Wollaston
manor, Northampton, and associated owners
Niall
C.E.J. O’Brien
Wollaston is a village
and civil parish in Northamptonshire, about 3 miles south of the market town of
Wellingborough.[1]
On Wednesday before the feast of St. Peter in Cathedra in 1346 Thomas de
Berkeley of Wollaston in Northampton died. Wollaston was not an original
property possessed by Thomas de Berkeley but was inherited from his wife,
Margery de Bray.[2]
The history and owners of Wollaston manor appear in the fourth volume of the Victoria County History of Northampton.
This article explores additional information about the owners.
Early
ownership
In 1086, two manors at
Wollaston: one assessed at 5 hides (the later Berkeley manor), and the other
assessed at 2 hides, which Corbelin held of the Countess Judith. The larger
manor formed part of the honor of Chokes in the 12th century was
held by Robert de Newburgh. In 1223, Robert de Newburgh enfeoffed Robert the
son of Ralf of Wollaston manor, while retaining 1 virgate with the service of
Saer de Wollaston. In 1225 Robert son of Ralf appears to have granted a third
part of his manor to John de Newburgh. In 1236 Robert son of Rauf held two fees
at Wollaston of Robert de Newburgh. Robert the son of Ralf (also known as Robert
le Waleys) died before 1246 and left William de Bray as his heir.[3]
Wollaston church by Robert Walden
William
de Bray
In 1260 William de Bray
acquired a charter from Henry III to hold an annual Michaelmas fair at
Michaelmas in Wollaston along with a weekly market to be held on a Tuesday.[4]
In June 1254 the people
of Wollaston were accused of interfering with the bailiffs of the royal forest
of Saucey in Northamptonshire. An enquiry was order to determine the facts.[5] In
March 1263 it was agreed by royal letters patent that Wollaston and Stricston
were outside the bounds of the forest of Saucey in Northamptonshire and
therefore not the people of Wollaston were not subject to forest law.[6]
In 1286 Edmund, the
king's brother, obtained the manor of Wollaston and its two knight’s fees from
William de Cogenho, along with the homage and service of William de Bray.[7]
Robert
de Bray
Sometime before 1297
Robert de bray succeeded his father, William de Bray to the manor of Wollaston.
In 1297 Wollaston was held by Edmund, the King’s brother, as a property held
under the manor of Hegham Fereres in Northamptonshire. At Wollaston and
Strixton, Sir Robert de Bray held two knight’s fees of the honour of Chokes
from Edmund.[8]
In 1305 Robert de Bray settled
the manor of Wollaston on himself and his wife Mary with remainder to Thomas
the son of Thomas de Berkeley, and Margery his wife (daughter of Robert).[9] In
March 1327 Robert de Bray paid 1d in rent for Wollaston to Thomas, Earl of
Lancaster.[10]
Thomas
de Berkeley
Thomas de Berkeley was
the second son of Thomas II de Berkeley of Berkeley castle, Gloucestershire, by
his wife Joan de Ferrers, daughter of William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby. A
sister of Thomas de Berkeley, Margaret, married after 1284 Thomas Fitz Maurice
of Shanid http://celtic2realms-medievalnews.blogspot.ie/2015/02/thomas-apa-fitz-maurice-of-desmond_28.html and was the mother of Maurice Fitz Thomas, 1st Earl of
Desmond.[11]
As the second son
Thomas de Berkeley did not inherit the main Berkeley properties. Instead he was
provided with other lands. Before 1300 he received Coston in Leicestershire and
Eynesbury in Hunts. These properties had come to the Berkeley family via his
mother, Joan de Ferrers. In 1260-62 Joan had received Coston from his brother
Robert de Ferrers for herself and her issue at a rent of 100 gold threads. This
grant was witnessed by among others; Sir Roger de Quincy (Earl of Winchester),
Sir Richard de Clare (Earl of Gloucester) and Sir Simon de Montfort (Earl of
Leicester). The manor of Eynesbury came to Joan de Ferrers from her mother,
Margaret de Quincy, one of the three daughters and heirs of Roger de Quincy,
Earl of Winchester.[12]
In 1303 and 1304 Thomas
de Berkeley along with his brothers, Maurice and John were witnesses to a
number of deeds concerning Thomas de Assleworth and Kingswood Abbey. In 1301 he
witnessed a deed between Kingswood Abbey and his brother, Maurice de Berkeley.[13] Sometime
before 1310 Thomas de Berkeley married Margery, daughter and heir of Sir Robert
de Bray and had a daughter Katherine. Margery brought Thomas the manor of
Wollaston and this manor passed to their daughter Katherine.[14]
Before 1314 Thomas de
Berkeley of Wollaston received certain properties at Murcott and Hartpury in
Gloucestershire. In 1314 Thomas de Berkeley leased a holding in Morcote and
Hartpury to William Gamage and his wife Alice for a rent of £4 per year. This
holding and rent would revert to Thomas de Berkeley, lord of Berkeley, if his
son Thomas died without male issue. At that time Thomas de Berkeley of
Wollaston only had a daughter, Katherine, as his heir.[15]
Margery de Bray died
before 1318 and in that year Thomas de Berkeley of Wollaston married secondly to
Isabel, daughter and heir of Sir John Hamelyn of Wymondham in Leicestershire. In
June 1318 Thomas de Berkeley granted his son Thomas and Isabel the manor of
Wick in Arlingham, a holding at Hartpury and a rent of 10 marks from Arlingham
fisheries in Gloucestershire as a marriage gift.[16] Sir
John Hamelyn was alive in 1307 when he witnessed a deed concerning Burley in
Rutlandshire.[17]
Isabel Hamelyn brought
the manor of Wymondham to Thomas de Berkeley and this, along with Coston,
Eynesbury and the Gloucestershire property passed to their son John de Berkeley.
John de Berkeley married Elizabeth and the Berkeley family of Wymondham was
still going strong in the 16th century.[18]
Thomas de Berkeley of
Wollaston acquired additional holdings in the lordship of Berkeley and Hamme
for life. In March 1336 Joan, daughter of John de Lokynton, acknowledged that
Thomas had these holdings for life and on his death would revert back to Thomas
de Berkeley, lord of Berkeley. Thomas de Berkeley was bound to Joan de Lokynton
by a bond of £20 to be paid by Christmas 1336. But if Thomas made a daughter of
Joan a nun the bond would be declare void.[19]
Three
inquisitions about Wollaston
Thomas de Berkeley of
Wollston died in 1346 as said and was succeeded at Wollaston by his daughter
Lady Katherine de la Dale who was aged 36 years when her father died. Lady
Katherine married secondly to Richard Chamberlain.[20]
But, before Lady Katherine could enter into her inheritance, the crown had to
have its say.
After the death of any
prominent person royal officials were sent to the chef properties of the
individual to enquire if any royal dues were payable and if the heir was of
legal age to inherit. If the heir was under age (21 years) the crown could hold
the estate in wardship and collect all of its revenues. A long minority was a
good day for the crown.
The first inquisition
into Wollaston manor, held on 9th March 1346, said the manor was
held of the king in chief by the service of one knight’s fee with 20s per year
paid to the king’s castle of Northampton and 30s yearly to the sheriff of Northampton.
The manor was in the fee of Chokes with the fees payable to Sir John de Molyns.[21]
By this inquisition royal officials entered the manor to take the royal dues.
Richard Chamberlain
objected to these royal officials and disputed the findings of the first
inquisition. A second inquisition was held on 20th March 1346. It
found that the manor was not held of the king in chief but held from the Earl
of Lancaster by the service of 1d at Easter. In March 1327 Robert de Bray paid
1d in rent for Wollaston to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.[22]
The 1346 jury didn’t
know if the Earl held Wollaston from another or directly from the king. The 20s
and 30s payment were due to the king and the sheriff of Northampton. A third
inquisition was held at Hegham Ferers on 11th May 20 Edward III in
which it was found that Wollaston was held of the Earl by the service of two
knight’s fees and at a rent of 1d per year and the suit of court at the manor
of Hegham Ferers every three weeks. The Earl of Lancaster held Wollaston directly
of the king as of the fee of Choke. Consequently the king’s officials released
the manor to Earl Henry.[23]
Wollaston street scene by Will Lovell
Wollaston
under St. Mary’s College
In March 1355 the king
allowed Henry, Duke of Lancaster, to alienate in mortmain the manors Inglesham,
Wollaston, Kynemersford and Cheddersworth to the hospital of the Virgin Mary at
Leicester. At the same time the king allowed Henry a licence to create the
hospital into a monastery with the same manors and advowsons.[24]
In 1356 Henry of Lancaster granted Wollaston to the Dean and Canons of the new College
of St. Mary at Leicester.[25]
After
the dissolution of the monasteries Wollaston manor was
retained by the Crown until 1606 when it was sold to Thomas Marbury and Richard
Cartwright in fee-farm.[26]
Richard
Chamberlain
In 1348 Richard
Chamberlain held a twentieth part of a knight’s fee at Wollaston from Laurence
de Hastings, Earl of Pembroke.[27] In
1375 the twentieth part of a knight’s fee at Wollaston was held by William de
Wollaston from John de Hastings, Earl of Pembroke. The inquisition found that
the twentieth part was formerly held by Thomas de Berkeley.[28]
In 1356 Wollaston was
granted to the College of St. Mary at Leicester, but the College held only one
knight’s fee. In 1428 Richard Chamberlain held the second knight’s fee.[29]
Additional
information about Wollaston
In November 1352 the
king presented Thomas Oliver of Whishton to the vicarage of Wollaston on a voidance
of the abbey of St. Mary de Pratis outside Northampton.[30]
In February 1438 John
Fisher of Wollaston was given a general pardon for all treasons, murders, felonies,
conspiracies and other offences.[31] In
April 1445 John Lybbard and Stephen Andrews of Wollaston, husbandmen, were both
charged with not appearing before the justice of the bench about a debt owed to
Margaret Drayton.[32]
In 1461 Sir Thomas
Tresham and his wife Margaret had 40s of free rent from Wollaston manor
declared forfeit along with other property in Northamptonshire. An inquisition
on 3rd November 1466 established his Northamptonshire property.[33]
Further information
about Wollaston can be found in the fourth volume of the Victoria County
History for Northampton of which abstracts can be seen at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/northants/vol4/pp57-62
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[2]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of
Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VIII (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 630
[5] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry III, 1247-1258,
p. 377
[6] Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry III,
1258-1266, p. 250
[8] J.E.E.S.
Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Post Mortem, Vol. III (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 423, (pp. 296, 306, 318)
[10]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Post Mortem, Vol. VII (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 82 (p. 63)
[11]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle (2 vols. Bristol & Gloucestershire
Archaeological Society, 2004), vol. 1, pp. xxxiv-xxxv, lv
[12]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 1, pp. xxxv, 506-8
[13]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 1, pp. 210, 211, 360
[14]
L.F. Salzman (ed.), A history of the
County of Northampton (Victoria County History, London, 1937), vol. 4, p.
58
[15]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 1, p. 476
[16]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 1, p. 93
[17] Bridget
Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of the
medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 2, p. 610
[18]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 1, pp. xxxv, 93
[19]
Bridget Wells-Furby (ed.), A catalogue of
the medieval muniments at Berkley Castle, vol. 1, p. 191
[20]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of
Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VIII (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 630
[21]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of
Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VIII (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 630
[22]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Post Mortem, Vol. VII (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 82 (p. 63)
[23]
J.E.E.S. Sharp (ed.), Calendar of
Inquisitions Post Mortem, Vol. VIII (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 630
[24] Calendar of Patent rolls, Edward III, 1354-1358,
pp. 184, 185
[27] E.G.
Atkinson (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Post Mortem, Vol. IX (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 118 (p. 122)
[28]
J.B.W. Chapman (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Post Mortem, Vol. XIV (Kraus reprint, 1973), no. 148 (p. 163)
[30] Calendar of Patent rolls, Edward III, 1350-1354,
p. 356
[31] Calendar of Patent rolls, Henry VI, 1436-1441,
p. 142
[32] Calendar of Patent rolls, Henry VI,
1441-1446, p. 307
[33] Chapman,
J.W.B. (ed.), Calendar of Inquisitions
Miscellaneous, Volume VIII, 1422-1485 (Boydell & National Archives,
2003), no. 343
