parliament by that title
12 Hen. IV. j ; but dying without issue A.D. 143 \, it became the property
of Humphrey, his cousin and heir, who was the son of Edmund lord Staf
ford, brother of the said Hugh, and of the age of twenty years on the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. § This nobleman was a faithful and
valiant soldier of king Henry yi., frequently employed in the French wars,
and for his eminent services in 1444, created duke of Buckingham. || In
1446 he married his eldest daughter, Anne, to Aubery de Vere, eldest son
and heir of John earl of Oxford ; and for several years after was a principal
member of the administration of the duke of Somerset. He was one of
those nobles who fought in the first battle of St. Alban's, and was wounded
by an arrow in the face, ^f On the defeat of the queen's party, he sought
* Dodsworth's MSS. vol. lxxxv. f. 107.
t Esch. 31 Edw. III. No. 59. Kennett intimates that the manor fell into the hands of James
Audley, baron ; this, however, is doubtful : it was most likely in the hands of the mortgagee.
X Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 171. § Esch. 1 Hen. VI. No. 33.
|| In 1435 he procured a confirmation of the market and fair at Bigenhul in the parish of Bicester, one
moiety of which manor he died in possession.
H His son Humphrey earl of Stafford was slain in the conflict.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 167
retirement ; but on their subsequent triumph again rose into political im
portance. He finally closed his career in the fatal battle of Northampton
A. D. 1460, where he commanded the Lancastrian army, and fell, with the
earl of Shrewsbury, lord Beaumont, and others, in the contest beside the
king's tent. —His remains were interred in the Greyfriars church, North
ampton. An inquisition taken in this neighbourhood reports, that he died
the 27th July, 38 Hen. VI. , possessed of several manors in Buckingham
shire, of one knight's fee in Hampton-Gay and Heyford, and one knight's
fee in Hethe, as also of the manor of Stratton Audley, with its appurte
nances, in com. Oxon, of which manor he had lately enfeoffed Humphrey
late duke of Gloucester, and others ; and that the said manor was held of
the king in capite, but by what service the jury knew not ; and that Henry,
son of Humphrey his eldest son, was his heir, and of the age of four years
and upwards.*
King Edward IV. committed the tuition of this young nobleman to his
sister Anne duchess of Exeter ; and during the whole of this reign he remained
unnoticed by the historian, but at the commencement of the following, he
became a special partizan of Richard duke of Gloucester, and materially
contributed towards establishing him upon the throne by his intrigues with
the lord mayor and citizens of London in June 1483. These services were
rewarded by a grant of the lands formerly belonging to Humphrey de
Bohun earl of Hereford ¦f, and several of the most important offices in the
kingdom. J In a few weeks, however, some unknown cause induced him to
conspire with Morton, bishop of Ely, then his prisoner at Brecknock, for the
purpose of dethroning Richard. A few dark hints of this confederacy reach
ing the ear of the king, he endeavoured to regain the duke by promises,
and afterwards by threats ; but, neither of these succeeding, he hastily
assembled an army, and determined to crush every attempt at insurrection.
These prompt measures compelled the conspirators to take up arms ; and
though it appeared they had already determined upon a simultaneous rising,
on October 18, in Yorkshire, Devonshire, Cornwall, and Kent, yet the duke
* Esch. 39 Hen. VI. No. 35. t Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 169.
X Pat. 1 Ric. III. p. 1. m. 10 and 11.

168 STRATTON AUDLEY.
found it impossible to join his confederates, by reason of the heavy rains
which fell for several days, and swelled the Severn in such an unusual
manner, that his troops became famished, and dispersed. This misfortune
compelled him to dismiss his servants, disguise his person, and conceal him
self in the house of Humphrey Bannister, one of his dependants, not far
from Shrewsbury. The king, however, soon offering a reward of £1000.
for his discovery, Bannister betrayed him to the sheriff of Shropshire ; the
unfortunate duke was conducted to Salisbury, and, without any trial, on
November 1, beheaded on a scaffold in the market-place, and his estates
confiscated.* By Catherine his wife, the daughter of Richard Widville earl Rivers, he
left three sons and two daughters, but neither inherited this estate.
From this period the manor of Stratton remained in the crown till the
19th Hen. VIIL, when it was granted, with divers others in the counties of
Surrey, Wilts, and Hants, to Sir John Bouchier lord Berners -j-, then chan
cellor of the king's exchequer, and subsequently governor of Calais, but
more renowned as the translator of Froissart's Chronicle, and several other
French, Spanish, and Italian works. Lord Berners died and was buried at
Calais in March 1532 J, leaving issue by Catherine his wife, daughter of
John duke of Norfolk, one daughter, Joan, his sole heir, then married to
Edward Knevitt of Ashwell-Thorp, co. Norfolk, esq. serjeant-porter to the
king§, and three illegitimate sons. The descendants of lord Berners
speedily alienated the Stratton estate, for it appears from an instrument
* i 1 all, 12-15. Hollingshed, p. 1400-1403. Stowe, sub ann.
t Pat. 19 Hen. VIII. p. 1. Lord Berners was the grandson of John lord Berners; in the 5th
Hen. VIII. made captain of the pioneers, and the following year attended the lady Mary, the king's
siiiter, into France, on her marriage with Louis.
X By will bearing date the 3d March, 24 Hen. VIII. lord Berners directed his body to be buried in
the chancel of the parish-church of our Lady at Calais, and an honest priest to sing mass there for three
years. To Humphrey, his natural son, he bequeathed his gown of damask furred with jennetts, &c. and
certain legacies to his other sons. Reg. Hogen. f. 10. in Offic. Prerog. Cant. This document does not
mention his landed property, and the inquisition taken after his death cannot be found among the bundles
of escheats in the Rolls Chapel.
§ Pat. 25 Hen. VIII. p. 2. The estates are not enumerated in this document, nor mentioned in his
will. Reg. Test. Bushe, f. 30.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 169
dated 2 Eliz. A.D. 1559, that it was then the property of John Borlase,
esq. a descendant of a Cornish gentleman of that name, and that he
assigned Ann his wife, the daughter of Sir Robert Litton, her dowry there
on. About the same period he also purchased the manors of Little Marlow
and Medmendham, and settling at Bockmer, rendered himself very popular
in the county of Buckingham by his great hospitality. He served the office
of sheriff in the 9th, 28th, and 30th Elizabeth ; and dying, was buried at
Great Marlow May 17, 1593.* William Borlase, his son and heir, was
knighted by queen Elizabeth, appointed sheriff of Bucks in the 43d of her
reign, and served in parliament for Aylesbury A. D. 1603, and Wycomb
in 1614 and 1627- By Mary his wife, the daughter of Nicholas Bakehouse
of London, he left three sons, William, Henry, and John ; and departing
this life, was buried at Great Marlow September 10, 1629- "f* His eldest
son, Sir William, married Amy, the daughter of Sir Francis Popham of
* The inquisition taken at Becconsfielde, co. Bucks, 6th September, 35 Eliz. after the death of John
Borlase, alias Burlacy, esq. finds that long before his death he was seised of the manor of Stretton Awdeley
in the county of Oxford, and being so seised by indenture dated llth October, 2 Eliz. covenanted with
John Brockett and Thomas Lyttell, esq. within two months, to suffer a recovery thereof, to the use of
himself for life ; remainder to Anne his wife for life, in consideration of her jointure ; remainder to the
heirs of his body ; remainder to Elizabeth Clarke his sister, and the heirs of her body ; remainder to the
right heirs of the said John for ever. That recovery was suffered Michaelmas Term 2 and 3 Eliz. by
virtue whereof he was seised of the said manor for life, and died seised thereof; and the said Anne sur
vived him, and entered into the same manor, and was seised thereof for life, and was then living.
And that long before his death he was also seised (inter alia) of the rectory of Piddington, co. Oxon ; and
being so seised, by indenture, dated 1st May, 29 Eliz. in consideration of a marriage to be had between
William his son and heir apparent, and Mary Morris, widow, sister of Samuel Backhowse of Kyngesley,
co. Southampton, esq. and for part of her jointure, covenanted to stand seised thereof to the use of the said
John until the marriage, and afterwards to the said William and Mary, and the heirs of their bodies;
remainder to the said John in fee. That the marriage took effect the 10th May, 29 Eliz. by virtue
whereof the said William and Mary became seised as aforesaid. The said John made his will, dated the
25th March, 35 Eliz. 1593, appointing his son William sole executor, and died the 6th May then last.
And that William was his son and heir, and of the age of twenty-seven and upwards. And that the
manor of Stretton Awdeley was holden of the queen by fealty only in free and common soccage, and was
worth by the year, beyond reprises, £42. 3s. 5d. And that the rectory of Piddington was holden of the
queen as of the manor of East Greenwich by fealty only in free soccage, and was worth by the year
53*.4<Z. Esch. 35 Eliz. p. 2. No. 121.
t Langley's Hund. of Desborough, p. 317. His lady died of the plague July 18, 16'25. Marlow
Par. Reg.
VOL. II. Z

170 STRATTON AUDLEY.
Littlecot, Wilts, and died December 15, 1630 *, leaving issue three sons,
John, William, and Henry, and two daughters, Ann, who became the wife
of Richard Grenville, and Mary, who was buried at Marlow February 27,
1637. John Borlase, esq. was appointed one of the justices of Ireland, and
greatly distinguished himself by his attempts to suppress the rebellion in that
country in 1641. -f In the following May he was created a baronet, and in
the civil calamities which followed, evincing a devout attachment to the royal
cause, the parliament voted him a delinquent, and caused his person to be
secured. A composition, amounting to ,£2400. was at first refused, but
at length accepted, and appropriated for the garrison at Abingdon. J He
lived to see the government of his country happily settled upon its ancient
basis, and departing this life in August 1672, was buried with his an
cestors at Marlow. Sir John Borlase, his son, settled at Stratton §, and
seems to have been much attached to field sports || : he served in parliament
* The inquisition taken at Chipping Wycombe 18th January, 9 Charles I. states that Sir William
Borlase died possessed of the manor of Lurgessall, with the advowson of the church, and their appurte
nances, together with some woods in the same parish, called Carwell hills, the manor of Little Marlow,
the manor of Stratton Audley, valued at £15. with Court Leet and Court Baron, held of the king by
fealty, together with a messuage called Bixfarme, two cottages, &c. in Bixlebrone, sixty-four acres of land,
&c, and that John, his eldest son and heir, was of the age of five years and upwards. Cole's Esch.
vol. iii. p. 2. His testament in the Prerogative Office contains sundry donations of cottages, &c.' in
Stratton, for life, to his servants. Reg. Nevil. f. 6.
f Nalson's Collect, vol. ii. passim. J Whitlocke's Memorials, p. 165-179-
§ The Chamberlaynes were the chief resident family in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The
Heralds' books intimate that Thomas, a son of Simon Chamberlayne of Shipston-under-Wichwood, co.
Oxon, settled here upon his marriage with the daughter of  House, co. Hertford : — this seems to
have been about the reign of queen Elizabeth. He was succeeded by a son of the same name, who married
a Miss Stanton of Smervens, co. Hertford, and left two sons, Edward and Bray, and a daughter named
Susan, who became the wife of Thomas Franklin of Bicester. Edward Chamberlayne, the eldest son,
married Dorothy, the daughter of Richard Frank, and the sister of Sir Leventhorp Frank, succeeded his
father in the Stratton estate, and at the Heralds' visitation of the county, entered his descent as above,
together with the names of his two sons, Francis and Edmund, and obtained the confirmation of his arms
22d October, 1634. How long they remained in this village afterwards is unknown, though it is pretty
evident they had left before 1660, at which time there were several escutcheons hanging up in the chan
cel for some members of the family. It is not improbable that they held the manorial estate of the
Borlases, and resided in the manor-house. They bore the same arms as the Chamberlaynes of Sherbourn.
Harl. MS. No. 1557, p. 74. No. 1480, p. 9.
|| He left a large and lofty building unfinished at a short distance from his mansion, which stood until

STRATTON AUDLEY. 171
V
for Marlow 31 and 32 Ch. II. and again 1 Jac. II. and 1 Will, and Mary.
By Alice his wife he had a son John, who died before him without issue,
and a daughter named Anne, married to Arthur Warren, esq.* of Stapleford,
Nottinghamshire, to whom he bequeathed all his estates, and dying August
8, 1688, was buried in the south aisle of Stratton Audley church.
Anne, his daughter, the wife of the said Arthur Warren, had by that
gentleman a family of seven sons, Borlase, Arnold, Arthur, Charles, John,
Baldwin, and James -J-, and one daughter Anne, who became the wife of
viscount Cullen ; Mr. Warren died in November 1697, and was buried at
Stapleford, but his lady survived till August 1703.
The manor of Stratton descended to her eldest son Borlase Warren,
esq. J and on his death in May 1747, devolved upon his son John Borlase
Warren §, who was chosen M. P. for Nottingham 8 Geo. II. and buried
August 10, 1763, leaving issue by Bridget Russell his wife, three children,
John Borlase, Frances, and Arnold.
John Borlase Warren was born October 5, 1753, and after receiving part
of his education under Mr. Prinsep || of Bicester, was sent to Winchester
Stratton field was enclosed, when the materials were applied towards the construction of a farm-house.
The edifice is traditionally said to have been intended for stables, &c.
* This gentleman claimed his descent from the ancient earls of Warren of the Plantagenet family.
t James settled at Marlow, and from his pride, was usually called beau Warren. He died in 1774,
aet. eighty-nine.
X Borlase Warren had issue by Anne his wife, besides John his heir, Arthur, baptized May 24, 1704,
buried November 11, 1763; Arnold, baptized September 2, 1705, buried August 20, 1767; Katherine,
baptized June 20, 1710, buried February 1711 ; James, baptized February 15, 1712; Dorothy, baptized
January 7, 1714 ; Mary, baptized April 5, 1717 ; and Ann, afterwards wife of Charles lord viscount Cullen,
who died in 1754. James Warren took holy orders, became rector of Lurgessall, and for many years
resided in the manor-house of Stratton Audley ; he bore an excellent character, and, being fond of hunt
ing, kept a pack of hounds in the neighbourhood. — Some time before the enclosure of the field, the large
estate of the Warrens only produced £ 500. per annum.
§ Old 'squire Warren, as the countrymen called him, latterly kept the meanest equipage of any man
in his neighbourhood ; his harness was tied together with string, his coachman had but one eye, two of his
horses were equally unfortunate, and the other four quite blind. — Both the 'squire and his brother James
were martyrs to the gout.
|| The late Sir Gregory Page Turner was his fellow-student at Bicester, and among other juvenile
fancies, they set up a carriage drawn by dogs.

172 STRATTON AUDLEY.
school, from whence he suddenly decamped, and, without the knowledge
of his friends, entered the navy as a volunteer ; but, on their learning the
step he had taken, they caused him to be raised to the quarter-deck on
board the Alderney sloop of war. He afterwards returned home, resumed
his studies, and entered the university of Cambridge. He had scarcely
come into possession of his estates * before he became a candidate to repre
sent Marlow in parliament, for which place he sat twice. -\- In May 1775
he was made a baronet, and determined once more to resume the naval
profession, which he did on board the Venus ij;, and sailed against the dis
turbed colonies in America. On the return of peace he married Caroline,
the daughter of General Clavering, by whom he had several children : his
eldest son, an officer in the Guards, and a young man of great promise, was
killed while landing troops in Egypt. At the commencement of the late
war he was appointed to the Flora, and taking La Pomone, a French ship of
superior size, in a few months he received the command of a flying squa
dron, which much annoyed the trade, and alarmed the coast of France.
In 1794 he received the ribband of the Bath, and the next summer effected
the debarkation of the unfortunate emigrants in Quiberon bay. In 1798,
being appointed commander of a squadron of frigates, he frustrated the
intention of the enemy to land a body of troops in Ireland, and took or
destroyed nine of their vessels, for which timely service he received the
thanks of the House of Commons, was made rear-admiral, and, by succes
sive steps, arrived to the rank of admiral of the white. On the return of
peace he was selected as ambassador to the court of Russia, where he not
only succeeded in accomplishing the object of the embassy, but gained the
* Soon after he came into the possession of his patrimonial fortune, he purchased the island of Lundy,
and amused himself with a yacht in the Bristol channel; but when the American war presented a scene
more suitable to his views and his ambition, he abandoned his boat to some opulent citizens, and his new
purchase to the rabbits, its chief, if not its only inhabitants, for the purpose of serving as a lieutenant on
board the Nonsuch. Gent. Mag. vol. xcii. p. 1, p. 283.
t Sir John sold Marlow in 1781. — He was elected for Nottingham in 1774 and 1780.
X Before he joined the Venus, upon resuming the naval profession, he repaired to the Fleet and
King's Bench, and set all the naval officers confined in those places at liberty, out of his own private
fortune. New Monthly Mag. vol. i. p. 185.

STRATTON AUDLEY. 173
personal esteem and affection of the Emperor Alexander ; and on his return
home, was appointed commander-in-chief on all the American naval sta
tions. Sir John departed this life February 27, 1822, at the apartments of
Sir Richard Keats at Greenwich hospital ; and on the 5th of March his
remains were removed from his residence in Upper Grosvenor-street, for
interment at Stratton Audley.* — He left one surviving daughter, Frances
Maria, married August 25, 1802, to the honourable Charles George Sedley,
son of Henry Lord Vernon.
* Arms. Quarterly, 1st and 4th, cheeky Or and Azure, on a canton Gu. a lion rampant for Warren ;
2d and 3d, Ermine on a bend Sable, two arms issuing from the clouds, rending a horse-shoe, all proper, for
Borlase. Crest, an eagle's leg erect, issuing from behind a double plume of feathers out of a ducal
coronet Or. Supporters, two wyverns, each charged on the wing with five roses Gules, supporting a
banner erect, cheeky Or and Azure. Motto, Leo de Juda est robur nostrum.

WENDLEBURY.

W endlebury is a village in the hundred of Ploughley, about two miles
and a half from Bicester, and ten from Oxford ; the parish is bounded^ on
the north by Chesterton and Bicester, on the east by the little river Bure,
on the south and- west by Charlton and Weston-on-the-Green.
Etymology, Description, Population, &c.
Kennett conjectures Wendlebury to have been the scite of a station of
Vandals, introduced into Britain in the decline of the Roman empire for
the defence of the province, and placed in the immediate neighbourhood of
Alchester.* This station, he says, might be called Vandleburg or Wandle-
burg ; and in time .gradually became softened into Wendlebury. *j~

* The scite of the Roman station or city of Alchester, is now a part of the field belonging to this
parish ; the ruins are still apparent on the eastern bank of a small rivulet which crosses the Bicester turn
pike road about half a mile from Wendlebury. The most conspicuous object is a mount of slight elevation,
situated in a triangular meadow, bounded by a curving brook, which in the middle of the last century was
eight feet high, and covered nearly half an acre of ground. It was originally surrounded with a ditch,
and traditionally said to be the ruins of the castrum. J In 1776 this mount was opened by Mr. Penrose,
and found to enclose a portion of the walls (three feet in height) of a square building, of undefinable extent,
having a doorway or entrance eight feet wide at the north-western angle. The floor of the apartment was
raised four feet above the level of the adjoining meadows, and formed of tessellae about an inch and a half
square ; beneath and on one side of the pavement was an hypocaust or low room, about eighteen inches

f Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 18.
t Great quantities of these materials have been since used to repair the road.

^ ^
v^
1

^

¦^

A-

WENDLEBURY. 175
The village stands on either side of the turnpike-road leading from
Bicester to Oxford, and, as usual, the greater part consists of stone-built
farm-houses and cottages, though the rectory, and a few others in the same
street leading up to the church, are of superior character. A small stream
runs through the town, and, joining the Bure, flows into the Cherwell at
Islip. About thirty years ago one Mr. Haimes constructed a large brewery
near the middle of the village, and carried on an extensive business in the
neighbourhood. His daughters married two brothers, Robert and William
Hartin, both of them farmers at Merton ; and at the decease of their father-
in-law, William acquired the whole concern. Under his management the
brewhouse became unprofitable, and he sold the business to Mr. James
Jennings, who failed herein. The premises were closed for some time, but
in 1820 purchased by Mr. John Kirby of Bicester, and are now occupied by
himself and his nephew Mr. Shillingford.
According to the last return, Wendlebury contains thirty-six houses, in
habited by forty-three families, of which seventy-nine were males, and one
hundred and two females, forming a total of one hundred and eighty-one
persons. In 1776 the sum raised by poor-rates in this parish was £ 58. 5s. Sd. ;
in 1803 £ 161. Os. Sd. being assessed at 2s. Sd. in the pound ; in 1813 the
amount was ,£221. dropping the fraction; but in 1815 it declined to £\9^>-
The same year the property tax was estimated and assessed at £2035. per
annnm.
high, floored with small pieces of cemented brick, and supported with a great number of little pillars
two or three feet distant from each other, having heaps of ashes between them These ashes were the
relics of the fires which once warmed the apartment above, for chimneys were unknown to the Romans. —
The city or station stood on the rising ground toward the east; and, according to Dr. Stukeley, who care
fully examined the scite, was a square of one thousand feet, each side standing on one of the four cardinal
points, with a tower at each angle. The whole was defended by a high bank and deep ditch, into which
the waters of the adjoining brook were turned so that they can round it. The station was divided into
four quarters by two streets, which crossed each other in the centre : they are still visible by an elevated
ridge, though the enclosure has rendered them less conspicuous than formerly. That which ran from west
to east met the Akeman-street in its way from Langford, and may be easily traced on the north side of
the hedge running towards the mount. The wall on the eastern side of the city passed through the
middle of the same field, and a part of its foundation may be seen in the ditch. The whole scite of the
station abounds with broken pottery, bricks, coins, and tessellae, and will be known for ages to come by the
blackness of the soil. It is supposed to have been surrounded by considerable suburbs, for the adjoining
meadows abound with foundations of buildings. — The city declined on the departure of the Romans A. D.
420, and its ruin was accomplished in the wars between the Britons and Saxons. T. Hearne caused a
coin of Julia Stemis found here, to be engraved in a plate prefixed to Leland's Collectenea, vol. x.

176 WENDLEBURY.
Dr. Plot says that a petrification, called by naturalists Dryites, was
casually dug up in this parish near the church, consisting of a quantity of
branches of oak evidently converted into stone, the close grain of the wood
and knots being still visible.*
The common field was enclosed A. D. 1800. -j~
Parish Church.
The ancient parish- church, of which the tower still remains, was origi
nally cruciform ; but the " south cross" having become very ruinous, it was
* Natural History of Oxfordshire, p. 64.
t From the act of parliament passed in 1800, it appears that the open and commonable lands con
tained by computation about eleven hundred acres; — that John Coker, esq. was lord of the manor,
and as such, owner of all the waste land, furze, and hushes, growing thereon, subject to right of common ;
— that the dean and chapter of Christ-church, Oxon, stood possessed of the perpetual advowson, and right
of patronage to the rectory ; — that George Dupuis was rector, and in right of it possessed of certain glebe
lands, together with the great and small tithe ; — that W. Tanner, R. Curtis, and W. Wyatt, as lessees of
the provost and fellows of Queen's college, Oxon, and John Bottrell and others, were owners of the residue
of the said lands.  That the whole of the lands lying intermixed and incapable of improvement, the
parties interested obtained an act to divide and enclose them, which lays down the following rules for re
gulating and apportioning the several divisions. J
First, After all deductions of roads, &c. one-fifth of the arable and one-ninth of the meadow and waste
shall be allotted to the rector in lieu of tithe, it being understood that his claim shall henceforward cease
on the residue of the land in this field, though nothing is hereby intended to lessen his future right to
surplice fees or Easter offerings. Secondly, He shall be allowed to have his land laid out in two portions,
one of which shall be near the rectory-house, and the other in such convenient place as shall be agreed.
The act then proceeds by the usual clauses and provisions to enable the parties who have only life
interests in the same, to raise money for effecting the inclosures, and concludes with the usual saving
clauses protecting the rights of the lord of the manor and the king.

X The agricultural survey states, that the enclosure of this field was not found so beneficial to the
land-owners as in many other places, the rent being hardly doubled. Before the enclosure, land was let
at 9*- or 10*. per acre. The commissioners quality price was from 30*. to 40*., and the average 24*.
tithe free. Mr. Coker's expence, both in Bicester and Wendlebury, was in workmanship, on the double
rows of post and rails, from felling the trees to railing, 2*. the pole of eight yards, underbanking 3d., quick-
setting 10c?. quick found. The whole expence of making and preserving for seven years, 13*. the row of
eight yards ; a mound on one side of the ditch, with three posts and three rails ; on the other a bank, and
post and rails. Agricul. Survey, p. 91-97.

WENDLEBURY. 177
" demolished in the year 1639," at which time a stone coffin was discovered
within the walls, at no great distance from the middle of the transept.* In
this mutilated state the edifice remained till the following century, when,
being found incapable of repair, it was taken down, and the present build
ing erected.
From a plan of the old church still remaining, it appears that at the
south-east corner of the " north cross," the staircase leading to the rood-loft
was constructed, and that " under an arch or anchoret f in the north wall
of the same cross, another stone coffin was found." The font was placed
opposite the door, and the pulpit and reading-desk on the south side, near
the entrance of the chancel : on a stone in the floor of the latter was this
remarkable epitaph :
Here lyes the body of that Reverend and painful labourer in Christ's harvest, pastor at
Bisseter, An0 49; at Wendlebury An. 39, deceased Sept. 19, 1653, Anno JEtatis. 77.
Anagram. Birde. Bride.
This Birde 's the Bride, the Lamb the bridegroom,
This grave 's the Bride's retiring room.
Old clothes must off, new ones be on
Against a joyful resurrection.
Thrice happy Birde, thrice happy Bride,
Thus to be wedded next Christ's side.
John Birde 's a Bride indeed, mounting aloft doth fly
To the sacred hills of blest eternity ;
Which place of rest now terminates his flight,
Crowning his faith with his Redeemer's sight.
* Dr. Plot asserts that the earth in this church possesses properties capable of preserving bodies from
putrefaction for a long time ; and says, " the body of one that had been rector of Wendlebury, was taken
up there near forty years after it had been buried, looked as red as raw beef," and adds, " whether the
preservation might not be caused by the petrifying qualities of the earth and water about the town, would
be an experiment worth the trial of the ingenious thereabout." Nat. Hist, of Oxfordshire, p. 217.
t MS. in possession of the rector. It appears the writer suspected that an anchoret, or hermit, had
his residence here, and at his death was buried in the stone coffin. — These anchorets were enthusiasts, who,
under a profession of religion, separated themselves from human society, and lived in a cell joined to a
church, built round with a wall, having a hole therein for light, and another below for their necessities.
They were maintained by the charity of the pious, and often visited for purposes of edification. Their
speeches frequently converted the scoffer, and induced him to become serious. As they were prohibited
all locomotion, some had an occasional attendant, who supplied them with necessaries. (See an ample
account in Fosbrooke's Monachism, p. 489-507.) In 1271 there were several anchorets in Oxford, who
were remembered in the wills of pious persons. Peshalfs Oxford, p. 318.
VOL. II. 2 A

178 WENDLEBURY.
In a south window were these arms, A. D. 1660.
Er. on a fesse B. 3 crosses molyn Or.
Ar. fretty ingrailed Sa. on each joynt a besant*
The present edifice, erected in 1761 f, is also cruciform, but of smaller
dimensions than the former, the whole of the space occupied by the ancient

* Lansdowne MS. No. 919- f- 69. Harl. MS. p. 4170.
t The following account of the rebuilding of the church, and the circumstances connected therewith,
are extracted from a MS. in the hand-writing of Robert Welborne, formerly rector of this village, and now
in the possession of the Rev. G. Dupuis. — " In October 1757, the archdeacon, Dr. Potter, visited paro
chially the diocese of Oxford, and on the 4th of the said month surveyed the parish-church, which ap
peared so ruinous that it was thought .£150. would hardly avail to put it into sufficient repair; and it
being represented that the parishioners could not raise that sum without distressing themselves, a brief was
proposed, and, after some time, obtained. On the 15th February, 1760, the archdeacon was informed by
letter that £217. 11*. ll§d. had by this means been collected, and was lodged in the hands of the trea
surer, and that £20. or £30. more was expected on the return of certain letters. It was therefore
inquired of the archdeacon, whether (considering the ruinous state of the church, and the declared opinion
of experienced surveyors that it was incapable of effectual repair) it would not be advisable to attempt
further means of raising money for the purpose of constructing a new edifice altogether. Some delay fol
lowed, though powerful interest ultimately procured a grant of letters patent, signed by Sir Robert Harley,
Keeper of the Great Seal, authorizing a general collection.
" Money being thus raised, and artisans and labourers collected, on Tuesday the 24th of March, A.D,
1761, the demolition of the old church "was commenced, while materials for the construction of a new one
were collected, the farmers and other inhabitants freely giving the carriage. On Monday se'nnight fol
lowing, being the 6th of April, I76I, the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone was thus performed.
At the warning of a bell, R. W. with divers of his parishioners, assembled in the church-yard, where, first
of all, certain chosencollects and select versicles out of the Psalms were read, and some alms given for the
sick and needy, and a bounty for the -workmen. And then the stone, having a leaden plate with the fol
lowing inscription let into it? was laid by R. W. under the south-western corner of the north side of the
cross. On the ceremony being thus performed, the parties concerned returned amidst the acclamation
of the standers by. Engraved on one side the plate let into the foundation-stone.
" Domum Deo Triuni sacram, ante annos septingentos primo aedificatam, currentibus saeculis aliquoties
reparatam, denuo collabescentem, ab imo ad summum authoritate sud suoq' et aliorum sumptu restaurari
fecit Johannes Potter Archidiaconus Oxoniensis, cooperante Roberto Wendleburiensis Ecclesiae Curato,"
On the reverse.
" Christo Auspice. In memoriam Beati Petri Apostolorum Primi nee non Sancti iEgidii hujus
Ecclesiae Patroni olim a primo fundamine co-optati, hunc Lapidem Angularem de novo posuit Robertus
Wendleburiensis postridie Nonas Aprilis Anno Domini MDCCLXI. Opus hodie feliciter inceptum ad feli-
cem exitum producat Deus!"

WENDLEBURY: 179
chancel being now excluded ; it is nevertheless enclosed by pales, and con
tains several memorials. of the Bees, formerly patrons of the church.
The ancient tower is fourteen inches out of the perpendicular; it contains
three bells and a sanctus.
The pulpit and reading-desk stand near the middle of the nave at the
entrance of the chancel ; they are quite plain : — there is a small gallery for
the singers. The edifice is conveniently furnished with pews and seats for
the use of the parishioners.
On a stone near the belfry-door is an inscription for Thomas Robartes, who died
31st August, 1678, aged 71 ; and in the aisle leading to the tower, another for Ann, the
wife of William Basson, who died 5th May, 1701, aged 61 years; and at no great dis
tance, " Ann Walker died 26th June, 1813, aged 15 years."
On a small marble tablet in the north wall of the chancel :
Robert Welborne, M. A. rector of this parish thirty-four years and upwards, died
8th October, 1764, in the 71st year of his age.
By his learning and exemplary life he procured himself the respect and esteem of all
who knew him, and by his constant exercise of every duty belonging to a parish priest, as
well as by every sort of assistance which he gave towards the rebuilding this parish-church,
which was..pulled down in March 1761, and rebuilt and fit for service 25th April, 1762.
His name will be dear to the parishioners of Wendlebury as long as it shall be re
membered. On the floor of the chancel are inscriptions to the memory of
Zachary Hussey, rector of Wendlebury, who died September 18, 1719, aged 63. Mrs.
Margaret Hussey, who died August 12, 1726, aged 30 years. Stephen Cupper, rector
of this church, who died April 10, 1676, aged 26.* Ann Bonb, July 12, 1693. The Rev.
Thomas Bertie Egerton, B. A. died August 26, 1785, aged 40; and Lucy Ann Du-
puis, who died November 29, 1810, aged 7 years.
" On Thursday, April 15, 1762, being one year and nine days from the laying the foundation-stone, the
church was opened to a numerous congregation of parishioners, and a sermon preached from Psalm cxxvii.
verse 1, by the rector." * This is in Latin.

180 WENDLEBURY.
Within the rails of the communion-table in the chancel are two inscrip
tions nearly obliterated, one of them for  Bee, 1693, aged thirty-nine ;
and the other for Matthew Bee, rector, 1673, aged forty-five ; and near
them is a stone thus inscribed :
Here 's One In All Things Little ; Unworthy Man
Of All He Hopes T Enjoy; Pth World to Come
Lord Make Me One Of Those Who See Thy Face
Always in Heav'n, Tho' There In Lowest Place.
John Bond Cornub. Hujus Ecclesiae Recr Admodum Indignus, Ob. 23 Mar. A. D. 1692,
iEtatis suse 53. Scrip. Manu sua.
On a stone within the space included within the railing, formerly a part
of the chancel, but now a part of the church-yard :
In the grave of his father, Matthew Bee, late rector of Wendlebury, here lieth the
body of Edward Bee ofBeckley, gent, who died 16th March, 1762, aged 91.
At the west end of the church is a tomb to the memory of John Bee,
esq. justice, of peace for the county of Kent, who died February 22, 1723,
aged fifty-nine. Near it is also another for Mrs. Ann Bee, the wife of Mr.
John Bee, citizen of London, who departed this life March 9» 1706 ; on
either tomb are the arms of Bee. Near the tower is another tomb for
William Tanner, who died in August 1742, aged fifty-nine; Martha his wife,
who died in July 1759, aged seventy ; Elizabeth their daughter, who died
1750, aged thirty ; Edward Tanner, who died August 8, 1755, aged thirty-
six ; and Sarah his wife, who died October 2, 176*2, aged forty-eight.
The cemetery contains gravestones for the Bartletts, Vennimores, Lands,
Clements, &c. — The base of the cross also still exists.
The church and church-yard are situated on an elevated plot of land on
the west side of the village. Ecclesiastical Matters.
The church of Wendlebury was originally a chapel of ease to the ad
joining church of Chesterton, but, after its separation and endowment, paid
annually 6s. Sd. in token of subjection. This sum, at the ordination of the

WENDLEBURY. 181
vicarage of Chesterton, was reserved to the vicar, and formed a part of his
revenues. The actual time of separation is unknown, though it probably
took place in the twelfth century.
Rectors. , Patrons.
1218. Eustace de Godervill.* Presented by Walter de Godervill,
guardian to Robert de Paveley.
1231. Geoffrey de Leicester.* Sir Robert de Paveley.
William ; died 1275. Sir Robert de Paveley.
1275. Henry de Paveley, pres. 2 non. Nov. ; died 1297. f Sir Robert de Paveley.
1292. Pope Nicholas' commissioners value the church at £7- %
1297. William deBlackth urn, pres. 18kal.Dec.§; died 1315. Sir Laurence de Paveley.
1315. William de Paveley, pres. 18 kal. Maii ; || died 1339. Sir Laurence de Paveley.
1339. Geoffrey de Paveley, pres. 6 id. Feb. If Sir Robert de Paveley.
1340. This year the inquisition of the ninths was thus taken :
Ecclia poch ejusdm cii omib3 porcionib3 suis taxat ad vij1' cuje' non' agn' veft & garb
assedit' ad vj11 xiijs iiijd no' plus put p inquis' diet' jur' patet a. fenu minut' decie Sc oblat'
valet xxvjs viijd nc sut catatt, Sec.**
Rectors. Patrons.
1403. Roger Saunders, 24 Sept.; resigned 1414. ft J°an Chetwynd, widow.
1414. William Waldegrave, pres. 23 Nov. %% Joan Chetwynd.
Michael James; resigned 1418.
1418. Nicholas Byllingdon, pres. 9 July.§§
Richard Hybling; resigned 1443.
1443. Richard Dalley, pres. 29 Oct. ; resigned 1452. |||| Thos. Winslow and Agnes his wife.
1452. Henry Browning, pres, 28 Sept. Thos. Winslow and Agnes his wife.
John Smith; died 1461.
1461. John Longe, pres. 2 Dec. ; died 1472. HH Jacob Tyrrimber, als Toke of
Bradford, co. Wilts.
1472. John Hall, pres. 24 June***; died 1485. Jacob Tyrrimber.
* 10 & 23 Hugh Wells. t 18 Ric. Gravesend. | In 1254 it was valued at nine marks.
§ 19 Oliv. Sutton. || Reg. Dalderby. 1T Reg. Burgwersh.
** Inquisit. Nonarum, p. 132, b. tt Reg. Beaufort. tt Reg. Repingdon.
§§ Reg. Chichle Archiep. Cant. 97. Par. Ant. vol. ii. p. 389. He was rector of Halton, co.Camb.
|||| Dalley was vicar of Wycombe. Reg. Alnwick.
¥1T Reg. Chedworth, *** Reg. Rotherbam.

182 WENDLEBURY.
Rectors. Patrons.
1485. Hugh Bursville, admit. 16 Oct. Humphrey Seymour.
William Holden; died 1510.
1510. Richard Seymour, 22 Dec; died 1511* Simon Seymour.
1511. John Cox, pres. 19 July; died 1513. Simon Seymour.
1513. Griffin David Buy, pres. 15 May. Simon Seymour.
1532, 26 Hen. VIII. This year the general valuation of ecclesiastical
benefices was effected, and the rectory entered as under : £ s. d
Wendylbury. Griffith David Bye, rector ibm & rcoria sua valet") .;
i -u • ~ _ _ > xii — —
g annu cum rep's, coib3 annis ex recogmcoe sui sug sacrm suu . . _>
Sma  xii — —
Inde
Resolucoes. SC1I3. In pcuracoib3 & sinodalibj annuati' solut'~i
archno Oxon' g annu  S
Sma alloc'  — x viij
Et reman' clar'  xj ix iiij
Decima pars dno Regi  — xxij xj q' f
Rectors. Patrons.
"Presented by William Webster, rector of Blithley,
and Robert White, rector of Beeston-Basset, by
assignment of Alexander Seymour and Isabel
his wife, the patrons.
ir«c> n i.1 1 .0 iA c 1clu •• fBy Oliver Whittington, M. D., and P. Manew,
1578. Cuthbert Scott §, pres. 15 May; J * s ' . -,„.„.
,. in™r S surgeon, ot Oxford, by concession of William
died I0O0. ¥T ° ,
^ Hadden ot Cottestord, yeoman. ||
1605. Roger Ewer, M.A. inst. 24 May; died 1614. Thomas Hitch, gent.
1614; John Bird, adm. & inst. 29 Nov.; diedl653-1f Thomas Aldrich, gent, of Yardington.

vnj

1538. William Browning ; died 1578. J ¦<

* Reg. Smith. t Valor Eccles. vol. ii. p. 160. t Ex Reg. Eccles.de Wendlebury.
§ There was one Cuthbert Scott, master of Christ's College, and prebendary of York, who in April
1554 was sent from Cambridge to Oxford, with other learned doctors, to dispute with archbishop Cranmer
and bishops Ridley and Latimer on matters of religion, by order of queen Mary ; he afterwards became
bishop of Chester, and perhaps was a relative of the. rector of Wendlebury.
|| Excerpt, ex Reg. Grindal, arch'ep'i Cant. Kennett's MSS. in Brit. Mus. — Probably the patron here
referred to was William Arderne (spelt in mistake' Hadden), for a very respectable family of that name had
been settled for many generations at Cottsford.
H Ex Reg. Epis. Oxon. vol. ii. He afterwards purchased the rectory, then valued at ,£100. per ann.
" Joh'es Birde Theol. Doctor ten. advocaco'em R'tor' de Wendlebury, — idem Joh'es incumbens valet st.

WENDLEBURY. 183
Rectors. Patrons.
Mathew Bee*; died Nov. 1674.
1674. Stephen Cupper, Nov. ; died 1676. f Thomas Bee of Oxford.
1676. John Bond, A.M. inst. 23 May; died 1693. J Thomas Bee.
1693. Zachary Hussey, ind. 28 June ; died 1719. Thomas Bee of London.
f Presented by John Hammond, S. T. P., Thomas
1719. Thomas Turner, adm. &inst. 1 Oct.; I Burton, Francis lord bishop of Chester, William
died 1730. "j Stratford, S. T. P., John lord bishop of Oxford,
(^ canons of Ch. Ch. Oxon, the patrons.
1730. Robert Welbome§,adm.25June,l730; diedl764. Dean and Chap, of Ch. Ch.
1764. Joshua Kyte, D.D. 21 Dec; died 1788. Dean and Chap, of Ch. Ch.
1789. George Dupuis, 15 April. || Dean and Chap, of Ch. Ch.
The Parish Register
Begins April 26, 1579, with the following entry :
Cuthbert Scott, son of Cuthbert Scott, parson, baptized the six-and-twentieth day of April.
Extracts, &c.
Master John Bird, minister, was buried the 20th day of Sept. in the year 1653.
The indefatigable Mr. Welborne has extracted and arranged the whole
of the names in the parish register in a volume alphabetically, and to each
name appended some short remarks. From this curious MS. the following
extracts are selected.
Bee, Vincent, died about ye age of 23, proceeded A.M. from Exeter Coll. Oxon, June 6, 1681.
Bee, John, Hosier in London, buried at Wendlebury ; his two daughters are now living at
Shrewsbury, and possess an estate at Wendlebury by inheritance from their grand
father.
Bee, Margaret, died, and was buried at Wendlebury, aged 20.
CH." Harl. MS. No. 843^-Probably he or his descendants sold it to Matthew Bee. Bird was also vicar
of Bicester ; he was buried in Wendlebury chancel.
* Matthew Bee was a " determining Bachelaur of University College in the Lent time 1650-1," who
in July 1652 twice examined the indefatigable antiquary, Anthony h. Wood, in the divinity-school, Oxford,
for the degree of B. A. Life of Wood by himself, prefixed to Bliss's ed. of Athenae Oxonien.
t He died at the early age of twenty-six, and was buried at Wendlebury April 18, 1676.
X Mr. Bond was noted for a fine collection of Alchester coins ; he was buried in Wendlebury chancel
March 25, 1693.
§ He was also rector of Bletchly, co. Bucks. Pat. 17 Geo. II. || Ex Regis. Eccl. de Wendlebury.

184 WENDLEBURY.
Bee, Henry, Mercer in London, where he died, aged about 40.
Bee, Thomas, ye eldest son of Mathew Bee, rector, is not registered. He was a Mercer at
Oxford, and afterwards at London ; he died at Petworth, and was buried at Wen
dlebury.
Bee, Edward, ye youngest son of Mat. Bee, rector, is not registered. He was a Mercer and
Vintner with his brother Thomas at London: if now living, aged 69, A . D. 1739 ; and
has married his only daughter to Dr. Theophilus Lee, Master of Baliol Coll. Oxon*
Bee, Anne, ye youngest daughter of Mat. Bee, rector, married Rob. White, Mercer at Ox
ford; is now living at London with her daughter, who is married to Dr. Joseph Trap.
Bee, Mathew, another son not registered, belonged to the Guards, and died young in London.
Burials.
Bee, Mathew, rector of this parish, Nov. 16, 1674.
Bee, Margaret, daughter of Mathew, at Oxon, August 2, 1684.
Bee, Thomas, citizen of London, March 16, 1693.
Bee, Ann, wife of John of London, March 16, 1706.
Bond, John, rector of Wendlebury, March 25, 1693.
Mem. He proceeded M.A. from Exeter Coll. June 16, 1666; so that he died
about the 52d year of his age.
Dawson, Richard, son of Richard, February 26, 1667.
Mem. Richard Dawson's gravestone is said to be the first that ever was set up
in the church-yard of Wendlebury ; it stands near the porch, and that
of his widow close by: — so say Thomas Tr afford and Thomas Fennimore.-f
Fennimore, •>, Thomas, son of Roger, April 25, 1611.
or > Roger, son of Roger, March 26, 1619.
Vennemore.-^ Elizabeth, son of Roger, November 26, 1625.
William, son of William, December 12, 1685.
Joseph, son of William, July 22, 1695.
Marianne, widow, April 27, 1635.
Goodchild, John, Aug. 30, 1678. He was a blacksmith, famous for his exploits at boxing.
Newman, Fulk, March 5, 1680. A relation of Mr. Bee; he lived at the parsonage-house,
and was non compos.
Turner, Thomas, rector of Wendlebury at St. Giles's, Oxon, May 1730; of Ch. Ch. M.A.
1704 ; died about the 50th year of his age.
* In another part of the same volume it is added, that E. Bee died at the lodgings of Dr. Leigh, in the
ninety-first year of his age, and was buried in his father's grave at the north end of the chancel March
22, 1763.
t From this circumstance it is pretty evident that gravestones generally did not exist much before
the seventeenth century.

WENDLEBURY. 185
Martin Watson, Aug. 24, 1738; came hither from Burford, where he had a good estate, in
which having settled his son, he came hither, and lived upon an estate of £80. per
annum, lately purchased by him of  Crotchley. He was originally servant to
bishop Bew, in whose service, and by his own industry and good luck in farming
chiefly, he died possessed of estates to the value of several thousand pounds.*
This curious MS. closes with the following observations :
" In the Register of Wendlebury, to which the preceding pages are indexes, are con
tained the christenings, burials, and marriages of one hundred and sixty-one years, from
A.D. 1529 to A.D. 1738 inclusive.
" From 1579 to 1608, viz. 25 years, are 24 births registered.
1608 to 1615, viz. 12 ditto, are 73 ditto
1615 to 1627, viz. 12 ditto, are 57 ditto.
1627 to 1640, viz. 13 ditto, are 56 ditto.
1640 to 1674, viz. 34 ditto, are 69 ditto.
1674 to 1692, viz. 18 ditto, are 101 ditto.
1692 to 1718, viz. 26 ditto, are 103 ditto.
1718 to 1729, viz. 11 ditto, are 31 ditto.
1729 to 1738, viz. 9 ditto, are 42 ditto.

The whole of births registered in 160 years, are 556. Whereof 271 are Males, and
285 Females. Buried at Wendlebury in said 160 years, Males 150 ; Females 137. — Married
80 couples.
Benefaction of William Browning to the Poor of the
Parish.
In the dark ages of popery certain arable lands in the common field of
Wendlebury were given by some unknown individual to maintain lamps for
the altar, or the image of the patron saint, in the parish-church of that village ;
but in the confiscating times of Henry VIII. under the pretence of effecting a
reformation in religion, the estate was seized by the minions of the crown -j~,

* There is also " a Continuation of the Index upon the same plan, from the death of Robert Welbome
in 1764 to the 25th of July, 1794, the day in which" the present rector " commenced resident in the
parsonage, all extracted from the old register" by himself.
f Chantry lands, &c. were given to the crown by act of parliament 1 Edw. VI. but as this " light"
is not mentioned in the Roll preserved in the Augmentation-office, it is evident the estate had been pre
viously confiscated.
VOL. II. 2 B

186 WENDLEBURY.
and afterwards granted, by letters patent, bearing date 20th of December,
3 Edw. VI. to Simon Parrett of Oxford.*
William Browning, then rector, lamenting the misapplication of this
ancient religious benefaction, piously re-purchased the lands of the grantee,
and by deed of feoffment, bearing date 15 queen Elizabeth, A. D. 1573,
gave them to the poor of this village for ever. This bequest, then of the
annual value of 3s. 4d. only, is now settled by the commissioners under the
act of enclosure, and consists of two acres and a half of land, the rent of
which is distributed by the rector at Christmas in equal proportion to the
poor resident parishioners. Historical Particulars.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor, Wendlebury was the property of
Algar, earl of Essex and Mercia j, and at his death descended to his son
Edwin, from whom it was wrested by William the Conqueror, either when
he and his brother Morcar revolted on the king's refusing him the hand of
his daughter in marriage A. D. 1068 §, or seized after he was slain in his
* Probably a relative of Robert Parrett, the organist of Magdalen College, who enriched himself by
the spoil of religious houses. See Peshall's Oxford, p. 326.
X Algar was the son of Leofric, earl of Mercia, and the celebrated lady Godiva, who rode naked through
Coventry to free the inhabitants from servitude. He obtained the earldom of Essex upon the relinquish
ment of that dignity by Harold, when he succeeded his father Godwin as earl of Kent, A.D. 1053.
Within two years the intrigues of Algar led to his banishment by a great council held in London ; he
however speedily returned from Ireland, whither he had fled, with several ships, and incited Griffin, prince
of Wales, to join in an invasion of Herefordshire. Their enterprise proving successful, the chieftains who
opposed him advised the king to receive him into favour, and restore his estates, in hope of healing the
distractions of civil war, to which Edward accordingly agreed. Two years after, on the death of earl
Leofric, his father (an. 1057), he succeeded to the earldom of Mercia, but the following year was ba
nished, though again restored to his honours and estates by the assistance of Griffin and the Norway
fleet. He died A.D. 1059, leaving two sons, Edwin, who succeeded him as earl of Mercia, and Morcar,
who became earl of Northumberland; besides two daughters, Algitha, married to Harold, subsequently king
of England, and Lucie, first the wife of Ivo Talbois, earl of Anjou; secondly, of Roger de Romere ; and
thirdly, of Ranulf, earl of Chester.
$ After the death of Harold, Edwin and Morcar hastened to London, and solicited the citizens to

WENDLEBURY. 187
flight to Scotland in 1071. The lordship was subsequently bestowed upon
Geoffrey de Magnaville, a Norman warrior, who greatly distinguished him
self in the battle of Hastings; but the lands themselves continued in posses
sion of Sawall, a Saxon of some consequence, who seems to have held them
in the time of earl Algar, and at the general inquisition A.D. 1081, they
were thus entered in Domesday-book.
Sasuualo ten de Gosfridi de Manneville Wandesberie. Ibi st viii hidee.
Tra viii car. Nc in dnio. n . car 7 in serui. 7 1111 uitti cu v. bord hnt 111 .
car. Pati viii q"rent lg 7 n q!^ lat. Pastura xv. qarent 7 11 qj lat. Valuit
7 uai c . sol. Asgar tenuit.*
Translation.] Sawal holds Wendlebury of Geoffrey de Magnaville. There are eight
hides there, land to eight ploughs, now in the demesne two ploughs and three bondmen, and
four villanes with eight bordars have three ploughs. Meadow eight quarentens long and two
broad ; pasture fifteen quarentens long and two broad. It was and is worth one hundred
shillings. Algar held it.*
The lordship descended from Geoffrey to William de Mandeville his
eldest son, who married Margaret, daughter to Eudo dapifer, or steward
to the king, and in the reign of Stephen devolved upon Geoffrey his grand
son, a nobleman whom that monarch regarded as so decidedly attached to
his interest, that he committed the suppression of an early rebellion to his
confer the sovereignty upon one of them ; but failing therein, they submitted to duke William at Berk-
hampstead, and Edwin was promised his daughter in marriage. The policy of the king inducing him to
neglect the fulfilment of his promise, the two brothers were precipitated into an insurrection, and after
wards induced to throw themselves upon William's clemency, on a promise of being received into favour.
Morcar, however, again rebelled, and was again persuaded to submit, when the king finding he could no
longer trust him, threw him into prison. When this event became known to Edwin, he immediately
attempted to assemble an army to release his brother, and actually drew together a number of Scots,
Welsh, and English; but three of his principal military officers betrayed him to the Normans, and he was
surprised and killed with a few attendants A. D. 1071. He was much lamented by his countrymen, and
even the unrelenting king condemned the treacherous wretch who presented hirn with his head, to per
petual exile. Order. Vital, p. 521. Saxon Chron. p. 181.
* Vol. i. No. xxxix. f. 160. Bawdwen, p. 49.

188 WENDLEBURY.
valour and fidelity, appointed him constable of the Tower of London, and
created him earl of Essex. But afterwards, understanding that he had been
largely bribed by Maud, his competitor to the crown, the king suddenly
seized him at St. Alban's (8 Steph.), stripped him of great part of his pos
sessions, and set him at liberty. Thus degraded and impoverished, Geoffrey
collected a few soldiers, and, joining with William de Say, a warlike
man, who had married his sister on her divorce from Hugh Talbot of Nor
mandy, commenced and pursued a career of indiscriminate plunder and
rapine. At length, becoming mortally wounded, and knowing that he had
been solemnly excottimunicated by the abbot of Ramsey for stealing the
plate and vestments of the church, he expressed great contrition for his
crimes, and endeavoured to make all the satisfaction in his power. These
circumstances coming to the knowledge of some Knights Templars, they put
on him the habit of their Order, signed with a red cross, carried his dead
body into their orchard at the Old Temple, London, enclosed it in lead, and
hung it on a crooked tree, where it remained until the prior of Walden
procured his absolution of pope Alexander III., when the knights buried it
privately at the western entrance of their church.
Ernulph, the eldest son, adopting the irregular courses of his father, was
also banished by king Stephen, and never suffered to return ; but Henry II.
restored the honours and estates to Geoffrey his younger brother, and after
wards employed him, with Richard de Lucy, to repel the incursions of the
Welsh. On their reaching Chester, Geoffrey, however, suddenly fell sick
and died (A.D. 1167), when several ancient knigbts, who had long attended
both himself and his father, after having taken out his brains and bowels,
seasoned the rest of his, body with salt, wrapped it in a good hide, and,
enclosing it in a coffin, conveyed it to Walden, and there buried it, lest
Rohesa his mother should take it to the priory of Chicksand, which she had
lately founded.
This nobleman was succeeded in the earldom of Essex and in his paternal
estates by William his brother, alike remarkable for valour and piety, who
not only proved a liberal benefactor to Walden-abbey, but directed his
heart to be carried thither for interment. He departed this life at Roan in

WENDLEBURY. 189
Normandy, 2 Ric. I. without issue, when his honours, &c. reverted to his
aunt Beatrix de Say *, but in consequence of her age and decrepitude, were
given to Geoffrey Fitz-piers, the husband of Beatrix her eldest daughter,
and at his death, 14 King John, the fee of Wendlebury passed to Humphrev
de Bohun in right of Maud, the only daughter of the aforesaid Geoffrey -j~ ;
and subsequently became the property of Humphrey his son, usually called
the good earl of Hereford. ^
But the families -which obtained immediate possession of the lands in
Wendlebury under the Norman kings, were those of Sewall de Ossevill^,
perhaps a descendant of the Sewall mentioned in the Conqueror's survey,
and Sancta Fide, or Saint Faith. Some of these became early benefactors
to Thame abbey, and the Cartulary of that house states, that Walter de
Sancta Fide, with the assent of Hamund his son, gave to God, and the
church of St. Mary of Thame, an acre of his meadow in this parish ; that
Hamund his son gave a virgate of land (circ. 1196), which Gilbert, son of
Aldewin, held in Wendlebury, that the bodies of himself and his wife might
be buried in the conventual church ; and that (8 Ric. I.) Walkelin, son of
Roger, with the assent of Sewall de Ossevill his lord, gave the monks the
whole of his meadow called Baillebensham, and two pieces of his arable
land in the same village. || These several donations were successively con
firmed by the popes Innocent V., Eugene, and Alexander II.
The record denominated Testa de Nevil, compiled in the reign of
Henry III. states, that two knights fees in Wendlebury were then in pos
session of Sewall de Ossevill, and two others of the Honour of the earl of
r Dugdale's Baronage, vol. i. p. 200-206. t Ib. p. 703-705. X lb. p. 1 SO.
§ The Leiger-book of Saundford contains a charter, purporting to be a grant by this Sewall de Ossevill,
of a grove called East Lyott, lying towards the north part of Alchester, to the Knights Templars, with the
consent of Geoffrey de Mandevil his lord. — This benefaction, Kennett says, was made before the l6th
Hen. II. A.D. 1170; and immediately quotes a charter of Algar earl of Essex, confirming the gift to the
Knights from the same MS. But as it is evident earl Algar died above sixty years before the Order
arose this latter charter must be a forgery ; and the Hundred Roll recognizing no estate in Wendlebury
as the property of the Knights Templars 7 Edw. I. goes far towards invalidating the authenticity of the
instrument said to be granted by Sewall de Ossevill.
II Cotton MSS. Julius. C. vii. f. 304, b. The extracts from the Cartulary of Thame commence at the
287th folio of this volume, but some of the preceding references point to the folio of the extracts.

190 WENDLEBURY.
Hereford and Essex, severally held by Hamo de Sancta Fide*, and William,
son of Amory. -j- The whole of these lands were subsequently granted to
Amory de St. Amand, a young nobleman (grandson of a baron of the same
name, in high esteem with the king), who came of age A.D. 1255
(40 Hen. III.) and the following year was summoned to fit himself with
horse and arms, and attend with two knights of his retinue at Bristol, on
the octaves of St. Peter, to resist the hostile attempts of the Welsh. £
The following is the result of the inquisition 7 Edw. I. A. D. 1279-
Wendlebur'. Contin3 in se octo hidat' te & respodit p duob3 scut' qando scutag'
currit Americo de Sco Amando et Vic' Oxonie ht ingressu in dca villa ad visu franci pleg'
8c p adventu suo hebit ij qHr?ia avenie & no mag' ric min9.
Robs de Paveli ten3 in pdca We'delbue' advocacom ecce et nichil aliud.
Ric' le Pore ten3 unam virgatam ?e in dnico & solvit releviu & scutag' pdco Americo
de Sco Amando.
Elienor' de Luci § ten3 in |>dca vitt iiij virgat' te in dnico & solvit dno capital releviu &
scutag' qando currit & de dno Anieric' de Sco Amando & ide de honor' Com' H'fordie
de constabular' A'gle.
De N ati vis. Johes Alwit ten3 in j5dca villa di' virg' ?e de Ric' le Pouer in villinag'
p vjs viijd p ann.
Martin5 Ruphs Thom' Herlewin' Nicli Bugg' quil3 eos di' virg' p eode ssvico.
Ric' Milsay ten3 unam di' virgatam re in villinag' p iij5 iiijd p ann'.
' Hamo de Sancta Fide, or Saint Faith, held one of the knights' fees belonging to Sewall de Ossevill.
Testa de Nevil, p. 105 ; and seems to have generally resided on his estate; for he appears as a subscribing
witness to a charter of Simon de Meriton, conveying Agnes, one of his vassals, to the Knights Templars,
and another of the same person, granting them a meadow of four acres in Merton. He also witnesses two
charters of William del Osse, granting lands to the same community, near the house of Walter de Merlac,
and the great pasture, i. e. Otmoor. Cartular. de Saundford, f. 103. He also attests several benefactions
of James le Bret to Bicester priory. Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 245-266, as well as divers legal instruments
between other religious communities who had lands in this neighbourhood. Vide Reg. de Oseney, Reg.
de S. Frideswida, &c. There was one Henry de St. Faith made abbot of Nottley about 1236. Reg.
Epis. Lincoln. t Testa de Nevil, p. 102. 105, and 117- b.
X Claus. 40 Hen. III. m. 14. Claus. 41 Hen. III. m. 6. in dorso.
§ This lady was the widow of Geoffrey de Lucy, one of the barons who opposed Henry, but in 126l made
their peace with that monarch. Geoffrey was afterwards a party to the Provisiones Oxonii, and in the
4Qth Hen. III. as a feudal tenant of the earl of Hereford, joined Montfort earl of Leicester; but escaping
death in the great battle of Evesham, fled to the castle of Gloucester, which he subsequently surrendered
to prince Edward, upon condition of pardon, thenceforward demeaning himself as a loyal subject. Dugd.
Baronage, vol. i. p. 563.

WENDLEBURY. 191
Ric' Clarisse Witts u?3 illofc di' virg' eod 'sVico.
Alica Gerard ten3 unam virgatam ?e in villinag' de Elianor' de Luc' p vjs viijd.
Alica le Werre ten3 unam virgatam p iijs iiij ^ & Alica dimid de Thom' de Grenewitt de
feod Elenor' de Luci p viijs.
Matild Rogli tenet unam virgatam in villinag' de Matild de Grenewitt de feod ^dce
Elianor' xvj3.
Johes de Mudeligton' ten' unam virgatam ?e in villinag' de Abbat' de Tham' &, solvit
p annu v sol.
Johes de Otigdon' ten3 de eode j virgatam in villinag' pv'p ann'.
Johes Pakema ten3 di' virgat' ?e de P'orissa de Stodle de feod Elianor' de Luci & solvit
P'orisse xs p ann.
De Lib'is. Henr' fil Witti ten3 j virgat' de Thom' de Grenewitt de feod jktce Elianor'
de Luc' p ijs p ann'.
Hugo de Cestton' ten3 unam virgatam 2e de Ric' de Lillegesto clro de feodo Elianor' de
Luci p xijd g ann'.
Johes Clemct tenet unam virgatam te de P'ore Burncestrie & solvit p ann' xijs iiijd
de feod pdce Elianor'.
Gilebs Golde ten3 unam virgatam ?e de Abbat' de Nottel de feodo $dce Elianor3
p xijs g ann'.
Johes Damal ten3 unam virgat' te de eode Abbe & de eode feod p Xs p ann'.
Ric' de Frankelayn ten3 unam di' virgatam ?e de Elianor' de Luc' & solvit p ann'
Thom' de Grenewil xviijd.
Abbas le Tham' ten3 in $dca Wendlebur' v virgat' ?e in dnico de dno Amaric' de
Sco Amando.
Ric' le Lulliggeston clrs ten3 de eode una virgatam p vs g ann'.*
Rector ecce de Wedelbur' ten5 di' virgatam ?e de feod Elianor* de Luci & solvit scutag'
dno Americ' p q3ntitate te.
Ide rctor ten3 di' virgatam te de feodo Ric' le Por.'-f
1282. This year, in consideration of the payment of six hundred marks,
Amory de St. Amand obtained the wardship of the heirs of Robert de
Kaynes, and the forestership of the forest of Braden j ; but he had only en
joyed them three summers, when he was cut off by disease, leaving Guy, his
son and heir, seventeen years of age-. § This young nobleman, however, did
not long survive his father, and was succeeded in his paternal honours and
* These lands seem to have been eventually conveyed to the convent of Rewley. Cotton MSS. Jul.
C. vii. f. 297. + Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 834.
X Rot. Fin. 11 Edw. I. m. 24. § Esch. 14 Edw. I. No. 20.

192 WENDLEBURY.
estates by his brother Almeric, who, 22 Edw. I. having accomplished his
full age, was employed in the wars of Gascony.* He subsequently served
in the expeditions against Scotland, was summoned to parliament from 28
Edw. I. to 4 Edw. II. , and departing this life, was succeeded by John, a
younger brother, in the civil or canon law. -j-
Kennett says, that the manorial estate and advowson of the church
ultimately became united in the PaveliesJ, and in the reign of Edward II.
passed from Sir Lawrence § to Sir Reginald Pavely, a valiant knight, who,
A. D. 1323, married Alice, the widow of John St. John, the lord of the
manors of Stanton St. John, and Great Barton. || That in the following
reign it was the property of Sir Walter de Pavely, the cousin and heir of
Henry bishop of Lincoln, who, 21 Edw. III. released to Richard le Forrester
all his right in the manor of Conesgrave near Pokesle. He also intimates
that by purchase, or marriage, the manor of Wendlebury subsequently
passed to the Chetwynds, and in 1402 was in possession of a lady of that
family, named Joan, from whom it descended to Thomas Wynslow, esq. and
Agnes his wife.
The silence of the public records renders it impossible for the present
writer to authenticate or dispute the accuracy of this statement ; it is, how
ever, extremely probable that the lordship of this village continued to be
vested in the successive earls of Hereford and Essex, till the death of Hum
phrey de Bohun, the tenth earl of that family, who dying 16 cal. February,
* Rot. Claus. 22 Edw. I. m. 8. in dorso. f Dugd. Baronage, vol. ii. p. 20.
| Par. Antiq. vol. ii. p. 232. This family was descended from Reginald de Pavely, the founder of
the abbey of Lisle Dieu in the diocese of Rhemes, A. D. 1187, who had his anniversary observed October
29. Neustria Pia, p. 885. In the reign of king John, Jeffery, the son of Robert de Pavely, who held
the advowson of Wendlebury church, paid a fine of fourscore pounds and one hundred shillings for livery
of his lands; in the fourth year of the same king, he answered for four knights fees in Northamptonshire ;
and in the fifth, gave one mark for a trial of Mort d' Ancestor, between him, and Agnes the wife of Wil
liam de Rutington, concerning three bovates of land in Rutington. Thoroton's Antiq. of Notting.
p. 65. a. The arms of Pavel)' were, a cross floure.
§ Rex concessit Laurentio de Paveley in feodo totam terr' suam in Parcy et Houghton in com' North',
Risley in com' Nottingham, el Winfield in com' Derby, concess' Rob'to de Paveley per Will'm Peverell
ad faciend' sicut unus miles. Pat. Rot. 3 Edw. III.
|| Dodsworth's MSS. vol. xxxv. f. 126. Par. Ant. vol. i. p. 565.

WENDLEBURY. 193
46 Edw. III., leaving two daughters coheirs, this portion of his inheritance
passed to Eleanor the eldest, the wife of Thomas of Woodstock, duke of
Gloucester, the sixth son of Edward III. * ; for it appears by an inquisition
taken at her death A. D. 1399, " that she died in possession of one knight's
fee in Wendlebury, which Almaric de St. Amand formerly held, valued at
100s. whenever they became due."f This knight's fee she devised to
Isabel her daughter, then an inmate at the Minoresses in London, who
having taken the veil, it escheated to the crown J, ahd was granted to
Edmund earl of Stafford in right of Anne his wife, the sister of the aforesaid
Isabel, and the daughter and coheir of Thomas duke of Gloucester §; but
this nobleman being slain in the battle of Shrewsbury A. D. 1402, it de
volved upon Humphrey his son and heir. ||
The land in Wendlebury specified in the Hundred Roll to be held by
Richard le Poure, temp. Edw. I. of Amory de St. Amand, seems to have
* Thomas, the sixth son of king Edward, was born at Woodstock in this county in January 1355, and
in his nineteenth year contracted to Alinore, one of the daughters of the late Humphrey de Bohun, in
whose right he succeeded to the constableship of England, and a great part of her possessions. Richard II.
created him earl of Buckingham, and constituted him a joint commander, with his brother the earl of
Cambridge, of the forces destined to oppose the French invasion on his accession to the throne. He was
subsequently employed to suppress the insurrection of Jack Straw, engaged in several military operations in
France and Flanders, and 9 Ric. II. created duke of Gloucester, and allowed ,£1000. per annum to sup
port his new dignity. But, after some time, joining the earl of Arundel and others to oppose the duke of
Ireland, the king's favourite, he became extremely obnoxious to his sovereign ; and it is said that the king
at last effected his destruction in the following way. — Under colour of hunting, Richard visited Plessy, the
residence of the duke and his family, pretended much friendship for him, and announced his intention
of being hereafter guided by the counsel of his party. He then informed the duke, that his uncles
of Lancaster and York would be in London on the morrow, and urged him to proceed thither the same
evening in his company, assuring him that his presence was confidently expected by the citizens. The
duke, suspecting no harm, consented, and about six o'clock, after the monarch had supped, got on horse
back, accompanied by about seven servants, and proceeded as far as Stratford, when he was suddenly
arrested by Thomas Mowbray the earl marshal, and conveyed to an hostel, called the Prince's Inn, at
Calais. Here he was told it was the king's pleasure that he must immediately suffer death. After
a short time spent in confession to a priest, the marshal's servants threw him upon a bed, and held another
over his mouth till he died, some of them hypocritically weeping and praying on their knees for his soul.
This inhuman murder was effected on Saturday after the feast of St. Bartholomew, A. D. 1397 ; but, in
stead of increasing the stability of his nephew's government, only served to precipitate the insurrection,
which ultimately deprived Richard of his crown and life. + Esch. L Hen. IV. No. 50.
X Esch. 1 Hen. IV. No. 5}. $ Rot. Fin, 1 lien. JV, m. 5. || Esch, 4 Hen. IV. No. 41.
VOL. II, 2 C

194 WENDLEBURY.
continued with his posterity till the fifteenth century, when, on an inquisition
being taken on the death of Thomas Poure, a minor, son and heir to Sir
Thomas Poure (A. D. 1407), the jury returned that he died possessed of
one toft and one carucate of land in this parish, and that his sister Agnes,
the wife of William (alias Thomas) Wynselow, was his next heir.*
This gentleman clearly appears to be the same person distinctly recog
nized as the lord of the manor of Wendlebury in the Registers of the Bishops
of Lincoln, A. D. 1443 -f ; and it is highly probable (as intimated by
Kennett) that the manorial estate descended, with the advowson of the
church, from the Tyrimbers to the Seymours, and was sold by Alexander,
a member of that family, and Isabel his wife, in the reign of Henry VIII.
It was subsequently purchased by lord Williams of Thame, and, at the in
quisition taken after his death, specified to be held of the queen in chief,
but by what services the jury knew not j, and to be of the annual value
of four pounds and ninepence.
Lord Williams left this estate to his daughter Margaret, the wife of
Henry lord Norreys, from whom it descended, through Francis earl of
Berkshire §, to the lady of Montague earl of Lindsay, by whom it was settled
upon her eldest son, James earl of Abingdon, and, after passing through the
successive earls of that name, devolved upon Willoughby, the late earl, by
whose trustees it was sold, during his minority, to John Pardoe, esq. then
steward to Sir Edward Turner, bart. of Ambrosden. About 1798 Mr.
Pardoe contracted to sell the manorial estate to the late John Coker, esq. of
Bicester; but dying ere the treaty was completed, the executors carried the
sale into effect. Under the management of this gentleman, the open and
commonable land was enclosed, and the estate otherwise much improved ;
but there is still no mansion fit for the lord. Mr. Coker died January 14,
1819 ||5 having settled the estate upon Thomas Lewis Coker his nephew, the
present owner.
* Esch. 8 Hen. IV. No. 51.
t Reg. Alnewick. Hutton's Extracts in Harl. MSS. J Esch. 2 Eliz. p. 1. No. 150.
§ Esch. 21 Jac. I. p. 1. No. 153.
|| Mr. Coker left by will £'40. to be expended in blankets and clothing, to be divided and given to

WENDLEBURY. 195
Conventual Estates, &c.
About the reign of Richard I. Walter de Sancta Fide, Hamund his son,
Gilbert son of Aldewin, and Wakelin son of Roger,* with others, gave six
virgates of land in the field of this village to the Abbey of Thame, five of
which, 7 Edw. I. were held by the abbot in demesne of Amory de St. Amand,
and one of the same abbot in villanage by John de Midlington at 5*. per
annum. How long it remained with this community is unknown, for it is
not farther noticed in any of the public records.
Near the same time the Abbot of Nottely, near Crendon, also ac
quired two virgates of land, which is specified in the Hundred Roll to
constitute a part of the fee of Eleanor de Luci ; one of the virgates being
held by Gilbert Golde at 12s. per annum, and the other by John Damal at
10s. -f The rental of this estate in Pope Nicholas's Taxation, A. D. 12915
was computed at 15s. per annum, and assessed accordingly. J But in the
general valuation of ecclesiastical possessions 26 Hen. VIII. it was specified
to consist of a tenement with certain lands in the parish of Wendlebury,
and to be of the value of 16s. yearly. § It was surrendered into the hands
of the king, with the other conventual estates, by Richard Ridge, the last
abbot, and eventually came into the hands of lord Williams of Thame, and
descended, with the rest of his estates, to the Abingdon family.
About the reign of Henry III. the Prioress and Convent of
Stud ley obtained possession of half a virgate of land in this parish, which
in 1279 was held by John Pakeman, a bondman of the Prioress, as a part
of the fee of Elianor de Lucy, at 10s. per annum. In the 26th Hen. VIII.
it was valued at only 9s. a year, and at the dissolution of the convent sold
by the king to John Croke, esq. from whom it passed into unknown hands. ||
Some time after the foundation of the Priory of Bicester, that
religious house obtained a grant of one virgate of land in Wendlebury,
which in the reign of Edward I. was freely held by John Clement, at an
the poor of Wendlebury, at the discretion of the resident clergyman and two of his highest-rented tenants
in the parish. Reg. Test, in Offic. Prerog. Cant. f. 112. A.D. 1819- * Cotton MS. Jul. C. 7- f. 304,
t Rot. Hund. Oxon. vol. ii. p. 834. J Taxatio P. Nicholai, p. 45.
§ Valor Eccles. vol, iii. p. 232. || Vide preceding account of Studley priory, vol. i.

196 WENDLEBURY.
annual rental of 12s. 4c?., as a part of the fee of Elianor de Lucy. In 1279
the conventual estate was valued in land and rents at £l.!7s.4<d. yearly,
and assessed in proportion ; but in the bursar's accounts for several years in
the reigns of Richard II. , Henry VI. , and Edward IV., still extant, those
officers usually accounted for no more than 18s. 26?. as the produce of the
land.* The commissioners appointed to make a true valuation of all eccle
siastical possessions 26 Hen. VIII. returned the priory estate in Wendlebury
as consisting of one cottage, with certain lands and their appurtenances,
let to John Brice for a term of years at 10s. per annum, a proof that some
valuable consideration had been given for the lease. The king's minister
accounting for the same sum into the Court of Augmentation 29 Hen. VIIL,
proves that the lease had not then expired. The estate remained in the
crown for many years; but on June 16, 1541, the king granted it, with
divers other lands in Arncott, Middleton, &c. to Roger Moore f, who soon
after conveyed them to John Waterhouse J : they were subsequently sold to
John Denton, who did homage for them 4 Edw. VI. § The latter gentle
man left them to his children, by whom they were alienated.
Between 1279 and 1291, Rewley Abbey, in the suburbs of Oxford,
acquired possession of a considerable estate in this village, through the
beneficence of the founder, Edmund earl of Cornwall ||, which in Pope Ni
cholas's taxation was thus entered :
Abb' de Loco Regali h't in Wendlingbur' in t'ris redd' cur' ogib' bondor' £3. 17s. 8d.^
In 1293 an inquisition was held to inquire whether the abbot of that
house owed service to the county-court at Oxford, or to the king's court of
the hundred of Ploughley ; and return was made that he owed no suit or
service to either, because he held no lands in the county, save the manors
of Yarnton, Willarston, and the scite of the abbey, which were of the Ho
nour of St. Walery, with two coppices in Nettlebed, and eight virgates of
land, with twenty acres of meadow and their appurtenances in Wendlebury,
* See the original Rolls in Trinity College, Oxon. t Pat. 32 Hen. VIII. p. 7.
X Originalia, 33 Hen. VIII. p. 267. § Originalia, 4 Edw. VI. No. 41.
|| It is probable this was the estate belonging to Thame abbey. IF Taxat. l\ Nicholai, p. 45.

WENDLEBURY. 197
which were of the fee of Amory de St. Amand.* In the 26th Hen. VIII.
the estate was valued in rents, lands, and tenements, at 33s. 6d. per annum,
and a deduction claimed for a quit-rent to Richard Andrews, of 20d. for
a pound of pepper, -j-
After passing through a number of families of little note, the Lordship
of Wendlebury became vested in  Tilson, esq. of Watlington, in
the last century, and was sold to Arthur Annesley, esq. of Blechington, in
this county, who, as lord paramount J, continues to hold his court leet and
view of frank-pledge ; but the two quarters of oats formerly payable there
unto by the tenants (Vide Hundred Roll) is now commuted for a sum of
money, and one penny per head, called oat-money, required to be paid into
court by every male inhabitant of the village in lieu thereof.
* Esch. 21 Edw. I. No. 128. t Valor Eccles. vol. ii. p. 254. In St. Thomas's
church, Oxford, is an inscription to the memory of Timothy Bourne of Rewley, gent, son of William
Bourne of Wendlebury, in the county of Oxon, which states that he " married Martha, daughter of Mr. John
Wilcox of this city (Oxon), with whom he lived fifty-one years, by whom he had issue one son and six
daughters. He was twice mayor, and in the commission of the peace for many years, and died Dec. 2, 1 732,
aged eighty. Martha his wife died January 20, 1736, aged eighty-four." Their arms, Arg. a castle Gu. a
chev. Az. Sun between two stars Or. — William Bourne of Wendlebury, his ancestor, entered his arms two
descents in the Heralds' books at their Visitation of the county A. D. 1634. Harl. MS.
I The paramountcy lost its beneficial value on the abolition of the feudal system ; and of the numerous
privileges of the superior lord, scarcely any now remain but the barren suit and service of a Court Leet. —
This court is still continued, and in 1818 the following precept was issued by the steward for summoning
all the male inhabitants to attend at the Red Lion.
Manor of Wendlebury. | Tq the Col)stable aFld Tithingmen of Wendlebury in the County of Oxford.
These are strictly to charge and require you to give notice within your said Liberty, that the Court
Leet and view of Frankpledge for the manor of Wendlebury aforesaid, will be holden at the Red Lion Inn,
Wendlebury, in the county of Oxford, (date) instant, at eleven of the clock in the forenoon of the
same day; and you are hereby required to summon and warn all the male inhabitants within your, said
Liberty, from the age of twelve years.old and upwards, (as well servants as others) to be and personally
appear at the place and time aforesaid, then and there to do and perform such suit and service as they
severally owe to the said Court, or that they severally essoign. And also you are hereby required to
summon and warn honest and reputable men of your said Liberty that are Housekeepers, and
give each of them due and timely notice to be and personally appear, at the time and place aforesaid, to
inquire, for our Sovereign Lord, of all such matters and things that to a jury of the said Court do apper
tain ; and to bring to the said Court, and pay to me, or to such other person who shall be lawfully em
powered to receive the same, all such sums of money that have been usually and accustomedly paid by
anv person or persons whatsoever within your said Liberty to the said Court. And also, that you then
and there, in your proper person, deliver to me an exact list of the names of the several persons paying
the said sums of money respectively, with a true and particular account of the sums of money respec
tively paid; and also, that you return into the said Court a true and perfect list of all the inhabitants of
the male kind, from the age of twelve years old and upwards, residing and being within your said liberty,
and that do' owe suit and service to the said Court, together with this precept. Hereof fail not, as you
will answer the contrary at your peril. Given under my hand this fourteenth day of October, 1818.
Thomas Roberson, Steward.

WE ST ON-ON-T HE-GREEN.

Weston-on-the-Green is a small village in Ploughley hundred, about
eight miles and a half from Oxford, and four miles and a half S. W. by
S. W. from Bicester.

Description, Population, &c.
The village chiefly consists of one row of houses on the left-hand side of
the road leading from Oxford to Middleton, and was anciently situated on
a large green, from whence it obtained the name of Weston-on-the-Green.
At a short distance from the church is the manor-house, a large build
ing two stories in height, erected about the latter end of the sixteenth cen
tury, but much altered by its successive owners of the Norreys and Bertie
families. Of late years it has been the residence of a steward only. Many
of the family pictures remain ; in the great parlour is a portrait of Phila
delphia, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Norreys, and wife to the Hon. Henry
Bertie ; not far distant another, of the late lord Abingdon when a young
man, in his academic dress ; also one of lady Elizabeth Norreys, Baroness
Norreys, wife to Edward Wray, esq. and the sole heiress to Francis Norreys,
earl of Berkshire ; she is painted in an embroidered dress, with a cross sus
pended by a necklace. Over the fire-place is a picture of Miss Eleanor
Bertie, one of the maids of honour to queen Anne, and on the right, another

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 199
of lady Mary Bertie, countess of Carnarvon. In the blue room are four
other family portraits, now unknown. On the principal staircase is a good
likeness of the first lord Norreys, and also one of the Hon. Henry Bertie,
youngest son to Montague earl of Lindsay, and the husband of Philadelphia
whose portrait appears in the parlour. — The bookcases remain in the apart
ment denominated the Library, but the books are removed.
Across a small court is a room about twenty feet by fourteen or fifteen,
called the Notley parlour, which is particularly interesting to the antiquary,
from the walls being covered with wainscot brought from the hall of Nutley
abbey, Bucks, by Norreys Bertie, esq. Along the cornice over the fire
place is an inscription in gilt letters,
TIME DEVM ET RECEDE A MALO. RICHARD RIDGE. PRINCIPIVM SAPIENCIE TIMOR EST DEI*
With a commendable attention to uniformity, carved pannels of the
original wainscot have been inserted into the door, and the whole has a
pleasing effect. Unfortunately, however, the marble chimney-piece presents
a remarkable contrast to the rest of the apartment.
In the servants' hall was formerly a picture of one John Edwards, a
gardener in the employment of Norreys Bertie, esq. whose eccentric habits
gave him a species of local celebrity ; he was represented filling a horn from
a copper of ale.
At the back of the house is a moat, which apparently once encompassed
the mansion, and around the premises are several large trees thus noticed
in the parish register :
" My elm-tree in the west corner of the orchard was planted in the year 1672, and was
the bigness of a walking cudgel when planted. (Signed) " Edward Norreys.1"
" The elms in the warren next Bentley's or Mathew's, were left suckers about 1682.
(Signed as before.)
The vicarage, a neat and commodious mansion near the church, was
occupied by the late Mr. Yalden many years, and is one of the best houses
in the village.
* Translation.] Fear God, and depart from evil. Richard Ridge. The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom. — The insciiption proves that the wainscot was put up by abbot Ridge in the time
of Henry VIII.

200 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
In 1811 the parish contained eighty-two houses, inhabited by eighty-
five families, all employed in agriculture ; of which one hundred and
ninety-six were males, and one hundred and ninety-four females, forming a
total of three hundred and ninety persons. In 1776, the sum raised by the
poor-rate was £112. 0s. Id.; in 1803 it advanced to £l6S. Ss. ll^d.
being assessed at Is. Sd. in the pound ; in 1813 it increased to £635. be
sides a fraction ; and in 1815 declined to ,£415. In the last year the value
of the real property was estimated and assessed at ^3139- per annum.
The Church
Is a handsome oblong Grecian structure, with a neat tower at the west
end, erected by Norris Bertie, esq. in 1743, on the scite of an ancient edi
fice, then completely dilapidated. The principal entrance is on the southern
side, and the church well lighted with several large windows, having circular
heads : the interior is handsomely furnished with pews, and a neat reading-
desk and pulpit. There is no separate chancel, but the altar is surrounded
by a rail, and over it are the two tables of the law surmounted by a glory,
the emblems of the Trinity, angels, &c, the whole worked with much taste
into an elegant altar-piece. At the western end, within an highly orna
mented semicircular recess, is the ancient font, sufficiently capacious to
admit the immersion of the infant, as enjoined by the rubric; the outside is
decorated by interesting arches.
On the floor in the body of the church, are memorials for John Lady-
man, who died January 26, 1710, aged eighty-two; Sarah Ladyman his
wife, who died October 28, 1727? aged eighty ; and others of that family
thus designated — rS.'L. died June 20, 1762 ; S. L. died August 11, . . .
Near the communion-table are the following inscriptions on large marble
and other slabs :
In memory of Mary Norreys, relict of James Norreys, who departed this life De
cember 18, 1748, aged 72.
Hie sepulta jacet Maria Norreys, filia quinta Edvardi Norreys, Equitis Aurati.
Obijt quinto id. Maij A.D. mdccxiiii. iEtatis suae xl.
Here lieth the body of Elisabeth Norreys, the third daughter and last surviving

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 201
child of Sir Edward Norreys and Jane his wife, who dedicated a pure and unblemished
life to acts of piety and charity, of which she left such testimonies at her death as will render
her memory blessed amongst men. — She died May 3, 1737, aged 70 years.— Four hundred
pounds for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts ; three hundred for releasing of Insolvent
Debtors ; four hundred for the support of decayed Gentlewomen.
Here lyeth the body of Mr. W. Norreys, third son of Sir Edward Norreys, knt. who
died May ye 6th, 1698.
Hie sepultus jacet Jacobus Norreys, Armiger, filius quartus Edvardi Norreys,
Equitis Aurati, istius nominis mascula Proles ultima. Duxit in uxorem Martham Harris,
filiam Richardi Harris, Equitis Aurati, de Wintonia, ex qua nullam suscepit Prolem. Obiit
xviii. kal. Octobris, A.D. mdccxviii. setatis suae xlv. Hoc Marmor posuit Jacobus
Bertie, Armiger, ejus nepos, quem vivus Heeredem ex asse in Testamento constituisset.
Here lyeth the body of Francis Norreys, second son to Sir Edward Norreys and
Jane his wife. He served in Parliament for the City of Oxford with great integrity during
the time his father was Knight of the Shire. He departed this life An. Dom  — The memory
of the just shall be blessed.
Here lieth interred ye body of Mrs. Hester Norreys, eldest daughter of Sir Edward
Norreys, who died the 26th day of August, An0 Dni 1681.
Here lies the body of Jane lady Norreys, wife to Sir Edward Norreys, of Weston-
on-the-Green, who departed this life December the xxv. mdccxxii. in the Lxxvmth
year of her age.
Here lyeth the body of James Bertie, esq. son of the Honourable Henry Bertie,
who was the youngest son of the Right Honourable Montague earle of Lindsey, and the lady
Bridget Baroness Norreys of Rycot. He marryed Philadelphia, eldest daughter of
Sir Edward Norreys, by whom he had two sons and three daughters ; James, the eldest,
marryed Elisabeth, daughter of Roger Harris, esq. and Jane, fourth daughter of Sir
Edward Norreys, and left one son, named Norreys. He lived long enough to shew us
that he inherited all the virtues of his great Ancestors, though taken from this to a better life
at the age of forty-one, May 7th, 1728.
Here lies the body of Norreys Bertie, esq. lord of this manor, and sometime knight
of the shire for the county of Oxford, who at his own expence caused this Church to be re
built and beautified A.D. 1743. He was the only son of James Bertie, Esq. son of the
HonbIe Henry Bertie, who was brother of Robert earl of Lindsey, and James earl of
Abingdon. He.died unmarried October the 25th, A. D. 1766, setat. 49.
In full hope of a resurrection to life, here rests the ashes of Elizabeth Bertie; when
living, remarkable for many and singular excellencies of body and mind ; for stature and
beauty, an ornament to her sex ; for virtue, piety, domestick prudence, and conjugal affection,
a pattern worthy to be imitated by all that survive her. She was eldest daughter to Roger
Harris of Winton, esq. by Jane his wife, fourth daughter to Sir Edward Norreys of
Weston; wife to James Bertie, esq. to whom she bore a son and a daughter, Norreys
VOL. II. 2 D

202 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
and Philadelphia. She died in childbed of ye latter, who survived her not many days,
and is now partaker of ye same tomb- Happy death ! which left nothing to be lamented in
this most excellent person but her too short continuance on earth ; for she departed this life
in the 23d year of her age, on ye 15th day of October, A.D. mdccxx.
Hie jacet Edvardus Norreys, Eques Auratus. Obijt in kal. Oct. An. Dom.
mdccxiii, setat. suae lxxviii. Duxit in uxorem Janam Clerke, filiam Johannis
Clerke de Shabbington, in agro Oxon. Baronetti : ex qua Filios IV. Filias V. progenuit.
Hie sepulta jacet Hestera, filia Johannis Rouse, de Rouse-Linch, ex agro Vigor-
niensi, Equitis Aurati, uxor Francisci Norreys, Equitis Aurati, cui numerosam prolem
peperit. Obijt vn id. Aprilis, An° Dom. cioioclxxii, setatis suae lx.
Hie jacet Franciscus Norreys, Eq. Auratus, qui obijt quinto Idus Julii, Anno
Domini cioioclxix. et setatis suae fere sexagesimo. Duxit in uxorem Hesteram filiam
Johannis Rouse, de Rouse-Linch, ex agro Vigorniensi, Equitis Aurati, ex qua numerosam
prolem suscepit.
A MS. in the Harleian library, No. 4170, states that the following mo
numental inscriptions, &c. were to be seen in the old church May 25, 1660.
On a table of black marble against the east' wall :
Hie jacet Richardus Chamberlaine, generosus, qui obiit xj die Jan. A° Dui 1624,
setatis suae 77°. Duxit in uxorem Elizabetham, filiam JacobiHarris de hae villS.; eademq'
obiit xx° die Novemb. 1623, et sepulta est in ecclesia parochiali de Barrington in comitatu
Glocestr. Quem juvenem ingenuis studiis minor imbuit aetas,
Vitaq' quem merito laudat honesta virum,
Hunc devota senem tenuit meditatio finis,
Qui placide immoriens hae requiescit humo.
Ricardus Griffith, armiger, in amici sui defuncti memoriam lugens posuit.
In a window here : " Or, 2 bends B."
Banners hanging up. — On one, Norris impaling 
On another, a chevron between three bends, quartering,

1. Qu. on the 3d and 4th a fret, on a bend
3 stars.
2. Three chevrons.
3. Barry of 6, a canton.
4. Qu. per fesse indented.
5. Three fleur-de-luces luxuriant bet.
three crosslets.
6. A saltiere engrailed Gules.

7. A fesse double cotticed.
8. A bend cotticed.
9. Two bars nebulee.
10. A saltiere, a label.
11. Three lozenges in fesse.
12 
13. Three lions passant gardant,
14. A saltiere engrailed.

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 203
In a chapel on the north side of the church a brass plate against the
wall, thereon a woman lying in bed between two infants wrapped in
swaddling clothes, and under it this inscription :
f&m lj?rti) ttte fiolig of ®LU$ &a?w, lat* totft to Zafyavs Sa-joge, fiotf)
eetbsmta to tf)* rtfffit fyonouvabU tlje la&p of CDame, trwweir in tfuvawo tp
b of M&se, &tmo Bomttti 1581.
In a window over it : " Or, 2 bends B."
A considerable burying-ground surrounds the church, and perhaps the
following is the most interesting inscription on the gravestones :
In memory of John, William, Maria, Eleanor, and Mary, sons and daughters of
William and Elizabeth Payne; John died 15th April, 1801, aged 14 years; William
died 22d Oct. 1801, aged 9 years ; Maria died 28th Oct. 1801, aged 19 ; Eleanor died 8th
Nov. 1801, aged 18; and Mary died 13th August, 1802, aged 18 years.
Ecclesiastical Matters.
That a church existed in this village a few years after the Conquest, is
evident from the name of " Wakelin, priest of Weston," appearing among
the witnesses to a charter of Henry de Oilley, granting four hides of land in
Chesterton to the abbey of Eynsham, temp. Hen. II.*; and that the advow
son of the church was also included in the grant of the manor to Oseney-
abbey A. D. 1226, is equally clear, from the convent exercising the office of
patrons from that time. The abbot and his brethren were not long satisfied,
however, with this acquisition, but procured Richard Gravesend, bishop of
Lincoln, to appropriate this and the several churches of Chesterton, Hamp
ton-Gay, Wallington, Burton, and Forest-hill, to their abbey A.D. 1260. -j-
1273. This year the bishop of Lincoln substitutes Reginald, bishop of
Cloyne, to visit these parts of his diocese, and consecrate new churches.
Accordingly, on the 8th of June he consecrated the church of Weston,
dedicating it to the Virgin Mary, to St. James the Apostle, and St. Nicholas
the Confessor, devoting three altars therein to these respective saints, and
ordaining that whosoever should offer an oblation to any of the altars,
* Reg. de Eynesham, Cart. 22. f See vol. i. p. 250.

204 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
should for such devotion and offering have twenty days remission from en
joined penance.*
1284. The reiterated complaints of the several vicars of the churches
belonging to the abbot of Oseney, induces the bishop to issue an instrument
ordaining very considerable allowances to be made them beyond their pre
sent pension, of which the vicar of Weston partakes with the others, -f-
At the taxation of pope Nicholas (A. D. 1291) this church was valued
at £ 9- 6s. 8d., being an advance of two marks beyond that of the bishop
of Norwich thirty-seven years before.
1340. The following is the result of the inquisition for assessing the
ninths granted by Parliament :
Decanatus de Burcester.
Westone. Ecciia poch' ejusd'm cu oihib3 porcoib3 suis taxat ad ixu yjs viijd cuj*1 non'
agn' veil &. garb assed' ad ix1' vjs viijd sicut patet p dcam inquis' indentat' capta p sacrm
diet' j urat' nee siit ibidm catallar' neq' fncator' ut dicut, 8tc. J
In the general ecclesiastical valuation 26 Hen. VIII. the rectory and
vicarage of this church was valued with the manor, and therefore the
amount of either cannot be specified, though it appears that the abbot and
convent of Oseney allowed a stipend of 106s. Sd. for the maintenance of the
chaplain. § In November 1539> Robert Kyng surrendered Oseney-abbey
and all its possessions to the king|| ; and the next year Henry granted the
manor and rectory and advowson of the church of Weston, to Sir John
Williams, afterwards lord Williams of Thame, from whom they descended
to Francis earl of Berkshire, who settled them upon his natural son, Francis
Norreys, and his heirs: — the latter are still patrons of the church.
There are few, if any, of the names of the vicars or chaplains of Weston
to be found in the Lincoln registers. Hutton's extracts in the Harleian
library do not contain any that can be clearly identified to belong to this
church ; and the following are all which the present writer has been able to
recover from the registry of Oxford or the parish books.
* Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 394. f For particulars, see the note to p. 251. vol. i.
X Inquisit. Nonarum, p. 132, § Valor Ecclesiasticiis, vol. ii. p. 223.
U Peshall's Oxford, p. 309.

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 205
Vicars. Patrons.
James Andrews*; died 1639. Francis Norreys, esq.
1639. John Mathew, M.A. adm. 8c inst. 3 Feb. 1639. Sir Francis Norreys, knight.
Thomas Roe, 1741.
James Thackwell ; died 1799 ; presented by Norreys Bertie.
1799. James Yalden t ; died April 7, 1822. The earl of Abingdon.
The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at ,£28.
per annum. Parish Register.
The register in this village commences with the following entry :
" 1598. John Harris, son of David, baptized xxvj day of June."
(In this year are 6 entries.)
" 1636. Hester Norris, the daughter of Sir Francis Norreys, was baptized the xxvj day
of October." " Mary, daughter of John and Jeane Garat, was born May 3d, 1723." %
(In 1741 are entries of 10 christenings, 2 marriages, and 4 burials.)
" Memorandum. Collected then by virtue of his Majetics letters patent, towards the re
building of St. Paul's Cathedral Ch. in London, at Weston-on-the-Green, in the diocesse
and county of Oxon, ye thirteen shillings and sixpence. " Thos. Roe, cler."
Burials.
" 1799  James Thackwell, vicar, died.
(In this year 7 burials are entered.)
" 1812. July ye 20th. Samuel Lawrence, a pauper, aged 91 years."
" April ye 19th. Hannah, wife of Sam1 Laurence, a pauper, aged 91 years."

The parish averages about thirteen or fourteen christenings, and three or four burials
annually. (On the blank leaf of the earliest register is the singular entry relative to the trees before-
mentioned.)
* The living was worth £36. 13*. 4cZ. in the time of this vicar. Harl. MS. No. 843. f. 22.
t Mr. Yalden was a fellow of New College, Oxford, and subsequently rector of Bucknell.
X When the present writer examined the register (October 12, 1820), Mr. Yalden assured him this
woman was alive, and able to walk out every day.

206 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. Historical Particulars.
Weston was one of those villages which belonged to Wigod in the time
of Edward the Confessor, and by the marriage of Aldith his daughter, were
carried to Robert de Oilly, who in 1173 gave two parts of the tithe towards
the endowment of St. George's church in Oxford castle, and committed the
rest of the estate to Gilbert, one of his military vassals. — It is thus entered
in Domesday-book :
Peritune Hund. Gislefet9 ten de.RoB. [de Oilgi] Westone. Ibi st .
x . hidse. Tra . xn . car. Nc in dnio . mi . car. 7 v . serui . 7 xvn . uitti. cu .
xi . bord" hiit . viii . car. Ibi . n . molini . 1111 . solid . 7 xxx . ac pati. Va
luit . viii . lib . m° . xli . life.
Translation.] Gilbert holds Weston [on the Green] of Robert. There are ten hides.
Land of twelve ploughs. Now in demesne four ploughs and five bondsmen, and seventeen
villanes with eleven bordars have eight carucates. There are two mills of four, shillings, and
thirty acres of meadow. It was worth eight pounds, now twelve pounds.
Robert, the son of Nigel, brother and heir of the first Robert D'Oilly,
settled Weston in dowry upon his wife Edith Feme, the late concubine of
Henry 1.* — The influence of this lady's personal charms, combined with her
correct deportment after marriage, seem to have secured her against her
husband's reproaches ; yet her spiritual guides secretly stimulated her to
undertake some pious work, by way of expiation. Doubtless her own means
were inadequate, but ere long, a favourable opportunity arose of impressing
the same upon her husband, without immediately referring to her own mis
conduct. Edith, who resided in Oxford castle, and frequently amused her
self by walking in the adjacent meadows, observed, that whenever she
approached certain trees on a spot called Oseney, a great number of magpies,
who tenanted its branches, immediately assailed her with an unusual chat
tering and noise. Knowing that her confessor Randolph, a canon of St.
Frideswide's, professed a knowledge of the language of birds, she one day
* Regist. Osen. f. 228. Cotton MSS. Jul. C. vii. f. 246.

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 207
desired him to listen to their conversation, and favour her with the report.
The wily friar, perceiving that this circumstance might be turned to advan
tage in so credulous an age, after listening a few moments, returned and
informed her, that they were not really birds, but souls in purgatory, who
had assumed that form, and uttered those complaints in hope of her under
taking something for their relief. This representation, joined with the con
sideration of her former unholy life, induced Edith incessantly to importune
her husband till he consented to found a religious house on the very spot,
people it with monks, who should perpetually pray for their good estate,
and place the government thereof in the hands of Randolph, her confessor.*
The foundation of this edifice was laid 29 Hen. I., but the endowment was
extremely slender for nearly twenty years, when the revenues of the church
of St. George becoming annexed, it rose to importance, and assumed the
title of Oseney Abbey. ~j-
The pious beneficence of Edith, however, was not bounded by this un
dertaking ; for in 1 138? with her husband's permission, she gave thirty-five
acres of her own dowry in this village to the abbey of Ottelei, recently
founded on a corner of Otmoor J; and in 1143 joined her husband in a
grant of land at Cowley to the Knights Templars at the dedication of their
church § : indeed, the monkish writers state, that the residue of her life was
spent in acts of devotion, and that she was called Memorabilis Matrona
Deo devota. She was buried in the " habit of a vowess," on the north side
of the high altar in the church which she had founded, and the story of
her " coming to Oseney, and Randolph waiting on her, and the trees with
the chattering pies," painted on the wall over her effigy. || — Edith had by
her husband one son, named Henry, who inherited the barony of Hook-
norton ; and a daughter, married to Gilbert Basset. ^[
Henry de Oilly having purchased this manor for twelve hundred
marks**, confirmed the donation made by his mother to the monastery
* Reg. Osen. f. 6. Leland's Itinerary, vol. ii. f. 17. Mon. Ang. vol. ii. p. 136.
t Reg. Osen. f. 1. t Cartular. de Thame, Cotton MS. Jul. C. vii. f. 247-
§ Cartular. de Saundford, f. 17. || Leland's Itinerary, vol. ii. f. 17-
f Ex orig. penes G. O. P. Turner, baronet. ** Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 267-

208 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
of Thame * ; and in consideration of an arrangement with the monks of
Oseney for his body to be buried before the high altar in the abbey-
church, he gave to the convent his chief mansion-house in Weston, with a
wood and mill, and his meadows toward Kirtlington, and three crofts, Bene-
croft, Grascroft, and Hegcroft, with offer of exchange in Hooknorton or
Kidlington. -f- In 1187 the convent also acquired another donation of five
acres of land in this parish, above Cornhulle, opposite Chesterton, from
Ralph, son of William, son of Maud de Weston, perhaps a natural daughter
of one of the lords. Henry de Oilly, however, afterwards gave the manor
as a marriage portion, with his daughter Maud, to Maurice de Gaunt, a
nobleman who subsequently joined the barons in their rebellion against
king John, and thereby lost all his estates except this lordship and Bever-
ston, co. Gloucester. J On the death of his wife without issue, A. D. 122C>
Henry de Oilly, her father, demanded the restoration of Weston ; but on
trial, the manor, consisting of five carucates of land, was adjudged to
Maurice §, who retained it during life, and in 1230 gave the reversion to
the king by a deed dated at Portsmouth. |]
Notwithstanding the above judicial decree, Henry de Oilly and his fa
mily still maintained their claim, and confirmed several donations therein
to the monks of Oseney %; and in 1226 Henry de Oilly, senior, finally gave
the whole of the manor to the same community ** ; and soon after, ob
taining the king's confirmation, their title became valid, and the estate was
recognized in the public records among those held in free alms, -j-j-
For several years nothing memorable occurred relative to this village ;
but in 1257, on some unknown plea, Roger, son of Robert de Amory, lord
* Cotton MS. Julius C. vii. f. 287. t Reg. Oseney, f. 3l6.
I Rot. Claus. 17 Joh. m. 15. Some of them were afterwards restored, for upon levying the scutage
for the Welsh expedition 7 Hen. III. he paid lands in the counties of York, Berks, Lincoln, Oxon,
Surrey, &c. § Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. p. 268.
|| Dugd. Baronage, vol. i. p. 402. H Reg. Osen. f. 16.
** The Oseney Register states, that Roger St. John of Staunton remitted and quitted claim, as his
father had done before, to all right and title to a mill, and five virgates of land, called Simon's land, and
that Thomas Raynall made them a donation of two acres in the common field, circ. 1235 ; but neither of
these appear to have conveyed an additional property to the abbey. tt Testa de Nevil, p. 108,

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 209
of Bucknell, claimed the manor and advowson of the church from the abbey
of Oseney.* After a long dispute, the matter was left to the arbitration of
Richard, king of the Romans, who decided that the abbot and convent
should pay Roger de Amory three hundred marks sterling, on consideration
of his relinquishing all claim to the whole estate, computed at two knights'
fees. To this the several parties agreed, with the additional stipulation
that Roger and his family should have the successive prayers and other
religious benefits of the community. -j~
In 1271 John de St. John, baron of Stanton, remitted and quitclaimed
to Thomas Bacon of Rousham, all right and title to five virgates of arable
land, eight acres of meadow, and a mill, in this parish, which the said
Thomas confirmed to the abbey of Oseney.
1278. The names of the tenants, with their rents and services, thus
appeared at the general inquisition 7 Edward I.
Weston. Abbas de Oseneye ten3 in vitt de Westone v carucat' te cu ptinciis de dono
Henr' Doyli in puram & ppetua elemosina & ide de dno Reg' in capit' p duob3 feod milit'
8c ide Abbs ht ibide j parcii q' contin' iiijor acKs et warrennam S3 quo warrant' nescitr &
visum fraci pleg' 8t un' molendin'.

De Nativis. Martin9 le Wyte ten3 de
pdco Abbe Osen' in vittnag' unam virg' ?e p
v' p aim' opabr 8t talliabr ad volutate dni
8c redimet pueros suos ad volutate ej9d &
dabit tott' svicie 8c pannag' &C n pl vede
equin' vel bove sine licecia dni.
Ric' Bissop ten3 unam virg' eode 'sVico.
Witts Frer' unam p eode.
Philips Simo unam virg' p eode "sVico.
Nich Penifad una p eode.

Henr' Leynt unam p eode.
Thom' Akerman unam p eode.
Witts Lilie unam p eode.
Witts Wade unam p eode.
Gilefes Fab unam p eode.
Witts Walkelin unam p eode.
Thom' Wulgarit unam p eode.
Julian' de Burhecestria unam p eode.
Reginaldus de Wedlebur' una p eode.
Reginald Malg' unam p eode.

* The Convent of Thame believed Roger de Amory's title to the manor of Weston so just, that while
the suit was pending in the Court of King's Bench, they gave him four marks sterling to remit and quit
claim for himself and his heirs, to Roger de Mara the abbot and his community, all right and title to all
their lands meadows, pastures, or tenements, with their appurtenances, in his fee of Weston, and in the
field called Westhull. The deed is dated 41 Hen. III. MS. Cotton. Julius C. vii. f. 292. They also
obtained written evidences from John, son of Ralph de Weston, John le Mouner, William Frankleyn, and
William de Sulgrave, that these persons quitted claim of common in Westhull. Ib. f. 298.
t Reg. Osen. f. 316 and 317- Par. Antiq. vol. i. p. 362, 363, and 580.
VOL. II. 2 E

210

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.

Witts Gyle unam p eode.
Relicta Gellopin unam p eode.
Johes Sibil una p eode.
Relicta Zepp' unam p eode.
Relicta Godina Witts Burgeys unam virgat'
eode modo.
Adam Franceys Robs Lille unam virg'
eode m°.
Thom' Bayard Hug' Anfray tenet una
virgat' eode modo.
Simo P'le Ric' Daniel unam virg' eode
modo. Witts Amfrey relicta Fabri unam virgat'
eode modo.

Ric' Penifader Nich Burneceste una vir
gata eode modo.
Robs le Gog'e Galfridus le King unam
virgat' eode modo.
Robs Petiifad Witts Marechal unam virg'
eode modo.
Ofhs isti pnoiati inveniet pdco Abfei sex
oparios cotinue p ann' 8t alios sex a festo
Sci Johis Baptist' usq, festu Sci Mich ex
cept' omib dieb} Sabi & dant ad natal di'
qart' aven' 8c aliu di' qart' qando no hciant &
dat ad pur' be iijd quia no averabut ex"
comitat'.*

Di: Cotaeiis. Walrus Cole ten3 un' cotag' 8c vj ac"s ?e p vjs vjd p ann' & recep' fen'
de Abbe ad valore vj denario^.
Nich le Wyte ten3 un' cotag' 8c ij acas in villinag' p iijs p ann' 8c opabr ad volutat' dni.
Walrus de Blehccheston' teii3 viij acas p viijs p ann' & opabr sicut ^dcs Nich'.
Hug' le Messer ten3 unam acra 8c dat ij gatt p ann' 8c opabr sic' Nich le Wite.
Alexand Moledinar' ten3 unam virgat' te 8c unu moledin' p xxxiiijs 8c iiijd p ann' 8c
met3 ad j pVariam in autupn'.
Relicta Gelebi Sneyt tenet una virgat' p viij5 iijd in villinag' 8c met3 sicut pdcs Alexand.
Witts de Belehchchesdon ten3 unam virgatam eode modo.
Robs Ruch ten3 unam virgat' epde te eode modo.
Nich Galopin ten3 unam virgat' eode modo.
Witts Zep' tenj vj goras 8c un' messuag' p ijs p ann'.
De lib' ten'. Abbas de Tham' ten3 ij acas Se de Witto le Juven' in pur' 8c ppetuam
elemosina. Witts le Juven' ten' unam' hydam ?e p decima pte unius scuti 8c d3 sectam ad cur'
dci Abbis.
Witts Poninant ten3 una hydam ?e p socag' p xviijs p ann'.
Witts Snartligg' ten3 una virg' ?e p socag' pv'g ann' 8c d3 sectam cur' Abbis.
Witts fil' Rad ten3 p socag' unam virgat' ?e p ijs p ann' 8c d3 sectam.f
* All these bondmen shall find six workmen for the abbot of Oseney the whole year round, and
another six from the feast of St. John the Baptist to Michaelmas, excepting Sundays, and they pay the
abbot half a quarter of oats at Christmas, and another half quarter when they do not harrow ; and they
give at the Purification of the Blessed Virgin 3d. because they shall not be charged out of the county.
t Rot. Hund. vol. ii. p. 831.

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 211
In the Valor of Pope Nicholas A. D. 1291, the revenues of the abbot of
Oseney in lands, rents, royalties, and mills, are estimated at £l6.6s. 10£e/.,
and in fruits, flocks, and other animals, at £5. per annum.
As Weston was one of the most valuable estates belonging to the abbot
and convent of Oseney, that community early settled one of their principal
bailiffs, who were usually gentlemen, in the manor-house, and placed their
farms at Chesterton, Wretchwic, Bicester, Bucknell, Audley, Arncott, and
Norbrook, under his immediate superintendance. In the conventual records,
these estates were denominated the Bailiwick of Weston *, and till the latest
period of their existence, the abbot and convent held their courts therein
in the principal mansion, and compelled their tenants and vassals to attend,
and do suit and service, f The lands remained under the management of
the bailiff till the fifteenth century, when leases began to prevail ; and in
the beginning of the reign of king Henry VIII. the greater part of the
Weston estate was held by James Walbeff by indenture for a considerable
period. At the general valuation of ecclesiastical possessions in the 26th
of the same reign, the rents of customary tenants, &c. were returned at
,£18. 15s. 7d. ; and the farms, manor, rectory, and vicarage, with certain
pastures and meadows, and the tenths of the same, as let to divers tenants,
at ,£36. 13s. 4c/., the whole producing a gross sum of £55. 8s. lie/.; out
of which the convent stood charged with an annual payment of lis. 7$d.
for procurations and synodals to the archdeacon of Oxford, as an indemnity
for the church. J The dissolution of monastic communities shortly fol
lowed, and on November 17, 1539, (31 Hen. VIII.) Robert Kynge surren
dered Oseney abbey and all its possessions into the hands of the king §,
when the manor, rectory, and vicarage of Weston were granted to Sir John
Williams, afterwards lord Williams of Thame. ||
By his testament dated at Ludlow, March 1558, lord Williams gave this
estate, among others, to lady Margery, his second wife f[, and at her death
* Oseney Register, f. 31 6". t This accounts for the manor-house being moated round for security.
X Valor Ecclesiasticns, vol. ii. p. 21 6. § Peshall's Oxford, p. 309.
|| Pat. 31 Hen. VIII. p. 4. This document cannot be found, though entered in the index.
IT Lord Williams thus bequeaths his woods, manors, &c. to his lady. " Item. Certain woodes called

212 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
demised it to his son-in-law, Henry lord Norreys, and the heirs of the body
of Margery his wife. Lord Norreys occasionally resided in the manor-
house, though Ricott was his favourite seat ; but during the minority of
Francis, his grandson and heir, great part of Weston seems to have been
let to James Harris, though it is not clear that he inhabited the principal
mansion. — Francis lord Norreys, by indenture dated 1st June, 16 James I.
settled this estate, together with the manor of Yattenden, lands in Cherring-
ton, Chilswell, &c. on his reputed son Francis Rose, alias Norreys, begotten
on the body of Sarah Rose, afterwards the wife of Samuel Heywarde, and
the heirs of the said Francis. Lord Norreys was subsequently created earl
of Berkshire ; but possessing a lofty spirit, and supposing himself insulted,
unfortunately terminated his own existence January 28, 1621. And at his
death the manor of Weston, with the advowson of the rectory of the same
village, were found to be held by him of the king, by the twentieth part
of a knight's fee, and valued at £43. l6s. Sd. beyond reprises ; the jury
also returned the park of Weston-on-the-Green, as held of the king in capite
by military service, but for what part of a knight's fee they knew not, and
that it was worth £4. per annum.*
Francis Norreys, who succeeded to these estates, entirely dropped his
maternal cognomen, and, being a young gentleman of property and talents,
was speedily distinguished in the neighbourhood. In 1635 he served the
Cuddesdon, within the parish of Cuddesdon. Item. Certaine coppys, called Spaym-coppys, and Long
coppys; — certain coppys called Stonars, in the countie of Bucks. A certain wood, called Horam-wood, parcel
of the manor of Beckley in the countie of Oxford. Item.. The manor of Albery, with all my landes in
Weston-on-the-Green, and the rectory of the same, with all my lands, tenements, and hereditaments in
Weston-on the-Creen. The manor of Oddington, with all my lands and hereditaments, late Poures. The
manors of Chesterton and Wendlebury, with all my lands, tenements, and hereditaments therein. The ma
nors of Lewknor, &c. co. Oxon. To have and to hold the same to her for her jointure, and so that she do
not reckon willinglye any dower in any of my other lands. And after the decease of my said wyffe, I will
the seyd lordshippes, manors, &c. bequeathed unto my seyd wyffe, shall remain to the heyres male of my
body lawfully begotten. And in default of such heyres, to Henry Norres my son-in-law, and to the heires
of the body of the said Margery [his wife] begotten ; and in default of such yssue, to the next heires of me
the sayd lord Wylliams." Esch. 2 Eliz. p. 1. No. 150. — Lady Williams afterwards became the wife of
Sir William Darcie, knight, and lastly married Sir John Crofts. Dugdale's Baronage, vol.ii. p. 394.
* Esch. 21 Jac. I. p. 1. No. 153.

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 213
office of high sheriff for the county of Oxford, and subsequently obtained
the honour of knighthood. He was also appointed a magistrate, and in
the civil wars evinced a decided attachment to the royal cause ; yet he
quietly submitted to the Commonwealth, obtained a renewal of his commis
sion, and after the passing of the act for all marriages to take place before
a justice of the peace, was often employed* in that way. In 1656 he was
elected one of the members of parliament for the county -f ; and on the
accession of Richard Cromwell to the Protectorate, A. D. 1658, again ap
peared as a candidate for the same honour, stood a contest with Robert Jen-
kinson, esq. and lord Falkland, and was actually returned with the other can
didates, but his election was nullified by a vote of the House of Commons, ij".
Collins says, he was one of those whom Charles II. selected for knights of
the Royal Oak, an order proposed to be instituted on the king's restoration,
as a reward for his most decided followers, but dropped on account of its
invidious nature, conciliation being necessary for all parties. § Sir Francis
married Hester, daughter of Sir John Rowse, of Rowse-Lynch, co. Worcester,
by whom he had two sons, John and Edward ||, and a daughter, baptized Oct.
* Vide preceding extracts from Oddington and other parish registers. — Thi' following directions are
given in the Rubrick relative to these marriages : " The man taking the woman by the hand, shall distinctly
pronounce these words : — I, A. B. do here, in the presence of God, the searcher of hearts, take thee C. D.
for my wedded wife, and do also in the presence of God and these witnesses, &c." Two curious provisions
are attached to this act : that " in case of dumb persons, the words of the contract are to be dispensed with,
and in case of persons who have no hands, they may join hands." [Query, arms.j
t Willis's Notitia Parliamentaria, vol. ii. p. 263.
X Extract of a letter from Oxford. — " Yesterday our election was for the county ; my lord Falkland
and Mr. Jenkinson stood, and upon the poll Mr. Jenkinson carried it by thirteen voices. This day the
competition stands between the said lord and Sir Francis Norreys, and 'tis thought my lord will carry it."
Mercurius Politicus, No. 548, p. 135, Dec. 29, 1658. " Monday, Feb. 7. Mr. Serjeant Waller reports
from the Committee of Elections and Priviledges, the state of the case concerning the double returne made
of the elections of the knights for the county of Oxford. That the indentures whereby Robert Jenkinson
esq. and Henry Carey Viscount Falkland are ''returned, is the true returne, and that the said lord Falkland
ought to sit in the house, and that the indenture whereby the said Robert Jenkinson and Sir Francis Norris
are returned, ought to be withdrawn." Hereupon the House resolved accordingly, directing that the latter
indenture be taken off the file. Ib. No. 555, p. 222.
§ Baronetage, vol. iv. p. 373. It was intended that the knights should wear a silver medal, with the
device of the king in the oak pendant on a ribbon about their necks. || Harl. MS. No. 155/.

214 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
26, 1636, by the name of Hester. He departed this life A. D. 1669, aged
sixty. His eldest son having died a minor, he was succeeded by the
younger, who eventually obtained the honour of knighthood.
Weston manor-house was also the principal residence of Sir Edward
Norreys, who, treading in the steps of his father, acquired similar considera
tion among his contemporaries, was chosen representative of the city of
Oxford in parliament, from the first to the tenth year of king William, and
afterwards became knight of the shire. By his lady, Jane, the daughter of
Sir John Clerke of Shabington, bart. he had four sons and five daughters,
but, to his inexpressible grief, all of the former died during his lifetime,
and ultimately this estate devolved upon Philadelphia, his eldest surviving
daughter, the wife of Captain Henry Bertie, third son to Montague earl of
Lindsey. Sir Edward died in October 1713, in the seventy-eighth year
of his age.
Captain Bertie, the inheritor of Weston, also served in parliament for
the city of Oxford in 1685, 1689, and 1690, <and during a part of that
time was the colleague of his father-in-law. He generally resided at the
manor-house of Chesterton, and by Philadelphia his wife, had issue two
sons and three daughters : James, the eldest, who married Elizabeth,
daughter of Roger Harris of Winchester, esq. and Charles Montague Bertie,
who became rector of Uffington in Lincolnshire ; Eleanora and Ann, the
two eldest daughters, died unmarried, and Catherine, the youngest, wedded
Francis Clerke of North Weston. The captain married for his second wife,
Catherine, sister to Sir Henry Featherstone, bart. (who survived him), but
by her left no issue ; and departing this life at his seat at Chesterton De
cember 4, 1734, was buried in the church-yard of that village at the east
end of the chancel, -f-
By the death of James, his eldest son, (May 7, 1728,) during the lifetime
of Captain Henry Bertie, the estates of Weston, Yattenden, Hampsted-
Norreys, and Nutley-Abbey, devolved upon Norreys his grandson, then a
* Parish Register.
t Chesterton Par. Regist. The tomb is now ruinous. — Montague Venables Bertie, the second earl of
Abingdon, also died in the manor-house at Chesterton in July 1743.

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 215
minor, who, inheriting the talents of his ancestors, was elected one of the
knights of the shire for the county of Oxford in the ninth and tenth parlia
ments of Great Britain, summoned in 1741 and 1747.* He also rebuilt
and beautified the parish-church at his sole expense, erected a monument
for Sir John Norreys at Yattenden, removed the roof of the Hall at Nutley-
Abbey, co. Bucks, to a barn at Chesterton, and a considerable part of the
wainscot to an apartment in his mansion at Weston, which from that cir
cumstance, obtained the name of the Notley parlour. Several of the latter
years of his life were spent on the Continent, and, having been never mar
ried, he bequeathed his estates to his great nephew, Peregrine, the son of
Willoughby third earl of Abingdon : he died abroad A. D. 1766, and was
brought to this village for interment.
The honourable Peregrine Bertie, born March 13, 1741, early selecting
a maritime life, regularly passed through the subordinate stations of mid
shipman, lieutenant, &c. till, on November 6, 1762, he was appointed a
captain of the Shannon. Having obtained considerable reputation, he was
elected M.P. for the city of Oxford A. D. 1774, and retained the office til]
his death August 20, 1790, when, having no issue, he left Weston and his
other estates to Willoughby, fourth earl of Abingdon, during his life, and
devised them after his decease to the second surviving son of that nobleman,
and his heirs, so that they should not become the property of the heir to the
Abingdon estates, unless there was only one son in existence, -j- But the
* When Norreys Bertie found that Sir Edward Turner had offered himself as a candidate upon the
New Interest for the representation of the county, and that a violent contest might be expected, he de
clined standing, and addressed a letter to the gentry, clergy, and freeholders, recommending Lord Wenman,
August 7, 1752.
f By his testament dated January 20, 1790, Peregrine Bertie of Weston-oh the-Green directs his body
to be buried in the church of that village, and a monument, whereon should be carved the representation
of a ship, and a quadrant and compass, proper for a naval officer, with a suitable inscription to his
memory, to be affixed to the wall of the said church, as near the spot where he should be laid as possible.
He then appropriates his personal property to the payment of his debts, and the following legacies and
annuities. To lord Wenman and Philip Stapleton, whom he constitutes joint executors, £5. each; to
Elizabeth Cox, his servant, an annuity of £25. during her life; to Philadelphia Cox, her daughter, an
annuity of £50. ; and to Elizabeth his wife, an annuity of £250. together with his household furniture at
Fitzham; further directing, that in case his personal property should be found insufficient for the payment

216 WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN.
eldest son of the late lord Abingdon * having died in his lordship's lifetime,
Weston was retained by the present earl; and on the death of the posthu
mous son of the late Captain Willoughby Bertie -j-, was claimed by the
honourable Peregrine Bertie, the fourth son of the late, and brother of the
present lord, whose steward receives the rents, though the estate itself is in
chancery.

The manor of Weston includes a farm called Weston-park, locally situate
within the parish of Chesterton.
of the aforesaid debts, legacies," and annuities, the latter should be charged on his manors and estates at
Weston-on-the-Green, Chesterton, Blechingdon, &c; and in case the payment of any of these annuities
should be withheld beyond a stated period, he empowers the several annuitants to seize upon the said
estates, and hold them until such sums are paid. The aforesaid manors and estates he gives to Willoughby
earl of Abingdon during life, and at his death directs that they shall become the property of the second son
of the said earl, and his heirs; but if the second son should become the heir of the said earl, then the before-
mentioned manors and estates shall become the property of the next youngest, and so revert in gradual suc
cession, that they may not become the property of the heir to the title and estate of the said earl. But if
all the youngest sons of the aforesaid earl should die without issue male, then the heir shall inherit ; and if
there is no son, the daughters of the earl shall inherit, share and share alike. The will was proved 23d
September, 1790. Reg. Bishop, f. 413. in Offic. Prerog. Cant. — The neighbourhood of Weston was
greatly surprised at Capt. Bertie's slender provision for Philadelphia Cox, whom he had always acknow
ledged as his daughter, and introduced into the best company, especially when they observed into what
distress she was plunged after his death. She subsequently married one Ward, a farmer. — Mrs. Bertie's
maiden name was Hitchens.
* Willoughby earl of Abingdon, by will dated January 26, 1799, gives to Henry Viscount Gage, and
William Baldwin of Brook-street, all his estate and effects, real and personal, over which he has any power,
to sell and dispose thereof for the payment of his debts and funeral expences; and directs the surplus to
be paid to his son lord Norreys at the age of twenty-one, or to his second son Willoughby, if the said son is
not alive, &c. The will was proved March 15, 1800, by James King, one of the principal creditors of the
said earl, being duly authorized by the curators and guardians appointed by the late earl, Montague earl of
Abingdon, the honourable Willoughby Bertie, the honourable Peregrine Bertie, the honourable Frederick
Bertie, and lady Caroline Bertie, sons and daughter of the deceased. Reg. Alderley, f. 336.
t Willoughby Bertie left all his money, securities for money, goods, and chattels, of what kind soever,
to his wife Catherine Sleane Bertie, whom he constituted sole executrix by will dated October 29, 1810,
and revoked all other wills in her favour. Proved June 21, 1811. — This lady's maiden name was
Saunders,

WESTON-ON-THE-GREEN. 217
JOANE NlXON.
Joane, the wife of John Nixon, alderman and sometime mayor of Ox
ford, was born in this village. Wood says her maiden name was Simpson,
or rather Stevenson, and that she was a plebeian's daughter. Her husband
was the son of John Nixon of Blechington, husbandman, and in the early
part of the reign of king Charles I. settling at Oxford, by much industry
acquired a considerable fortune, and in 1636, 1646, and 1654, served the
office of mayor of that city. He seems to have been zealously devoted to
the puritans, and on the triumph of that party, raised to great civic im
portance. He founded the Free School in the Guildhall-yard A. D. 1658,
and dying April 14, 1662, was buried near the south door of St. Mary's
church. Joane his wife survived him nine years, and dying early in the
morning of the 18th of August, 1671, was buried by the side of her
husband.*
* Wood's MSS. No. 8436. F. 4. p. 101.

APPENDIX.

(This Series of papers is illustrative of the History of Bicester.)
No. I.
Deduction of Title to the Manors of Bicester and Wretchwick.
(Ex origin, penes G. O. P. Turner Baronettum.)
Bicester and Wretchwick were the property of Wigod, 18 Edw. Conf. 1060 ; and passed by
his daughter in marriage to Robert D'Oilly, 10 Will. Conq. 1077 ; who dying left them to
his brother Nigel D'Oilly, 10 Will. Ruf. 1096 ; who left them to his son Robert D'Oilly,
jun. 12 Hen. I. 1112; who gave two parts of the tithe to Oseney Abbey 30 Hen. I. 1130 ;
and gave the manors with his daughter in marriage to Gilbert Bassett, 2 Stephen, 1137.
Gilbert Basset left them to his son Thomas, 13 Hen. II. 1167, who dying 26 Hen. II. 1179,
left them to his son Gilbert, who founded Bicester Priory 1182, endowing the same
with lands in Bicester and Wretchwick, and died 5 John, 1204, when they passed to his
daughter Eustace, late the widow of Thomas de Verdon, but now of Richard de Camvil. The
last named baron dying 16 John, 1215, left the manor of Bicester with the patronage of
the priory to his daughter Idonea, who carried them in marriage to William Longspe, who was
slain in battle 35 Hen. III. 1251. William his son and heir gave them as a marriage portion
with his eldest daughter Margaret to Henry Lacy, earl of Lincoln, 41 Hen. III. 1256, who
dying 5 Edw. II. 1312, left it to his daughter Alice, countess of Lincoln, first the wife of
Thomas of Lancaster, and afterwards of Eubolo le Strange, which latter dying 9 Edw. III.
1336, she left them by settlement to her cousin Roger le Strange of Knockyn, 22 Edw. III.
1348, who dying 29 July, 23 Edw. III. left the manor of Bicester to Roger his son, who
dying 26 Aug. 6 Ric. II. 1383, left it to Aliva his relict, who dying 20 Jan. 1386, it passed
to John le Strange, their son, who dying 22 Ric. II. 1398, left it to Maud his widow, who
dyino- 20 Sept. 5 Hen. IV. 1403, it passed to Richard his eldest son, who dying 27 Hen.
VI. 1449, left it to John, his son and heir, who dying 15 Oct. 17 Edw. IV. 1477, left it to
Joan, his daughter and sole heiress, who carried it in marriage to George Lord Strange, 22
Edw. IV. who dying 5 Dec. 3 Hen. VII. 1487, left it to his son Thomas, earl of Derby, who
dying 24 May, 13 Hen. VIII. 1521, left it to Edward his son and successor, who dying 24
Oct. 14 Eliz. 1571, left it to Henry, earl of Derby, his son, who dying 35 Eliz. 1594, left
it to his son Ferdinand, who dying without male issue 36 Eliz. it passed to William his
brother, who succeeded him in his title and estates, and finally sold the manor of Bicester,
with all its members and appurtenances, to Thomas Wykins, of London, and Thomas Clements,
of Bicester, for 10,000 years, to commence from the feast of St. Michael, 39 Eliz. 1596, by
indenture bearing date June 29.
The patronage of the Priory was vested in the successive lords of the manor till the disso
lution.  The lands of the dissolved monastery were given by act of parliament to the king,
29 Hen. VIII. 1537, who gave the said lands to Charles duke of Suffolk 30 Hen. VIII. 1569.

220 APPENDIX.

No. II.
The Account of Brothers Robert de Dune and Stephen de Oxford, of Receipts
and Expenditures by them made from the Bursary of the Priory of Beren-
cester, in the 29th year [of the reign of King Edward,] from the morrow of
St. Martin, until the feast of the Translation of St. Fredeswyd next ensuing.
(Translated from the Original Roll in the Augmentation-office.)
Arrears.] The same an.swer for 8s. received of Mar Rd- de Bradewell, for the arrears of a
certain tenement situate within the East^-gate of Oxford on the South side, and were arrears
in the 28th and 29th of King Edward, as appears by the acquittance. The sum appears, 8s.
Receipt of Rent.] Also they answer for 13s. ll±d. received of the Reeve of Caveresfeud,
for rent at the term of the blessed Andrew by tally. And for 4s. IQ^d. received of the Reeve
of Stratton, at the term of the blessed Thomas the Apostle. And for 2s. 10^. received of
Berencester for the same by tally against the Mower. And of the Reeve of Grumesbyry,
14s. 7\d. by tally. And of the Reeve of Clifton, 60s. And of the Reeve of Curtlinton, 28s. Qd.
And of Simon Germayn of Bigehull, Qd. Sum £6. 5s. 3|rf.  Also they answer for £7 re
ceived of John de Bloxham, for the farm of Grumesbury. The sum appears.
Receipt of Tenth.] Also received of the Reeve of Caveresfeud for the King's tenth, 12s. Of d.
by tally against the same. And of the Bailiff of Wescot, for the same, 5s. 2%d. by tally.
And of the Reeve of Grumesbyry, 3s. 4d. by tally. And of the Warden of Holemere, 7s. 4d.
for the same. And of the Reeve of Cliffton, 28s. by tally. And for 24s. 9d. received of Gil
bert le Duck. Sum, £4. 0s. 7%d.  Also received for one oxhide, sold for 2s. 11^. The sum
appears. Pannage.] Also they answer for 2s. received of the Reeve of Stratton, for pannage of hogs
by tally. And for I8d. received of the Reeve of Caveresfeud for the same by tally. Sum,
3s. Qd.
Perquisites and Fines.] Also they answer for 10s. received of the Lord Walter de Quenton.
Also they answer for 20s. received of John Koc, of Grumesbyry, for a fine for one virgate of
land. And for 10s. received of the Reeve of Cliffton, by tally for the fine of Adam Sparruwe.
And for 2s. received of William Hardy, of Wriothewik, for a fine for one acre of land. And
of John de Infirmary, 6s. 8d. for a fine for the tenement in which he dwelleth. And for 13s.
Ad. received of Walter Fitz Osmund, for the fine for the tenement in which Richard Messor
heretofore dwelt. And of John Wylard, Reeve of Cliffton, for fine and arrears of account of
the same aforesaid year. Sum, £4, 2s.  Sum total of Receipt, £22. 2s. Qd.
Expences of the Bursar from the Morrow of St. Michael, in the 29t7t year
of the reign of King Edward.
The same accounts in the surplus of the last account, 35s. 10fd. ¦  Also paid to
the Lord of Bigenhull, for rent at the Nativity of our Lord, one penny. And to the Lord
of Curtlinton, halfpenny, for the rent of assise of one virgate of land, in the same town.

APPENDIX. 221
And to Henry de Bowell, for the same, 10s. Qd. by one acquittance. Sum, 10s, l\d.  The
same accountant delivered at Oseney, for a certain annual pension of tithes out of our de
mesnes of Burncester, 30s. by one acquittance. The sum appears.
Expences of the Household and purchase of stock.] The same accounts in fish bought at Ox
ford by Richard de la Marish, 2s. for the use of the Prior and Convent. And in bread bought
in the market of Burnecester, for the coming of Adam de Tusmere, Mar R. Le Wenleour,
Parson of Herdewik, and others, Qd. Also in fresh fish bought for the same, 28rf. Also
in ale bought for the use of the Prior and Convent, on the day of the Blessed Michael, Ad.
Also in tressels bought for the Prior's Chamber and other offices of the court, 2s. Also in
eels bought for brother Nicholas de Stretton, and Gilbert Bailiff, and others, on Friday next
after the feast of the Blessed James. Also in ale bought at one day's work at ploughing, \bd.
Also in nails for the beams in the Prior's Chamber, and other offices of the court, 15d. Also
in parchment and ink bought for the business of the house at different times, 13d, Also in
ale bought at another day's work of ploughing, I5d. Also in fresh fish bought on Friday
next after the feast of the Blessed Fredeswide, for the coming of John Hubert, Richard de
Lialn, and others, 29d. Also in almonds by reason thereof, 2d. Also in powder, 2d. Also
in wine bought at Oxford by reason thereof, \6d. Also for herrings, A\d. Also in fish,
perch, roach, bought to stock the pond, by order of the Prior, 32d. Also in poultry bought
for the coming of Matilda de Waus, grandaughter of the Earl of Lincoln, 7d. Also in one
ox, purchased to make a present to the Lord the Earl of Lincoln, lis. 2d. Also paid to two
men at Wicumbe, for three days in the service of the Earl, 12d. Also to one man with one
horse, in the service of the same, Qd. Also in fresh fish bought for the coming of the Prior
of Chetwode, MarRd de Wendlebury, and others, on the Eve of the Apostles Simon and Jude,
13d. Also in ale for the same, 2d. and at another time in ale bought for guests in the Prior's
Chamber, 9d. Also to John Andrew, for an old debt, Qd. Also in ale bought at two days
works of ploughing by view of W. de Grange, 30d. Also to Thomas le Nappere, for cups
bought at the Prior's Chamber for guests, Ad. Also in eggs bought at the obit of Philip
Basset, Id. Also in five pikerells bought on Friday next after the feast of All Saints for the
coming of Robert Gynegone, and others, 5d. Also in fresh fish bought for the coming of
John de Cotesford, Richard de Kynebell, on Friday next after the feast of the Blessed Leo
nard, and to stock the pond, \2d. Also in four cocks and hens bought for stock, 2\d. Also
in eels bought on Friday next after the feast of the Blessed Edmund, for the coming of
Ythel de Kerwent, John de Cotesford, and others, bd. Also in perch and roach, Qd. Also
in ale bought on Friday next before the feast of the Blessed Katherine, for the coming of the
Lord Thomas de Gardin, the Lord Wm. de Stalebroc, and many others, 9d. In wine, 17 id.
In herrings, \2d. In two pikerells, lAd. In salmon, 18d. In ginger, Id. Also in almonds,
2d. Also in sea fish, J 2d. Sum, 47s. 7|d.
Expences of the Prior.] The same accounts in the expences of the Prior at Oxford, at the
Synod on Monday next after the feast of the Blessed Michael, 3s. 9d. Also in one saddle
bought there for the use of the Prior, 6s. Id. and in one bridle for the same, 14d. Also in a
pair of spurs, 2d. Also in one pair of startups, 22d. Also in woollen buskins for the same,

222 APPENDIX.
12d. Also in reparation of the Prior's startups, Qd. Also in a tressel bought for one stall iii
the Prior's stable, 2d. Also in the expences of the Prior at the county court at Oxford, on
Friday next after the feast of St. Dionisius, 3s. And in the expences of the Prior at the
county court at Aylesbury, on the day of St. Luke the Evangelist, 3s. And in the expences
of the same at the Synod at Aylesbury, 3s. Also in candle pieces bought at the Prior's
chamber for the household, with a former receipt, 13d. Also for one coat bought for the use
of the Prior, 4s. lOd. Also in the expences of the Prior at Wicumbe, to have conference
with the Lord the Earl of Lincoln six days, 8s. Also in the expences of the Prior before the
Bishop at Morton, on business of the house, Gs. 8d. and in one utensil for the Prior's bed, fd.
Also in night socks bought for the use of the Prior, 12d. Also in five pair of girths bought
by Richard de la March and Robert de Dun, 16d. And in reparation of the Prior's startups,
5d. Also in the expences of the Prior with four companions at Thame, before the Bishop of
Lincoln, on the day of the Blessed Thomas the Apostle, 3s. Aid. Sum, 50s. 5d.
Gifts.] Also paid to the Sheriff of Bokingham, of the gift of the Prior, Gs. 8d. Also to
the servant Donet, 3d. of the gift of the Prior. Also to the servant of Thomas de Morton,
3d. Also to Peter the Chamberlain, of the gift of the Prior, 4d. Gave to Geoffery de Pade-
bury, and Thomas Gulafre, clerks of the Sheriffs of Oxford, by order of the Prior, by the
hands of brother Richard de Wendlebury, 10s. Gave to the Sheriff of Oxford, of the gift of
the Prior, 6s. 8d. and to his servants, 2s. by view of brother Richard de Wendlebury. Gave to
Sir Thomas de Gardin, Sir William de Scalebroc, Knts. by order of the Prior, 13s. 4d. on
taxation of the fifteenth. And to the clerks of the taxers of the fifteenth, of the gift of the
Prior, 2s. And to the beneficier of the parish church, 24. by order of the Prior. And to the
servants of Mr. Walter de Foderingheye, 6d. of the gift of the Prior. And to Thomas de
Morton, Clerk, of the gift of the Prior, by brother Walter de Audele. And to a clerk of the
Sheriff, for procuring the copy of a writ, 2d. And to the porter of the Sheriff, Id. And to
the servants of John Hubert, on the day of the Circumcision of our Lord, lOd. of the gift of the
Prior. And the donation of the patron, 3s. Sum, 49s. 5d.
Stipends.] Also paid to Robert Clerk, Esq. for his stipend, 4s. Also to the son of Wm.
Cumpere, the tyler, for his stipend from the feast of the Blessed Peter ad vincula unto the
feast of the Blessed Michael, 2s. Also to Walter the plasterer, for the last part of his sti
pend for the Prior's Chamber, 2s. Also to John the carpenter, for his stipend at the term of
St. Michael, 5s. Also to two weeders for their stipend, 6d. and to Edmund deWoodestok,
for his fee for the year preceding. Sum, 31s. 6d.  Also paid to Gilbert Duk, Bailiff of
Ermcot, by order of the Prior, by tally. The sum appears.
Clothes.] The same accounts for two coats bought for the use of two converted brethren
by order of the Prior, 8s. Qd. and for one coat for the steward's servant by order of the Prior,
4s. 6d. And in two robes bought for the use of the Attorney and Robert the Clerk, 29s.
Sum, 42s.
Expences of the Canons.] The same accounts in the expences of brother Richard de Wen
dlebury and Edmund de Wodestok, at Oxford, about the business of the house, 2s. Also in
the expences of brother Ralph de Meriton, at Northampton, before the Bishop of Lincoln, to

APPENDIX. 223
produce the confirmations of our churches, 3s. And in the expences of the said brother
Ralph, on Wednesday next after the feast of the Blessed Leonard, at Northampton, before
the Bishop's clerk, to produce the confirmations, 3s. Also in the expences of brother Richard
de Wendlebury, at the Great Hundred [Court] of Sutton, Qd. by order of the Prior. Also
in the expences of brother Walter de Andebe and Thomas de Morton, at Oxford, with the
Earl's letters to the Abbot and Convent of Oseney, and to the Sheriff, for the tenths of Al
dington, 2s. and paid on the Eve of the Blessed Thomas the Apostle. Also paid to Thomas
de Baywrye, 4s. 5£d. by order of the Prior for debts at the time at which he had the custody
of the manor of Stratton. Also in the expences of brother Robert de Dun, at Oxford, on
Sunday next before the feast of the Blessed Nicholas, about the business of the house, lOd.
Also in the expences of brother Richard de Wendlebury, and brother Ralph de Andebe, at
Moleston, by order of the Bishop, 9s. 2d. Sum, 24s. ll|d.
Expences of the Plea concerning Curtlinton.] The same accounts in the expences of brother
Richard de Wendlebury, towards York, on Wednesday next after the feast of the Blessed
Michael, and for 12 days following, for our plea concerning Curtlinton, 48s. 4d. And in the
expences of the Prior and the aforesaid brother Richard, at Oxford, to have conference with
the Lord Roger le Brabasun, and with others of the country, for the same plea, 4s. 2d. Also
to William Walteyof for forwarding the business in the enquiry of a certain plea, 20s. of the
gift of the Prior. Also to Richard de Balne for the same, of the gift of the Prior, 3s. 4d.
Also to John de Croxford, Gs. 8d. for his fee. Also in the expences of brother Walter de
Audele, at Brondesbisk, to have conference with Ma'. Rd. de Abindon, for enquiry of the
aforesaid plea, 12d. And in the expences of Rd. de la March, at Brondesbisk, and at Abin
don, on the same business with the aforesaid Master Richard, at twice 9d. And in the
expences of the Prior at Tronmersye, for enquiry on the same plea, £11. 4s. lOd. And
in the expences of brother Walter de Audele, towards York, for the same plea, 20s. Sum,
£16, 9s. Id.
Pannage.] The same accountant paid to the Reeve of the Lord the Earl for pannage of
hogs at Bernwod, 9s. The sum appears.
Foreign Expences.] The same accounts in ale bought on Wednesday next before the feast
of the Blessed Andrew, for the coming of the Sheriff of Oxford, William Walteschf, Roger
Boneton, and others, I2d. And in wine bought at Oxford, I5d. And in salmon, 12d. by
view of the cellarer. And in sea fish bought for the use of the Prior and household so
journing at Clifton, 12d. And in lime bought at Brackele, 8d. And in two pike bought on
Friday next after the feast of the Blessed Luke, for stock, by order of the Prior, 14d. And in
salmon and other fish bought for the coming of the Prior of Loffeld, and the Lord John Fitz
John, Qd. And for array of timber at Locke, by John the carpenter, Id. And in eels bought
on Friday next before the feast of St. Hilary, for the coming of William Waldesef and others,
7d. And in ale bought for the coming of Ma'. Geffery Mallesheye, 5d. And in two mullets
bought for the coming of the Lord of Wolverton, and others, 8d. And in pork bought by
William the cook for the coming of the Sheriff of Oxford, and he came not. And in veal
bought for the coming of Ma', de Aynho, 16d. and he came not. And in fresh fish bought

224 APPENDIX.
on Friday next after the feast of the Conversion of the Blessed Paul, for the coming of John
de Cotesford, Thomas de Morton, and others, Gd. And in two great augers bought for the
Carpenters, 18d. And as earnest for half the carcase of an ox, Id. And in veal bought on
Tuesday next after the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Mary, for the coming of John
Hubert, and others, 4d. And in poultry for the same, lOd. Sum, 13s. 9d.
Purchase of Store.] And in salt bought in the kitchen by view of Thomas de Haywrye,
38s. 6\d. Sum, 38s. 6|d.
Paid at the Grange.] Also paid to Walter de Grange, for iron and plank, and for the sti
pend of the Smith, 20s. at two payments by tally. And to the same at another time, 8s. for
the same. And to the same, 3s. 7d. for white leather, and rope, bought. And paid to him,
7s. 7|d. for the use of the Tire-Smith. Sum, 39s. 2|d.
Also he accounts in four fish bought at Oxford, on the day of the Holy Innocents, to
make a present to the Lord the Earl, 8s. lOd. by the Lord Walter de Audele. And in his ex
pences on the same day, bd. And to the Lady the Countess by the same, 40s. by order of
the Prior. Sum, 49s. 3d.
The same accounts in the expences of the Prior at the County [Court] of Oxford, on
Thursday next before the feast of the Purification, 2s. 8d. Also in one pair of startups for
the use of the Prior, 2s. 4d. In the expences of brother Adam Clerk, by two payments, at
Oxford, for the Kertlyngton plea, 14d. In the expences of Robert Clerk, Essoin of the
Prior, at the Court of Brehulle, 3d. In the expences of brother Ralph de Meriton, at London,
to have conference with the Proctor of Cardinal Neypol, 4s. In buskins bought for the use
of brother Ivo, Gid. In a table bought at the water mill, 4s. 6d. Sum, 15s. 5-§.
The amount of the sums total of the expences, £41. 16s. 9d. and so the expences exceed
the receipts in £19. 14s. 3d.

No. III.
Compotus fr'm Thome Byfeld Supprioris et Ricardi Albon Cl'm Bursar' de
Burncestr' de bonis ib'm recept' et expendit', a vigilia Sc'i Mich'is anno
r. r. Ric'i Sc'di nonodeci'o, usq' i vigiliam ejusdem anno vicesimo, &c.
Curtlyngton — Newenton.] Iidem respondent de una rosa rubea recept' de Henrico Bowols
de Curtlyngton in die Sci Johnis Baptiste de tris & tenement' que ibm tenet sibi & hered
suis imppetuii sc'dm tenorem cujusdam Indenture in? Priorem & Convent' & ipm Henricii
confecte. Et de uno g'no gariophili rec' de Rog'o de Stodele de Newenton Purcel ad Pascha
pro certis ?ris quas ibm tenet sc'dm tenorem cujusdam finis in curia dni Regis Edwardi P'mi
in? Priorem & Convent' et Wiftm Pante et Johannam uxlem ejus levati. Et de una rosa
rubea recept' de Nicho Blyseworth de Mydlyngton p una placea q'm ibm tenet cii ducent'
acris tre arabil ad tniin vite sue.

APPENDIX. 225
Redditus cu' Firmis.] Et de iiij" viij8 ijd recept' de xiiij tenement' in Burncestr' p
Wittm Heyward collectorem ibm, Et de vj" xiij5 iiijd de firma molendino^ ibm p annu.
Et de iiij" vjs viijd de redditu in Wrechewyk, et Juliana quondam relicta Willi Hogges tenet
di virg' ?re in ope dni. Et de c" xxd re p firma ?re de Wrechewyk p tail cont' Johem
Spman collectorem ibm. Et de xl" de Andrea Draper de Oxon p firma maSij de Dadyngton
et molendino^ de Clyfton que tenet ad t'minvi xx anno^ p indent'ram. Et de xx" r. de
Wittmo Bayly de Staton p firma manerij ibm. Et de vj3 viijd de Nicho Aleyn p quod'm
tenemento ibm quond'm Hug' Kyng. Et de vij" xiijs iiijd rec' de Johe Smewyn Westcott p
tatt de ?ris ibm hoc anno ultra xs allocat' ibm. Et de vj" de maSio de Arnecote. Et de
Cyjs viijd r. de firma de Caveresfeld. Et de xiij" vjs viijd rec' de firma de Glymmysbury. Et
de xviij" rec' de firma eccie de Ardyngton. Et de vj" rec' de firma porcois Cumpton Basset.
Et de vj" xiij8 iiijd rec' de firma de Letecumbe. Et de ijs recept' de Fyryngford. Et de
xviij3 ijd recept' de redditu in Wendulby. Et de lv" iiijd de reddit' ?r et ten in Tackele p
annii. Et de v3 ixd rec' de ?ra dimissa ad seiand in campo de Burncestr' hoc a0. Et de
iiij" vs vd recept' de redditu in Curtlyngton p tatt cont' Wittm Newman collectore ibm. Et de
xvj" recept' ibm de div9s g'nis vend apud Bemude p frem Johem Watford custodem maSij
predicti hoc anno. Sm viijxxviij" iij3 ijd.
Exit' Man'ij.] Et de Xs recept' de Rico Togode de Langeton de xxiiij pellib3 oviii sibi
vendit' hoc anno. Et de xxvj5 recept' de eodfh de lvj pellib3 oviii nee' ad lardaf in? fm Sci
Martini et Natale Dni. Et de xxd rec' de Rico Skynner de Burncestr' de xxvij pellib3
agnellfh vendit' eidm anno elapso. Et de vjs rec' de xviij pellib3 oviii vendit' hoc anno. Et
de xxiiij" iij s recept' de iij sacc' et vij toddys lane vendit' hoc anno s. de lana anni priti,
et de lana hup anni nichil hie quia nondum vendit'. Sm xxvj" vjs viijd.
VendiiAo Stauri.] Et de ixs recept' hoc anno de agnis vendit' p Johem Barcaf ultimo
anno elapso. Et de v3 xd recept' de x ovib3 mat'cib3 refusis vendit' Johi Watre de Blake-
thorne p Johem Gibbes de Wrechewyk supvisorem oviu hoc anno. Et de xij5 jd recept' de
Johe James de Wendulby de xxvj agnett sibi et ffi suo vendit' p eumdm Johem Gibbes.
Et de ix3 iiijd de Johe Baron de Crowelton de xxviij agnett sibi vendit' in die Sci Thome
Apli p eumdm. Et de xixd recept' de Johe Benhull de Wrechewyk de iij ovib3 sibi vendit'
p eumdm Joh Gybbys. Et de xl3 recept' de captore avena^ Dili Regis de xij q'rtijs pisa^
sibi vendit'. Et de iijs vjd recept' de calce vendit' hoc anno p frem Wittm Islepe coquinaf
ultra ij q'r?ia et j b3 dat' Nicho Bliseworth, Mag'ro Henrico Vowler, et Nicho Lacy, p pcept'
p'oris. Sm iiij" xvj'1.
Exitus Coq'ne.] Et de xxix3 vd recept' de ix corijs boviu nee' ad lardaf int fm Sci
Martini et Natal Dni vendit' p frem Wittm Islepe coquih Thome Tannere et alijs m)catorib3
in foro. Et de vijs vijd recept' de cepo vendit' Symoni Courio' de Burncestr' ad idm
tempus p eudfh. Et de jd ob de j pelle vitulina vendit' in vig' Circiisisionis Dni. Et v5 ixd
de v pet's et viij" de cepo vendit' Symoni Corio' in die Sco^ Fabiani et Sebast'. Et de
xiiij d recept' eodm die de Gosegrece vendit' eidm Symoni. Et de iij3 iiij d rec' de j corio
bovm necat' p comino pochiano^ dhica septuagesime vendit' Thome Tannere. Et de iijs rec'
p iiij pet's fusi vendit' in px' septia ante fm Sci Georgij. Et de ij5 rec' de j corio bov'm.nec'
VOL. II. 2 G

226 APPENDIX.
et psentat' ad vicenniu Rectoris de Buk' filij Ducis Lancastf Comicanc Oxon. Et de ijd rec'
de ij pellib3 vitul psentat' ad vicenniu ut supius. Et de xxiijd recept' de j corio vaccine
nee' in ebdo' ah fm Assumpconis be Mar vend p Johem Bode. Et de xxd rec' de xxvj" fusi
vendit' Johi Weston de Burncestr'. Et de xviijd ob recept' de intralib3 oviu vendit' p
Matildam Patter hoc anno. Et de xijd rec' de Flotys vend Symoni Corio' citra fm Sci Michis
videlicet de t'b3 lagenis. Et de xvjd recept' de xxij" fusi vendit' eidm. Sm lxs.
Vendic'o Herbag'.] Et de xl5 recept' de herbag' de Gereven vendit' Thome Alewhit de
Wendulby hoc anno. Et de vjd recept' de decima feni et pasture in Losemore debit' de
anno elapso. Et de xijd recept' de Galfrido Caveresfeld de decima feni de Twyfoldemore
debit' anno pre?ito. Et. de vjd recept' de Adm Seberne ^posito de Bygenhull de decima feni
in Redemore de debit' anni ^cedent'. Et de vjd recept' de eodfh de decima feni ibm hoc
anno. Et de jd rec' de Thoma Cok de decima feni apud Oldedyk hoc anno. Et de iij(i rec'
de decima feni in Wilton Croft. Et de viijd recept' de Hug' Spman de decima feni vendit'
p eudm in le Slade ex' villa et de capitibj traru adjacentiii ibm jux' viam extendenc' v9sus
Langeton expte sinist' ult' iiijd codonat' eidm p p'orem. Et de viijd recept' p frem Wittm
Islepe de quod'm hoie de Buckenhull de decima feni sibi vendit' de herbag' jacent' ex' ortu
Agnet' Fairman. Et de xijd recept' de Galfrido Cavssfeld de decima feni in Twynoldemore
hoc anno. Et de vjd recept' de certis capit' in le Slade jux' Gravenhull vendit' Reginaldo
Mareys et Wittmo Hikkes p Hug' Spman. Et de vjs viijd recept' de capit' de Cav9sfeld hoc
anno. Et de xx3 viij a recept' de stipula vendit' hoc anno p frem Ric'in Albon et Hug'
Spman. Et de decima pvenient' ut de jure de bosco dni le Staunge in Bernewode nichil
hoc anno q nulla fuit ibm vendicio. Et de ij3 recept' de Adam Seberne pposito de Bygen
hull pro certis capit' apud Kyngedeh'm hoc anno. Et de vjd recept' de eodrh pro decima
feni et pasture in Losemore hoc anno. Et de jd rec' de Rico Bakere Agillaf p decima feni
apud Oldedyk hoc anno. Et de vs recept' de uxle quond'm Witti Palfreyman p herbag' in
le Mulneham et quad'm tra vssus Langeforde. Sfh iiij" vijd.
Recept' Forins.] Et de iij3 iiijd de expens' Archiepi Eboranc' in die Sci Bricij Epi. Et
de xx3 recept' p manumissione filij quond'm Johis Baford de Wrechewyk. Et de vjs viijd rec'
de bosco vendit' apud silvam de Covele pvenient' de j poste molendini j wySescyd et j
schaft empt' ibm p vent'cio molendino ut p3 inferius in custib3 molend. Et de liiijs rec' de
bosco vendito apud Bemude p frem Johem Watford hoc anno. Et de xviij3 vjd recept' de
decis Dni Reg' aret° existent' de ultima colleccone. Et de xiiijd recept' de Johe Stoke p
opib3 carecte sue p duos dies in autvipno. Et de ijd rec' de eod p ope unius diei quo
oparet' sup' tassim pisarvi p domo sua in Wrechewyk. Et de iij3 vjd recept' de decimacone
agnett sicut patet in pcell' papiri ffis W. Islepe collecoris eorund' hoc anno. Sfh cvijs vd.
P'quis' Cur'.] Et de vij3 jd recept' de attachiament's fact' in ultima Cur tent' in festo
Sc'i Jacobi Apli anno r. r. Ric'i xix°. Et de ij3 rec' de Wittmo Hikkes pp? irreparaconem
domus in Wrechewyk. Et de vijd q, allocant' p p'orem rec' de mJciament' fact' in Westcote
in ultima curia tent' ibm die M'tis px' post fin See T'nitat' anno regni sup'dicto. Et de
iij3 iiij*4 rec' p pannagio porcoa de Wrechewyk et al mlciament' ibm fact'. Sm xijs vd.
Sfh tot recepconis ccxj" xjs vjd.

APPENDIX. 227
Sup'plusag'.] Itm ijdm Bursar computat' computand et allocac' allocand petunt sibi allo-
cari de xij" jd de supplusag' anni j$iti. Sm patet.
Allocacio.] Ex quib} ijdm petunt allocacoem de tenemento scituat' in? Hug' Spman et
tenementu quond'm Witti Palfreyman vj3 viijd. Et de tenement' quod Will's Peynto1 tenet
vj3 viijd. Et de tenement' px' jux' Vinaf Dni iij3 vjd. Et de ij tenement' in Wrechewyk
quond'm Johis Cripps jux' Bercaf et Witti Hikkes xiij3 iiijd. Et de tenement' Johis Gose-
hale in Tackele vj3 viijd sibi condonat' p p'orem. Et de redditu de Cumpton Basset con-
donat' p p'orem firm! ibm hoc a0 xiiijd. Et p colleccone reddits de Curtlyngton vssus
Will'm Newman iiij3. Et p custodia p'ti de Gurefen xijd ob. Sfh xliij3 ob.
Resoluc'ones et Pensiones.] Et solut' Abbi de Oseneye p pens' ecc'ie pochial de Burn
cestr ad tminos Sci Michis et annuciaconis Dhice p ij acquiet' lx3. Et Abbi de Alneto
p hupdl pens' ad eodfh ?minos xl3. Et Abbi de Messenden p ?ra de Arnekote vj" xiij3 iiij d
p ij acquiet' ad ?minos Sci Michis et Invenconis Sancte Crucis. Et Abbi de Eynesh'm p
ij acquiet' xl3. Et Dho de Bygenhull p tra ex' supiorem portam grangie vjs viijd- Et eidm
p j cotagio xxd. Et Dho le St' tinge p pastura de Conbrygg hoc anno debit' iiij3. Et hered
Alani fiz piers p tenement' in Wendulby vijs vd. Et Duci Gloucestrie p Curtlyngton ijd.
Et p Schyreswyht iiij3. Sfh xiiij" xvij3 iijd.
Deci'e et P'curac'.] Et solut' Abbi de Thame collect' decimaru Dni Reg' anno regni sui
xviij0 sibi concess' in Afchu Oxon p ultima mediete p acquiet' xlviij3 vjd. Et Abbi de
Wardoh p eadm ultima mediete in Archu xviij3 vjd. Et Archo p procuf Ecc'ie de Burnc'
vij3 viijd. Et eidm pro Sevag' Sci Michis xijd. Et p Sevage pasce ij3- Et pcuf Dhi Pape
vijs et pro acquiet' ijd. Et solut' p ultima medie1* decimal porconis in Cumpton Basset hoc
anno v" iiijd. Et p acquiet' ijd. Et solut' procuf Lincoln ad resistend apud Cur Romanam
procurator^ Dhi Archiepi Cantuaf petent' de qualib3 libra bonos eccliasticofc p appellacoes
fact' iiij3 xd ob videlic' de qualib3 libra ob et de qualib3 m'rca q'. Et n'omin9 solut'
Archiepo Cantuaf p Ecc'ia poch de Burncestf que taxat' ad xij" iiij3 videl3 p qualib3
libra iiijd. Sm iiij" xv3 ijd ob.
Acquiet' Debit'.] Et solut' Johi Fayrman p quibusd'm n'ccijs que emit p Ric'o Lunde
sibi debit' de ultimo anno iiijd. Et uSi Ric'i Barbo' debit' de ultimo autumpno iijd. Et.
Hugoni Spman p cariacone meremij anno elapso iijd. Et p emendacone cujusd'm selle
fracte v'sus Sterisbrigg vd eodm anno. Et Johi Lodelowe p spieb3 ab ipo emptis ex debito
antiquo vjs viijd. Et Wittmo Ynglham p pane empto anno elapso jd ob. Et Johi Stytford
de Langeton p quibusd'm ferrament' arat'nis in le Brech furat' et p ipius adjutoriii restitutis
xijd. Et uxli Galfrld Cav9sfeld p sivisia empt' p Dho le Straunge in septia q'nquagesime
anno ]3?ito xd ob. Et soluc' Ricardo Smyth p factura ferramento^ novara fenestra^ in insula
australi sibi debit' xiij' iiij'1. Sfh xxiij3 iijd.
Custus Caruc' et Carectaru'.] Et in frunicone j corij equini apud Midlyngton xd. Et
in ij pib3 tractuii empt' p Hug' Spman xijd. Et in vj cartclowt3 cu clavis empt' de
Alexandro Yremongle p eudm xiiijd. Et in ij fugis empt' p carectaf ijd. Et in ij colores
empt' ij3. Et in j basse empt' p eudm viijd. Et in j corio eq'no empt' p' eudm xiiij'1. Et
in j ulna de canevas empt' p eudm vd. Et in j alio corio equino dealbat' empt' in foro

228 APPENDIX.
p eudm xvd. Et in j rerecorde empt' p Hug' Spman apud nudinas de Cav5sfeld ijd. Et
solut' Ric'o Smyth p ferrura vj equoi et iiij equaru carect' p ij tall' cont' eundfh p hunc annii
xx3 vijd. Et solut' eidm p div's' ferrament' carucaru et carect' p ipm fact' sicut patet p
tatt cont' Robertii Willyam xiij3 iiijd et non plus hoc anno q> ferru fuit pp'u Donr9 hre.
Sin xiij3 ixd.
Minuta n'ccia.] Et in j pectine equino empt' Oxon p stabulo p'oris iijd. Et in ij
gurthijs empt' ibm vd. Et in j matta empt' p scanno infirmaf iiij'1. Et in iij mattis empt'
p scannis in refectorio xxd. Et in assenek empt' ad necand racones jd. Et in tyn empt'
p magno plumbo in pist'na xxjd. Et solut' Robto Plumer de Dodeford emeridanc pdcm
plumbu in grosso xs. Et in Johe Duk et Johe Wilh'm de Wrechewyk evacuant' et expor-
tant' ?ram et massam a pdicto plubo p j diem iiijd. Et in Johe Benhull conduct' in ope
cement' circa pdcm plumbu p ij dies et dimid vd. Et in pcameno empt' p toto hoc anno
vijd ob. Et in j tabula empt' p schopa Hug' Taylo' xxd. Et in pakthred empt' pro saccis
suendis iijd. Et in versynsed empt' ad seiand circa sepes in le Brech xxd. Et in j cultello
empt' p vagina ve?ii cultelloa tabule prioris iiijd. Et in iij libris nig' visci empt' p novo
choro ixd. Et in ferrur' empt' p t'bulo gardini iijd. Et solut' Witto Fabro p ferrura
equo* stabuli prioris xvj'J. Et in iiij" de nig° visco empt' alia vice p novo choro xd. Et in
v discis ligneis empt' p uxle porcaf ijd. Et in emendacone iiij cipho^ marmoreo^ xijd. Et
in .emendacoe horiferij p j hoiem de Chacumbe xij'1- Et in emendacoe mapparu aule
p'oris et lynthiaminu camle jux' aulam ijd. Et in j quarffi virid cere et rubee empt' Oxon
p sigillacoe iiij*1- Et in j magno reyne et j fauce empt' ibm p stabulo prioris vjd. Et in
t'bulo empt' p parcaf jd ob'. Et in C. de visco empt' alia vice pro novo choro xiijd, Et
Cupaf de Myton emendant' ij costrett' in cellaf ijd. Et solut' Johi Fige carpent emen-
dant' tabulam piccatam infirmarie p v dies xxd. Et solut' Witto Ferro' de Brackele curanti
morbu in collo palfridi prioris xxd. Et in Johe Wyleford et Johe Norreys de Midlvngton
conduct' ad faciend muros circa novu plumbu in pist'na p iij dies et di xxjd. Et in Ric'o
Coupe conduct' ad emendand divssa vasa in cellar'o et in p'strina a festo Sci Michis usq^ ad
fm Sci Johis Baptiste xij'1. Et in ij scoteles empt' apud Sterisbrigg' iiijd- Et in xij virg'
de heyrecloth empt' ibm vs xj'1. Et in emendacoe j celle canoic' apud Oxon ijs xd. Et
solut' Witto Smyth p ferrur' equo^ stabuli p'oris sicut p3 p tatt cont' Wittm Erlyche iiijs. Et
in flokkys empt' p Wittm Erlyche p viam tempe quo p'or equitan0' v9sus pcii de Stowe ad
loquend cu Epo Lincoln sicut p3 in expens'inferius jd. Et in divls' n'ccijs instrument' empt'
de Alexandro Yremongle sic1 patet p tatt cont' eumdm vj3 jd. Sfh Iij' xd.
Custos Domoj .] Et in vj carect' pet'rii empt' apud Cavssfeld xviijd. Et in j sera cii
clave empt' pro ostio canile Henrici Boccher subtus dormitorio vd- Et in Wittmo Pyrie
conduct' ad faciend ostiu et emendand parietes circa dictam carnlam p ij dies iiijd. Et in
j sera empt' Oxon pro trunco nove crucis jux' novam insulam vjd. Et in Johe Fige carpen?
conduct' ad faciend predict' truncii nove crucis p vj dies ij3. Et in j clave pro sera janue
molendini et alijs ligat'is ad dcam necessarijs empta iiijd. Et in j sera cii clave empt' p
ostio inferioris bercaf apud Crokwett iiijd. Et in ij seris cu iiij clavib3 empt' p ostio gar
dini juxta refectoriu et p ostio ex?iori de Oscroft xiiijd. Et in iiij seris empt' apud Mersch

APPENDIX. 229
de Rectore ibm remanent' in stauro iij3 iiijd. Et in j clave empt' p ostio domus carbonu
iijd. Et in Johe Heyne et Johe Benhull emendant' ostiu et piete jux' ostiu inferni coquine
p diem iijd ob. Et in Johe Warde conduct' p v dies sup' magnii horreu et in alijs locis xd.
Et in ij feis tractant' stramen et 'sVient' eidm p viij dies xiiijd. Et in eisdih feis servient'
eidm alia vice p iij dies xijd. Et in Wittmo Pyrie conduct' ad faciend domii in pximiori
Oscroft p pullan p iij dies xijd. Et in Johe Warde conduct' ad stipand domu apud
Crokwell et domii carrectinam et alias domos jux' Grangiam p v dies xd. Et in ij feis
conduct' ad s!viend eidm p iij dies xvjd. Et in feia slvient' eidm p j diem ijd. Et in famulo
Rici Smyth p di diem in simili ope jrt. Et in eodm Johe Warde conduct' ad stipand domii
carect' p iij dies vjd. Et in iij feis conduct' ad 'sViend eidih p iiij dies xijd- Et in Witto
Pyrie conduct' ad emendand div'sa ostia et fenestras apud Beicaf de Crocwell p ij dies
iiijd. Et in eodm WiHmo conduct' ad emendand seras et tricaturas porte et valve jux'
molend et ad faciend ostia p aris porcoa et quosd'm g'dus p novo g'naf p x dies xxd. Et
in eodm Wittmo conduct' ad pficiend et consufhand predict' g'dus p novo g'naf ut p\lcm
estp iij dies vjd. Et in Thoma Goldes dealbant' pietes in aula et in cam! a P'oris et in
alijs cam'is jux' aulam Prioris p viij dies et di xiiijd. Et in Johe Bromwych conduct' ad
coopiend et emendand defect9 et foramina sup' magnu horreu p vj dies xijd. Et in ij feis
coduct' ad sviend eidm p vij dies et di ij3 viij'1. Et in WiHmo Pyrie conduct' ad adjuvand
Johem Bloxh'm facient' postern ad supportacone uni9 trabis I magno horreo p j diem
iiijd. Et solut' socio Thome Cuxh'm p petris empt' apud quarreram de Teynton iij3 iiijd.
Et p expens' suis ibm dolant' $dict' petras iijs iiijd. Et solut' Thome Cuxh'm in ptem
soluconis xl3 p ope cement' faciend sup' novii opus Eccie ult' vestiariu xvj3 viijd. Et solut'
cuidam fabro de Bedeford facient' gemewes p stall' novi chori p ffem Ricm Parentyn
iijs iiijd. Et in WiHmo Pyrie et Reginaldo Mareys conduct' ad faciend lutosam area in
domo jux' pistrinam p brasio ibm siccando p j diem,viijd. Et solut' Johi Bloxh'm facient'
unam postern ad supportacone uni9 trabis in magno horreo cii WiHmo Pyrye ut sup'dcm est
p j diem iiijd. Et solut' Roberto Dryffeld p taxa novi chori hoc anno x11 ult' alias x1' solut'
eidfh sicut pat3 p rotulos duoa annoa precedentiu. Et solut' eidm Robto p xxx fynolijs
faciend in signul stall' ex' taxam sua xxxiij3 iiij d - Sin xiiij" vij3 ob.
Custus Molendini ventilosi.] Et in Wittmo Thorn's carpentaf capient' in grosso ad fa
ciend novu vent' molend ad sumptus suos pp'os oniiodos conduct' x" et p le ernes jd et
cotiddii circa illud opus psisteft j lagenam "sVicie covent' et unu panem. Et in meremio
empto apud Wodestoke xxvj5 viijd. Et in expens' f fis Joh Watford et predci Willi apud
Wodestoke ad vidend meremiu ibm ijd. Et in iij arborib3 empt' apud silvam de Covele
videlicet j poste molend j wynereschyd et j .schaft xl3. Et solut' p prostracone earudfh iij
arboa xxd. Et in expens' ffis Johis W. et Witti pdicti carectarioa et alioa plufm apud
Stratton et alibi p viam in cariacone pdictaa t'um arboa a silva de Covele ut in pane equino
et Pvisia xd. Et Wittmo Pyrie p j unum diem in ipa cariacone adjuvanti ij'1. Et in Wittmo
Tynker conduct' ad fundend xxvij libras eris remanent' de coi stauro xijd. Et solut' ij
sarratorib3 de Buck' sarrant' tabulas quercinas p ix dies vj5. Et in exphs' cariaconis j
elmentre a Bygenhull dat' ad molend p j seylzerde p Johem Russell senescatt ibm ijd. Et
VOL. II. 2 H

230 APPENDIX.
in ij elmys empt' ibm de Thoma Cok p le seylzerdes iiij3 iiijd. Et in j quartron de estryge-
bord empt' London p frem Johem Watford xxx'. Et in cariacone a London usq, Edeshore
iijs xd. Et in cariacone earumd ab Aylesbury usq, domii p ij vices ij3 jd. Et in ij sarrat,'
conduct' p vij dies et dimid pMictas tabulas vs. Et in pstracone ij arboa apud Bygenhull
ijd. Et in ij pet's molarib3 empt' apud Islepe xxvj3 viijd. Et in j slabbe de ferro empt' apud
Banneby p le rynde xd. Et in expens' querent' jd. Et in xvj centenis de div'sis clavis
empt' de Alexandra Yremongle p vices vij3 ixd. Et in clavis empt' Wodestok et Burn
cestr alia vice ijsjd cu expens' querent'. Et in xij quar? bordes empt' Oxori p ffem Joh
W. iiij3. Et in ij twystes cii clavis empt' p ostio molend xijd. Et in ij sarrat' conduct' a
sarrand rygolbordes p iij dies xviijd. Et in ulnis de canvas empt' London p ffem
Joh Watford p seylclothys xviij3 iiijd- Et solut uxHHenrici suenti pdict' pannos iij d. Et in
ij tabulis querciii empt de Rico Smyt vjd. Et in basket de stramie de mensura uni9 modij
ijd. Et in Johe Orpyde conduct' ad custodiend molendinu a festo Sci Pet1 ad vincla usq, ad
fm Sci Michis in grosso vj3 viijd. Et in Rico Smyth conduct' ad faciend div'sa instrumenta
ferrina p molendino in grosso xiij3 iiijd- Et in div'sis ferrament' et clavib3 empt' de
Alexandra Yremongle sicut p3 p tatt cont' eumdem que quidfh tatt supius memoraf in minut'
n'ecijs empt' de eodfh sicut ibm patet iij3 xjd. Et in expens' ffis Johis Watford London et
in eundo et redeundo p ij vices p estrygbord et canevas emend sicut patet supius ij3. Et
solut' Ricardo Couper facient' j hope circa pet's molendini viijd. Et in j cista empt' de ffe
Johe Watford ad imponend grana ij3. Et in ij discis empt' pro tolneto ijd Sih xx" xiiij3 jd.
Custus Bervar.] Et in Wittmo Pyrie conduct' ad faciend iiij schepeherdeles apud
Bercaf in le Brech p iij dies vjd. Et in j lagena et di de tar empt' p Johem Gybbes de
Wrechewyk supvisore oviu ixd ob. Et in j scapha empt' illic p eumdm ijd ob. Et in xxx
cladis empt' Wodestok p Hug' Spman vs. Et in expens' ejusdm ibm p eisd ijd. Et in
divers' hoib3 cu feis conduct' p ffem Wittm Islepe ad lavand oves mat'ces apud Heyford iijs.
Et in divers' conduct' alia vice ad lavand bidentes ibm iij3 vijd. Et in svisia empt' p ij vices
apud Heyford p locone oviu sicut jJdcm est et p tonsorib3 bidenciii in defectu cellaf ij3 iij'1.
Et dat' cuidam de Norton plicant' lanam p pceptu Prioris xx'1. Et in viij cladis empt' apud
Midlyngton xijd. Et in Hug' Puff et Wittmo Peek et Johe Hegan conduct' p annu ad
custodiam oviii xxx3. Et solut' Witto Peek et Johi Hegan p potagio eoa p annu ij3. Et
dat' eisdih in die Pentecostes scdm morem iij'1. Et in j cado de tar empt' apud Sterisbrygg
p stauro px1 anni sequent' iij3 viijd. Et dat' filio Witti Bercaf adjuvant' prem suu in Ber-
caria p pi socular vjd. Et dat' Bercaf p p' jd ad bibend. Et solut' Johi Gibbys de Wreche
wyk ad supvidend oves et ad ext'hend malas a bovis cu temp9 oportunu ftuit. Sin liiijs viijd.
Empc'ones bla& et brasei.] Et in iiij quartijs et iiij b3 frument' empt' in foro div'sis
vicib3 p seie p Hug' Spman xiiij3 jd ob. Et in ij q'r? et di avenaa empt' p vices iiij" vjd. Et
in v q'r? brasei empt' apud Islepe xvij3 vjd. Et in viij quar? brasei empt' ibm alia vice
xxviij". Et in ij quar? brasej empt' de novo molendinaf vij3 iiijd. Et in vj b3 brasei empt'
de Johe novo molendinaf ij3 viijd. Et in ij quartijs et ij b3 brasei empt' de eodm alia vice
vij3 iiijd. Et in iiij b3 pisaru empt' tempe quadragesime pro porcis xvjd. Sm iiij1' ij3 ixd ob.

APPENDIX. 231
Empc'o StaurL] Et in viij bobus empt' de Rectore de Mersch iiij" x5. Et in j equo empt'
de quodm hoie Hibn xxix3 ixd. Et in j sue juvencula empt' in foro p stauro xvd. Sfh vj" xijd.
Sarculac'o Falcatio et Feni levac'o et stipulac'o.] Et in diversis feis conduct' ad sarculand
in blado sicut patet p iij tatt cont' Wittm Heyward xx3 vd ob. Et in divers' feis sarculant' et
fenu levand in p'ma sepfra mens' Julij sicut patet p tatt illius septlie cont' eudm Wittm vij3 ixd.
Et solut' Johi Stoke falcant' in p!mo feno p xj dies iij8 iiij'1. Et in Johe Bromwych conduct'
ad falcand in p'mo feno p xvij dies v3 ijd ob. Et in Johe Bromwyche et Johe Stoke
falcant' simul di acram p'ti iiijd. Et in eisdih falcant' pi? p iiij dies ij3 iiijd ob. Et in Wittmo
Hikkes p ope consimili p iiij dies xiiijd. Et in Johe Smyth et Johe filio Witti Yngerh'm
conduct' in ope simili p v dies xviijd ob. Et in Johe Hamude Reginaldo Mareys et Johe
Benhutt conduct' in simili ope p iij dies xijd. Et in divers' feis conduct' ad levand fenu
in ij" septia mens' Julij sicut p3 p tatt illi9 sepfie. Et in eisdih conduct' in simili ope in iij"
septi" ejusdih mens' ut pat3 p tatt illi9 sept' cont' eudm x3 xd. Et in eisdih conduct' in
simili ope in iiija ebdoa ejusdih mens' sicut patet p t' illius ebdoa cont' eudih xs ijd. Et
in divers' feis conduct' ad congregand stipulam et levand scdm fenu sicut patet p tatt cont'
eundfh Wittm xs xd ob. Et in Johe Bromwych falcant' scdm fenii p ij dies vjd. Et in Witto
Hykkes conduct' in simili ope p v dies xvd. Et dat' divers' falcant' tempe feni p Priore
xxijd. Et in Reginaldo Mareys et Johe Benhull conduct' ad falcand scdm fenu p viij dies
ij3. Et in divers' conduct' p scdo feno levando sicut pat3 p talliam vs iijd. Et in Rico Baker
et Robto at Welle falcant' scdm fenii p iij dies xviijd. Sfh iiij" xv3 iiijd ob.
Custus Autu'pni.] Et divers' hoib3 et feis conduct' ad metent' sicut patet p v tatt cont'
Wittm Heyward ix" xix3 iij**- Et in Johe Bromwych falcanti in blado p xv dies v3 ijd. Et
in Henrico Smyth de Banneby capient' ij pecias ?re v'sus molendinu de Langeton ad falcand
ad suos pp'os sumptus xiiij3 vidlt p qualib3 acra xijd. Et in eodm conduct' hoc eodm modo
ad falcand xxiiij acras et di apud Coubrygge et ad pandu usq, ad cariacoem xxiiij3 vjd. Et
in Reginaldo Mareys et Witto Hykkes coduct' hoc eodm modo in grosso ad falcand illam
?ram que vocat' Haroldes pece jux' Russell Lane iiij3 vjd. Et in eisdih conduct' eodih m° ad
falcand Gostyhokes in grosso iij3- Et in eisdih capient' culturam que vOcaf Nyne acres in
grosso vj3. Et in Johe Stoke conduct' ad sumpt9 suos pp'os ad falcand medivi stadiii in le
Breeh et ad pad oia ad carect' xiijs iiijd quod quidfh stadiii continet in se xvj acras in toto
$? unam rodam. Et in cyrothecis empt' iiij3. Et in Wittmo Pyrie falcant' cit' Croftwell p
ij dies v»jd- Et in uxie sua cu adjuvant' p iij dies xijd. Et in ux' Johis Bromwich laboranc'
p j diem in autumpno iiijd. Et ad jactand falce vjd. Et in Johe Hale conduct' cu carect'
sua p ij dies xxd. Et in j pyccher adjuvant' Nichm Aleyn de St'tton p j diem iijd. Et dat'
carect' Witti West de eadfn p p iiijd. Et carect' Nichi Blyseworth iiijd. Et in svisia
empt' p pp'is messorib3 ex dbno Prioris iiijd ob. Et in ij feis ligant' et adnuatib3 garbas
jux' Scotford p j diem viijd. Et in Johe Benhull et Johe Willi'm conduct' cu carect' suis
p ix dies vs iiijd. Et in uxie Joh Spman junioris adjuvant' maritii suu ad cariand decimas
garbas ex' campu. de Blakethorn de ?ris de Wrechewyk quas tenentes de Blakethom ibm
tenet p v dies xd. Et Hug' Taylo' adnuanc garbas pisarii ad carect' p j diem iiijd. Et in

232 APPENDIX.
Johe Bromwych laboranc sup tasses pisarii frument' et ordei p vj dies xijd. Et in Johe
Stoke conduct' in simili ope p ij dies iiijd. Et in ij feis conduct' in simili ope p j
diem iiijd. Et in Wittmo de Langeton conduct' in simili, ope p iij dies vjd. Et in carecta
Witti Ynglham conduct' p ij dies et di ij3 ult' iij alios dies quos dedit Priori. Et Rico
Barbo' liganti et binenti garbas p iij dies vjd. Et in Witto de Vicar adjuvant' ad carect' p
iij dies vijd. Et in Johe filio Witti Heyward p simili ope "p vj dies xijd. Et in Thoma
Howes p simili ope p v dies xijd q, una die fuit ad mensam pp'am. Et in famulo Rici Smyth
p simili ope p vj dies ixd. Et in Johe Hibnico conducto a die Sci Johis Baptiste ad div'sa
opa tam tempe feni q' tempe autumpni vij3 in grosso usq, ad fm Sci Michis. Et in Thofh
Hibnico in simili ope conduct' vj3. Et in Hug' de Infirmaf conduct' ad eudum cu carecta
Johis de Mersh a festo Sci Petri ad vincula usq, ad ffh Sci Michis in simili ope v\ Et dat'
divers' messorib3 pochianoa p P'ore tempe autupni vij3. Et in Johe Hale de Stratton con
duct' alia vice cu carecta sua p j diem viijd. Et dat' Wittmo Erlyche et Galfrido Gardiner
congregant' decimas garbas in Buryende et Kyngehende p pcept' P'oris xijd. Sm xvj1' xijd ob.
Empc'ones pro Coquina.] Et in divers' victuald^ emptJ p ffem Wittm Islepe coquin ut
patet p jurnale sept' hoc anno xxj1' v3 ijd ob. Et in ij1' de lychinis empt' xijd. Et in ij" de
coton empt' xviijd. Et in x" candelaa empt' xyd. Et in j tenche empt' iijd- Et in ij ollis
?reis empt' jd ob. Et in j cade rubei allecis empt' in foro viij3 ijd. Et in ij cades alleci
rubei empt' London erga adventu Dni xiiij3 viijd. Et in expens' Hug' de Bemond querent'
dictu allec ibm ixd. Et dat' eidm p labore suo iiijd. Et in viij cades allecis rubei empt'
ibm de Walto de Bury p ffem Johem Watford erga quadragesima lvjs. Et in expens'
ejusdih W. p predicto allece una cii cariacone iij3 iiijd- Et in ferrura equoa ejusdih p viam
vj'1. Et in cordutt et fryttes empt' pro |5dict' viij cades allecis alligand vijd. Et in oleo
empt' ibm eodm tempe vijd. Et in ij" de lychimis empt' alia vice xijd. Et in anguift empt'
ad salsand p stauro v3. Et in iij ladelys ligneis empt' ijd. Et in Wittmo Pyrie conduct' ad
faciend cistam aquaticam p anguitt inibi custodiend j'1. Et in ij seris cu clavib3 empt' p
ostio inferioris carnle piscine et pro pMicta cista aquatica viijd. Et in j clave empt' p
ostio ex?iore dom9 piscine ijd. Et in j t'bulo empt' jd. Et in sepis empt' p div9sas vices
in hoc anno xxd. Et in bultcloth empt' p ij streyno's vjd. Et in anguiH empt' ad salsand
ij3. Et in emendacone j ve?is patelle vijd- Et in j" de reysons coramrce empt' Oxori vd.
Et in j reti vocat' schovenet empt' xvjd. Et in iiij salmon empt' apud Bannebury p Ricm
Eton vj3 viijd. Et in expens' querent' ibm jd. Et in iiij" amigdal empt' in foro xijd. Et
in di quart°h amigdal empt' London p Eliam de Dadyngtoh iij3 ijd ob. Et in vj" et di et
j quartron empt' alia vice xxd. Et in viij11 amigdal empt' London p ffem Johem Watford ij\
Et in iij" amigd empt' in foro ixd. Et in iiij b3 et di albaa et virid pisarii empt' in foro
ij3 vd. Et in j b3 pisarii siliquaru empt' p potag' famuloa vd. Et in ij salmon empt' in
foro xvd. Et in v hakes empt' ibm xxd. Et in j mylle Weft viridi empt' ibm xxd. Et in j
stikke anguillaru empt' ad stdsand iij3 vjd. Et in iiij C. allecis albi salsi empt' p stauro
vij3 jd. Et in cast'cione x porcelloa iijd- Et in castracone iij suu et vij porcelloa iijd. Et
in oynet' empt' ad seiand ijd. Et in ij virg' de streyno' cloth empt' vjd- Et in iij" de ry3S
iiijd. Et in j lageh olei empt' London una cii ollis xiiijd- Et in quibusd'm instrument'

APPENDIX. 233
ferreis fact' p cista anguillaa cu una cathena canis coquine p Ricm Smyth in grosso xijd.
Et in xij" ficuu empt' in foro xd. Et in j plays empt' Oxon sabbo post Ascens' Dhi viijd.
Et in j g'narde empt' ibm eadih vice iiijd. Et in vij" ficuu empt' alia vice vj'1. Et in anguitt
empt' ad salsand pro stauro ij3. Et in iiij" et di pipis empt' p vices iiij3 viijd. Et in croco
empt' p ij vices xvjd. Et in ij une croci p ij alias vices xvd. Et in vino aclbo empt' p
ij vices xd. Et in ij pateH ?reis empt' iijd. Et in anguiH empt' ad staurii p adveientib3
vjs xd. Et in salso congo' empt' p stauro iij5 jd. Et in pullok -et hake empt' p famul
iij3 viijd. Et solut' Hug' Taylo' p ovis suis p annii ij3 viijd. Et collectori ovoa p pi sotu-
lariu vjd. Et in ccxv putt & pult' cii ij gallinis empt' div'sis vicib3 sicut patet in Jurnali
ebdoa xx3 xd. Et in xij putt empt' in ultima sepfra hup anni xijd. Et in vij anatib3
empt xjd. Et in lxxiiij ancis empt' sicut patet p Jurnale p div'sas vices xiiijs. Et in xl
piscib3 sals' orgeys empt' apud Styrisbrigge p ffem W. Islepe xxxix3. Et in C. de wynt'fych
empt' ibm xxviij3 vijd. Et in C. de halfwoxefysch empt' ibm xx3. Et in iij quarfh de.
croplyng empt' ibm xjs iijd pc de C. xv3. Et in iij quar?ijs sal empt' ibm xj". Et in con
suetudine nudinaru ijd. Et in expens' ffis Witti in eundo et redeundo et ibm manendo iiijs.
Et in expens' carect' p viam xvd. Et in Johe Stoke eunte cu carect' p labore suo viijd. Et
in Matilda Patter facient' in?na p totu annu xijd. Et in amigdal empt' London eo tempe quo
fuit P'or ibm in placito contra Wittm Spaldyng ij3 iiijd. Et in xvj ancis empt' de decis
vicarij iij3. Sfh xxxvij" xiij3 iiij*1 ob.
Empcio Casei.] Et in caseo empt' pro conventu erga Advent' Dhi xviijd. Et in caseo
empto toto alio tempe anni sicut p3 p Jurnale coq'ne xiij3 vd. Sm xiiij5 xjd.
Minut' Hospic'.] Et in div'sis spieb3 empt' de Johe Lodelowe de Oxon ptim in
alio a.nno et ptim in hoc anno sicut patet p billam x3 ijd. Et in j corteys empt' p
aula P'oris ga Natale Dhi xviijd. Et in vino empt' apud Oxon p Thoma Chambre erga
p'mam Dnicam Advent^ Dhi cu expens' ejusdih xxd. Et in vino empto p P'ore apud
Aylesbury venient' a Bemude ijd. Et in ij lageh et di vini empt' Oxon una cu expens'
querent' p commo Priof in Dnica Quinquagesime ijs. Et in iij lageh et di vini empt'
Oxon p cena Dni ij3 iiijd. Et in expens' querent' jd. Et distribut' paupib3 in die cene
ij3 vjd. Et in iiij lagen vini empt' Oxon erga adventu Epi Medens' iij3. Et in. j lageh et j
quart' vini empt' Oxon sabbo post Ascens' Dhi xd. Et in 's'visia empt' p ij vices p cam) a
Prioris ijd. Et in pane empt' p ffe Johe Stratton infirmo ijd. Et in emendacone t'u piu
linthiaminu una cu filo empt' pro eisdfh iijd. Et in pane empt' p Dno le St'unge ijd. Et in
stasia empt' p eodm iijd- Et in 'stasia empt' p Johe Rede Johe Abberby et alijs hospic in
cam) a Prioris iiijd- Et in viij ciphis fraxineis empt' p cam) a Prioris vijd. Et in stasia
empt' divers' vicib3 in aula P1' p hospic iiijd. Et in uxie Johis Porcaf emendant' iij mappas
in refectorio jd. Et uxli Henrici de Pistrina suenti iiij paria linthiaminu p opa iij5 vijd. Et
in j lagena vini empt' in die See Edburge viijd. Et in 's'visia empt' p Priore et alijs armiglis
venantib3 apud Ardele ijd. Et in stasia empt' p Nicho Bliseworth in ?cia septia mens'
Julij ijd. Et in pane equino empt' de uxl Galfridi Cavlsfeld p equis Dni le St'unge ijd. Et
in iiij lagen Pvisie empt' p Dha de Herdewyk vjd. Et in stasia empt' alia vice p aula Prioris
jd. Et in symenett empt' p Priore tempe Quadragesimali vjd. Et in carbonib3 empt' apud
VOL. II. 2 I

234 APPENDIX.
Bemud xj5 vjd. Et in expens' cariaconis eo? p viam xvijd ob. Et dat' carect' de Bemude
eodfh tepe p pceptu P'oris iiijd. Et in di lagen vini empt' de Witto Smyth p Witto receptore
cast' Oxon iiijd. Et in j quart' vini empt' p hoib3 de Dadyngton ijd. Et in pane empt' de
Wittmo Yng'ham in defectu celef iijd. Sin xiiij5 vd ob.
Camera Convent5.] Et solut' Priori et Covent' p hitu eoa de ?mio Annuc be Marie
viij1' iij3 iiijd. Et eisdfh de ?mio Sci Michis viij" iij3 iiijd. Et in divers' medicinis empt' Oxon
p ffe Johe Stratton infirmato et in stipendio uni9 phisici p eodm viij3 vd. Et ffi Witto Islep
pro labore suo et dec'pacoe vestiii suaa in officio coq^e p annu vj3 viijd. Et ffi Ric Albon
p labore suo autupnali xviijd p j pi ocreaa. Sfh xvij1' iij3 iijd.
Empc'ones pan'i liberorum.] Et in iij furruris empt' pro iij armiglis v3. Et in liberaconib3
armigloa valect' et garconu empt' Oxon de Andrea Drape in grosso hoc anno viij1' vjs. Et
in tonsura ejusdih panni iij3 ixd. Et solut' Rico SkynSe p fricacone lx pelliu agnellinaru p
liberaconib3 px' anni sequent' ijs vjd. Et solut eidm p j furrura empt' p filio Johis Wylcotes
confilij Prioris xijd. Sm viij11 xviij3 iijd.
Feoda et Stipend' liberoru'.] Et in solucone feodi Johis Wylcotes p annu xx5. Et in so.
feodi Johis Abberby sen xx5. Et in so. feodi Rici Ov'ton xx3- Et in soluc' feodi Jen
Corbrygg vj5 viijd p annu. Et in stipend Thome Chambre et Johis Fayrman p annu xx'.
Et in stipend Witti Puf p am xiij3 iiijd. Et in sti Henrici de Pistrina et Witti de Coquina p
am xx3. Et dat' pdict' Henrico stipend suu p pi sotulaf vjd. Et in stipend Johis Covele et
Henrici Boccher p am xxvj5 viijd. Et in solucone sti Rici Barbo' p annu vj3. Et in sti
Hug' Taylo' iiij3. Et in sti Witti Erlych et Symonis de Pistrina xiij3 iiijd. Et in sti Joh
Borewell p am v5. Et in sotulaf et alijs nc'cijs empt' pro Galfrido de Cam) a xxd. Et in
stipend Agn Lotricis p am vj3. Et in sti Thome Clici de Infirmaria p j ?mio anni xvjd.
Sfh ix" iiijs vjd.
Stipendia fam'lo^.] Et in stipendio Hug' Spman p annu xiij3 iiijd. Et in sti Witti Hey
ward p annu xij3. Et in sti Witti Carect' xiij5 iiijd. Et in sti Rici Carect' p di am iiij5. Et
in stipend Roberti Wilh'm Thome Stalworth Witti Tanner Johis Ad'm Witti Hyne Johis
Porcaf lx3 et Thome Stawolth ult' stipend suvi pro pi sotulaf vjd. Et in sti Johis Goldryng
p am viij3. Et in sti Witti filij Witti Tanner p am vj3 viijd. Et in sti Hug' Baker et Johis
Duk' p am xij3. Et Johi Carect' de Mersche in ptem stipend sui xd. Et p j pi sotulariu p
eodem vijd. Et p j pari sotulariu p Johe Ad'm vjd. Sfh vj11 xj5 ixd.
Trituracio et Ventilacio.] Et in ij ventilatricib3 conduct' in grosso p totu annu ad venti-
land omimoda g'na x5. Et in ij cribris empt' vd. Et in Johe Bromwych trituranc' lxxx
quar?ia frument' capient' p quoit quairio ijd ob. Et clxx quar?ia ordei capient' p quoit
quartio ijd ob. Et xxxiij quar?ia et dimid avenaru capient' p quott q'r?io ijd sicut patet p
tatt lvij3 viijd. Et eidih Johi trituranc' ordeii p v dies in fine autumpni xd. Et in Johe Stoke
trituranc' xlix q'rt et dimid frumeti p t' cont' Wittm Hyne capient' p quolib3 quar?io ijd ob.
Et in eodm t'tuf cxxviij quart ordei capient' p quoit quar? ut sup'. Et xxj quart vj b3 aveii
capiefi p quoit quar?io ijd in grosso xl5 vjd. Sm cix5 vd.
Stipendia laboranc'.] Et in Johe Stoke conduct' ad stipand j tassim pisarii et circa
magnu horreu p viij dies xvjd. Et in ij feis conduct' ad 'staend eidm p iiij dies xvjd. Et in

APPENDIX. 235
ux'e ejusdfh Joh staent' eidih p v dies xd. Et in Johe Duk de Wrechewyk conduct' ad silva
ad adjuvand carect' p cariacoe bosci erga Natale Dni p xj dies xijd. Et in Johe Wilh'm
conduct' in simili ope ad idm tempus p iiij dies vd. Et in Wittmo Horton psternenc' xvj
carect' bosci apud Bernewode ij3. Et in famulo Rici Smyth conduct' ad erpicand p xj dies
xjd- Et in Johe Benhull emendanc' murvi jux' ostiu coquine p j diem ijd. Et in eodm Johe
emendanc' muros infra Horscroft et ex' p iiij dies. Et emendanc' bo?aces apud le Schepue
p alios iiij dies et ad adjuvant' Wittm Pyrie in domo pulloa fact' de novo in Horscroft p alios
iiij dies ah Natale Dni ij3. Et in Johe Duke et Johe Wilh'm de Wrechewyk conduct' pi? ad
emendand defect' in haycijs de le Brech p iij dies xijd. Et in Reginaldo Mareys et Johe
Benhull conduct' ad emendand muros jux' pistrina et jux' gardinu Covent9 p vj dies et
dimid ij3 vjd. Et dat' eisdih ad bibend jd. Et in Johe Duke et Johe Wilh'm conduct' alia
vice ad emendand sepes in le Brech p ij dies et in Horscroft p j die xijd. Et in famulo
Rici Smyth conduct' ad erpicand ad arand et ad alia opa tempe seis Quadragesimal p xviij
dies xviijd. Et in uxie Witti Hyne conduct' ad purgand et extrahend lolliu a garbis frument'
pro seie p x dies xxd. Et in Rosa Wymak p ope consimili p v dies xd. Et in Witto de
Langeton stipant' j tassim frument' p iij dies vjd. Et in ij feis conduct' sup' tassi feni p
iii dies xijd. Et in Johe Stoke coopiente tassim ordei p v dies xd. Et in Johe Hale de
Stratton stipant' j pvam tassem frument' et j tasse pisaa et dimidiam ptem al?ius p v dies xd.
Et in divers' feis conduct' ad purgand t'ticu sic' pat3 p t. iij3 viijd. Et in ij feis conduct' ad
Itaend stipatori p xj dies iij5 viijd. Et in famulo Rici Smyth conduct' ad div'sa opa in fine
autumpni iiij**. Et solut' Thome Fetus adjuvant' ad cariand stramen stipul p j diem ijd.
Sm xxix3 vijd.
Expens' forins'.] Et in expens' carect' querenciu rotad ab Aylesby iiijd. Et libat carect'
eunt' Buck' p meremio abinde domii cariand ijd. Et in expens' Hugon' Spman v9sus Ar-
dyngton ijd. Et in expens' Witti Erlich vers9 Thame ad officiarios Dni Archiepi Eboracens' ijd.
Et in expens' ejusdih apud Brackele pro Wittmo Ferro' p quod'm morbo in collo palfridi
Prioris jd. Et in expens' ejusdfh alia vice in negocio Prioris jd. Et in expnsis ejusdih
Witti die pacenes p consimili jd. Et in expens' Johis Fige eunti v'sus Wodestoke in nego
cio Dom9 iiijd. Et in expens' Thome Chambre ad initand Johem Abberby et alios geflosos
ut in ferrura equi sui^p viam ad coviviu Prioris dhica Quadragesime ijd. Et in expens' carect'
et Symonis de Pistrina versup Bemude pro cariacone meremij ixd. Et in expens' ffis Witti
Islepe ad loquend cii senescallo Rectoris de Buckyngh'm ijd. Et in expens' ffis Johis Wat
ford equitanc' Oxon cu excennio Prioris ad Rectorem de Buk' xiijd. Et in expens' ejusdfh
apud Wodestok' ad vidend meremiu ibm emptu et pp? Regis adventu inde removend cit' fjh
Oltri Scoa iij'1. Et in stasia ibm empt' eodm tempe jd- Et in expens' ejusdih ibm alia vice
p j?dco meremio domu cariand vd. Et in expens' Witti Pyrie ibm et alio3 carpentaf conduct'
ad aptand p\lict' meremiu ad cariand ij5 vjd. Et in expens' pcuratoris P'oris et Covent9 ad
compend coram Decano et Clericis CapituliSaa sede vacante p evidences Eccie de Ardyng-
toii ibm demonstrandis vs ijd- Sin xij3.
Expens' Phris cu' donis ejusdem.] Et in expens' Prioris et Supp'oris v'sus Ardington
Letecumbe Wanetynge p certa ?ra et p'to ibm et pro redditu de Ponhele in eundo et redeundo

236 APPENDIX.
et ibm pmanend xiij5 viijd ob. Et dat' cuidam Sevi ibm ad inquirend de ?ra Prioris in
Wanetynge pdict' iiijd. Et dat' p ^ceptu Prioris div'sis famulis Dni Johis Marescalle et
vicarij de Ardyngton iiij5 iiijd. Et in expens' Prioris apud Oxon ad loquend cu Rectore de
Buck' viij d. Et in expens' Prioris apud Ailesby versus Bemude p't alias expens' quas ex-
pendit apud Bemude sicut patebit inferius xviijd ob. Et in expens' P'oris et Supp'oris apud
Dadyngton pro vendicone cujusdih mesuag' Witti Hayle ibm iij3 iiijd. Et in expens' eoadm
apud Oxon ad loquend cii Rectore de Buck' xvijd ob. Et in expens' Prioris apud Ailesby
venienti de Bemude tempe tonsure oviu ibm viijd. Et dat' Captori avenaru Dni Regis
iij5 iiijd- Et dat' Ministraft Dhi le Straunge iij3 iiijd. Et div'sis garcoib3 ex dono P'oris p
sotularib3 emend ij3 ijd. Et dat' Rico firmaf de Cumpton Basset xijd. Et dat' carect' P'oris
de Chetewode cariant' meremiu a Buck' vjd. Et famulo Witti Avenarij Dhi Regis portant'
venson ad P'ore vjd. Et filie Witti Coubrygge de Beckele iij5 iiijd. Et Johi Pedyngton
portant' veneson a j5dco Witto Coubrygg' vjd. Et dat' famulo Dni Johis Marescatt iiijd. Et
Thome Peynto' de Northampton xijd. Et uni famulo de Bemude venienti Domii cii Henrico
Boccher iiijd. Et cuidam paupi ad ostiu locutorij jd. Et dat' Clericis See Ka?ine i cam)a
Prioris et in refectorio vjd. Et nucio Epi Lincoln xijd. Et Wittmo Lymby p scripcone
int°it9 tre jacent' ex' portam grangie iiijd. Et in j pari caligaa empt' et dat' p P'ore Stepho
de pco de Beckele xijd. Et dat' clico Joh Samwell venienti ab Oxon ad loquend cu Priore
viijd. Et dat' Witto Som) ton subvicicom Cast' Oxon iijs iiijd. Et in iiij v'g' et di de burnet'
dat' armiglis et valett' Dni le St'unge viij5 p calig. Et dat' nutrici filij Witti Wilkotes
confilij Prioris xxd. Et dat' garcoi Dhi Johis Forest vjd. Et dat' tenent' de Wrechewyk in
adjutoriu soluconis ultie medie" quindecime eoa vj5 iiijd. Et dat' Clericis Sci Nichi in cam'a
et in refectorio viijd. Et p coquinaf in coquina ijd. Et dat' clerico Rici Ov'ton scribent'
copias indenturaa int Priore et Nichm Berners de Curtlyngton p cursu aque molend ibm vjd.
Et dat' cuidam mulieri venient' de Thame que dicebat oia bona sua ibm fuisse ignita ijs. Et
dat' famulo Andree Drape vjd. Et dat' ij hoib3 Dni Johis Michel ducent' duos apros ad
encehiu Prioris et Convent9 trasmissos ex dono ejusdih Dni Johis xviijd. Et solut' Wittmo
Yng'ham p mahemio quod Gilbert9 Car?e in manu sua vj5 viijd. Et dat' svientib3 in die
Natal Dhi p precept' Prioris vij3 xd. Et cuidfh hoi mendicant' in pat'a pro via que vocat'
Honyfurlong v'sus Oxon vj'1. Et dat' Hug' de Bemude iiijd. Et dat' famulo Dhi Rici
Abberby portant' enceniu ad P'ore xijd. Et dat' carectaf Witti West cariant' meremiu a pco
de Wodestoke iiijd. Et famulo Joh Langeston de Cav'sfeld j'1. Et dat' filio Ric'i Eton vjd. •
Et dat' p pcu de Beckele Stepho custodi viijd. Et famulo ipius jd. Et dat' famulo Joh
Samwell portant' versynsede ijd- Et dat' famulo coq'ne exeunti de officio suo ppt furtu vjd.
Et dat' Joh Burncestf Mistratt et cet' socijs suis in dnica Quiquagesime iij5. Et dat' quatuor
garconib3 Dni le St'unge ij5. Et dat' Johi Rede vj5 viijd. Et dat' carpen? novi chori et
alijs servientib3 p'orat9 eutib3 ad potacoe in villa vjd. Et dat' famulo Nichi Blyseworth in
die Pasce vjd. Et dat' escaetori comitatuu Berkeschif et Oxon xiij5 iiijd. Et Johi Woderove
clico suo iij5 iiijd. Et ij valett' suis ij3. Et garconi suo vjd. Et in ij vitul empt' et
psentat' Rectori de Buck' v3 xd. Et dat' famui Dhi Johis Marescatt Rectoris de Lynford vjd.
Et dat Hug' de Bemude in crastino Sci Oswaldi iiijd. Et dat' famulo Dne de Heidewyk

APPENDIX. 237
portant' anguillas ad P'ore vjd. Et dat' eidih portant' simile enceniu a pdicta Dna alia
vice vjd- Et dat' filio Rici Ov'ton xxd. Et clico ejusdfh Rici xij'1. Et garcoi suo vj'1. Et
dat' famulo Joh Chambre portant' veneson ad P'orem viij'1. Et in expens' Prioris et Supp'oris
apud Oxon p ij vices ad loquend cu Wittmo Wylcotes ij5 ijd. Et in expens' P'oris apud
London ad resistend Wittmo Spaldyng de Bristowe psequent' quamd'm falsam obligacone
de cc libris de tempe P'oris Pet' de Grete ut in pane vino et svisia et alijs victual^ eq'nis
xiij5 xd- Et dat' ibm eodm tempe iij clientib3 suis xx3. Et custody de le Cowntre vj3 viijd.
Et clico Johis Corbrygg scribent' copias predicte false obligaconis et copias placiti viij'1. Et
p infitu ret'nac in coi banco iiijd. Et in expens' Prioris usq, Stowe pke ad loquend cu
Epo Lincoln p pdicta falsa psecucone in regist'io suo inveniend p viij dies in eundo et
redeundo xvij5. Et in expens' P'oris apud Bemund cit' fm Sci Hug' vij5 ij'1. Et in expens'
ejusdfh ibm alia vice p tonsura oviu iiij3 vjd- Et in vino empt' ibm p eodm viijd. Et in
expens' P'oris ibm eo tempe quo t'nsivit London p placito cont' Wittm Spaldyng ut sup'dcm
est iij3 ixd ob. Sm xj" xviij3 xjd.
Sin tol oim expens' ccx11 ix5 xd et sic recept' excedut expens' in xxj3 viijd.

Compotus fr'um Will'i Islepe, Ilicardi Albon, et Will'i Hyne prepositi Grangie
de o'i'odis Granis et annualib3 Grangie predict'.
*x ... o
Def rum'.] Idm r. de viij .xviij quart frument' triturat' in g'ng' sicut patet p iij tatt erga
tascatores ut patet p eorumd tatt et cont' Wittm Hyne dicte q, g'ngie famulant' et eosdih
tascatores t'turanc' eciam p dies. Et de iiij quar? iij b3 empt' in foro p Hug' Spman ballivu
pro semie sicut patet in rotulo huj9 anni infra. Et de v quart recept' de multura novi mo-
lendini ventilosi. c~ -xx •• 0 ¦•• t
Sm ix.vij quart nj b3.
Unde ijdm comput' in libat' pistori cxv quar? et p coquin iiij b3 ut patet p t' ac eciam
p inscript' ffis Witti Islepe. Et in semine xxxviij quar? et vij b3. Et ult' in semine iiij
quar? iij b3 empt' in foro. Et Thome Noret de Curtlyngton iiij b3. Et ex dono Priof in
libaconib3 'staentiu ut p3 p tatt in? Wittm Hyne predcfh et eosdih xx quar? et j b3 ult' viij
quar? j b3 debit' eisdih et vij b3 recept' de t'turac' anni futuri et aliquib3 eoa libat' in pte
soluc' anni present'. Et delibat' ad pistrinam de mult'a molend v quar?. Et liberat' Johi
Bedale ex dono P'oris j ^3. Et liberat' famul in p'ma stallacoe bourn ex consuetudine p
donh Prioris j b3. s~ lxx y quar^ y fej
Et sic computat comput' rein de recept' ij quar? vj b3 que quidm ij quar? et vj b3 libanc'
famul de debit' liberac' anni ^cedent' cu ampliacoe finiu singuloa quar?ioa videlic' p xx quar?
v b3 sic discurrendo.
De ordeo.] Idm resp de cccj quar? et iiij b3 trituf in g'ng' p tascatores p\ioiat' sicut
patet p tatt eorumdm conta eumdih Wittm Hyne. Sm patet.
TJii idm comput' in libat' pandoxat' ccxxix quar? sed p ofhiodas. pandoxacones sicut pj
p inscript' ffis Witti Islepe ccx q'r?ia et non ult' q, de brasio ventilat' non plus repiebat'
VOL. II. 2 K

238 APPENDIX.
deduct' xv quart' brasei ut inf. Un de libat' ad pandoxat' ad Johem Covele p auc xj b3-
Et in semie iiij q'r? et j q'r?. Et Thome Noret ex dono Prioris iiij b3. Et famul p'ma in-
stallac bov' ex consuet' ij b3.
Et sic comput' computand expenc' excedut rec' ix quar? ij b3.
De fab' cu' pis'.] lidfh r. de lvij quart vij b3 trituf p eudm Wittm et alios famulos et p
quosd'm natios de Wrecchewyk de exitu ejusdih g'ngie. Et de iiij b3 empt' p Hug' Spman
in foro ut infra. Sm
Un ijdm comput' in seie xvij q 'rt et iiij b3. Et in porcett pascend iij quar? vj b3. Et
p pascu equoa stabuli P'oris et carect' iiij b3. Et in vendit' avenaa Dni Reg' xij quar?.
Et in libacoib3 famuloa xxix quar? ij b3. Un debent' eisdih famul vij quar? et iij b3. Et in
pore pascend iiij b3 empt' in foro ut sup'. Sfh
Et sic expens' exc recept' ij quart ij b3 cu ampliacoe finiu singuloa quart. *

No. IV.
Compotus Ric'i Hyndebest D'ni Prioris Sc'e Edburge Virg'is de Burcef et fr'is
Rob'ti Dogget Bursar' de om'ib3 bonis et recept' Priorat' de Burcetr p'dc'a
tangent' sive concernant' et per eos recept' et lib'at' a vigilia Sc'i Mich'is
Arch'i anno r. r. E. iiij" post conq'm xxmo usq' id'm fm extunc p'xim' seq'en'
anno ejusd' regis xxjm0 viz. per unu' annu' integr'.
Arr.] Nutt q, quiet' recess' ab ultirh compot' suo de anno peed ut p3 pede diet' comp.
, Shi Nutt.
Newenton Purcell'.] Et de uno grano gariophili recept' annuati ad fin pasch de 3 tis
?ris et tenement' quond Roglus Stodeley in Newenton Purcett pdca que de nobis tenuit per
indentuf sb sigillo nro coe tenend sibi et hered suis imppih scdm tenorem ejusdih indentuf
in escambio pro quod'm reddit' in Grymusbury in Com North. Sfh p3 in se.
Poughley.] Et de aliqua recept' hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compot' accid n1 q, nutt
fuit vacaco ibm nee Priof amocio. Sfh Nutt.
Reddit' Assis'.] Et de iiij" vij" rec de xijcim tenement' in Burcef hoc anno infra temp9
huj9 compoi accident'. Et de lxvj3 viijd rec de ten custuih in Wrechewick infra tempus huj9
compoi accid. Et de xxiij3 vd rec' de vacua tf ibm hoc anno sic dimiss' divers' hoib3 de
Blackth. Et de xliiij5 vjd rec' de reddit' assis' in Tacheley de divers' tenent' ibm infra tem
pus huj9 compi accid. Et de vj" vij5 iiijd rec' de reddit' assis' in Curtlyngton infra tempus
huj9 accid. Et de xiiij" ix3 rec' tam liboa tenenc' q'm custuih in Dadyngton infra tempus
* Copied from the original Roll in possession of Trinity College, Oxford.

APPENDIX. 239
huj9 compi accid. Et de iiij" rec' tam liboa tenenc' q'm custum de reddit' in Arnecote hoc
anno infra tempus pdict' accid. Et de ij5 rec' de libo redd in Frynggeford hoc anno infra
temp9 pdci accid. Et de xj5 rec' de reddit' in Wendulbury hoc anno infra temp9 pdci accid.
Et de iiij1' rec' de quadfh annua porcoe in Compton Basset in Coin Wiltes' hoc anno infra
temp9 pdict' accid. Sfh x" x5 xjd.
Firma ter' prat' et pastur' d'nic] Et de xv5 rec' de firma de Crockewell dimiss' cuidm
Thome Barnard p indentuf ad ?mi annoa solvend ad duos anni ?mios infra tempus huj9 compi
accid. Et de lx5 rec' de firma cuj^d'm cii voc' Newe Close jac' s'btus Gravenhull sic sibi
dimiss' cuid'm Thome Gilbis ad ?mi annoa solvend ad duos anni ?mios infra tempus pdc.
Et de xiij" vj3 viijd rec' de firma t'f prat' et pastuf dhic' in Grymusbury sic dimiss' cuid'm
Johi Tailo' p indentuf ad ?mi annoa solvend ad duos anni ?mios viz. ad fest' annuc' bte
Marie Virg'is et Sci Michis Arctii p equales porcoes infra temp9 pdc. Et de iiij" rec' de
firm de Wescote hoc anno infra tempus hujus compi accid. Et de xiij" vj3 viijd rec' de
firfh t'f p'toa et pastuf dhic' in Beamond sic dimiss' cuid'm Witto Bovenden ad ?mi annoa
p indentuf solvend ad eosdm ?mios infra temp9 pdc. Et de lxvj3 viijd rec' de firm tf prat'
et pastuf dhic' in Lettecombe infra temp9 huj9 compi accid. Et de xx5 rec' de quod'm clo
voc' Blakenhull sic dimiss' cuid'm Johi Barton p indentuf ad ?mi annoa solvend ad eosdm
t'mios infra temp9 pdc. Et de lxvj5 viijd de firma t'f prat' et pastuf dnic' in Dadyngton
solvend ad eosdm t'mios infra tempus pdc. Et de xxiiij5 rec' de firma molend de Clyfton
hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de Iiij5 iiijd rec' de firma maSij t'f prat' et
pastuf dhic' de Clyfton pdc'a solvend infra temp9 pdict' accideh. Et de xxvj5 viijd rec' de
firma t'f p'toa et pastuf dnic' in Carsfeld solvend infra temp9 pdc' accid. Et de iiij" rec' de
firma cri voc' de Brech sic dimiss' Johi Hurr p indent' ad t'mi annoa solvend ad eosdih
t'mios infra tempus pdict'. Et de xxiij5 iiijd rec' de firma alij cii voc' Oxe Close sic dimiss'
cuid'm Johi Shitford ad t'mi annoa solvend ad eosdm t'mios pdc. Et de iiij1' rec' de firma
molendini infra priorat' sic dimiss' p indentuf ad t'mi annoa cuid'm Witto Blaket solvend ad
eosdm t'mios infra tempus pdict'. Et de xiiij" ij5 ij'1 rec' de firma Rectorie de Ardyngton
sic dimiss' vicario ibm p indentuf ad t'mi annoa solvend ad eosdm t'mios infra tempus pdc.
Et de Iiij3 iiij** rec' de firm cii voc' le Stile Wey Close sic dimiss' cuid'm Robto Elkynton p
indentuf ad ?mi annoa solvend ad eosdm tmios infra temp9 pdict'. Et de xx5 rec' de firm
cii voc' Mille Pece sic dimiss' cuid'm Henrico Warde sol ad eosdm ?mios infra tempus
pdict'. Et de xx" rec' de firm Rectorie de Stratton Audeley sic dimiss' p indentuf cuid'm
Thome Home ad ?mi annoa solvend ad eosdih tmios infra tempus pdict'. Et de xxxvj5 rec'
de firfh hospic' voc' le Bell in Burcef sic dimiss' cuid'm Witto Blaket p indentuf ad ?mi
annoa solvend ad eosdih ?mios infra temp9 pdict'. gfii ¦??. -,; —s xd
Vendicio st'is etpallei.] Et de xxijd rec' de vendicoe strain pallei ordij et frument' vendit'
divers' hoib3 infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de vj5 ixd rec' de strain pisaa vendit' hoc
anno divers' hoib3 infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de ixd rec' de vendicoe pallei et hulkes
vendit' infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Sfh ixs vd.
Vendicio herbag' cu' dimiss' terr'.] Et de vjd rec' de quod'm Johe Hurf p duab3 acf ?f jac'

240 APPENDIX.
jux' mansione in qua idm Johes t'hit mora solvend infra temp9 huj9 comp. Et de viijd rec'
de Witto TannSe p duab3 acf ?f arabil jac jux' Wynmyll hull solvend infra tempus pdcm.
Et de ij5 viijd rec' de feno vendit' cuid'm Johi Boteler in prato voc' le Sladde solvend infra
tempus pdict'. Et de ij5 rec' de Witto Harlynggrygge p hbag' de capitib3 viridis jacent'
jux' Feld pece solvend infra tempus pdcm. Et de iij3 rec' de eodm Witto p un' prat' sibi
vend hoc anno voc' xx" Swathes solvend infra tempus pdcm. Et de viijd rec' de quod'm
Johe p quad'm pcella feni sibi vendit' solvend infra tempus pdcm. Et de xvjd rec' de
quod'm Witto Slat?e p decima feni de Lysmore Woxehale et Byggenhull Broke sic sibi
vendit' hoc anno solvend infra tempus pdcm. Et de viijd rec' de Vicario de Chesterton p
decifh cii voc' Redemore sic sibi dimiss' hoc anno solvend infra tempus pdcm. Et de v5
rec' de quodm Dys?e p una acf p'ti voc' le Chirch acf sic sibi vendit' hoc anno solvend infra
tempus pdcm. .Et de viijd rec' de vendicoe decie prati voc' Corrie sic vend hoc anno solvend
infra tempus pdcm. Et de iijd rec' de decia veti pomarij sic vendit' hoc anno cuid'm Johi
Fuller solvend infra tempus p'dcm. Et de jd rec' de quodih Johe Hurf noie decie cii sui
solvend infra tempus p'dc'm. Et de ijd rec' de quod'm Thoma Home noie decie crofti sui
solvend infra tempus p'dc'm. Et de iijs iiijd rec' p herbag' prati voc' Gorrewey jac' in
campo de Wendulbury solvend infra tempus p'dc'm. Sin Is ixd.
Recept' forms' cu' increm' bestial et lane vend'.] Et de Iiij5 xd rec' de vendicoe spinaa et
ramoa arboa vendit' hoc anno p quend'm Nichm Marten in silva voc' le Bamewode divers'
hoib3 hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de xvjd rec' de subbosc' vendit' in silva
voc' le Gravenhull cuid'm Johi Corveser solved infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de
xvjd rec' de subbosc' vend in silva de Gravenhull cuid'm Johi Barbo1" hoc anno infra tempus
hujus compi accid. Et de xxxix5 vijd rec' de moram rjestiaa empt' ad divers' vices hoc anno
infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de xvij5 rec' de vendicoe porcoa ad divers' vices vendit'
infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de lx5 viijd rec' de increm lane empt' ad divers' vices et
de divers' hoib3 hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de Iiij5 iiijd rec' de quod'm
Thoma Benteley in ptem solucois corrodij sui que pquisivit ad ?mi vite sue hoc anno infra
tempus huj9 compi accid. Sm xj1' vij5 vjd.
Vendicio staur' cu' exit' Coq'ne.] Et de iiij5 ijd rec' de vendicoe iiij0' pelliu bovinoa vendit'
de pprio stauf et de empcoe ad usu coquine hoc anno infra tempus huj'' compi accid. Et
de vj5 rec' de vendicoe pett voc' Shorlyngg' vendit' de pprio stauf et de empcoe ad usu
coquine hoc anno vend ut p3 per tatt sup hunc compm ostens' et exaiat'. Et de viij5 vjd rec'
p novem petris sepi vend de pprio stauf hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compi accid. Et de
v5 xd rec' de vendicoe quinq, corioa de vaccis vend hoc anno de pprio stauf infra tempus huj9
compi accid. Et de xxiiij5 rec' de vendicoe duoa bovu hoc anno de pprio stauf infra tempus
huj9 compi accid. Et de ij5 iijd rec' de vendicoe duoa vituloa de pprio stauf hoc anno infra
tempus huj9 compi accid. Sfh xxj5.
Sm to1 recept' vij.ij1' ij5 iijd.
Decas' Rus.] D' quib3 ijdm comp petunt alloc' de reddit' triu tenement' in Burcef ofiat'
in tilllo reddit' assie sup diet' comp ad xvij5 iiijd hoc anno nl inde app'naf p m9 diet' comp

APPENDIX. 241
ob defcu' tenenc' et sic in decas' xvij3 iiijd- Et in att r9 uni9 tenement' in Curtlyngton ofiat'
in ti?lo reddit' assie ad xvj5 iiijd hoc anno n1 pp? debilitate repacois et sic in att xvj5 iiijd.
Et in aft reddit' divers' reddit' in Dadyngton ofiat' in titlo r9 assie ibm ad xvij3 iiijd q' ut
pticulaf patet per compm Witti Charenden ppos' sive cott r9 dnij ibm sup hunc comp'm
ostens' et exaiat' et sic in att xvij3 iiijd q'. Et in att r9 firme molendini de Clyfton ofiaf supius
sup diet' comp' in tiflo firmaa et ?raa dnic' hoc anno inde app'nat' xxiiij5 et no plus p m9
diet' comp' pp? pturbacoem divers' temporib3 infra tempus huj'' comp'i firm molend nfi
p'dci fact' q'd firfh nf p'dc' non audef firmam suam p'dc'am custodif neq, occupaf pp?
metu Abbis de Eynsh'm q'd reddef solebat per annu vj" xiij5 iiij J et sic hoc anno inde levabil
xxiiij^. Et sic in att cix5iiijd qui p'dict' Abbas ex juf n1 debet hef ibm. Et in att r9 uni9
tenemet in Curtlyngton hoc anno xj5. Sm vj" vijd.
Expens' nee'eia cu' expens' forins.] Et in defiijs solut' p repacoe novi hospicij in Da
dyngton ad divers' vices ut p3 p compm Wittmi Charendon ppos' sive cott r9 dhij ibm ut
P3 pcellatim p una billa sup hunc compm ostens' et exiat' xj5 iiijd. Et in defiijs solut' p
expens' div'soa gefiosoa senescli nfi et alioa de et in supvidend aque curs' servient' molend
nfi de Clyfton p'dca ev'tend ex' rectu cursu suu p inhitantes villate de Aynho ex sua ma-
licia Scogita et de juf non direct' xj5. Et in defiijs solut' p expens' fact' apud Cuf Dhi
Principis Honoris sue Walyngf. pro divers' accoib3 p quend'm Wittm Blaket coihensis et
psecut' hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compi xvj3 iiijd. Et in defiijs solut' et rewardis gefiosis
et laborib3 suis et circuintendent' dicte aque curs' molendine nfe p)dce de Clyfton p)dca ut
P3 pcellatim et noiatim p jurmal diet' compm sup hunc compm ostens' et exaiat' xxxiiij5 xjd.
Et in defiijs solut' pro expens' X'pofori Rigby Batti de Burcef in equitand London p ma?ia
molend p)dcoa de Clyfton pldca de remedio inde fiend versus pldc'm Abbem de Eynsh'm
xiij5 iiijd- Et in defiijs solut' Dni Prioris jam comput' in expens' suis in equitand London ad
circuintend et loquend cu Dho Epo Lincoln p divers' causis et ma?ijs sibi nee'eis ix5. Et
in defiijs solut' p expens' Johis Stocketon Itaent' ejusdfh nfi Priorat' in equitand usq,
Compton Ardyngton et Lettecombe p recepcoe reddit' nfi ibm p duas vices v5 iiijd. Et in
defiijs sol pro expens' Ric'i Harecourt milit' Ric'i Crofte armigli Rici Danvers Ric'i Hall
Apprentic' Curie pro coicand juris ex pte hra sive titli molend p'dc'oa de Clyfton p'dc'a elect'
versus p'dict' Abbem de Eynsh'm xxxvj5. Et in defiijs solut' p expens' Johis Shelton missi
divers' temporib3 p ma?ia p'dc'a Ric'o Harecourt militi usq Chorlebury xxijd. Et in att r9
resolut' annuati Dho de Biggenhull exeunt' cuj9d'm ten nf in Burcef scituat' ibm in vico
voc' le Kynggs Ende hoc anno ut in annis peed xxd. Et in defiijs solut' cott r9 dnij de
Wrechwiek hoc anno ut in annis p'ced vj5. Et in defiijs solut' p am)ciament' forisfact' in
Cuf Dni Regis apud Curtlyngton xxijd. Et in defiijs solut' p repacoib5 fact' hoc anno infra
tempus huj9 compi accid infra molend de Clyfton xxvij5 xd. Et in defiijs solut' p expens'
senescli apud Curtlyngton tempore cuf ibm tent' hoc anno infra tempus compi accid. Et in
defiijs solut' Dho Regi p capitli redd solvend ahuatim mafiio de Curtlyngton hoc anno ut
in annis peed xd. Et in defiijs solut' p duab3 ceris empt' p stauro viijd. Et in att solut' et
fact' p Wittm Chardden ppos' sive cott r9 dhij de Dadyngton p ipm solut' ut p3 p comp
suu pcellatim sup hunc compm ostens' et exiat' xlix5 viijd. Sin xij1' xv5 iijd.
VOL. II. 2 L

242 APPENDIX.
Deci'e et Procur'.] Et in defiijs solut' Priori See Frideswide Virg'is Oxon cott integr
decie Dno Reg' a clero eoncess' hoc anno infra tempus huj9 compoi accid vj" xvj5 xjd. Et
in defiijs solut' Archo Com Oxon p pcuracoe et sinod Ecclie poch de Burcef anuati solvend
hoc anno ut in annis pcedent' x3 viijd. Et in defiijs Dho Pape p procuracoe sibi anuati solut'
hoc anno ut in annis peed vij3 ijd. Et in defiijs solut' et in elemos' dat' racoe Rectorie nfe
de pva Missenden nobis app'af in? paupes villate pdee hoc anno ut in annis peed vj5 viijd.
Et in solut' Vic' Oxon p virida sera forisfact' cora Baroniba Scc'ij Dhi Reg' ut p3 per
recordih diet' Vic' xix3 xjd. Et in defiijs solut' Priori See Frideswide Virg'is Oxon in ple-
nam solucoem diet' integf decime infra Arch Oxon solut' iiij1' xvij5- Et in defiijs solut' cott
decie infra cofh Buk' in plena solucoem decie pdee et racoe cocess' pdee xxxvij5.
Sin xij" xvj3 iiij'1.
Pencio'es annual'.] Et in defiijs solut' Abbi de Oseney noie pencois eidm Abbi anuati
solvend hoc anno ut in annis peed lx3. Et in defiijs solut' Abbi de Eynsh'm noie pencois
eidih Abbi anuati solvend ex' Rectoria de Stratton Audeley hoc anno ut in annis peed xij3.
Et in den) ijs solut' Abbi de Alneto ooie pencon' sibi et domui sui anuatim solvend hoc anno
ut in annis peed lj5- Et in deSijs solut' Abbi de Missenden noie pencois sibi et domui sui
anuatim solvend hoc anno ut in annis peed vj" xiijs iiijd. Sfh vj" vj5.
Cust9 carucOh. et carect'.] Et in den'ijs solut' cuid'm Johi Smyth p fabricacoe divers'
ferrament' p ipm fabricat' et fact' ?viet' ad carect' et caruc' ac ecia p ferrura equoa. ut p3
per tallia fact' in? pdict' Johem Smyth et Ballivu husbondrie Priorat' nfi pdci sup hunc
compm ostens' et exaiat' xix5 vijd. Et in den'ijs solut' p trib3 duodenis de carte clowtes empt'
p stauro hospicij hoc anno infra tempus compi iij5 xjd. Et in den'ijs solut' p quinq, duodenis
de horse shove empt' p stauf hoc anno infra tempus compi iij5 viijd. Et in den'ijs solut' p
ij M1 de horsenayle empt p stauf hospicij hoc anno infra temp9 pdcm iiij3. Et in den'ijs
solut' p ij M1 de latthenayle empt' p stauro hospic' hoc anno infra temp9 pdcm ij5 ijd. Et
in den'ijs solut' p ij M1 de clowte nayle empt' p stauf hospic' hoc anno infra temp9 pdcm
iij5 vjd. Et in den solut' pro ijc de iiij peny nayle empt' p stauf hospic' hoc anno infra
temp9 pdc'm xjd. Et in den. solut' p ijc d v peny nayle empt' n stauf hospic' hoc anno
infra temp9 pdc'm xij'1. Et in den sol p iiij0' shores empt' ad sviend husbondrie nfe hoc
anno infra temp9 pdc'm iij5 viijd. Et in den'ijs sol p iiij0' ploweshowes empt' p husbandria
hoc anno infra tempus pdc'm vjd. Et in den'ijs sol p iiij paf de shethes empt' ad husbondf
hoc anno vjd. Et in den'ijs solut' p trib3 paf de wollen whelys empt' p husbondf hoc
anno x5 viijd- Et in den'ijs solut' p uno paf rotaa cu carect' de novo empt' hoc anno p hus
bondf xvj5. Et in den solut' cuid'm Johi Nottebeme p divers' ferrement' ab eo empt' ad
divers' vices ut p3 per tatt sup hunc compm ostens' et exaiat' xiiij5 ixd. Et in den'ijs solut'
p ij cellis voc' carte saduls empt' pro husbondf hoc anno viijd. Et in den sol pro whippe
corde empt' ad divers' vices Itaenf husbondf hoc anno xjd. Et in den'ijs solut' p packethrede
empt' ad divers' vices hoc anno xxjd. Et in den sol p albo coreo empt' ad divers' vices hoc
anno iij5 vijd. Et in den sol p rubeo coreo empt' p vices hoc anno infra temp9 compi xixd.
Et in den sol Johi Collermaker conduct' p xj dies ad faciend et suiend collers et trays p

APPENDIX. 243
equis t'hend cap p die iiij1 iij5 viijd. Et in deii sol Thome Norwode p cultuf ix acf ?f cu
araf suo ad tax' iij5 iiijd. Et in den sol Rie'o Yorke p viviacoe v acf %c ad tax' iij3 iiijd. Et
in den sol p vij pib3 de trays empt' de novo hoc anno vij3 iijd. Et in deii sol p ij paf de
body trays empt' hoc anno xvjd. Et in den sol p iiij collers de novo empt' hoc anno iij5.
Et in deii sol Witto Gibbes conduct' p totu anh ad tax' ad cariand et ps?nand frisc' staent'
coquino et pristino xxxj5 iiijd. Et in den sol Wittmo Cooke conduct' ad tax' p totu anh ad
faciend aratro herpic' et carect' ix5. Sfh v;u vjs.
Minut' Hospic'.] Et in den'ijs solut' ut in pane empt' p hospic' ad divers' vices et in
divers' temporib3 ut p3 per tatt sup hunc compm ostens' et exaiat' ix3. Et in den'ijs solut'
ut in itac' empt' p hospic' ad divers' vices et in divers' temporh^ ut p3 per tatt sup hunc
compm ostens' et exaiat' infra temp9 huj9 compi accid xvij5. Et in den'ijs solut' p
paupiro empt' p hospic' ad divers' vices infra temp9 Pdc'm vijd. Et in den'ijs solut' p
pgameno empt' p hospic' ad divers' vices infra temp9 pdc'm xixd ob. Et in den'ijs solut'
p enchausto empt' p stauf hospic' ad divers' vices infra temp9 pdc'm ixd. Et in den'ijs solut'
p lucerna empt' p claustro infra temp9 Pdc'm viij'1. Et in den solut' cuid'm Johi Coupe p
hopis ab eo empt' et ch opacoe eaad ad divers' vices infra temp9 Pdcm vij5- Et in den'ijs
solut' pro ij pib3 lintham empt' infra temp9 Pdcm vd. Et in den'ijs solut' Wal?o Coke con
duct' ad emend le lavers infra claustru infra temp9 pdcm vjd. Et in den'ijs solut' p le
drying iij q'r? et dimid ad faciend farina p hospic' infra temp9 pdcm viijd. Et in den solut'
p viij ulnis panni linei empt' de Robto Elkyngton p stauf hospic' hoc anno infra temp9
pdcm v3 viijd. Et in den solut' p vij ulnis panni linei empt' de quod'm ex'neo ad hostiu
claustf p stauf hospic' hoc anno infra temp9 pdcm iiij5 ixd. Et in den'ijs solut' lacticinio
conduct' p totu ann ad lactand vaceas et faciend casios hoc anno infra temp9 pdcm ix3. Et
in den solut' p pib3 linthiafh empt' hoc anno p stauf hospic' infra temp9 pdcm iij5 vjd. Et
in deh solut' p iij ulnis panni linei empt' pro stauro hospic' hoc anno infra temp9 p'dem xxd
Et in den'ijs solut' p emendacoe uni9 hanggyng ve?is 'staent' hospic' xviij d. Et in den sol
p ij lagenis empt' p stauf hospic' hoc anno infra temp9 p'dc'm xvjd. Sin lxij5 jd ob.
Minut' nee'eia.] Et in den'ijs solut' p duoba pecijs de hay corde empt' hoc anno pro
stauf hospic' infra temp9 huj9 compi accid xijd. Et in den'ijs solut' p una cella cu uno freno
de novo empt' hoc anno pro stauf hospic' infra temp9 p'dc'm iij3 viijd. Et in den'ijs solut'
p una vasa empt' pro domo blasiand appellat' le Elyngfatte hoc anno infra temp9 huj9
compi accid ix5. Sm x5 viijd.
Cam a Convent.] Et in den'ijs solut' Dno Priori et Canonic' ibm Deo Staent' noie
habiti sui hoc anno infr' tempus huj9 compi accid vj" xiijs iiijd. Sm ix" vj3 viijd.
Feod'.] Et in den'ijs solut' Thome Foweler armiglo noie feod sui sibi ad tmi vite sue
eoncess' hoc anno ut in annis p'ced xx5. Et in den'ijs solut' Johi Langston armigJo Senesci
oim ?f et ten nfoa sibi eoncess' ad tmi vite sue hoc anno sibi solut' hoc anno noie feod sui
ut in annis p'ced xl3. Et in den'ijs solut' Johi Faryndon Gen'ral Attorn in ofhib3 ma?ijs
London noie feod sui xiij5 iiijd. Et in den'ijs solut' Witto Harlynggrugge noie feod sui ad
tmi vite sue eoncess' hoc anno ut in annis p'ced xxvj5 viijd. Et in den'ijs solut' Rico Sal?e
Doctori et Official Arch Oxon noie feod sui hoc anno ut in annis p'ced vjs viijd. Sin xij" iijs.

244 APPENDIX.
Stipend' famulo^.] Et in den'ijs solut' Johi Shelton pro stipend suo dimid anni hoc anno
infra temp9 huj9 compi accid vj5 viijd. Et in den'ijs solut' Johi Stocketon p stipend suo p
anno integro infra temp9 p'dc'm xx3. Et in den solut' Ric'o Yorke noie stipend sui p iij
quar?ijs anni infra temp9 p'dc'm xx5. Et in den'ijs solut' Witto Moundy et Agh ux' sue
pistores et brasiat' infr' Priorat' noie stipend sui hoc anno infra tempT p'dc'm xxxiij5 iiijd-
Et in den'ijs solut' Ric'o Bannebury Batt husbondf noie stipend sui hoc anno infra
temp' p'dc'm xxxiijs iiijd. Et in den'ijs solut' Thome Byfeld noie stipend sui hoc anno
xiij5 iijd. Et in den'ijs sol Wal?o Coke noie stipend sui p dimid anno xiij5 iiij'1. Et in deii
sol Johi Barbo' noie stipend viij5. Et in stipendio Xpoi Ryggeby hoc anno infra temp'' huj11
compi accid xxvj5 viij'1. Et in stipend Nichi Horsseman hoc anno infra tempus p'dc'm
xiij5 iiijd. Et in stipend Georgij Addynggrove hoc anno infra tempus p'dc'm p ij q'r?ijs
anni xv5. Et in stipend Johis Drayton hoc anno infra tempus p'dc'm xxiij3 iiijd. Et in
stipend Johis Dery hoc anno infra tempus p'dc'm xx5. Et in stipend Johis Hardyman
infra tempus p'dc'm xvij5. Et in stiped Johis Tryte infra tempus p'dc'm xiij3 iiijd- Et in
stipend Witti Oxeherd infra tempus p'dict' xvj5- Et in stipend Thome Hogges infra tempus
p'dc'm xvj5- Et in stipend Johis Markeh'm infra tempus p'dc'm xiij5 iiijd. Et in stipend
Johis Gyngge infra tempus p'dc'm xvj5. Et in stipend Witti infra tempus p'dc'm
xiij3 iiijd. Et in stipend Pastoris oviu p tempus p'dict' xv5. Et in stipend custodis porcoa
infra tempus p'dcih xij3- Et in stipend uxoris Thome Hode conduct' ad faciend intima
bestiaa infra tempus p'dc'm ij5 Et in stipend ij5. Sin viij11 v3 iiijd.
Cusf Domo'i.] Et in den'ijs solut' Witto Elygam tegulator' cu' ij hoib3 conduct' ad'
teguland et emendend divers' defect' sup horriu et alijs locis p viij dies viij5 ixd. Et in
den'ijs solut' Wal?o Coke conduct' ad emend divers' defect' de magno plubo in pistrina et le
lavers in claustf xviijd. Et in den'ijs solut' pro iiij"3 de sowedur empt' ad eund opus xvjd.
Et in den'ijs solut' et att cuid'm Thome Carpinf p repacoe ten sui scituat' in Burcef ad
suu primitu capcoem ex convecoe cu eo primit' fca iij5 ixd. Et in denaf solut' Johi Benet p
stipacoe cuj9d'm ten in quo Ric'us Bannebury t'hit moram intus p vij dies xxjd. Et in
den'ijs solut' p vijc de latthes empt' p repacoib3 tam infra Priorat' q'm in villa iiij5 viijd. Et
in den'ijs solut' duob3 sarratorib3 conduct' p v dies ad sarrand tabulas p repacoib3 fiend
iij5 iiijd. Et in den'ijs solut' Thome Sherman Carpen? conduct' ad doland mearefh p iij dies
et dimid xiiijd. Et in den'ijs solut' Johi Hode Carpen? conduct' ad doland p iij dies et
dimid xd. Et in den'ijs solut' p lapidib3 voc' slattestones empt' p repac6ib3 firme de
Clyfton x3. Et in den'ijs sol p repacoe coquine ejusdih firme ij3 ijd. Et in den'ijs solut' p
iiijc de lapidir33 voc' slatte stones empt' p repacoe Priorat' et noiat' sunt p nomen Comen
large xvj3. Et in den'ijs sol p pvis stones voc' slatte stones empt' alia vice iij5 iiijd. Et in
den'ijs solut' p cariag' eoadrh lapid xvjd. Et in den'ijs solut' p vjM de latthenayles empt' p
repacoib3 sup'dict' vj3- Et in den'ijs solut' p jM de horse nayle empt' p stauf hospic' ijs.
Et in den'ijs solut' Johi Abrey conduct' p v dies infra Priorat' xvd. Et in den'ijs solut'
cuid'm tegulat' de Chorleton conduct' ad teguland infra Priorat' p iiij dies xvjd. Et in
den'ijs solut' cuid'm tegulatori de Curtlyngton ad eund opus p iiij0' dies xvjd- Et in den'ijs

APPENDIX. 245
solut' cuid'm Hugoni Slat?e conduct' ad teguland p spaciu xxj diea vij3. Et in defiijs solut'
duob3 sarratorib3 conduct' ad sarrand p iij dieb3 et di ij5 iiijd. Et in defiijs solut' Johi
Slat?e conduct' ad teguland p v dies et di xxijd Et in defiijs solut' Johi Abrey conduct'
ad teguland p v dies et di xxijd. Et in den sol cuid'm Glasiatori de Aylsbury p emendacoe
fenestraa in refectorio viijd. Et in den solut* pro diM tegulaa voc Comen large ij5. Et in
den solut' Plumbaf conduct' ad emend magh plumb in pistrino cu iiij'0 de sowder Itaent' eid
ope'ij5 vijd. Et in deh solut' Robto Clerk conduct' p le pleshingg uni9 pecie ?f voc' Mille
pece capient' p ix perches ixd. Et in defiijs solut' Thome Dynby conduct' circa eund opus
cap p xix perches xixd. Sfh vij" iiij5.
Expens' Coq'ne.] Et in defiijs solut' p iiij0' quar?ijs sale empt' p vices p stauf coquine
pc q'rt vj3 xxiiij5. Et in defiijs solut' p iij vaccis empt' p stauro coq'ne p vices xvij5. Et in
defiijs solut' Johi Hurf p victualiba ab eo empt' xixd. Et in defiijs solut' p uno boviclo
empt' p stauf coquine xj3- Et in defiijs solut' p uno dentrice empt' p hospitio viijd. Et in
defiijs solut' pro iij q'r?ijs vacce empt' de Johe Markeh'm p stauro coq'ne v5. Et in defiijs
solut' p iij q'r? bovis empt' p stauro coquine empt' de Witto Markeh'm vj5 viijd. Et in
defiijs solut' pro uno apre empt' de Johe Hurf p hospicio dhi iiij5. Et in defiijs solut' pro
uno collef de apre empt' apud Oxon p hospitio dni xijd. Et in defiijs solut' p una sue
empt' de Johe Clerke p stauf coq'ne ij5 iiijd. Et in defiijs solut' p una vacca empt' in foro
p stauro coq'ne viiij5 vjd. Et in defiijs solut' pro lagena vini empt' apud Oxon erga
eventu dhi p ext'neis viijd. Et in volatilib3 empt' erga adventu dni p hospic' dni xxjd. Et
in defiijs solut' p xj copul ctmiculoa empt' erga eund fin iij5 viijd. Et in deh sol p iijc ru-
beis allec' empt' p hospic' empt' p vices v5. Et in defiijs sol p gallis silvestf empt' p vices
p hospic' dni xiijd. Et in defiijs sol p dimid vacca empt' de mulief de Lawnton p stauf
coquine ij5. Et in deh sol p anguitt empt' p vices de Robto Miller pro hospitio dhi vs iijd.
Et in deii sol p cepis et alleo empt' p vices p stauf hospic' xxjd. Et in den sol p larde
empt' p vices de Johe Hurf p stauf coq'ne iij5 ijd. Et in den sol p vj lb amigdal empt' apud
Oxon p hospic' dni xvijd. Efi in deh sol p iiij lb amigdal empt' alia vice vijd. Et in den
sol p dimid frayle de ficub5 empt' p hospic' dni ij5. Et in den sol p xijcim lb de rasumis
empt' p hospic' dni xiiijd. Et in den sol p ij q'r?ijs de masis empt' p hospic' dni ij5. Et
in deh sol p uno q'r?io de clowe3 empt' p hospic' dni xviijd. Et in den sol p iiij lb de seuger
empt' p vices p hospic' dni ijd. Et in den sol p j q'r? cincibef empt' pro hospic' dni xijd.
Et in ij q'r? de synamu empt' p hospic' dni ij5. Et in deh sol p ix lb de rasemis de corans
empt' p hospic' dni iij5. Et in den sol p vij lb de datis empt' p vices pro hospic' dni iij5 vjd.
Et in deh sol p j lb de pepur empt' p hospic' dni xiiijd. Et in den sol pro j q'r? de
saundre3 empt' p hospic' dni viijd. Et in deh solut' p xij anguitt sals' empt' vices p hospic'
dni ij5 vjd. Et in anguitt recent' p vices p hospic' dni iij3 ijd. Et in deh sol p roche3 et
pches empt' p vices Xvijd. Et in den sol p j bafeft de salmone sals' empt' apd Steresbrigge
p stauf hospic' xxiij3 vjd. Et in den sol p xij copul de haberden empt' ibm p stauf hospic'
viij5 vjd. Et in deh sol p j q'r? de stockefisshes empt' ibm p stauf hospic' vj5. Et in deii
sol p vj copul de lyngge empt' ibm p stauf hospic' v3. Et in den solut' p cariag' eoad pisciii
a Steresbrigge usq, Burcef vij5. Et in deh sol p xvj copul de hake3 empt' in foro p hospic'
VOL. II. 2 M

246 APPENDIX.
dni iiij5- Et in deh sol p ij pykereft empt' p hospic' dni xixd. Et in deh sol p ij grene-
fisshe3 empt' p hospic' dni xvd. Et in deh .sol p' iij lagenis rubei vini empt' p vices ij5. Et
in den sol p' vino albo empt' xijd. Et in deh sol p' iij barett de albis allec empt' p' staur
hospic' xxj5. Et in den sol p' iij cades de rubeis allec empt' p' stauf hospic' xxiiij3. Et in
deii sol p' iiij0' cadis de sprotte empt' p' stauf hospic' viij5. Et in den sol p' xxx coputt de
millewells empt' in fest' Sci Jaeobi p' stauf hospic' xiiij5. Et in den sol p' iij vaccis empt'
in foro p vices xxv5- Et in deh sol p' iij boviclis empt' in foro p vices xxx5 ij'1. Et in deh
sol p' ij bob3 empt' in foro p' stauf coq'ne xxj5. Et in deh sol p' Iiij ovib3 empt' p' coq'na
lxxiiij5. Et in defiijs sol p' j q'r? sale empt' p' hospic' dni p' vices iij5 vjd. Et in defiijs
solut' ad divers' vices ut pticulari? et pcellatim patent per magnu jurmal eoad computanc'
solut' p totu annu infra tempus huj9 compi accid et sup hunc compm ostens' et exiat' xij11 iij3.
Sin xxxj" vij5 viijd.
Empc' g'woa.J Et in defiijs solut' p duob3 q'r? ffi empt' de Thoma Home p hospic' dni
xij5 viij'1 Et in den solut' p iij q'r? et ij b3 siliginis empt' p' hospic' dni vij5 xd. Et in
defiijs solut' pro iij q'r? mixtilion empt' de Johe Smyth p' hospic' dni vij5 viijd. Et in den
sol p' di q'r? ffi empt' de Sacris?io p' hospic' dni xijd. Et in deh sol empt' apud Wroxton
viz. p' iij q'r? siligin pro hospic'- dni vij5 viijd. Et in defiijs solut' p' viij q'r? avenaa empt'
apud Carsfeld p' hospic' dni xvjs. Et in defiijs solut' p' uno q'r? siliginis empt' in foro p'
hospic' dni iiij3. Et in deh solut' p' ix b3 ffi empt' in foro p' hospic' dni vij5 vj'1. Et in den
solut' p' ij q'r? et di ffi empt' apud Buckenhull p' hospic' dni xvj3 iiijd. Et in deh solut'
p' v q'rt ffi empt' de Sacristio pro hospic' dni xviij5 iiijd. Et in deh solut' p' iij q'r? et di
de millecorne empt' de molend de Clyfton xv5- Et in iij q'rt et di bras' empt' apud Bucken
hull p' hospic' dni xjs viijd. Sm c5 xv5 viijd.
Empc' Staur'.] Et in defiijs solut' p una sue empt' de Witto Sperman p stauf hospic'
ij5 viijd. Et in defiijs solut' pro duob3 vitul empt' de Witto Oxindon p stauf hospic' ij5 xd.
Et in defiijs solut' p uno equo empt' de quod'm ex'neo p stauf hospic' xx5. Et in defiijs
solut' p uno pullo masclo empt' de Thoma Sperman pro stauf hospic' v5 vjd. Et in defiijs
solut' p una sue cu iij porcett empt' de Johe Stokton pro stauf hospic' . Et in
deh sol p duob3 porcis empt' de uxie Georgij Addynggrove p stauf hospic' ij5 viijd- Et in
defiijs solut' p una sue empt' de Thoma Bentely pro stauf hospic' ij5 iiijd. Et in defiijs
solut' p ij pore' empt' de Walto Coke pro stauf hospic' iij5 ijd. Et in defiijs solut' pro uno
boviclo empt' de Thoma Spetull de Wendulbury p stauf hospic' ix3 vd. Sfh xtviij3 vjd.
Sarculac' et Falcac'o.] Et in defiijs solut' divers' hoib3 et mulierib3 conduct' ad sarcu-
land p diem ut p3 per tatt Batti husbondrie noiatim et pcellatim sup hunc compm ostens'
et exaiat' iij5 ijd. Et in defiijs solut' Thome Yelbury conduct' ad falcand prat' p spaeiu" xix
diea vj5 iiij'1. Et in deh solut' Thome Sperman conduct' circa eund opus p spaeiu ix diea
iij5. Et in una falce empt' p stauf hospic ij5 iijd. Et in den solut' Alicie Drayton cu alia
mulief conduct' ad levand et faciend fenii per spaeiu xiiij diea xiiijd. Et in deh solut' 'staent'
Agh Mundy conduct' circa eund opus p spaeiu ix diea ixd. Et in deh solut' p herbag' con
duct' apud Langford p bestijs pasturand ix5 iiijd. Sih xxvj5.
Cust9 autu'pni.] Et in duodeni cerotec' empt' in foro ij3 viijd. Et in Rogero Dawy

APPENDIX. 247
coduct' ad ps?nand et pparand US3 carect' xlj ac's ordei xiij3 viijd. Etin Th Stedomys
conduct' p cosile p xxvij ac's order jux' Wyte Crosse viij3 iiij d. Et in Th Ywys conduct'
viij ac's ord jux' le Brech ij5 ijd. Et in sots div'sis mulierib3 conduct' p die ad metend ut
pat3 p j tattm xv3- Et in Margareta Wyllys conduct' ad le kockyng solut' ei p xj ac's xxiijd.
Et in Wittmo Markeh'm conduct' ad pstnad dece ac's ord xxd- Et in Alisia Dreyton coduct'
cu soco suo ad meted ffm p ix dies ij5 ixd. Et sol eidm p le pece ord kokyng jux' G'venu'll
ij5. Et sol eidih p le felde pece kokyng jux' orreu xxd. Et in Th Ylbery coduct' in grosso
ad falcad in autupno viij5 iiijd. Et in iij mulierib3 coduct' p le lesyng pisis et fabis in le
pece voc' Cowbryge p iij dies et dimid xjd. Et in Nicho Flecher coduct' ad falcad p vj dies
et di xxij'1. Et sol eidfh p vj ac'5 ord coduct' ad ps?nad xiiijd. Et in sots Alisie Flecher
conduct' p v dies et di in autupno p le repyng ffm xxijd. Et in Isabella Collys coduct' p
cosile p v dies xxd. Et in, Isabella pdict' conduct' alia vice p cosile p iiij dies et di xviij'1.
Et in uxore Th Ylbery coduct' ad le kockyng xxxiiij ac' jux' Wynmyll vs viij'1. Et in
Alisia Alynggrave coduct' p cosile ix ac's ord jux' Crokewell xixd. Et in Alisia Cott
conduct' p le cockyng xxxix ac's jux' Wynmyll vj5 vijd capient' p ac' ijd. Et in Th Gybb
Joh Gybb Joh Clerke Witt Gybb Witt Spma et Th Gybb conduct' ad cariad cu suis carect' in
autupno p xiiij dies et di xij5 v'1. Sfh iiij" xiiij5 vjd.
Triturac'o et Ventulac'o.] Et in sots Th Ylbery coduct' ad t'turand xij q'r? ordei xviijd.
Et in so15 eidih Th p t'turac xiijxx q'r? et dimid xxviij5 xd capient' p q'r? cu sibis jd ob. Et
in sots eidm cii j hole coduct' p xviij dies et di ad t'turad ordeu iij5 jd. Et in j ext'neo
conduct' ad t'turad xxx q'rt ord sine sibo vj8 iijd. Et in sots j ext'neo coduct' ad t'turad xv
q'rt ffm ad taske iij5 ixd- Et in ij feis coduct' in grosso p ofhid g'no vetulat' If P'orat' hoc
an0 viij5. Et in emendac et renovacoe vj criboa hoc an0 xjd. Et in iij cribis ept ixd. Sm Iiij5 j'1.
Cust5 Bercar'.] Et in so'5 xj copuft houh p' le Westhyng oviu iij5 viijd. Et in j lageni
stasie ept' jd ob. Et in dat' eu ad bibed ij'1. Et sol p' pych et tarr. ept' p' eis p vie' iij5 xjd.
Sfh iiij3 xd.
Stipend' Laboranc' .] Et in Th Ywys coduct' ad faciend muros in div'sis loc' inf ' domii
nfm p xxxiiij dies vij5 vjd. Et in solut' Johi Dyger p' xxxvj perch fodient' jux' Popelees p
G'venell vijs vjd cate p' le perch iijd. Et in so'5 Waltero Koke conduct' p' consile in G'vvenyll
xvijd. Et in Th' Scherman coduct' p vie' dolend meremiu inf P'oratu p xvij dies. Et in
Th Spman coduct' p vie' ad pstnand meremiu et focalia ad silva p xxxiij dies vs ixd. Et in
so'5 Johi Hurf conduct' ad cariad le fyrsys p anm xiiij3 xj'1. Et in Wittmo Gybb coduct' p'
cosile p anm xiiij5 viijd. Et sol Th Gybb p' cariac' de xvj Iod fyrsys vj5 ijd. Et I Th Gybb
Joh Gybb Joh Clerke Wittm Gybb et Th' Gybb coduct' cu suis carect' apd Barnewod ad
cariad focalia p vie xij5 viijd. Et in so'5 eisdem cu suis aratf conduct' p xxviij dies viij5 viijd.
Sin iiij" iiij5 vd.
Expens' p' AbV de Eynysh'm.] Et in expens' apd Dadyngton p' ma?ia de Clyfton Myll
xiij5 iiijd ut pat3 in papiro p div'sis psett xxxiiij5 xjd. Sfh xxxiij3 xjd.
Experts' forinc'.] Et in expens' Ballivi de Burcef ap'1 Lond una vie' p' matia de molend
de Clyfton xiijs iiijd. Et I expens' D'ni P'oris apd Lond ad loqued cu D'no Epo Line ix5. Et
in expens' Johis Stocton v's9 Cupton Ardyngton et Letecube una vie' v5 iiijd. Et in expens'

248 APPENDIX.
D'ni Poris apd Dadyngton p' ma?ia de molend de Clyfton cii Dho Ric Harcort Ric Dawdes
Ric Halle et mult' alijs cu suis tenemet' xxvj3. Et in expens' Johis Schelton v's9 Cherlebery
Dadyngton et Curtlyngton p vie' xxijd. Sin lv5 vjd.
Miuuta n'e'eia.] Et in j sella ept' cu j freno ept' iij5 vd. Et in ij pec' ept voc' Heycorde
ij5 iij'1. Et in albo coreo ept' p vie' ij3 xjd. Et in j falc' ept ij5 iijd. Et in j eldewate ept'
p' pist'no vij5 ijd. Et in div'sis cer' ept' p vic"xvijd. Et in pgameno et papiro ept p vie'
xixd. Sfh xxij5 iiijd.
Dona.] Et in dat' D'ni Lest'nge xl5. Et in dat' Joh Wagge p suo labore apd Wallyng-
ford iij5 iiijd. Et in dat' Wittmo Oxhyrde viijd. Et in dat' div'sis famul p vie' xvd. Et in
dat' eis apd orreu et ad aratf xvijd. Et in dat' minist'io D'ni Arundell viijd. Et in dat'
Nich Merton portat ferina et volatilia iiijd- Et in dat' Johi Bowell p vie' vd. Et in dat'
div'sis paupib3 p vie' hoc an° ij5 ixd. Et in dat' j sargent of armis D'ni Reg' iij5 iiijd. Et in
dat' ad "stasia Agn mudi iiijd. Et in dat' Johe Bernard ad sua svicia vjd. Et in dat' le Chef in
com Oxon vj5 viijd. Et in dat' Vic' Com Oxon vj5viijd. Et in dat' Vond Scherwe iij5 iiijd.
Et in dat' Th Scherman eunte apd Barnewode ad eligend meremiu p ecclia iiijd. Et in dat'
nunco D'ni Reg's xxd. Et in dat' dno Doctor' Johi Sal? eq'tante ad covocac cu uno proxcy
ad respondend p P'ore vj5 viij'1. Et in dat' famulo suo xijd. Et in dat' filio Johis Langston
xxd. Et in dat' Schef p ma?ia Johis Hodde et p novo hospico in Dadyngton vjs viijd. Et
in dat' puef in cena D'ni iij5 vijd. Et in dat' cuid generoso iiijd. Et in dat' Ffi Minori de
Oxon p organis in fm Pasch x3. Et in dat' j valetto Dhi Reg' p j eq" equitant' in negoco
Dhi Reg' xj5 viijd. Et in dat' ad stacia pach ecclie p vie' ij5. Et in dat' Doctori Jane
divers' ma?is p domo hro hoc an0 vj3 viijd- Et in dat' Mfo Lower p suo bono cosilio p vie'
vj5 viij'1. Et in dat' Wittmo organ pleyer xxd. Et in dat' famulo Johis Osb'n p ma?ia de
novo hospico in Dadyngton xxd. Et in dat' famuloa D'ni Lest'nge p vie' xijd. Et in dat' bal-
livo D'ni Lest'nge iij5 iiij'1. Sm vij" xj3 iijd.
XX
Sfh tol oim expesaa sup'dict' vij.vj11 xiiij3 viijd ob. Et sic expense excedut
recept' iiij" xij5 v'1

No. V.
Copy of the Subscription to the Supremacy by William Browne, Prior, and
the Monks of the Convent of Bicester Priory, 26 Hen. VIII.
Quum ea sit non solum Christianse Religionis et Pietatis ratio sed nostrse etiam obe
diential Regula Domino Regi nostro Henrico ejus nominis octavo cui uni et soli post Christu
Jesum "staitorem nfm debemus univ'sa non modo oimodam in Xpo et eandem syncera integra
ppetuaq, animi devotioem fidem obsvah honorem cultum rev'enciam pstemus sed etia de
* From the original in possession of Trinity College, Oxford.

<l/t'M ,yf _yD/yyKAAy- ' ^Afari^- a

dAA^yAy<t A/- Ay^ ayaA ^r j/yrr^nyA^iy

t-a M€yyya//y/eyA/A'yy AAff'yx/

y- a
y^c yymt.

¦J&r£gj/$Az AAy^y?

AA^S&z/JlAA

¦Ak-t #/ SAtXMsmyAAay /yyyr cf (Ayy^T^LOU/ y ASAm.
<£ w j;p ^ fay ^ f -KfSlfi

£ rmC *#«* ^»^ri

APPENDIX. 249
eade fide et obslvantia nra racoem quotiescuq, postulabitur reddamus et palam oibus si res
postulat libentissime testemur: Nov'int univ'si ad quos pns scriptu pvefiit q'd nos Wiftmus
Browne Prior Domus sive Prioratus bte Marie et Sancte Edburge de Burcestur ordinis
Sancti Augustini in Com Oxon Lincoln Dioc et ejusdem loci conventus uno ore et voce atq,
unanimi cosensu et assensu hoc scripto nostro sub sigillo nfo coi in domo nra capfflari dato
pro nobis et successoribus nris oibus et sing'lis imppetuu pfitemur testamur ac fidelr pmitti-
mus et spondemus Nos pfatos Priorem et Conventu et successores hros oes et sing'los integra
inviolatam syncera ppetuaq, fidem obsSvantia obiam semper pstaturos erga Dfim Regem firm
Henricum octavu.et erga Annam Regina uxorem ejusdem et erga sobolem ejus ex eadem
Anna Itime t'm pgenitam q'm pgenerandum. Et q, hee eadem populo notificabimus pdica-
bimus et suadebimus ubicuq, dabif locus et occasio. Item q, confirmatu ratuq, habemus
semperq, et ppetuo habituri sumus q, pdictus Rex noster Henricus est Caput Ecclie Anglicane.
Item q, Epus Romanus qui in suis bullis Pape nomen usurpat et sufhi pontificis principatii
sibi arrogat non habet majore aliqua jurisdictionem collata sibi a Deo in sacra scriptura in
hoc Regno Anglie q' quivis alius externus Epus. Item q, nullus nostru in ulla sacra contioe
privatim vel publice habenda eundem Epm Romanu appellabit noie Pape aut suihi pontific'
sed noie Epi Romani vel Ecclie Romane. Et q, nullus nostru orabit pro eo tanq' Papa sed
tanq' Epo Romano. Item q, soli dicto D'no Regi et successoribus suis adherebimus et ejus
leges et decreta manutenebimus Epi Romani legibus decretis et canonibus qui contra legem
divina et sacram scriptura aut contra jura hujus Regni esse invenientur imppetuu renuciantes.
Item q, nullus nostru oim in ulla vel privata vel publica contioe qiiicq' ex sacris scriptur'
desumptum ad alienu sensum detorquere psumet sed quisq, Christu ejusq, verba et facta sim-
pliciter apte sincere et ad norma seu regula sacrarum scripturaru et vere Catholicoru atq,
orthodoxoru doctoru pdicabit catholice et orthodoxe. Item q, unusquisq, nostru in suis ora-
coib3 et comprecac6ib3 de more faciendis primu oim Regem tanq' supremu Caput Ecclie
Anglicane Deo et populi pcibus comendabit deinde Regina Annam cii sua sobole tu demu
Archiepos Cant' et Eboa cu ceteris Cleri ordinibus put videbitur. Item q oes et sing'li pdicti
Prior et Conventus et successores hri consciencie et jurisjurand Sacramento nosmet firmiter
obligamus q, oia et sing'la pdict' fideliter imppetuu ob^vabimus. In cujus rei testiom huic
scripto firo cofhune sigillu firm appendimus et fira noia ppria quisq manu subscripsimus.
Dat' in domo fira capitlari undecimo die mensis Augusti Anno Dfii Mittimo quigen° trige-
simo quarto. p me Will'm porem pdict. p me Robertu' Cal'fleyde
p me Joh'm Mydylton p me Jacobu' Burscotjgh
p me Radoulfum Latham p me Jh'ne Burcester
p me Robert Bygnell p me Jh'ne Launton.
p me Joh'em Chestr'

VOL. II.

2 K

250 APPENDIX. No. VI.
Discovery of the Foundations, &c. of Bicester Priory.
(Extract of a Letter to Sir Gregory Osborne Page Turner, Bart.)
Sir, — " On Wednesday the 6th inst. (October 1819) pursuant to your direction, I pro
ceeded to open a deep trench parallel with the brook, immediately under the garden-wall in
Place Yard, and at the same time, by request of some of the principal inhabitants of Bicester,
whom curiosity had attracted thither, set some other workmen to dig from the dove-house
to the upper garden wall. As I previously suspected, no traces of any large buildings
appeared in this part of the premises, and the only thing we saw worth notice was the remains
of a small paved apartment. But the first gang of labourers were much more successful; —
they had not proceeded far before they met with great blocks of freestone carved with
receding mouldings of elegant pattern and excellent workmanship, scattered in profusion
amidst masses of rubbish three or four feet in depth. The solidity of this mass rendered it
difficult to distinguish the walls from other parts, and, I am sorry to say, we unfortunately
dropped upon the chimney of the Conventual kitchen, and actually destroyed a considerable
portion before the cinders and ashes convinced us we had discovered the site of the priory.*
Continuing in the same line, we found a wall four feet in thickness, and at about twenty-five
or twenty-seven feet distance another, parallel therewith ; both were plastered inside, and
the intermediate space filled with fragments of pillars, capitals, arches, keystones, banded
pilasters, and other carved work intermingled with rubbish, evidently thrown down on the
hasty demolition of the fabric. The materials clearly indicate that it was a handsome struc
ture of the pointed gothic, or English architecture, as some writers term it, apparently
erected during the sway of one of the early Henrys. The lower parts of the windows still
remained, and in the angles stood the bases of lofty and slender pillars, whose fragments
* Perhaps the following observations of Whitaker on the general arrangement of monastic structures
may elucidate these remains : —
" The first feature of a religious house was the Clausum, or close, consisting often of fifty, or even of
ninety acres, surrounded by a high and often embattled wali, and entered by one or two gateways. Beyond
this the religious were not allowed to walk or ride, but on the necessary business of the house. Within
the close were included all' the appendages of a large domain, occupied by the owners as a grange or
farm-house, barns, stables, mill, &c. — Next was the house itself, situated in the lowest and warmest part
of the enclosure, consisting of one large quadrangular court, into which the various offices and apartments
opened ; and to all these a warm and sheltered access in every season was provided, by means of a
penthouse cloister surrounding the whole. The northern side of this quadrangle was formed by the nave
of the conventual church, so placed with great judgment on account of its great height and bulk, as afford
ing the best shelter against the northern blast, and in any other would exclude more or less of sunshine
from the cloister, where the aged monks, who could no longer wander far from their cells, would natu
rally wish to partake of its blessing. Attached to the south-east transept, and with it constituting the
east side of the quadrangle, was the vestry, and next the chapter-house; on the same side, and still to the
south, is generally found a long room, whose use has not been ascertained. Above was the library, and
perhaps the infirmary. The refectory, locutory or parlour, kitchen, butteries, &c. occupied the south side,
opposite the church ; and on the west was the dormitory, so that the religious might pass to their devotions
without much exposure to the external air. — The superior's lodgings were usually attached to ths south-end
corner of the quadrangle, and formed a distinct residence, having frequently a hall and chapel to itself." —
Hist, of Whalley, p. 108.

Capitals '.flinffis fcjXfciilduvjs, Aourul on Digging the site er Aiue.Aii JAuva. tA'et io°j$.

a la/ii/ol o/'a /nl//r/t/t oi/iame/i/t d iri/h
Units, nn/tii/lif deb,iM't/ Corirt/Jna/i
6. JJ°
C. far/ o/ doub/c dit/les pndnihti/ /niiiiiip
r//.\/es in /In- /life, tori/ or e/i'/rr/i
TiH.Ser/iii/is tie/he .innit'
c X / Jin sr it 1,1/n/al of /Jie fe/ituin /i'ihihJ
in n/u;tr\ ri' I 'l'/n,/t>n s ,1/ r/ir same Inn /it "' .
I. Herded t]>/ituitr. 11 Ith /tdili/.\
J. Siit/t'ii 0/' hand chest a/so irei e /ou/ti
in //it sortie place /t'l/i/hti it ah 0 toehel
mri a/ ns 17 /uwian head from 11 lncJi
SOllle o/' die . hehe.S Sp/'U/ll/
F. Co/u/iins iilach formed Mullions in /he
l/i/ulous of a Bu/ldi/ic/ & 11 ere /on/id
in eh'i/ntny oul die £rook . supposed
by some the fhyircfi of Ute Priory
T,.0//tsidi- run.' of the Capital
'S.Jlouhte Capitals of a. Window /burn/
/war /Jie entrance of t/ie upper fa/den
"K.i/tU/io/1 0/ a Ifiridcm found ui, the
burldiny near (Jie pond

a.Convt •// /na/ Kitdien
b, die lectori/ or Oi/rrch, witJurt wtuch wen
mruiy r/iouldinys found
c . A HJiiiioii' or recess with, bases of
Co/timns in Idle singles
el Weill with, retruzcns of Columns in
t/ie ariyle-s of a Window
A narrow 11 a/i parallel wi/h the laryer \
perhaps Ihe space inclneled mis a Cloister
hqrye foundations supposed by so/ne\,
t/ie leuui/ns of the conventual CJm/cfi
u-d/ii/i ii/y/i a considerable quantify
of ' bro/cefe painted ylass 11 -as found
Place liJu. e part ofohumrui
sl<r felon was disco red
/ ¦ tl Spot irlure a tarye arch ira.s found
ftiB of water
- I Bn/./rtss 'Effort of /he brook where it lon/e
'ardi uos found

Pond

APPENDIX. 251
were strewn about the ruins, and shewed themselves to have been decorated with bands at
intervals, or clustered and banded. Apparently, most of these windows when thrown down,
were left on the spot. The character and quantity of the materials led me to conclude that
we had discovered the foundation of the Priory Church ; and accordingly, I had the walls
immediately uncovered to the extremity of the building, which I found supported and
terminated by strong buttresess.
" I then directed the whole to be excavated, and the quantity of carved fragments which
appeared, exceed description; with little trouble several complete arches, with all their orna
ments, may be formed equal in size to those which usually divide the aisles in our largest
parish churches. Upon the floor lay immense masses of the vaulting which once covered the
edifice, so strongly cemented together, that we could scarcely separate them. — But the idea
of this structure having been the conventual church was much weakened in the spectator's
minds and my own, when the area without the garden-wall exhibited no appearance of sepulture,
though dug up to a considerable depth, especially as it comprised the whole of the eastern
end, usually the scite of the high altar, and consequently the spot selected by the ehief
benefactors of religious houses for the interment of their bodies.— Disappointed in those
expectations, I caused trenches to be opened in various parts of the enclosure, to ascertain
if any other large foundations existed: — they were fruitless; but, on the right of the entrance
into the upper garden we found two double capitals of columns, and also a pitched road,
with walls on either side, leading toward the principal buildings ; these are about eighteen or
twenty inches below the surface. The discovery of other double capitals proves there were
two or more windows thus ornamented. The present eastern wall of the garden runs along
the middle of the chief edifices. The foundations plainly indicate that the Priory originally
formed three sides of a quadrangle. The walls within the present enclosure are about three,
or three and a half feet in thickness, and from the circumstance of a thinner wall standing
parallel with them, may have had a cloister on that side ; — these things must, however, be left
to conjecture, unless all the foundations are traced. On Monday morning, at the request of
several gentlemen present, I directed the labourers to proceed with a new trench near the
brook, and our astonishment was extreme when we immediately fell upon foundations much
larger than any we had hitherto seen ; these I determined to follow, and found them standing-
east and west, and extending to an unknown length in every direction. I would willingly
have opened the whole, but having previously arranged with Mr. W  for the discharge of
the workmen on the following day, was thereby prevented. By the side of one of these walls
lay the greater part of a human skeleton, though the space included did not appear to have
been disturbed for the purpose of inhumation. — In this spot we also discovered considerable
quantities of broken painted glass.
" Just before the departure of the labourers, we broke into a large arch ; the cavity
beneath was full of water : some suspected it to be a vault of the church. By admeasure
ment it was found five feet eight inches deep, and of indefinite extent; — from this partial
examination, it appears to be a large drain. The principal objection to this building having
been the Priory Church arises from the foundations converging towards the west, though the
enormous buttresses, the human skeleton, and fine window (much after the model of that

252 APPENDIX.
over the altar at Chetwood) found some time ago in the brook, all seem to argue on the
contrary. " Part of the skeleton ; a beautiful sculptured head, supposed to have been a corbel in
the church or refectory ; some fragments of painted glass, and several carved ornaments,
have been taken to Ambrosden for your inspection ; and the remainder of the arches, co
lumns, bases, and capitals, carefully placed in Wilson's yard, or deposited in an outhouse
belonging to Mr. Reynolds." 

The preceding examination having left the nature of the above cavity doubtful, it was
afterwards reopened, and proved to be an arch about five feet wide, apparently designed for
conveying the back stream, as well as the superfluous waters of the large pond in Place Yard,
under the Priory buildings, into the brook. At the same time deep trenches were cut in the
area of the abovementioned large structure included within the garden walls, and a part of a
skeleton discovered. It is therefore evident, though these relics of mortality render it
difficult to decide upon the scite of the church, that the Commissioners of king Henry VIII.
were not satisfied with the destruction of the sacred edifice, and the spoliation of its treasures,
but that they actually tore up the monuments of the dead, and scattered the bones among
the ruins : probably this havock was facilitated in some instances by the carved lid of the
stone coffins forming a part of the floor, which was very common in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries ; and in others by the enclosure of the bodies within raised tombs above the sur
face, instances of which still remain in cathedrals and parish chnrches. The difficulty, too,
of finding purchasers for the materials of the demolished structures, led them only to select
the most valuable portions, and leave the remainder a heap of rubbish.

No. VII.
Memoranda.
Temp. Ric. I. Robert de Rokebi gives one virgate of land in Herdington to Bicester Priory.*
1397. A new choir with a boarded floor, constructed beyond the vestry in the Priory
Church of Bicester, for which John Stacy is paid £20. for finishing one end alone, and 4s.
to several masons for making walls to support the joists. The new choir was splendidly
decorated with stalls, crests, and jewels, as appears by the items " for varnishing the tables
underneath the cresting of the new choir, 20d. ; for repairing the Jewells of the choir, Qd. &c."
And nigh that time four men were also employed for six days and a half to repair and
beautify the old choir, and level the ground and lumps there, for which they received 2s.
The same year a new chamber was built by contract with John Fige, carpenter, between
the hall and the prior's upper chamber, at an expence of 25s. 8d. besides the tiling, for which
John Bynsheye was paid 5s. 8d. besides a penny earnest. — And \6d. was also paid to a work
man to make a stone border in the chimney in the Prior's hall and in his chamber.
* Cart. Antiqua, xxxix. 23.

£* y felp^ w ¦-y^^" i^^i^-

SCULPTURE over to* Arches, or. the SOUTH SIDE of l
\.\NK of BICKStKKCH0RCH,OXPORDSH|«E.

.ie

r-t

^^^i^&^

«

/ /
/

>#&&&

N

4%&«*»^'"

""#

jP%.>S>H;'?"-Xr?,:5i1/-

J *<?*

N O RT M
Mc
%.*^
)^.Bt:LS round ihe N AVE of BlCESTET* CHU-RCH,
OXFORDSHIRE.
On the MOUTH Side.

In t^e SOUTH Aisle.

.SCt'-LPTUOT: m BICESTER CHf.raCH, OXTOTOSHIRE.

"«<»¦

I. ^-:

^¦'^Wwl-- y.,y*

FONT IN BlCKST^i CHURCH, OviOKHSHlHE.

.yr;;yyAy*,
'•>~~S*/.V.-:V,'. ;-jM

iSS&i*' /*&t.' *;

7,.'-! . -.-'j-rji '..;,:. ¦¦';,^yy''-..S.;l^f.f ¦ . V; . ¦

1^^ya^^^»if

"*-»W^>r-*-y-.-«

"F LUk&r

APPENDIX. 253
The Prior and Convent entertain lady Matilda le Strange, their patroness, and for this
object purchase a gallon of Romney and two gallons of red wine, price 2s. 8d. ; and about
nat time also feast the rector of Ashridge, who amuses himself in fox-hunting at Schortwode.
e same year they are also visited by the bishop of Lincoln and his retinue, which occasions
he Convent an additional expence of 3s. Id. in food, and horse-bread for his horses.
I he Prior and Convent receive 20s. for the manumission of the son of John Baford of
Wretchwic, one of their bondmen.
Upon some important business the Prior visits the lady le Strange in London, and during
his visit purchases and gives to her servants three horns, which cost him 3s. 9d., and five
pair of gloves, which cost him 9d. ; he also gives to her carpenter 8d., to her cook 20d., and
2d. in alms to the poor.*
1399. By the death of Eleanor, the widow of Thomas of Woodstock earl of Gloucester,
the manors of Kirtlington, Biggenhull f, See. devolve upon Henry earl of Derby, who the
same year obtains the crown of England, and annexes the above estates to the Dutchy of
Lancaster, which by act of parliament is erected into a county palatine, and invested with
special privileges. — And in honour of the superior lord, that part of Bicester heretofore
called Biggenhull, is henceforward denominated Kynge End, or King's End.
Circa 1400. The parish church rebuilt upon the scite of the ancient edifice. %
1424. The Prior expends £20. 0s. 20d. in the purchase, carriage, and preparation of
materials to rebuild the dormitory of the Convent. The timber is brought from the Breche,
Gravenhill, Bernwood, Brackley, Wyssell-park, Scyresham, Whittlewood, &,c. ; the stones
from the quarry beyond Crockwell ; seven thousand shingles are bought at Tame at 53s. Ad. ;
three thousand common tiles at Crowton for 10s. ; and four cart-loads of osiers brought from
Stoke-wood, for scaffold hurdles. — And in aid of the same undertaking, the monks receive a
benefaction of 20s. from lady Elizabeth de Clinton, by the hands of the rector of Which-
wood, and several trees of their own selection in Middleton Park, the gift of lord le Strange,
their patron. §
1425. The Convent rebuild their dormitory at an expense of £34. 17s. 4|d., towards
which they receive a donation of one hundred shillings from William Campion, vicar of
Bicester. The same year the Prior attends a General Chapter of the Augustine Order at
Leicester. ||

* Audit Roll, 21 Ric. II. t Biggenhull was a member of the fee of Kirtlington from remote antiquity.
t Mr. T. Fisher, a good antiquary, and the author of a topographical work on Bedfordshire, &c. &c.
is of opinion that several portions of the walls of the ancient church are still apparent in the present
edifice ; and he decidedly pronounces the arch under one of the school windows, as well as those in that
part of the nave adjoining the chancel, Saxon or early Norman. He is also of opinion that the six
small figures of Knights Templars affixed to the south wall of the nave were originally appendant to
some tomb in the same edifice.— A figure of St. Edburg, the patron saint of the present church, once orna
mented the pillar now occupied by the pulpit, but was destroyed at the Reformation, and perhaps an
altar stood below. § Audit Roll, 2 Hen. VI. || Audit Roll, 3 Hen. VI.

254 APPENDIX.
From items in this Roll it appears, that the monks occasionally heard sermons from
some of the preaching brethren of various Orders on the festivals of the saints, to whom
they made presents ; and that they gave great entertainments to the neighbouring gentry and
clergy on holidays, in which they consumed much venison, wild fowl, fish, ale, and wine.
The hilarity of the feast was usually increased by the music of itinerant harpers, or the
minstrels of the nobility, who, in addition to the good cheer, obtained considerable presents.
On All Saints Day 1425, the minstrel of lord Le Strange attended, and received \2d. for his
music ; and at the feast of St. Edburg the same year, the minstrel of lord Talbot was present,
and obtained a similar douceur. Those days also the common people observed equally with
the Sabbath, and in the afternoon practised their rustic sports, when they were frequently
visited by the Prior or his Convent, and encouraged with money, an instance of which occurs
in the same Roll, " And in gift of the Prior to sundry persons playing at foot-ball, on the
feast of St. Katherine Virgin and Martyr, 4d." — The monks gave the remnants of their
meals to the poor.
When a vacancy happened, the Convent was usually supplied with brethren from the
younger branches of the neighbouring gentry, that class of society having the only alterna
tives of remaining in dependance upon an elder brother, adopting the profession of arms, or
entering the church. In the latter case they generally dropped the family surname upon
profession, and assumed that of the place where they were born, or previously resided ; hence
so many De Chestertons, De Launtons, &c. in every age. Sometimes, however, a novice was
brought from a distance, and introduced into the community while yet a child, as appears
by the following entry A.D. 1425, "And to Richard Dymby riding to London the second
week of the Advent of our Lord, for a boy to be made a canon, with two horses for three
days this year, 2s." and " in gift of the Prior to a certain boy of London permitted to be a
canon before the feast of All Saints, 6d.''
Some of the monks visited Sturbridge and other fairs annually to purchase necessaries
for the Convent : and when extensive repairs, or a re-edification of the Priory buildings be
came necessary, the brethren themselves usually selected the materials.
The Prior and Convent gave their esquires and valets liveries of red cloth 3 Hen. VI., but
subsequently changed them to green; the dresses of the lower servants were of inferior
quality. 1430. The Prior and Convent rebuild their bakehouse adjoining the monastery at an
expence of £17. 19s., towards which they obtain a donation of the aforesaid William Cam
pion of one hundred shillings.
The Prior presents John Wager, baron of the exchequer, his proctor to the bishop of Lin
coln, with six shillings and eight-pence, that he may use his good offices to prevent the
Prior being made collector of the king's tenths this year.*
Until the dissolution of the Convent, mass was celebrated on Easter-day in the Priory-
church for all sick persons and pregnant women, and every individual of that class in Bicester
capable of attending, was invited to be present. As twenty shillings per annum was allowed
* Audit Roll, 9 Hen. VI.

APPENDIX. 255
for the supply of bread and wine, it would seem that at the close of the service, the residue
of the elements were distributed among the faithful, who were taught to believe them incor
ruptible, and of great efficacy in relieving various diseases.
On the anniversary of Gilbert Basset, the founder of the Priory, £6. Os. 20d. was distri
buted among the poor parishioners of Bicester.
On Shere Thursday the monks gave to all the poor and leprous who came to the door of
the Convent, bread, fish, and pence, to the yearly amount of £13. Os. Ad.
1537. The convent dissolved, and the church pulled down.
1539, December 19, king Henry VIII. grants the Priory buildings, with all the lands
and tenements lately belonging thereunto, to Charles duke of Suffolk and his heirs in capite,
at the yearly fee-farm rent of £2. 16s. 2d.
This year the Parish Register commences.
1542. Charles duke of Suffolk, in consideration of a payment of £8. 8s. bd. in the
hanaper, 20th December, 37 Hen. VIII. obtains licence to alienate the monastery, rectory,
&c. of Bicester* ; and accordingly, by indenture, for the sum of £505. 12s. Qd. paid by Roger
Moore and Agnes his wife, conveys to them all his right and title to the lately-dissolved
priory of the Order of St. Augustine in Bicester, two hundred and eighty-eight acres of
arable land in the fields of that parish called Market-end and Langford, fifteen in King's-end,
twelve next Grange-gate, seventy-five acres and pastures in Wretchwic-green, &.c. the rectory
and parsonage of Bicester, and divers lands and messuages in Arncott, Middleton, &c. late
parcels of the said Priory. — Part of which lands in Bicester and Wretchwie the king granted
by letters patent, dated 28th June, to the said Roger Moore and Agnes his wife, and their
heirs male, to be holden of him in capite at the yearly fee-farm rent of £1. 15s. Qd. ; and by
other letters patent, granted them lands in Nether Arncott and Middleton, and divers mes
suages, lands, and woods in Wretchwie, by the fee-farm rent of 21s. 3d.; and the scite and
buildings of the said monastery, the rectory, and advowson of the vicarage of the parish-
church, f The whole of the reserved rent issuing out of the Priory lands was £7. 17s. lOd.
per annum. J
1547. Pursuant to act of parliament (1 Edw. VI.) for suppressing all Chantries, &c. the
king's commissioners take possession of certain lands in Bicester, valued at 4s. 8d. per ann.
given by some unknown person for maintaining "alight" in the parish-church. — At this
time there were one hundred and forty-eight " houselying people," or persons of competent
age for partaking of the sacrament in the parish. §
1551. Roger Moore dies at his residence in the Priory the 20th of September, leaving a
son named Thomas, who became one of queen Elizabeth's gentlemen pensioners, and two
daughters, Mary, who married Michael Blount of Maple-Durham, co. Oxon, esq.; and
Elizabeth, first the wife of Gabriel Fowler of Tyselworth, co. Bedford, esq. (by whom she

* Originalia, f. 56. t Evidences of Sir G. O. P. Turner, bart.
I Fee Farm Rolls, Rot. 23. No. 132. § Chantry Roll.

256 APPENDIX.
had five children) ; and secondly, married to Sir John Brocket of Brocket-hall/ co. Hertford,
knight.— She died June 24, 1612.
1554. Sir John Broune and Sir William Raineford, knights, directed by letters from
the council (of queen Mary) dated 31st of May, to set one Henry Squyer upon the pillory on
the next market-day at Bicester, and to set a paper on his head with these words, " For
spredinge false and slaunderous rumours, and spekyng against the quenes hignes procla
mation," and afterwards to commit him to the gaol until the next general sessions, at which
time to be further ordered according to the statute contra inventores rumorum.* In the fol
lowing August the same knights received other letters, allowing Henry Squier to be bailed,
if they found him repentant, by sufficient sureties to appear at the next assizes, f
1574. Thomas Moore slain in Ireland the 10th of March, leaving no issue; his inherit
ance of the Priory escheats to the Crown, when Agnes his mother, the widow of Roger Moore,
surrenders her estate therein for life to the queen, who regrants it to Michael Blount, esq.
and Mary his wife, eldest daughter of Agnes, and her three grandsons, Richard, Thomas, and
Charles Blount, — the said Agnes contemplating a marriage with Sir Edward Saunders, knt.
Michael Blount obtained a general livery of these lands 20th of February, 30 Eliz. J
17 Eliz. Theodora, second daughter of John Blundel, mercer, of London, and widow of
John Denton of Ambrosden, esq. having married Justinian Champney, is called upon by
writ of quo warranto, to shew by what title she holds the manor of Nun's Place in Bicester.
1592. Dame Mary, the wife of Sir Michael Blount, governor of the Tower of London,
dies, and is buried in the church of St. Peter; and on May 2, Sir Richard, her son and heir
obtains general livery of Bicester Priory and its appurtenances.
1609. King James I. grants the inheritance expectant (viz. Bicester Priory and its lands)
upon the determination of the lives of the three Blounts, to Edward Ferrars and Francis
Philips, their heirs and assigns for ever, by patent dated the 30th of September, to be holden
&c. as of the manors of East Greenwich in the county of Kent, by fealty only, in common
soccage, and not in chief nor by knight's service, rendering at Michaelmas and Lady-day, by
equal portions, £ 6. 4s. § These parties never obtained possession, but were barred by fines.
1621. Sept. 1, licence granted under the Great Seal for Sir Richard and Sir Charles
Blount, his son and heir apparent, to alienate the dissolved Priory, and all its lands.
1643. " On Wednesday, August 20, after our (the parliamentary) army had been clothed
at Beerton, we marched to Waddesdon, when Sir Philip Stapleton, quartered at Wootton
Underwood, had advertisement that the enemy, with four hundred horse, was at Bicester, three
miles from him; he therefore very early sent Captain Robert Hammond, captain of the
gentlemen of my lord's guard, with one hundred horse, for discovery of their posture, who
found part of them drawn forth into the field to receive them ; he thereupon sent a party to
charge them, who beat them through the town, and he with the rest followed them about two

* Council Book of Queen Mary. Paroch. Antiq. vol. i. 412. f Ib.
| Evidences of Sir G. O. P. Turner, bart. § Fee Farm Rolls, Rot. 22. No. 1 \6.

APPENDIX. 257
miles, where some of the gentlemen of his Excellency's guard did very gallantly, and then
returned. The enemy afterwards fell back and faced them, till Sir Philip Stapleton with the
rest of the regiment, and Colonel Dalbien with his regiment, advanced, and made the enemy
retreat quite away. This was the first time we saw any enemy in this expedition." *
During this and the following year Bicester was oftentimes visited, and the inhabitants
plundered by foraging parties from the hostile armies. In those lawless times, when the
soldiers entered a house, they usually asked, ' Which are you for, king or parliament?' An
unsatisfactory answer subjected the wretched inmates to the grossest outrage. Tradition
says, that one of the troopers wantonly chopped off a poor widow's arm who endeavoured to
escape from his violence, and hide herself under a dresser;— a tale easily credited when the
reader learns that Master Wootton, an ancestor of the writer, was threatened to be shot for
remonstrating with some of the soldiers who were stealing faggots from his wood-pile.
1649. From the dissolution of Bicester Priory to the passing of an act for the sale of all
fee-farm rents, dated 11th March this year, thirty shillings per annum was paid out of the
revenues of the county of Oxford to the successive vicars of Bicester, for bread and wine
yearly expended in the parish-church ; but it was then proposed by the auditor to free the
county from this payment, and charge the sum upon the fee-farm issues out of Eynsham
abbey, f
1656. The following Order was issued by the trustees for a maintenance of ministers,
August 14th — Oliver Cromwell, Protector.
"Ordered, — That the yearly sume of fifteen pounds before the sd sume is hereby
granted unto the minister of Bissiter in the county of Oxon, to and for the increase of his
maintenance, his Hignesses Councell having approved theroff the 20th January, 1656, and
that the said sum be from time to time pd unto Mr. William Hall, minister of Bissiter afore
said, approv'd by the commissioners of ch p  of public preachers the twentieth day of
June, 1654, to hold for such time as he shall discharge the duty of the minister of the
sd place, or untill further orders of those trustees. To be accompted from the 20th January
aforesd, and that Mr. Lawrence Steele, Treasr, doe pay the same unto him accordingly.
(Signed) " Ra. Hall, Ri. Young, Edw. Ceessett,
" Jo. Thorowgood, and John Pocock."
Below the document are receipts for £9. and £37. 10s. %
Oct. 18 and 19, 1656. Walter Blount and Philippa his wife sell the lately-dissolved
Priory of Bicester, with all its lands in Bicester, Wretchwick, &c. and the rectory and ad
vowson of the vicarage of Bicester, to John Glynne, lord chief justice of the upper bench, in
consideration of £15,144. 5s. 8d., £5000. of which was paid to Lord Rockingham, and
£1500. to Delbo and Seyon in discharge of their several mortgages. The whole estate
then producing a rental of £981. 12s. Ad. per annum.
* A True Relation of the Expedition of his Excellency Robert Earle of Essex, for the relief of
Gloucester, &c. printed by order of Parliament. Lond. 1643. p. 3.
t Fee Farm Rolls, Rot. 6. No. 9. I Lansdowne MS. No. 989. f. 177.
VOL. II. 2 o

258 APPENDIX.
1671. King Charles II. grants the fee-farm rents of Bicester monastery, among other
annual payments, by letters patent, to trustees, who sell the same April 2, 1672, to George
Nicholas and his heirs.*
1707. This year were 34 baptisms, 34 marriages, and 68 burials, of which 42 died of
the small pox.+
1728. Sir Stephen Glynne sells- the Priory estate, &c. to Edward Turner, esq. of Lin
coln's Inn.
1739. Feb. 14, Sir Edward Turner purchases the fee-farm rents of the estates belonging
to Bicester Priory of the heirs of George Nicholas.
About the middle of the century a considerable improvement takes place in the town of
Bicester ; many of the ancient houses in and about Sheep-street, the Market-hill, &c. taken
down and rebuilt, and several of the large porches at the entrances of public houses, in which
the inhabitants had been accustomed to sit and drink, removed. — The example thus set, has
since been universally followed. J
1762. An unusual mortality in the parish, the number of burials amounting to 66.
1768. " Buried 29 males, and 55 females. — Total 84. Mem. Two of the above were
brought from other places, and seven died in this parish, but were carried elsewhere for in
terment ; so that 89 persons died in all, among which were the vicar and two of his
daughters," § though it was remarked, that to avoid the contagion, in several instances he had
refused to approach the grave of his parishioners when he performed the last offices. At
that time many individuals of a family were interred in one grave. The disease was sup
posed to be an infectious fever.
The following additional public-houses existed in Bicester in the last century, and many
of them were refused licenses by the magistrates soon after the great election. The Wind
mill, situate on the west side of New Buildings, nearly opposite the malt-house. — Seven
Stars, east side of Sheep-street, now occupied by Mr. Thomas Egerton. — Hammer and
Trowel, nearly opposite. — Crown and Thistle, next door to Mr. Phillips, brewer. — Three Tuns,
west side of Sheep-street, near the Crown, now inhabited by Mr. Stockley, baker. — Pole Axe,
nearly opposite to the George signpost, the residence of Mr. Bathe, grocer. — Queen's Head,
east side of the Market-hill, the site occupied by Mr. Forster and others. — The Swan,
corner of the Water-lane, formerly the principal inn in the town ; it lost much of its cus
tom in consequence of the [insolent]. remonstrances of the landlord, Mr. Box, to lord Abing
don and others, who brought their own wine with them when they attended the King's-end
races. (The same circumstance also induced them to transfer the cup to Oxford, and dis
continue running at Bicester.) It was ultimately converted into a private residence by Mr.
King. — King and Queen, next door to the Rose and Crown, on the site of Mr. Parker's, waggoner.
— Oxford Arms, nearly opposite the residence of Mr. Coker, at the corner of the Oxford road. —
Red Cow, Bignel, nearly opposite the residence of Mr. Forster.- — There was another small public-
* Evidences of Sir G. O. P. Turner, bart.
t Bicester Parish Register. $ Ibid.
§ The memoranda not referred to in the margin are copied from some MS. notes, in a History of
Bicester, in possession of Sir G. O. P. Turner, bait.

APPENDIX. 2.59
house at the back of Crockwell, which was entered through a garden near the turnpike. — In
the preceding century there was also a small inn in Place Yard, held by one Jonas Smallbones,
called the Bowling Green, suppressed several years previous to the above; and of late years
the Blue Boar, Sheep-street; and Mitre, adjoining the church-yard, has shared the same fate.
Circ. 1792. Died in Crockwell, very poor, John Haines, an excellent mathematician,
architect, and general English scholar. He was born at Brill, and acquired much of his
learning by his own industry whilst servant to Mr. Bilson. He was subsequently apprenticed
to Matthew Clerke, a carpenter of Bicester, and became a good workman ; but unfortunately
giving way to excessive drinking, he sank into the depths of wretchedness. Though he
totally neglected his children's education, he occasionally cultivated his own mental powers,
and left behind him a small collection of scientific books, many drawings, and several
manuscripts. Part of the latter, chiefly relating to architecture, trigonometry, and cosmo
graphy, are in possession of the present writer, but the greater number are lost. Some
of his ignorant neighbours regarded him as a magician, and circulated many ridiculous stories
of his intercourse with spirits !
1809. The principal inhabitants of Bicester celebrate the Jubilee of his Majesty King-
George III. (Oct. 25) by a public dinner, and give beef and ale to every poor parishioner.
1814. (June) Tables spread on the Market-hill, and a general invitation given to the
poorer class to partake of a public dinner in honour of the Peace, the most respectable
inhabitants presiding at each table, to preserve harmony, and secure an equal distribution of
the provisions.
1819. Died of the stone, January 14, at his seat, Boxley, Kent, John Coker, esq. for
merly fellow of New College, and late chairman of the Quarter Sessions of the county of
Oxford, a gentleman of great talents, and an especial friend to Bicester. For several years
he guided the political measures of the county, and, by his independent spirit, his unbending-
probity, his lofty sense of honour, his sound and clear intellect, and his benignant and
compassionate feeling, obtained universal respect and esteem. He was also a zealous lover
of the glory and happiness of his country, a decided champion of the church of England,
and a faithful supporter of the throne and liberty of the subject; a kind friend, and good
master. He left by will, dated Nov. 28, 1811, to Bicester Market-end £78., to King's-end
£50., and to Wendlebury £40. for the purpose of providing blankets and clothing to be
distributed among the poor of the several parishes at the discretion of the minister and two
of his highest rented tenants, beside legacies of £50. and £20. each to his servants; the
residue of his property, excepting some articles of furniture, the books in his manor-house
in King's-end, and a few trifling sums, he bequeathed to his only daughter.
1820. The parish evidences deposited in the chamber above the church porch, exa
mined, and no document discovered to induce a supposition that the ancient Grammar
School kept by former vicars at the church, was ever endowed*; though the numerous do
nations of books by the neighbouring gentry for the use of the scholars incontestably prove
it a public institution.

* The article on that subject copied from the Magna Britannia into the History of Bicester, ascribing
ts foundation to Simon Wisdom, is erroneous, and should refer to the free-school at Burford.

260 APPENDIX.
1821. The practice of employing roundsmen for agricultural purposes, and making up'
their wages in proportion to their families from the parish rates, having totally destroyed all
inducement to industry among the labouring poor, and swelled the assessment to an enormous
extent ; a Special Vestry is appointed, and the farmers undertake to find piecework at a
fair price for a certain number of men, in consideration of Sir G. O. P. Turner, bart. agree
ing to extend his works, and employ the remainder of the labourers belonging to Bicester
parish in a similar way at Blackthorn-hill. — The result is, the rates are immediately reduced
one half, and a letter of thanks, signed by the overseers and churchwardens, transmitted to
the Baronet, with whom the plan originated.

No. VIII.
Charitable Donations for the Benefit of Poor Persons.
From the Abstract of Returns made by the Ministers and Churchwardens, pursuant to an Order of the
House of Commons, 1786, omitted in their proper place.
Ambrosden and Arncote, none.
Beckley. — 1764. Margaret Wheatland and Stephen Wheatland gave by will £230. 10s. ll^d.
3 per cent. Consols, for teaching ten children of Beckley and Horton ; now vested in
the names of Thomas Nichols,  Stephens, and William Ledwell.
Bucknell. — A sum of money given by some unknown person, but afterwards vested in
land, now in the hands of the Rector, Churchwardens, and Overseers, which produces
£4. per annum.
Fifty pounds given by Finnes Trotman, when unknown, producing £2. 10s. per annum.
Charlton. — 1616. Alice Coales gave by will £1  Is. Qd. to be given to the poor, and
Qd. to the ringers on the Coronation day (all expended.)
1688. John Pool gave by will £5. to the poor, which is now vested in Ralph
Kirby and Robert Harris, and produces 4s. Qd. per annum.
1685. William Halton, clerk, gave by will £20. to be preserved as a stock to
employ the poor.
1721. Thomas Lamplugh, archbishop of York, gave £5. by will.
1738. Dr. Yates gave by will £3. to the poor; vested in the surveyor of high-.
ways, and produces £3. per annum.
1746. Mrs. Yates gave £10. by will to the poor; vested in Robert Harris, and
produces 10s. per annum.
1751. Thomas Yates gave by will £7. which, with the £5. given by archbishop
Lamplugh, was expended in the purchase of a cottage.
1784, John Lowry gave by will £10. to the poor; vested in Robert Harris, and
produces 10s. per annum.

APPENDIX. 261
Chesterton.  Bertie gave by will £25. which was vested in the Hon. Captain Bertie,
and produced £1. per annum, but has been for some years unpaid.
Fencott and Mercot. — 1691. Archbishop Lamplugh gave by will £5.; this is now
vested in Richard Cooper and Job Honour, and produces 5s. per annum.
1746. Mrs. Yates gave £10.; the property is now in possession of Richard
Howlet and Richard Cooper, jun. but the income is lost.
 An unknown benefactor gave £7. 10s. ; this is now in possession of Mr.
Stevens and Mrs. Wyatt, and produces no income.
 Another unknown benefactor gave £ 10. now in possession of Richard
Howlett and Richard Cooper, and produces 10s. per annum.
1784. The Rev. Mr. Lowry gave £10. now in possession of Richard Cooper, sen.
and produces 10s. per annum.
1781. Richard Phillips gave £3. now in possession of Mrs. Phillips, who pays
3«. per annum.

INDEX.

Abercb.ombie, Capt., his success at Noke, ii. 83.
Abingdon, James, earl of; life, i. 115.
 Montague, life, i. 116.
 Willoughby, ib.
 Willoughby, fourth earl, i. 117. Sells
Chesterton, ib. His will, ih 216.
Aglionby, John, a translator of the New Testa
ment, i. 285.
Akeman-street, i. 79-
Alan the hunter, i. 177*.
Alchester, garrison of, i. 2. 269, 270, ii. 56.
Present appearance, 175.
Alfred, king of England, holds Beckley, i. 101.
Ambiosden, etymology, population, and description,
i. 1. Church, 5. List of rectors and patrons, 9-
Ordination of vicarage, 11. Extracts from parish
register, 19. Rectory, 20. History of the manor,
with biographical notices of the lords, 21.
Amory, Robert de, life, i. 193. 259- Claims the
manor of Weston, ii. 209.
 Roger de, i. 192.
 Richard de, i. 194.
Anna, Henry, gives twelve-pence each to the fifty
nuns at Studley, i. 142.
Anchorets or Hermits, ii. 177.
Apparition of Mr. Nayler to Mr. Shaw of Soul
dern, ii. 65.
Ardley, i. 203. ii. 58.
Arncott, etymology, description, population, i. 61.
Historical particulars, 62.
Arnold, Thomas, i. 87.
Ardington, manor of, i. 26. Given to Rewley
abbey, i. 39-
Ashridge monastery founded, i. 40. List of rec
tors, 42. Surrendered, 44.
Ashby, John, i. 304.
Aubrey, family of, ii. 136. Pedigree, 137.
Audley, Hugh de, ii. 195.
Augustine priory at Oxford acknowledge Edmund
Rede their patron, ii. 144.
B.
Babington, family of, ii. 93. 94.
Bagshaw, Edward, a nonconformist, life, i. 16.
Bainton, manor of, ii. 112.

Bampton, shrine of St. Brenwold, i. 95.
Barker, Dr. Hugh, ii. 139.
Barri, Gerald de, life, i. 249.
Bassett, Alan, leaves money for two chaplains to
pray for his soul, i. 65.
Battle Abbey, roll of, i. 191.
Bayeux tapestry, description of, i. 257.
Beckley, etymology, description, and population, i.
89. Church and monuments, 90. List of rectors,
96. Rectory, ib. Historical account of the
manor, 101. Ancient mansion of the lords, 102.
Park, 118. Court Baron, ib. Estates belong
ing to Studley priory, 131. Charitable dona
tions, ii. 260.
Bee, family of, ii. 180,183.
Bellomont, alias Blanchmaines, Robert, life, i. 217.
Berkley, Thomas, lord, ii. 92.
 Margaret, lady, ib.
Bertie, Henry, i. 271. ii. 214.
 Richard, i. 271.
 Norreys, rebuilds Weston church, ii. 215.
Dies, ib.
 Peregrine, ii. 215. His will, ib. ii. 216.
 Willoughby, claims manor of Weston, ii.
216. His will, ib.
Beverly, John de, i. 197-
Bicester, prior and convent obtain an estate at
Arncott, i. 65. Copies of Audit Rolls, 29 Ed. I.
19 Ric. I. and 3 Hen. VI. ii. 220—249. Curi
ous particulars of the monks, 253, 254. Priory
surrendered, 255. Discovery of the founda
tions of the monastery, 250.
 parish, memoranda, ii. 252 — 260.
•  church, Saxon remains, ib.
Bird, John, ii. 177.
Blackthorn, description, population, and supersti
tions, i. 78, 79. Church, house, and lands, 79.
Manor, 83. Copyholds, 88.
Blomberg, baron, ii. 114.
Blood of Christ in the abbey of Hailes, i. 38-
Blount, Sir Michael, i. 73. ii. 256.
 Sir Richard, ib.
Bodies with rings on their fingers discovered in the
church of the Dominicans, i. 105.
Bonhommes, vide Ashridge.
Borlase, family of, ii. 152. 169.
Bourne, family of, i. 273. ii. 196.

INDEX.

Bradshaw, family of, ii. 83. 94.
¦  Joan, ii. 87. Her charities, 95.
Brett, Thomas Pardo, i. 7.
Bridgman, Orlando, life, ii. 113.
Brocket, Sir John, i. 73. 251.
Broderick, Laurence, D.D., life, i. 286.
Browne, Richard, D.D. i. 313.
 Dr. Thomas, ii. 104.
—  William Frederick, D.D. i. 303. ii. 118.
Browning, William, his benefaction to Wendlebury,
ii. 185.
Bucknell, etymology, description, and population, i.
181. Manor-house, ib. Church, 182. List of
rectors and patrons, 185. Church interdicted, ib.
Extracts from parish register, 190. Historical
particulars, 191. Enclosure of the field, 201.
Charitable donations, ii. 260.
Burton, Dr. John, life, i. 255.
Buttermilk Dick, alias Richard Gifford, ii. 117.

Calves-head club, ii. 32.
Camvil, family of, ii. 68.
Cassington mills given to Rewley abbey, i. 39.
Carr, Richard, i. 92—119.
Carlton-house given to the Prince of Wales, ii. 76.
Catherall, Randall, ii. 106. Life, 118.
Cauz, Roger de, gives lands in Arncott to Missen
den, i. 63.
Chalices found in coffins at Oxford, i. 105.
Charlton, etymology, description, and population,
i. 205. Church, 207. Cross in churchyard,
209. List of rectors and patrons, 210. Histo
rical particulars, 215. Manor given to Sir T.
White, 223. Subsequent owners, ib. Court-
baron and court-leet, 225. Eminent natives, 228.
Charitable donations, ii. 260.
Chesterton, Great and Little, etymology, descrip
tion, and population, i. 243. Church, 245. List
of rectors, curates, and patrons, 249. Endow
ment of the vicarage, 251. Historical particu
lars, 256. Park, 261. Enclosures, 271. Small
estates, 272. Charitable donations, ii. 261.
Chesterton, Ralph de, i. 260.
 Roger de, ib.
Chetwood priory, i. 203.
Chislehampton, shrine of St. Hycrith, i. 95.
Civil wars, temp. Car. I., account of, i. 298. ii. 60.
82. 257.
Cocks, Sir Robert, charity to Woodstock poor, i.
74. 76.
Cockerell, Thomas, i. 6.
Coker, Robert de, i. 138.
 John, ii. 258. Death and character, 259.
Cooke, Mrs., i. 101.
Cope, Sir Richard, life, i. 287.
Cornwall, Richard, earl of, i. 31.

Cornwall, Edmund earl of, founds Rewley abbey, i.
, 32. Ashridge, 40. Gives the manors of Ambros
den and Chesterton to the latter, ib.
Cottesford family, i. 306. Pedigree, 3l6.
Cowley, i. 194. ii. 207.
Cracomb, Godfrey de, i. 137-
Cranmer, archbishop, account of his burning, i. 109.
Croke, John, obtains Studley, i. 98. 166.
- — Sir John, life, i. 168.
Sir George, life, i. 169.

— Sir Alexander, i. 173.

Cromwell, Richard, lord protector, his deprivation,
ii. 34.
Curtlington, abbot William, builds Islip manor-
house, i. 293.
Cutteslow, estate at, i. 279.
Cox, Richard, i. 86. D.
Danvers, John, i. 197-
Denton, pedigree of, i. 85.
Denton, William, i. 7. 46.
 John, i. 7. Obtains a grant of Nun's Place,
Bicester, and the manor of Ambrosden, i. 45.
De la Pole, Sir Michael, knight, ii. 91.
De Spencer, Hugh de, i. 105.
Dickenson, Dr. Edmund, life, ii. 113.
Doiley, Christopher, of Adderbury, i. 7-
 • John, life, ii. 28.
 Robert, ii. 28. Dies of the gaol distem
per, ib. His will, ib.
Donanverdh, shrine of, at Beckley, i. 95.
Dorchester, convent of, ii. 144.
Dreux, Robert, earl of, lord of the honour of
. S. Walery, i. 39- 96.
Dunkin, John, instrumental in procuring a regrant
of Merton to the Haringtons, ii. 49. Death and
will, 50.
 John, much addicted to bell- ringing, 52.
Sells his estate at Merton, 53. Settles at
Bicester, 54. Dies, ib.
Thomas, discovers a Roman pavement in

one of his grounds in Bicester field, ii. 51. Dies,
ib. His will, ib.
 Thomas, his misfortunes, ii. 53.
Roger, ii. 52. 53.

Dynham, family of, ii. 136. E.
Ebrulf, Abbey of St. i. 219. 237-
Edmonds, Christopher, i. 111. 128.
Edward the Confessor, anecdotes of, i. 290.
Ewer, Richard, i. 190. 200.
Ewere, Edward, i. 200. Dies at Bucknell manor-
house, his testament, ii. 112.
Eyre, Joseph, i. 6. 74. Account of his death, 18.

INDE X.

Frideswide, St. prior of, sues, and obtains the manor
of Piddington, ii. 132. Priory dissolved, 135.
Fairclough, or Featly, Daniel, life of, i. 228.
Fencott and Mercott, description and population, i.
236. Historical particulars, 237. Court baron,
242. Charitable donations belonging to, ii. 261 .
Fermour, Thomas, ii. 94.
 Sir William, ii. 94. Removes to Tus
more, ib.
Foliot, Sampson, ii. 88.
Freeman's Hill, Skeleton and ivory whistle found
there, i. 60.
Fringford, i. 258.
Fritwell, i. 258. Church given to Oseney abbey,
ii. 88. Manor, 89.
Fulwell, i. 286. G.
Gait, Sir Robert, ii. 116. 118*.
Gardiner, Sir John Whalley, i. 74. 86.
Gerardmulin, Simon de, ii. 129-
Gibson, Dr. Edmund, bishop of London, Life of,
i. 312.
Glynne, Sir John, life of, i. 47.
 Sir William, builds Ambrosden house, i.
48. Conspicuous for hospitality, ib. His MSS.
ib. Benefactions, 49.
 Sir Stephen, ib.
Godington, i. 196, 197.
Godstow Abbey, in Picardy, i. 26.
Godstow Nunnery, patronage given to the king, i.
26. Lands, 240.
Graven-hill wood, statues in, i. 4.
Grave-stones, when first set up in church-yards, ii.
184.
Great-Barton, manor, ii. 192.
Great Election, account of, i. 55.
Grentemesnel, Hugh de, life of, i. 216. Burial, 217-
Gurney, Hugh de, his donation to Muswell, ii. 145.
H.
Halegod, Ralph, his donation for clothing the nuns
of Studley, i. 136.
Hall, Benedict, ii. 96. Anecdote of the family, ib.
Haines, John, regarded as a magician by the igno
rant, ii. 259-
Hammersmith, account of a visit to the nunnerv,
i. 162.
Hampton Gay, i. 72, 85.
 Poyle, i. 280.
Hamsterley, Ralph, his monument at Oddington,
i. 81.
Handlo, Sir John de, obtains the manor of Beckley,
i. 105. Defends his title to Piddington, ii. 133,
144.

Handlo, Sir Richard, i. 105.
Hareng, Wachelin, i. 127-
 Ralph, i. 136.
Harington, family of, ii. 4. '
 ¦ Sir Edward, ii. 29-
 Sir James, ii. 29. Nominated a member
of the high court of justice for trying King
Charles I. 31. Member of the council of state, 32.
Attainted, and his estate confiscated, 37. -Merton
regranted to dame Catherine his wife, 38.
 ;  Sir Edmund, ii. 40.
 Richard, ii. 43, 46.
 Sir James, ii. 41. His fondness for field
sports, 42. Sells Merton, 43. Purchases
Caversfield, 43. Joins the Pretender, ib. Quits
his party, 45. Buried, ib.
Harman, family of, ii. 62. 75.
Harpur, John, ii. 85. \
Hawkins, John, i. 304. ,
 William, ii. 4.
Hedington, i. 196. King Ethelred's nursery there,
289, ii. 144. . -*v
Henley, manor of, i. 38.
Heylin, Dr. Peter, life, i. 285. *
Hinton, narrative of the family, i. 230.
Hollo way, Richard, purchases Arncott, i. 74. Dies,
ib.
Horton, i. 90. Description and population, 124.
Chapel, 125. Descent of the manor, ib.
Hospital of St John at Oxford, ii. 110.
Huddlestone, Richard, i. Ill, 119, 128.
Huntington, earls of, i. 22.

Interdict, effects of, i. 29-
Ireland. John, D. D. life, i. 288.
Irons, John, i. 48, 50.
Irons, old Master, anecdotes of, ii. 42.
Islip, description, population, i. 274. Rectory re
built, 275. Ancient palace, and Edward Con
fessor's chapel, 276, 292. Font, 277. Abbot's
mansion, 278. Free school, 279. Benefactions,
280. Church, 280. List of rectors and patrons,
282. History of, 289- Mansion rebuilt by the
convent of Westminster, 293. Queen Isabel
resides there, 294. Market, 295. Battle at
Islip bridge, 300. Enclosure, 3.91.
Ivery, John de, proved to be the sworn brother of
Robert de Oilly, not Roger, i. 21, 63. Family
of, 22. Dies, ib. 291.
 Waleran, i. 22.
 Hugh de, i. 23.
 Roger de, i. 23, 290. Made cupbearer to
William the Conqueror, ib. Resists William
Rufus' attempts upon the throne, and banished, 24.
 Adelifte, i. 24. Mansion at Fencott, 237.

INDEX.

Ivery, Jeffrey, i. 24, 291.
Izard, Josias, i. 94.
— — , Dorothy, ib.
 , William, purchases the rectory of Beckley,
i. 99. Rectory and manor of Charlton, 100. 223.
 Pedigree of the family, i. 100, 224.

J.
Jenkinson, Robert, esq. a candidate for the repre
sentation of the county, ii. 213. *.
 Sir Robert, entertains the Pretender, ii.
43.
Jersey, earls of, ii. 76.
Judith countess of Huntington, life, ii. 18.

wf

K.

Kennett, Dr. White, life of, i. 16. His marriages,
19. Recovers an estate belonging to Ambrosden
church, 82.
King. John, his great age, ii. 16.
Kidlington, battle at, i. 113. Lands in, I97, 316.
Kirtlington, ii. 177.
Knights Templars, ii. 21, 23.

Lambourne, John, i. 302. Anecdote concerning,
242.
Lamplugh, Dr. Thomas, life, i. 213.
Langstone, Richard, i. 198.
 John, ib.
Lamps in churches, i. 94.
Laud, archbishop, i. 285.
Launton, i. 215. Etymology, description, and
population, 301. Church, 305. List of rec
tors, 308. Permitted to bury their dead in the
village, 309. Register, 313. Village given
by Edward the Confessor to Westminster abbey,
ib. Enclosure, 317. Tenants anciently pro
vided twenty fat wethers for the convent to
keep hospitality at Pentecost, 319-
Ledwell, Thomas, i. 90.
Ledwell, William, Woodperry, i. 92, 172.
Leigh, Dr. Master of Baliol college, i. 101.
Lisle, Alice de, ii. 90.
 Warine, ii. 90.
Liveries given by the prior of Bicester, ii. 254.
Lloyd, Hugh, life, i. 284. M.
Magdalen college, curious tradition respecting the
founder, ii. 110.
Mandeville, William de, ii. 187.
 Geoffrey, ii. 187.
VOL. II.

Maunde, Isabel, i. 45.
 John, i. 246, 268.
 Richard, i. 246.
Marlborough, duke of, i. 271.
Marshe, Henry, i. 87.
 Jeffry, his legacy apprenticing a child at
Blackthorn, i. 87.
Marriages by the justices of the peace, ii. 106,
107.
Medcalf, Theophilus, his tomb, i. 8.
Mercott, see Fencott and Mercott.
Merton, etymology, description, population, ii. I .
Manor house, 2. Church, 4. Monuments, .5.
List of rectors and vicars, 9- Institution of a
vicarage, 10. Extracts from parish register, 16.
Historical particulars, 17. Granted to the
kinghts templars, 21. given to the kinghts of
St. John of Jerusalem, 26. Given to John
Doyley, 27. Passes to Sir Edward Harington,
29. To Sir Edward Turner, 44. Family of Tip
ping, with pedigree, 47. Account of the Dunkin3,
48. Specimen of tenures, 55. Entrenchments
in Merton woods, ib.
Middleton Stoney, description, population, ii. 57.
Castle, 58. Market, 59. Wonderful birth, ib.
School, 61. Church, ib. List of rectors, 63.
Extracts from register, 66. Historical particu
lars, 67. Manor bought by John Harman, 75.
by Lord Carleton, 76. Earl Jersey, ib. con
ventual estates, 79-
Mildmay, Francis, i. 46. Sells the manor of Am
brosden, ib.
Mixbury, manor given to Oseney-abbey, i. 27.
Church of, 186. Miscellaneous information re
lating thereunto, 286'. Fortification, ii. 58.
 Church of, i. 38.
Monasteries, anciently maintain schools at Oxford,
i. 65.
Moore, Roger, i. 72. Obtains a grant of Bicester
priory, ii. 255.
 Agnes, conveys the priory lands to her
grandsons, ii. 256.
Moorehead, William, parson of Bucknell, com
plaints exhibited against, i. 188.
Moreton, William, ii. 113.
Morteyn, Richard, parson of Ambrosden, prose
cuted for trespass, i. 13. ii. 145.
Moyle, pedigree and family of, i. 199.
Moyle, Thomas, disputes llitehcock's title to
Caversfield, ii. 112.
Mulcock, Mr. his eccentricities, i. 86.
Muswell manor, chapel, and hermitage, ii. 141.
present appearance, i. 142.

N.
Nettlebed-wood, given to Rewley abbey,
2 p

i. 30.

INDEX.

Nixon, Alderman of Oxford, a marrying justice,
ii. 107.
 Joan his wife, born at Weston, ii. 217-
Noke, i. 290, 295. Etymology, description, and
population, ii. 81. Inclosure, 82. Parish church,
ib. Chantry, 85. List of rectors and patrons,
ib. Extracts from register, 87. Winchecomb
charity, ib. Manorial estate, 88. Estates be
longing to the church of Westminster, 97.
Blewbury charity, 98.
Norreys, Henry lord, life, i. 111. Estates, 128.
 Francis, i. 119. Created earl of Berk
shire, 113. Kills himself, ib.
Bridget, Baroness, i. 113. Marries Mon

tague earl of Lindsey, 114.
James, lord, created earl of Abington, i.

115.

Norreys, Sir Francis, lord of Weston, life, ii. 213.
 Sir Edward, ii. 214.
Northbrook, given to Robert de Oilly, i. 22.
Notabene, John, i. 240.
Nurse, Mr. of Wood Eaton, i. 20.
John, lord of the manor of Blackthorn, i.

86.

O.

Oakley, family of, i. 307, 3l6.
Odo, bishop of Baieux, life, i. 126.
Oddington, description, population, &c. ii. 99. Cal
careous well, ib. Parish church, 100. List of
rectors and patrons, 102. Parochial customs,
106. Extract from register, 106. Manor,
108. Superior lords, 114. Life of Randal
Catherall, 118.
Oddington grange, ii. 115.
Offley, William, ii. 65.
Oilly, Robert de, marries Edith daughter of Wigod,
i. 21. Obtains two baronies, and gives one to
John de Ivery, 22.
 Nigel de, i. 62, 258.
 Henry, i. 259- ii- 208. His donations to
Thame abbey, ii. 119*.
 Edith, formerly a concubine of Henry I.
builds Oseney abbey, on her confessor represent
ing some chattering pies, as being souls in pur
gatory, ii. 207- Her acts of piety, and burial,
ib.
Oseney abbey, founded by Edith de Oilli, ii. 207.
The convent obtains the transfer of the posses
sions of St. George's church, i. 24. Other
estates, 26, 27, 294. Canons, 284.
Osse, John del, i. 9, 220.
 William del, i. 220.
Ossevill, Sewall de, ii. 18.9.
Otmoor, account of, i. 119- Roman road there,
120. Pottery, ib. Jacob's stone, 121. Report

of Mr. Caley, 122. Inclosure, 123. Propor
tion of claimants right, 173.
Ottelei abbey founded upon Otmoor, ii. 11.5. Re
moved to Thame, ib. Extracts from the cartu
lary, 119*. P.
Parrett, Simon, ii. 185.
•  Robert, ii. 185.
Pavely, family of, ii. 192.
Penrose, Mr., digs up the site of Alchester, i. 273.
Petre, Dr. William, a commissioner of Henry VIII.
for hastening the dissolution of monasteries, life,
ii. 14.
Philips, farmer, and family, attempted to be poi
soned, i. 236.
Piddington, etymology, description, and population,
ii. 119. Church, 120. Ecclesiastical matters, 1 2 1 .
Curates, 126. Extracts from register, 127. Be
nefactions, ib. Manorial estate, 128. Customs
and privileges of, 134. Manor of Chilling-place,
138. Other estates, ib.
Plugenet, Alan de, ii. 132.
Poure, family of, ii. 109. Their benefactions to
Thame abbey, ii. 118*.
 Sir Thomas, i. 219.
Pretender visits Oxfordshire in disguise, ii. 43. Is
secreted at Caversfield, ib. Is arrested and con
veyed out of France, 44. Discovered unfit to
rule in England, ib. Q.
Queen Elizabeth visits R cot, i. 111.
Quintain, account of one on Blackthorn Hill, i. 77.
R.
Ray, River of, i. 123. a barge-load of coals brought
up to Arncott bridge, i. 60.
Rede, Edmund, ii. 144. His will, 145.
Relief, description of, i. 28.
Rewley abbey founded, i. 39. Lands belonging to,
i. 267, 268. ii. 191.
Robins, James, puritan, ii. 101.
Rood-loft in Charlton church, i. 207.
Rowland, Henry, bishop of Bangor, life, i. 311.
S.
St. Amand, Amory de, ii. 190.
 Guy de, ii. 191.
Sancta Fide, or St. Faith, family of, ii. 189, 190.
Saundford, Preceptory of Knights Templars at, ii.
22, 24.
Sayer, John, ii. 114.

INDEX.

Saxenton, account of, i. 202.
Seckworth, village and church given to Studley
nunnery, i. 134.
Sheene priory obtains the patronage of Charlton
church, i. 222.
Sheldon, Gilbert, life of, ii. 104.
Sherbourn manor-house castellated, ii. 91.
Shillingford, alias Izode, see Izard.
Shotover and Stowood, ii. 144.
Skinner, Robert, bishop of Oxford, life, i. 311.
Smythe, Mrs. Barbara, of Cuddesdon, i. 74. 86.
 Edward, i. 86.
South, Dr. Robert, i. 275. 280. Life, 285.
Standard family, purchase Arncott, i. 73. Leave
part of their armour in the manor-house, 74-
 Thomas, i. 73. ii- 80.
 Anne, i. 6. 73.
 Henry, i. 6. 73, ii. 80.
St. Liz, Simon, life, ii. 20.
Stoke Line, manor of, given to Ensham abbey, i. 27-
Account of some of its lords, ii. 160.
Stokes, John and Alice, ii. 144.
Stone stalls at Charlton, i. 208. Chesterton, i. 247.
Piddington, ii. 120.
Stothard, C. A., his opinion on the font of Edward
the Confessor, i. 278.
Stubbing, Dr. John, rebuilds Ambrosden vicarage,
i 14. Life, ib. Monument, 7.
Stratton Audley, etymology, description, and popu
lation, i. 149. Castellated mansion of the Aud-
leys, 149. Enclosure, 150. Church, ib. Curi
ous particulars of the rectory, 154. Trial for
burying the body of a parishioner in the chapel,
155. descent of the manor, 161.
Studley, i. 90. Description and historical particu
lars, 129. Alms-houses, 177.
 priory, foundation, i. 130. Benefactions and
donations, 131. Valuation of its revenues, 154.
Surrender, 158. Pensionsof the nuns, 161. Given
to John Croke, 166. Description of the present
buildings, 174. Charters in the hands of Sir A.
Croke, *177. List of prioresses, *178.
Surnames, origin of, i. 67.
Sutton, John de, ii. 133.

Thame Abbey, ii. 115. Extracts from the cartu
lary, 119*.
Thrup, i. 127.
Tettring church, co. Gloucester, i. 27-
Tetyndon, donation therein to Studley priory, i.
137.
Thunderwell, Islip, i. 279-
Ties, Henry le, ii. 89-
Trotmans, family of, i. 200.
Trotman, Samuel, i. 189, 190.

Turner, Edward, esq. purchases the Glynne estates,
i. 51. Created a baronet, 52. Dies, and laid
in state at Ambrosden house, ib.
Turner, Sir Edward, forms a park at Ambrosden,
and rebuilds the manor-house, i. 53. Is elected
M. P. for Great Bedwin, 54. Elected for the
county of Oxford, 55.
 Sir Gregory, copy of verses written by
him at Eton college, i. 56. Makes the grand
tour, 58. Chosen M. P. for Thirsk— dies, ib.
Sir Gregory Osborne Page, i. 59.

Turpin, William, obtains lands in Fencott, i. 238.
Tusmore, i. 279- Rooms there for concealment of
a priest, ii. 94. Great fish-pond dug, ib.
V.
Vagrants, severe laws against, i. 111.
Vincent, William, D.D., life, i. 287.
Vine, family of, ii. 138. W.
Wadard, i. 257.
Walery, (St.) Bernard de, i. 25. 130.
—  Reginald de, i. 26, 27. 95.
 Thomas de, i. 27. 29.
Waltheof, earl, i. 19.
Ware priory, i. 219- Suppressed, 223.
Warren, earl, anecdotes of, ii. 67.
Water-Eton, seizure of lady Lovelace there by the
Parliament soldiers, ii. 60.
Waterhouse, Thomas, i. 43.
Waterstock, manor purchased by Sir G. Croke, i.
170. Church, 197.
W^atkins, Dr. Henry, his account of Ann Greene,
i. 15.
Weaver, hon. Mrs. the wife of a horsebreaker
at Wendlebury, obtains the title of Baroness
Mordington, i. 273.
Welborne, Robert, ii. 185.
Wendlebury, i. 269. Etymology, description, and
population, ii. 174. Church, 176. List of rec
tors and patrons, 181. Extracts from parish re
gister, 183. Benefactions to the parish, 185.
Historical particulars, 186. Conventual estates,
197.
Westminster, abbot and convent of, i. 291. 309.
Weston, Hugh, leaves money for a mass and dirge
nt Islip, i. 284.
Weston-on-the-Green, description and population,
ii. 198. Manor-house, ib. Church and monu
mental inscriptions, 200. Extracts from regis
ter, 205. Instance of longevity, ib. Historical
particulars, 206. Manor given to Oseney ab
bey, 206. Regranted to Lord Williams, 211.

INDEX.

Whethill, Margaret, purchases the manor of Am
brosden, i. 46. Leaves it to Sir Thomas Mild
may, ib.
Whitecross Green, i. 90.
White Loaves, called Blanpeyn, given to nuns at
Studley, i. 135.
Willarston, manor of, i. 38. Landj given to Rewley
abbey, i. 39-
Williams, lord, of Thame, life, i. 106. Will, 110.
ii. 211.
 John, i. 8.
Willoughby, Peregrine, his duel, i. 112.
W7inchecomb, Benedict, ii. 84. y5, 96.
 John, alias Smallbones, his great
wealth, ii. 95.

Wolvercot manor given to the king, i. 26. Land in,
279. Battle in the church, ii. 60.
Wood-Eaton, i. 302. Manor of, given to Eynsham
abbey, 28. Lands exchanged, 127.
Woodperry manor, i. 196.
Woodstock, benefaction to the poor of, i. 74. An
cient palace at, ii. 97. View of, 98. Rosa
mond's bower, ib.
Wooton-under-Edge, the resdence of lord Berkeley,
ii. 92-
Wygod, de Wallingford, marries his daughter to
Robert d'Oilly, i. 21. His estates, 21. 101.
Wynslow, Thomas, ii. 192.

THE END.

LONDON :
l'iilKTF.D BY S. AND K. BENTlIT, DORSET STREET.

LIST OF PLATES, &c. WITH DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

VOL. I.
Ambrosden House and Park  to face title page
 ~ Church  toface 5
 ¦ Interior of the Church  , # g
—  Saxon Door on the North side  ib.
Monument for Sir Edward Turner, Bart, at Bicester . . 50
Pedigree of the Turner Family  58
Ancient Tower at Beckley ..  §9
Studley Priory, seat of Sir A. Croke  174
Bucknell Manor House  180
 ¦ Church  j82
Charlton Church,  305
 Interior of the Church, with Rood Loft . . 207
View of Islip  2^4
 Chapel of Edward the Confessor  276
Launton Rectory  303
VOL. II.
Merton Church with its spire  ,. to face the title page
¦ Farm House, late the seat of Sir J. Harington 1
 Church in its present state  4
Site of Middleton Castle, and view of the Church . . 58
Seat of the Earl of Jersey, Middleton Park  76
Noke Church  82
Hermitage at Muswell Hill  146
Present appearance of the Site of Alchester ........ 174
Weston-on-the-green Manor House  .  198
View of the Horse Close and wall  235
Seals, and Fac-similies of the hand-writing of the
Monks of Bicester Priory  249
Foundations and Ornaments of Bicester Priory  250
Figures on the south wall of the nave of Bicester Church 252
Grotesque figures, Corbels, &c. in ditto  ib.
Font in ditto  ib.
View of Sheep Street, Bicester  » .>, . . . . . 258

YALE

ay

4$y