Francis Blomefield

“ Sir Edmund de Thorp, junior, eldest son of Sir Edmund aforesaid, was married by Sir Jeffery de Massingham, rector of Ashwellthorp, Oct. 6, 1368, to Margaret, daughter of Richard de la Rivere, in the presence of Sir Edmund his father, and dame Joane his mother, Sir Ralf de Shelton, Knt. and others; after whose decease, he married again to Joan daughter and heiress of Sir Robert de Northwood or Norwood of Northwood-Berningham, in Norfolk, and of Northwood in Kent, who was widow to Roger Lord Scales of Newcels ”

“ Olave, with his body to be buried there, leaving Peter Fitz-Osbert his son and heir, who gave the advowson of Witlingham to the church of Saint Olave, and dying in 1275, was buried there, as was Beatrix his wife in 1278, leaving this manor and others, to their son Roger, who passed sometimes by the name of Fitz-Osbert, sometimes Le Fitz-Osbert, or Oubern, and is often called Roger son of Peter, son of Osbert, he died in 1305; Catherine his widow survived him, and held it for life ”

“ What Man is he that liveth and shall not see Death? shall he deliver his Sovl from the Grave? Selah.
But God will redeem my Sovl from the Power of the Grave, for he shall receive me? Selah.
Castelyn's Manor Belonged to Ketel the Dane, after to Warine, of whom it was held at the Conqueror's survey, by Ralf Peverel, (see p. 91,) and passed with Peverel's manor in Great Melton, as at p. 18; and in 1237, Oliver de Vaux, lord of Keteringham, granted a third part of this town to Richard de Rupella, or Rokele, which was added to this manor. ”

“ The Knyghten Court Belonging to this manor was the ancient court, to which all those great men, that held their several manors, lands, and tenements, of the Bygods honour, were obliged to do suit and service, and pay castle-ward for the guard of the Earl's castle at Norwich, every three weeks; and to do their homages, pay their reliefs and aids for the several knights fees they held of the honour, at every death, alienation, or aid granted to the Earl. ”

“ Jane, her sister, by her death, became sole heir to her father; she married Edm. Knevet, Esq. serjeant-porter to King Henry VIII. who became lord and patron of Ashwellthorp, and owner of the Thorp's estate; he was second son of Edmund Knevet of Bukenham castle in Norfolk, Esq. and settled at Ashwell-Thorp-hall, and had in his wife's right, the manors of Barneholt, Horham, Thorp-hall, and Cowling in Suffolk, Thetford in the isle of Ely, Loveden in Tyd St. Mary in Lincolnshire, Ashwell-Thorp, Colkirk, North-Creke, Gateley, &c. in Norfolk ”

“ Penne's Manor Was granted by Hugh Bigod aforesaid, to Eustace Curson of Carleton, commonly called Eustace de Carleton, whose son William was knighted, and was commonly known by the name of Sir William de Hethil, whose son, Sir Bartholomew de Hethil, left two daughters, Alice, the eldest, married to William de la Penne, and Emma the youngest to John de la Penne, the sons of Jeffery de la Penne, who had his life in this manor by their gift; in 1274, they were found lords here, and had a lete belonging to it, and the assize of bread and ale of all their tenants. ”

“ Anne, their only daughter, who married Richard Plantaginet of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, second son to King Edward IV. who, because the title of Duke of Norfolk was by the creation limited to the heirs male of the Mowbrays, he obtained a patent from his father, creating him Duke of Norfolk, and Earl Warren; with annuities of 40l. a year, out of the revenues of the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and 20l per annum out of the profits of the counties of Surrey and Sussex, to be paid by the sheriff's of those counties. ”

“ Windham abbey had lands here of the gift of William de Albani, valued at 40s. per annum; in 1528, Richard Amore of Norwich, priest, gave three acres of grove by the parsonage in Hethill, to be sold to find a light before the image of All-Saints in Hethill and our Lady at Brakene, and one acre in Forthbrigge, to the maintenance of the perke light for ever. It paid clear to every tenth, 2l. 4s.
The advowson was never aliened from the Norfolk family, but attended the inheritance of it, belonging to their manor of Forncet, till the Earl of Arundel sold it to Thomas Townsend, Esq. ”

“ Snape-Hall Manor Was another part of the capital manor, granted to the family of the Snapes, and was in 1307, in the hands of Stephen de Biockdish; it had then a house and 60 acres of demean land, quitrents to the value of 3l. 8s. 8d. and was held of the honour of Richmond, at 19d. per annum rent: he left it to Reginald de Brokedish, his son and heir, and in 1339, it was conveyed by John Hardele and Alice his wife, and Rob. Bokenham, parson of Hardwich, to Sir John le Sturmyn and Maud his wife, and their heirs ”

“ The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, and was a rectory appendant to the manor, till Margery, widow of Sir Barth. de Creke, foundress of Flixton nunnery in Suffolk, gave it with a messuage and 12 acres of land, and many rents and services here, to Beatrix, prioress of Flixton, and her successours for ever; and that convent presented till it was impropriated to their house, by William Bateman Bishop of Norwich in 1347, an annual pension of two marks being reserved to the Bishop, in lieu of first-fruits ”

“ John de Norwich held Melles manor in Suffolk at one fee, as of Sir John Thorp's manor of Fundenhall, he of the Earl-Marshal, and he of the King; and the Thorps held Fundenhall and all the fees held of it, as of the Earl-Marshal's manor of Forncet; but the manor of Melles belongs to Metingham chantry or college, by license from Sir Edmund de Thorp; half a fee in Carleton, Brakene, and Mulkebarton, was held by Edmund de Baconesthorp, and John Pycot ”

“ In 1306, Roger Bigot Earl of Norfolk and Marshal of England held it jointly with Alice his wife, of Robert Fitz-Walter, by the service of two parts of a fee; and from that time to this, it hath passed as Forncet manor.
The church is dedicated to all the Saints; when Norwich Domesday was wrote, Hugh de Dovedale was patron; the rector then had no house, but two barns, and 23 acres of glebe, though now there is a house, barn, and outhouses, adjoining to the north side of the churchyard, and about 30 acres of glebe. ”

“ King Henry II. sent a precept to the sheriff of Norfolk, that the Abbot of St. Bennet should hold quietly this manor, which Hubert de Montchensy had disseized him of, during the war, and which he had acknowleged before the Archbishop of Canterbury, to be of that convent's fee; whereupon it was agreed, that Hubert and his heirs should hold the town of the convent, paying a fee-farm rent to the Abbot, of 10s. which is now paid to Bishop's manor of Heigham, which belonged to that convent. ”

“ In 1154, Robert his son was lord, and in 1216, had a pardon from Henry III. for being one of those Barons that had levied war against King John, and notwithstanding such a favour, he was afterwards one of them that opposed Henry III. and was proved in 1255, to have been one of the rebellious Barons, and to have been against the King in the battles of Lewes and Evesham, for which he was fined, and his estate restored. ”

“ Mary, which was appendant to this manor, was sold by the present lord and his father, to Caius college in Cambridge, who are now patrons.
The lete is held annually, at which the constables for Stratton St. Mary are always chosen, and the lete-fee paid to the lord is 8d. The customs of this manor, as well as those of the manors of Sturmer's, or Sturmin's, Snape-hall, Welham's or Welholme's, and Reese's, all which are now held with this manor, are the same, viz. all lands and tenements descend to the eldest son, the fines are arbitrary, and they give now dower. ”

“ In 1381, John de Tacolneston was lord; the famous John Tacesphalus (I believe) who was born here, and was elected prior of the Carmelites or White-friars in Norwich in 1404, of whom Pitsspeaks, p. 607. He was D. D. a man of great learning, remarkable piety, and a good orator; a great preacher against the disciples of Wickliff, Hus, and the Lollards; he published two books by way of comment on the Revelations; a collection of sermons for the Saints days, and many others ”

“ In 1370, Sir Edmund de Thorp, senior, was sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, as appears by a discharge given him by Robert Bacon, who succeeded him in that office. In 1380, Robert de Thirning, rector of Combes, and Tho. de Bumpstede, citizen of Norwich, were infeoffed by him in his manors, advowsons, and lands, in Ashwellthorp, North-Creke, Massingham-Parva, Fundenhall, Hapton, Wreningham, Nelonde, Hethill, Tacolneston, Bonwell, Horham, and Wotton in Stradbrook; by which they were settled on his son and others, paying him an annuity of 100l. per annum. ”

“ Saye's Manor Belonged to, and laid chiefly in, this parish, and was granted from the other part of the parish, and the advowson, by the By gods, lords of Forncet, to William de Say, whose second son Jeffery had it, and held it at a quarter of a fee; he died in 1214, and left it to Jeffery de Say, called the younger, who married Alice daughter and coheiress of John de Cheyney, one of the founders of Coxford monastery; and by her had William de Say the elder, who died seized in 1271, and it went to Sibill his widow, who married Robert de Ufford, who in 1274, was in her right lord here ”

“ In 1315, Roger de Bourne was lord; and in 1325, Ralf Malherbe and Elizabeth his wife claimed the manor against Roger son of Gilbert de Bourne, and made out their title under their claim, so well, that Roger settled an annuity of 40l. on them during their lives, for their release. In 1331, he was a knight, and was succeeded by Sir Nic. de Bourne, Knt. who in 1348, having no sons, settled all his estate on his trustees, Sir Tho. Jenney, Sir Tho. Savage, Robert de Welholm, Robert and Thomas de Bumpstede, John Snoring, and Roger de Dersingham ”

“ Upon his going beyond sea, he made his will, and gave Ashwellthorp for life to his wife, and North-Creke, and if his infant children died, then North-Creyk to go to his brother Thomas, Horham to his brother Robert, and if Little Massingham manor should fall into his hands, his wife to have it for life. His seal had always a label of three, during the life of his father. This Sir Edmund new roofed and glazed the church and chancel at Thorp, and founded Thorp's chapel for his own burial place and that of his successours, on the north side of the chancel ”

“ PHILIP HOWARD, son and heir to the last mentioned Duke, was Earl of Surrey, Lord Howard, Mowbray, Segrave, and Bruse of Gower, and Earl-Marshal of England; also, in right of his mother, he assumed the title and honour of Earl of the earldom of Arundel, with the appurtenances thereof, it having anciently been adjudged in parliament, to be a local dignity, so that the possessors thereof should enjoy that title of honour ”

“ Clare's order by Aldgate, 20 marks annuity out of his lands in Congham, Combes, and Helmingham, during the life of Catherine, the widow of Sir John, son of Sir Oliver de Ingham. In 1340, his feoffees released to him all right in the church of North-Creke, and all the lands in Helmingham in Suffolk, which Sir Ralf de Bocking held for life; he died this year, and Joan his widow, who was heir to Lucy and Maud her sisters, daughters of Roger atte Eshe, was alive and married in 1345, to Sir Roger le Strange, who was lord here in her right, during her life ”

“ The Prior of Norwich was taxed for his temporals at 6s. 8d. which were given by Ralf son of Will. de Cringleford, Roger and Alice, son and daughter of Richard de Cringleford, William son of Roger de Cringleford, Walter Baron, Gilbert le Uphalder, Roger Bigot, and others. In 1291, Petronel, widow of Peter at Cringleford Cross, settled one acre and an half on Petronel her niece, to pay for ever 4d. per annum to have 4 masses said yearly for her soul, in this church, every Christmas day. ”

“ In 1536, the manor of Whitwell-Hall in Skeyton, was held by Thomas Sterne, of Grace Catesbye, as of her manor of Bainard's Hall in Bunwell, which she held in jointure. In 1543, Vawce's manor in Easton, was held by Gilbert Talbot, of Edmund Grey, as of his manor of Bainard's Hall.
In 1566, Robert Grey held this manor of the Earl of Sussex, as of his manor of Atleburgh, by one fee. ”

“ In 1560, she made her last will, and ordered her body to be buried by her husband: she gave Colkirk to her 2d son William, and Gately and North Creke to her son Edmund, remainder to her right heirs, her daughters, Rose widow of Oliver Reymes, Alice wife of Oliver Shiers of Wreningham, and Christian wife to Thomas Foster, Gent. ”

“ MERKESHALL It being at that time, the mark out of the great lake at the division of the rivers, though by corruption it is now called Matteshall; the whole village, as well as the church, is dilapidated, there being only one farm-house in its precinct, which was lately built by the Pettus family, called Matteshall-Hall, where the farmer lives that occupies the whole. ”

“ He is now D. D. Archdeacon of Norwich, chaplain to the Bishop, rector of the two consolidated rectories of the Saxlinghams in Norfolk, and of the rectory of St. Clement at the Bridge in Norwich. The whole living was valued first at 20, after at 26, and after that, at 31 marks, and the portion of tithes belonging to Coverham abbey was valued at 20s. and let to the rector by perpetual composition, who always paid 2s. to each tenth for it. It lies at 8l. in the King's Books, pays first-fruits, and 16s. yearly tenths; synodals 5s. procurations 5s. Peter-pence 4s. ”

“ Alice, married to William Muleton, and Catherine to Roger Talbot, who all released their rights in 1198, to Agatha de Hadeston, their sister, who the year following, married to Walkeline de Bosevile; and Ric. Turburn and Margaret his wife, released also their part to their sister Agatha, by which means Walkeline became possessed of the whole manor. He was succeeded by his son William, and he in 1218, by Robert his brother, who held it at one fee of the Earl Warren ”