Francis Blomefield

“ Great Hocham Was always one manor, which belonged to Edric in the Confessor's days, and to Roger Bigot at the survey, when it was worth 4l. and was three miles long and one broad, and paid 15d. geld; it then extended into Wayland hundred, and a freeman that held 8 acres of land in that hundred, but the superiour lordship of it belonged to Bukenham castle as the rest of the town did, the leet belonging to the hundred of Shropham, to which the town always paid a common fine or leet fee of 7s. ”

“ The Conqueror gave the castle and manor, and all that belonged to Earl Ralf, to William de Albany, Albini, Albigni, de Albenio, who came into England with him, together with Wymondham, Snetesham, and Kenningkall, to be held by the service of being butler to the Kings of England on the day of their coronation, for which reason he was always styled Pincerna Regis, or the King's Butler; he founded Wymondham abbey, where he was buried, before the high altar, by Maud his wife, daughter of Roger Bygot Earl of Norfolk, with whom he had 10 knights fees in Norfolk, of Earl Roger's gift ”

“ The Parish Church of St. Andrew, in Old-Bukenham, was a rectory belonging to the manor, till the foundation of the priory, to which it was given by the founder, and then appropriated to it, without any vicar endowed, the monks serving it themselves to the Dissolution, when it was granted to Sir Tho. Knevet along with the priory, and soon after was desecrated, and converted into a barn; it is just by Mr. Harvey's seat, which is called St. Andrew's. It was taxed at 20s. and paid 2s. every tenth.
The Church of All-Saints in Old Bukenham, is the present parish church ”

“ A Mother who with every Grace was Blest, With all the Ornaments of Vertue Drest, With whatso'ere Religion recommends, The best of Wifes, of Mothers, and of Friends, And tho' by Death, her Body's turn'd to Dust, 'Tis fitt we still Commemorate the just. ”

“ Such Charity thro' his whole Life was shown, As made the Wants of other, seem his own, His Soul so truly Brave, he knew no fear, Ev'n Death it's self, made no Impression there, Tis true he yielded, but Death lost the Prize, For he but stoop't, that he might higher rise. ”

“ Sir John Ratcliff, Knt. his son and heir, who inherited his father's courage as well as estate, being well known to the King, and having constantly attended the wars with his father, was upon his death made Governour of Fronsak castle, and of the castle of Burdeaux in Gascoign, in which posts he behaved himself so well, that King Henry VI. in the first year of his reign, retained him to serve him as seneschal or steward of the dutchy of Acquitain, and assigned him 4 marks a day for his own salary, and 20 marks a piece per annum for his 200 archers. ”

“ No tenant can waste his copyhold; women are dowable for a moiety of the copyhold, of which their husbands are seized, during the coverture.
A man, by the custom of this manor, is tenant by the courtesy of England, of lands and tenements of this manor, of which his wives are seized, and have issue between them. (Roll 12 E. 3.)
No tenants of the lord's, inhabiting in Great Hocham, ought to be cited to the consistory or spiritual courts, because it is against the custom of that village or town, and to the prejudice of the lord, as appears by the prior of the monks at Thetford, A° 1 H. 4. ”

“ Francis Bradley was curate, whose answer was, that he served it as an impropriate cure, without any stipend from the impropriator; that it was in Rockland deanery, and Norfolk archdeaconry, and that the set stipend from the inhabitants was 15l. per annum, besides all gifts; that Mr. Knevet was proprietor, who afterwards sold it to be settled on the parishioners. There is a convenient house, garden, and outhouses, for the minister's dwelling, who hath an estate in Suffolk, and part of the George inn in New-Bukenham, the Priory manor, and the rale of 3d. ”

“ Rothyng Hall, or Rutten Hall Was the capital manor, and was owned by John, Waleram's nephew, at the Conquest, and in Richard the First's time by Alexander de Rohinges, Roynges, or Rothyng, who, in Henry the Third's time, is said to hold it at half a fee of Margery de Riparijs, who held it of the Earl of Arundell, as of his hundred of Shropham, belonging to his castle of Bukenham, and the Earl of the King in chief. ”

“ Sir Robert de Tateshale, who married Mabell aforesaid,his son and heir, who granted to the canons here liberty of faldage for 200 sheep in Atleburgh, with free pasturage for them there, and 53 acres arable land in Bukenham, besides other gifts. In Lovell's Book in the Exchequer, he is found to hold this castle and manor by the service of the botelry, and the manors of Babingle, Tibenham, Topcroft, and Denton, in capite, as parcel of his barony. ”

“ John Mathewe Prior of the monastery of our Blessed Lady in Coxford, and the convent there, by indenture inrolled in Chancery, dated the last day of Apr. 1528, sold their manor of Coxford in Kilverstone to Thomas Duke of Norfolk, and his heirs, for 400 marks, which the said Duke paid to King Henry VIII. in full of a debt due from the Prior to the King, the Prior being collector of the King's subsidy in the archdeaconry of Norwich, and not having repaid the money he had collected ”

“ Thomas de Caily, son of Sir Osbert, had livery of his mother's inheritance in 1306, when he had Bukenham castle, and the advow son of the priory there, the fourth part of the manor, and the half parts of other manors thereto belonging, two parts of Wimondham, the fourth part of all the lands in Atleburgh, and the third part of those in Tibenham, the third part of two parts of the fourth part of the profits of Lynn tolbootb called the Green Garth, and 11l. 2s. yearly rent in Norfolk ”

“ In 1411, Hugh Stoppusly had license in mortmain to amortise a messuage, 200 acres of land, 8 acres of meadow, 26s. rent, a free fold, and separate fishery in Bretenham, Bridgham, Rushworth, Thetford, &c. which were held of the King, as of his dutchy of Lancaster, to the Prior and convent of monks at Thetford, on condition the King should have 50s. at every resignation, vacation, or death of a prior. This was part of the Prior's manor in Bretenham that extended hither. ”

“ Susan, Elizabeth, and Thomasine being single, and under age, were under the care of the Court of Wards. In 1583, Paul Gooche, and Rose his wife, John Launce of Halesworth, and Prudence his wife, William Brook of Eston in Suffolk, and Susan his wife, Thomas Colby of Banham, Gent, and Elizabeth his wife, and William Hunston of Walsokne in Norfolk, and Thomasine his wife, were possessed each of a fifth part, and Paul Gooch hired the whole. ”

“ In 1343, John de Esthall held half a fee of Adam de Clifton, he of the Earl Warren, and he of the King, which half fee was held of the said John by the Abbot of Sibeton, William Payne, Simon Ropere, John atte More, William de Easthalle, Robert, son of Alan Le-Long, John de Long, Ralph the merchant, John of Rowdham, and Henry de Esthall; and in the same year, Ralph of Illington and his tenants held a quarter of a fee of the said Adam, half of which William de Bukenham held of him ”

“ The custos to have the sole management of all the revenues of the college, both spirituals and temporals, giving an account to the fellows every Michaelmas day, of all the receipts and expenses of the whole year.
And upon this, the college was built for their mansion-house; it stood on the west side of the street, something lower than the NW. corner of the churchyard; there are no ruins, a new house being built on its site, which is still called the College; at the Dissolution it was given to Robert Earl of Sussex, in 1541, and so became joined to the manor ”

“ Robert, Earl of Sussex, his son and heir, who, in the 37th of Elizabeth, was sent into Scotland by the Queen, to stand in her stead as a godfather at the christening of Prince Henry; in the 39th of that Queen he was in the voyage with Robert Earl of Sussex to Cadiz; and in 1621, was installed Knight of the Garter, and often resided here; he had two sons and two daughters, which all died in his lifetime, without issue; Henry Ratcliff Lord Fitz-Walter, his eldest son, married Jane, daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope, Knt. but died a young man. ”

“ Mary and St. Nicholas in Cambridge, commonly called King's college, who are now lords and patrons. King Henry II. granted the monks of Wotton license to choose their own abbot, and that all their tenants in England should be free from serving at sheriff's turns, and hundred courts, and acquitted them of all tax, Danegeld, hildielt, and hundredfu, and also granted them all felons goods forfeited; by virtue of which, this manor pleaded an exemption from doing suit to the hundred, but still paid their leet fee of 3s. ”

“ John Rykedon, priest, vicar of Elingham-Magna in 1415, was instituted master or custos of the chantry of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, newly founded in the church of Atleburgh, being elected by Sir Simon Schirreve, fellow, and sometime vicar of Elingham-Magna, Sir Elyas Simonds, and Sir Stephen Bacon, brethren and fellows of the said chantry, and by them presented to the Bishop, according to the rules of the foundation of that chantry. ”

“ In the register of the abbey (fol. 58, b) the customs of the manor are entered, among which it appears, that the tenants were to pay scot and lot, by way of aid to the abbots, when they came into England, or to their proctors, if the necessities of the abbey were very urgent; they could not sell a horsecolt, nor an ox of their own bringing up, without their lord's leave, nor marry their daughters, nor go to live out of the manor, nor remove their chattels out of it, without license; they paid at every death the best beast for a heriot, or 32d. ”

“ Nicholas Wilton of Wilby, Esq. who married a Clinch; he sold the manors, hundred, and advowson, to Ralf Hare of Hargham, Esq. whose descendant, Hugh Hare, now [1737] a minor, son of Thomas Hare of Hargham, Esq. deceased, is lord and patron.
The advowson of the rectory, after the Dissolution, came to the Crown; and, in 1558, was held by Edward Lord North, and John Williams, and their heirs, in free soccage by fealty only, as of East Greenwich manor in Kent, and went afterwards as the institutions shew you, till it was sold to John Wilton. ”

“ The Customs of this manor are, that the fine is at the lord's will, the tenants cannot waste their copyhold without license; the eldest son is heir; there is no leet fec or common fine, and it gives no dower. ”

“ In 1301, Henry de Rothinge held of the King, as of his honour of Albemarle, at half a fee, one capital manor-house, 80 acres of land, one piece of meadow, and six acres bruery, liberty of a free-fold, 20s. rents of assize, and other rents and services in Brethenham, the whole being valued at 50s. 9d. and also 100 acres in the said town, of William de Bretenham, by the service of 12d. a year, and Alexander was his son and heir, who, in 1308, possessed it ”

“ In 1637, Richard Wilton of Topcroft in Norfolk, gave a rood of ground, and built an alms-house thereon, over the door of which his arms still remain.
The manor of Old Bokenham extended hither; in 1366, Hugh Bernak had a messuage, and 39 acres of land, &c. and 20s. rent in New Bokenham, Wilby, Attleburgh, and Elingham, held by the twentieth part of a fee, which at his death was to revert to Alice Bernak, and John, son of Will. Bernak. ”

“ Mary, St. James the Apostle, and all the Saints, in which he placed black canons of the order of St. Augustine, who were governed by a prior elected by the major part of them, and confirmed by the Bishop of Norwich. after which he was installed; they were daily to pray for the soul of their founder, and of Queen Adeliza, or Alice, his wife, for the souls of Stephen King of England, and Maud his Queen, and their progeny, and for the souls of all his ancestors, successours, parents, friends, and benefactors ”

“ The advowson belonged to the Bishop, and is in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and deanery of Rockland, but the nuns of Ponteverard in Normandy had a yearly pension of 10 marks out of this church, by the gift of Bishop Eustace; the demeans are all particularly abutted, and amount to about 400 acres, the whole being to be ploughed with two ploughs, four oxen, and three scots, two carts, and one pair of harrows being allowed to do the work; and every acre is valued at 8d.; there were 3 acres of meadow, and 10 acres of pasture ”

“ At the time of the Confessor's survey, there were two manors; the least was then held by a freeman, and at the Conqueror's time was given to William Earl Warren, who infeoffed Hugh in it, it being then of 30s. value: the capital manor, both at the Confessor's and Conqueror's survey, belonged to Ulketell, and the soke (or leet and superiour jurisdiction) belonged at that time to Bukenham castle, to which this hundred was then appendant; it was always of 40s. value; the town was then a mile long, and a mile broad, and the whole of every one's tenure paid 8d. ob. geld ”