Francis Blomefield

“ The Haverses had their rise under the Norfolk family, which they have served for many generations; John Havers was Gentleman of the Horse to John Duke of Norfolk, and attended him in the battle at Bosworth Field, where that duke was slain; John Havers of Winfarthing, in Norfolk, was Steward to the family, as was Thomas Havers, his son, who purchased the manor, and built the present mansion-house, which is a good brick building and very uniform; John, his second son, was Bailiff to the Earl of Arundell in 1610 ”

“ FRENSE Was always one manor, which in King Edward's time was held by Edric, of Edric, for one carucate; and in the Conqueror's time by Hubert, of Robert Malet, lord of Eye; it was then worth 15s. per annum, being five furlongs long, and four broad, and paid 3d. Danegeld.
It was always held of Eye honour at one quarter of a knight's fee, and paid x.s. relief. I do not meet with any lords' names before 1280, when John de Ludham was lord and patron, whose family took their sirname from a village so called in Suffolk, in Wilford hundred, which they held many ages. ”

“ It is very deep: being plumbed, it was found eight yards in the deepest place, which is by the common stathe: the liberty hereof belongs to the lord of the manor of Diss, and without his leave no man can keep a boat, or fish, except at his own stathe, where every one can lay in bow-nets, leaps, eel-poles, or any other engines, to catch what fish they can there, without the lord's license. ”

“ In 1249, Ralph Carbonel was lord of it, and had the assize of bread and beer of all his tenants, as the inquisition at that time shews us. From him it went to Hugh de Semere, who held it of the Abbot; and in the latter end of Henry the Third's reign, John de Somery held in Semere the fourth part of a fee: it continued in his family till 1401, and then was aliened by John de Somery, to John de Boune, and not long after seems to be joined to the Earl's manor. ”

“ The Prior of the priory of the monks of St. Mary at Thetford (now called the Abbey) had two tithe sheaves out of every three, of all the wheat growing on certain lands in this parish, which portion of tithes was given them by William de Bosco, or Bois, in the 11th century, soon after their foundation, and was confirmed, among other donations, by William Bygod, the principal lord of the fee, of whom it was held by the Boises ”

“ The parish of Titshall St. Mary hath a small cottage situate near the church, a piece of land containing half an acre, which abuts on Mill Green north, south, and east, and on Henry Goodwin's lands west; a small piece called Sent's Yards, about one rood, rented at 6s. per annum, 10l. in money, the interest of which is given to the poor yearly upon Easter Monday, and the poor receive yearly 10s. from the church-wardens of St. Margaret's.
The parish of St. Margaret in Titshall hath 6 acres of land lying in Moulton, part is copyhold, and part free, which is rented at 3l. 10s. ”

“ There are two stones in the chancel disrobed of their inscriptions, but never had any arms or effigies.
On the south side of St. Anne's chapel, in the south isle, under the window, in an arch in the wall, lies an effigies of a knight, armed capà-pié, cut out of one piece of oak, which being in a dirty condition, I had it taken out and washed very clean, and upon removing it, found it hollowed and filled as the former, with burnt coals: the plank on which it lies was painted green, with flowers, grass, and leaves: the effigies is exact six feet, and proportionable in all parts ”

“ When all the feoffees are dead but five, then they to renew again, and those five to name twelve more at least, all which are to be brothers of one of the said gilds, and none of them heirs of the former feoffees. The stipend allowed to each of these priests was, at the Dissolution, 5l. 6s. 8d. though at first it was but four marks each; or if they kept one priest only for both gilds, then he was to have eight marks per annum, and the overplus was laid out in repairing the steeple, church, and streets, every year. ”

“ There is no other common but
Winley Green To which Lopham park joins, and had its freebord on this common; all the parks hereabouts had that privilege, which was to plant whatever bushes and trees they would against the parks, which the inhabitants could not cut, (as they do and always have done, all other trees, bushes, &c. on the commons in these manors,) but were to belong to the lord for the game-keepers to kill their game from, and for to hinder escapes from the park. ”

“ The water is very cold, and in the extremity of frost never freezes, though the motion is but little. The people that come to see this place have pulled down most of the ruins, to throw into the vault to hear the sound, which is very great, and continues long. The meadow is called the Conduit Meadow, and is part of the estate of the Duke of Norfolk. [1736.]
In 1285, he had a charter for free warren in all his demeans here, and in Wilby in Norfolk, and Chedeston in Suffolk ”

“ In 1518, Sir Wylyam was their chaplain, who was continued to this time. In 1527, Thomas Clerke of Wisbech left them a legacy of 10s. and this year Sir Henry Tayleor, rector of Brisingham, was admitted a brother; they annually chose two Gild-holders, who were to receive all the money at the church-ales, the plough-lode, and the gilds, at some of which they received between 3 and 4l. besides the legacies that were left them. In 1541 they bought a pair of chalices: every year a great many brothers and sisters were added to them, and it is plain they were not a poor society ”

“ John, son of Sir Richard of Boyland, after the death of Matild or Maud his mother, sold it to
Simon de Dalling, and Isabell his wife. This Simon purchased of Robert Le-Bretun of Stanton-Wyvil, and Helen his wife, an annuity of 10l. rent, which he was to receive out of this manor, by the grant of his uncle, Robert Le-Bretun; and soon after, he purchased all his right in the manor; and to augment it, bought all the lands that John, son of Sir Richard de Boyland, had here: and to complete the title, they had a release from Isabell, widow of Robert Le-Breton. ”

“ God send her long over you to reigne: she hath promised to be gracious to my poor orphan children, God grant that my death may end all troubles, and if any one of you have any one faction, or two, or three, or more, let him give over and forsake it; many wish and desire divers things, but they know not what they wish, they seek their own destructions: if every man should have his wish, God knoweth how many would repent it, whatsoever they are, the Queen hath promised in my death to forgive all, and I pray God she may live many yeares. ”

“ Sir Walter Fitz-Walter, second son, and now heir, of Walter Lord Fitz-Walter, brother and heir of Sir Robert Fitz-Walter, first husband of the said Philippa, had livery of the manors of Diss and Hemenhale, with their appurtenances, all which (except the advowsons) were held in dower by the said Philippa; but they went with the rest of the estate of the said Robert, and had been in possession of the said Walter ever since 1389, when he had livery to them, as heir to Walter his father, and Robert his elder brother ”

“ He died in 1255, being then reputed one of the most noble, prudent, and wealthy men of all the realm, his inventory amounting to 4000 marks, a prodigious sum for that time. He left
William, his son, his heir, who had a park well stocked with deer in this parish. In 1259, in the 46th of Henry III. he was one of the discontented barons then at difference with the King, upon which account he received notice, that in case he did not personally repair to the court, to sign the agreement, (as divers of them did,) he might send his seal, for the better confirmation thereof ”

“ This town is privileged as ancient demean, the tenants being excused from serving as jurors at the sessions or assizes, or any where else out of the manor, and from toll in markets and fairs, upon renewing their writ every King's reign, and having it annually allowed by the sheriff of the county. ”

“ Thomas Duke of Norfolk, whose father, Thomas Lord Howard, upon King James's withdrawing, went with him into France and Ireland, from which last place as he returned to Brest, he was cast away in 1689, leaving five sons and one daughter, of which this Thomas, his eldest son, at his uncle's death became Duke; Henry Howard, the second son, left no issue,
Edward Howard, the third son, upon the death of Henry, his eldest brother, is now [1736] Duke of Norfolk, and is lord of this manor; Richard, the fourth son, is dead, and Philip, the fifth, is now [1736] living, and hath issue. ”

“ In 1638, the inhabitants petitioned the Bishop, that, Whereas the village of Brisingham grew very populous, and the parish church was large and neat on the outside, but much unbeautified within, the pavement and seats being decayed, and others wanting addition, the parishioners sitting in no order, the font standing in an obscure place behind one of the pillars, &c. that they might have license to do all things convenient, for the beauty of the church, and decent placing the inhabitants therein ”

“ His wife Joan, after his death, married Sir Thomas Erpyngham, Knt. with whom she lived till 1424, and then left Elizabeth, her only child, 14 years old, her sole heiress.
This Elizabeth married John Vere Earl of Oxford, and carried the manors of Fersfield, Garboldisham, Brokehall, and Foulmere in Cambridgeshire, with their advowsons, into that family, (together with the inheritance of the Plaises and Waltons,) all which, by the will of Sir John Howard, her grandfather, were entailed on Sir Robert Howard, his eldest son by his second wife, if the said Elizabeth had no heirs. ”

“ He was grandson to Hubert Munchensy, who lived in the Conqueror's time, and son of Warine de Munchensy, and Agnes, daughter of Pain FitzJohn, his wife, and brother to Ralph, who died without issue, and left Sir Warine, his cousin, his heir, he married Joan, second daughter to William Marshal Earl of Pembrook, and in 1222, had scutage of all his tenants that held by military service in Norfolk, Suffolk, &c. ”

“ Margaret, relict of the testator, was buried at Bliford, the 22d June, 1611, as appears by the parish register.
This legacy is yearly paid to the rector and church-wardens, and is distributed among the poor at their discretion. In 1687, the estate belonged to Robert Brodwell of Westhall in Suffolk, and now [1736] to Mr. William Crowefoot of Beccles, who pays the money, without any deduction for taxes, these lands being exempted on account of the charity.
In 1595, John Dalton surrendered half a rood of land in Billing's Meadow, to the use of the inhabitants of Fersfield for ever. ”

“ Nicholas, son and heir of Hugh, came to it; he released to Nicholas his uncle, and his heirs, all his right and claim to those lands in Gissing, which Nicholas de Hastyngs his grandfather gave to William his son, and in case that Nicholas his uncle should die without issue, he granted that Richard de Hastyngs, and the heirs of his body, should enjoy them, with a remainder to his own right heirs. ”

“ This advowson, with the manor now called The Rectory Manor, was procured by Syward, a monk of Bury, at which time it belonged to the manor of Titshall, and with that was given to this monastery, there being at that time only one chaplain or parish priest; but before the Conquest, the Abbot had given the manor to the church, and infeoffed it in two priests, who held it at the survey ”

“ Roger Lord Grey of Ruthyn, by the said Elizabeth Hastyngs, had Reginald Lord Grey, whose son
Reginald inherited; and from an extent of this manor it appears, that here was then a hall, or manor-house, with a park well stocked with deer, all which were nothing worth above their outgoings, and repairs; and another enclosure, called a park, fenced in with pales, containing above 80 acres of arable land, worth 2d. each acre; that there were 8 acres meadow, worth 8d. each acre; that the quitrents were 10l. besides 600 days works in winter, worth a halfpenny each day ”

“ John Lord Latimer, though Mr. Dugdale makes him the son of Catharine, the second wife: but Mr. Le Neve, in this Pedigree, says, that it cannot be so, for then the daughters of the last John could not have inherited the lands of Vere, which came by Howard, as Wiggenhall, Midleton, East-Winch, and other great possessions in Norfolk, of which Thomas Earl of Exon was lord, by Dorothy his wife: he died in 1577, leaving
Percy, Cecil, Cornwaleis, and Danvers, his heirs, in right of his four daughters, whom they had married, who, at his death, were found to be heirs to all the manors, advowsons, &c. ”