2"d S. VII. Feb. 2G. '59.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



165 



land in the Western Field of Wells, behind Tucker 



Street. 

 10 Kdward II. (a.d. 1316). — Grant of a Tenement in 



Grope Lane, in Wells, from William le Bourne, 



Canon of Wells, to Thomas le Devenish. [To this deed 

 there are two seals : the first a small private seal, the 

 other being impressions from the seal which has con- 

 tinued to be used by the Corporation of Wells down to 

 the present time.] 



17 Edward II. (a.d. 1.323). — Grant by Thomas Canon, 

 son of Sir Hugh Canon, Knt. 



18 Edward II. (a.d. 1324). — Grant by William de Ba- 

 thoiiia, Rector of Bagborough, Som*, of a Tenement in 

 Southover in Wells. 



17 July, 6 Edward III. (a.d. 1332). — Assignment of a 

 rent of 8s. by Walter de Hulle, Archdeacon of Bath. 

 And 



21 Edward III. (a.d. 1346). — In ft deed relating to a 

 tenement in a lane called Isaack's Mead, in Wells, it 

 is said to adjoin on one side to a tenement of Edmund 

 de Welleslegh. 



In a former number of " N. & Q." (P' S. viii. 

 255.) I gave an instance of the names of Robert 

 de Wellesle^e and Thomas de Wellesleje occur- 

 ring as witnesses in a deed dated 26 Edward I. 

 (a.d. 1297), relating to lands in the adjoining 

 parish of Binder. According to CoUinson {Hist 

 Somerset, vol. iii. p. 405.), William de Welleslegh, 

 37 Henry III. (a.d. 1252), held three parts of a 

 hide of land in Welleslegh by the service of the 

 Serjeanty of the hundred of Wells, and lands in 

 Littleton of William de Button ; and 22 Edward 

 III. (a.d, 1398), Philip de Welleslegh* held lands 

 in Welleslegh and Dulcot (an adjoining ham- 

 let), also the Serjeanty of the hundred of East 

 Ferret, Somerset. These lands were held (13 

 Henry VI., a.d. 1434) by Jnc. Hill of Spaxton ; 

 and the same serjeanty, as also the office of bailiff 

 of the hundred of Wells Forum, of John Bishop 

 of Bath and Wells, in socage, which John died, 

 leaving the same to his son and heir, John Hill. 



The same authority (CoUinson, vol. iii. p. 450.), 

 in tracing the history of the manor of Wheathill, 

 states that in the reign of Edward I. and II., the 

 manor belonged to the Wytheles ; and 4 Edward II., 

 Reginald de Wythele was certified to hold two 

 oxgangs of land in Wheathill of the king, by the 

 service of a pair of gilt spurs, or 6rf. per ann. in 

 lieu of all services. These lands afterwards came 

 to the Wellesleghs; and 22 Edward III. (a.d. 

 1347), Philip de Welleslegh was lord of the ma- 

 nor ; after whose death it passed by coheirs to 

 the family of the Banastres. 19 Rich. II. (a.d. 

 1395), William de Banastre died seized of the 



* It is farther said that Henry, the grandson of Aven- 

 ant de Welleslegh, obtained a confirmation of the Grand 

 Serjeanty of East Perret from Henry III. William, the 

 son of Henry, had a son Thomas. He died, leaving a son 

 of the same name, father of Philip de Welleslegh, who, 

 6 Edw. III., in a great lawsuit successfiilly resisted the 

 claim of the Abbot of Glastonbury to an exemption from 

 the Grand Serjeanty; and in proof of his title, Philip de 

 W. then produced the original grant of Henry I., with 

 subsequent confirmation of it. 



manor of Wheathill, with the advowson of the 

 church, which he held of the Earl of Huntingdon ; 

 leaving Joan, wife of Robert de Alfoxton, his 

 daughter and heiress. This Robert de Alfoxton 

 dying without issue, Joan, his widow, married Sir 

 John Hill of Spaxton, Knt., who then inherited the 

 manor, and by whose descendants it was for a long 

 time held. 



The manor of East Lydford (CoUinson, vol, iii, 

 p, 196.), 26 Edward I. (a.d. 1297), was held by 

 Sir John Bonville, Knt., after which it became 

 the property of the Hills of Hounsdon and Spax- 

 ton. 15 Edward III. (a.d. 1340), Sir John Hill 

 was found to have shortly before died seized of 

 this manor, with the advowson of the church, and 

 the manors of Littleton, Harnham, Pury-Pitchet, 

 Asholt, Partridge, Yard, Sherington, Durlond, 

 Welleslegh, and divers other manors and estates 

 in Somersetshire, in which he was succeeded by 

 his son and heir Robert Hill. 13 Henry VI., John 

 Hill of Spaxton, Esq., wns lord of this manor ftnd 

 patron of the church ; and after him John, his son 

 and heir. 



CoUinson (vol. i. p. 244.) farther informs Us that 

 the manor of Spaxton, after the Conquest, was 

 held of the Castle of Stowey, for a long period, by 

 the family of Fichet. In the time of Henry II. 

 Robert Fichet was certilied to hold it of Philip de 

 CoUumbers by the service of a knight's fee. Its 

 descent is then traced through several generations 

 to Sir Thomas Fichet, who died, 19 Richard II. 

 (a.d, 1395), leaving Isabel, his daughter and 

 heiress, who married Robert Hill, Esq., a gentle- 

 man of great note in these parts, and several times 

 sheriff of Somerset and Dorset, This Robert HiU 

 died 1 Henry VI, (a.d, 1422), leaving issue by 

 his wife Isabel, John, his son and heir ; who also 

 left a son of the same name, married to a daugh- 

 ter of Sir Walter Rodney, Knt., and died 34 

 Henry VI. (a.d. 1455), leaving an only daughter 

 Genovesa, his heiress, who married Sir William 

 Say, Knt., and he dying without children, the 

 estate reverted to Elizabeth, sister and heiress of 

 the last-named John Hill, and aunt to said Geno- 

 vesa; which Elizabeth married John Cheyney of 

 Pinhoe, co. Devon, Esq., who had issue John 

 Cheyney, who possessed the manor of Spaxton ; 

 and by Alice, his wife, left issue four daughters, 

 his co-heiresses, viz, — 



Mabel, wife of Edward Waldegrave of Sufiblk*, 

 Esq., second son of Sir Thomas Waldegrave, who died 

 a.d. 1500. 



Helena, wife of George Babington, 



Elizabeth, wife of William Clopton. 



Anne, wife of Robert Hussey. 



The manors of Spaxton and Welleslegh, with 

 other estates in Somersetshire, by marriage with 

 Mabel Cheyney, were held in severalty by said 



• Burke {Peerage, edit. 1843) says that this Edward 

 Waldegrave was settled at Borley in Essex, 



