A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



granted the town of Rnrnack to Crowland and assigned 

 it to the building of their new church. But Crowland 

 did not long enjoy this desirable possession. In 1075 

 Earl Walthcof was executed, and the manor was taken 

 from the monastery as dower for that 'most impious 

 Jezebel once his wife.' ' The only evidence in con- 

 firmation of this story is the statement of Ordericus, 

 that Waltheof son of Siward gave the ' vill ' called 

 Barnack to Crowland Abbey.' It is also probable that 

 Barnack suffered from the devastation of Sweyn with 

 the rest of this district,' and again underwent the 

 same fite in 1065.* William m.ay have confiscated 

 Waltheofs manor of Barnack and given it to his 

 follower, William Fitz Ansculf, of whom Otbert held 

 three hides in Barnack in 1086, which were formerly 

 the freehold of Bundi.' This William Fitz Ansculf 

 was the first holder of the honour of Dudley, and 

 probably attached his manor of 

 Barnack to this honour. It was 

 the only manor so held in 

 Northamptonshire, and was also 

 the only place of any extent in 

 the soke not held of Peter- 

 borough Abbey. In the middle 

 of the 1 2th century Ralph de 

 Barnack was holding in Barnack 

 of Fulk P.iynel, the successor of 

 William Fitz Ansculf.' This 

 Ralph is probably identical 

 with the Ralph de Barnack 



who in 1 1 14, together with Roesia his wife, is 

 said to have offered for the building of the new 

 church at Crowland the work of two quarrymen 

 for four years.' He was followed by Richard de 

 Barnack,* and in I 1 66 Gervase de Barnack, probably 

 the son of Richard, is named among the knights 

 of Gervase Paynel." In 1 231 Richard, son of 

 Gervase de Bernack, made an agreement with the 

 abbey of Peterborough concerning common pasture in 

 Barnack.'" Richard was succeeded by his son Peter," 

 who about 1253 obtained a grant of free warren in 

 his demesne of Barnack, and at Selly, in the county of 

 Worcester.'^ About the end of the 13th century the 

 manor of Barnack was demised to W.ilter de Aylesbury 

 by Sir William de Valence, lord of Pembroke, acting as 

 guardian of John, son and heir of Richard dcBarnack,'' 

 probably the grandson of Peter." In 1309 Henry 

 Paas is stated to be one of the lords of Barnack," 

 perhaps as guardian of Geoffrey, son of John de 

 Barnack, who married Isolda, daughter of Henry Paas,'' 

 for in 1323 Geoffrey was holding one knight's fee in 

 Barnack of John de Somery, the holder at that time 



KAJ 



Barnack. Argcn, 

 three barnacles sable. 



of the honour of Dudley." This Henry is stated to 

 h.ive founded a gild in Barnack, and in spite of his 

 short connexion with the place the manor is called 

 Pases Manor as late .as the Tudor period.'" Other 

 members of the same family occur in documents 

 relating to Barnack, but not in connexion with the 

 manor." 



In 1327 Geoffrey de Barnack endowed a chantry 

 in the church of Barnack.*" This is the last mention 

 of him that has been found ; he apparently died some 

 time in the reign of Edward III, and for a few years 

 the descent of the manor is very confused. According 

 to documents of the middle of the 15th century 

 Geoffrey de Barnack left a daughter Anne, who had 

 two daughters, Katherine and Agnes ; Katherine had 

 Barnack for her share of her mother's property, and 

 her daughter Margaret married John Vincent. John 

 Vincent and Margaret his wife certainly held the 

 manor in 1424." In 1396 Thomas Preston paid 

 sheriff's aid and other dues for this manor;" he may 

 possibly have been the husband of either Anne or 

 Katherine. The right of the Vincents was twice 

 challenged by John Coory on behalf of his wife Agnes, 

 claiming at one time through her descent from Anne 

 daughter of Geoffrey de Barnack and Isolda," and at 

 another time as right inherited from her father, 

 Richard Vincent, brother of Robert Vincent," who 

 is said to have died in the lifetime of his father, John 

 Vincent.'^ John Coory really appears to have h.ad a 

 life interest in the place, as in 1 440 he complained to 

 the chancellor that one Geoffrey Walsh of Badyngton 

 ' greatly allied in the franchise of Burg,' on whom 

 John had levied a distress for rent, ' assembled a great 

 route of unknown and misruled persons and came to 

 our manor of Bernake and menaced beseecher, who 

 was in doubt of his life if it had not been for the 

 neighbours,' and they broke open the pound and took 

 aw.iy the distress.'" In 1463 the manor was settled 

 on Anne, wife of Thomas Vincent," son of Robert, and 

 the family from this time remained in possession until 

 1 578, when the manor, 'with buildings, woods, mills, 

 fishing, free warren, and all liberties,' was sold by 

 Thomas Vincent '* and Jane his wife to William 

 Lord Burghley, Treasurer of England,*' to whose lineal 

 descendant, the present marquis of Exeter, it now 

 belongs. The manor of Pilsgate came into the hands 

 of the Cecils by the same deed, and the marquis now 

 holds one court for the two manors alternately at 

 Barnack and Pilsgate. 



There was a second small holding in Barnack, held 

 of Peterborough Abbey, which is called a manor in 

 the 1 6th century, but it seems doubtful if a court was 



^ Judith, the Conqueror'8 niece. Ful- 

 man, Scr'tptores, 56, 62, 67, 72. 



^ Ordericus Vitalisy iv, 22 



» A. S. Chron. under date. 



* V. C. H. Northants, i, 262. 



^ Ibid. p. 340a, 



'"' Cal. of Doc. France, p. 4.44. 



" Ingulphus Cent. (ed. Gale), 1 1 8. 



^ Pipe R. 9 Hen. II, rot. 4, m. 2. 



'J hib. Niger, Scacc. (ed. Hearnc), i, 139; 

 Liber Swapham (Cartul. of Peterborough, 

 in custody of the dean and chapter of 

 Peterborough), fol. 194*; Cart. Ram, 

 (Rolls Ser.), ii, 334. 



10 Swapham, fol. zi26b. 



" F. of F. Northants, 1 Edw. I, No. 17 ; 

 Cott. Faust. B. iii, 62, 64. Peter had a 

 brother Gervase who often appears about 

 this time. 



" Cal. Gascon Pat. and Chart. (Rec. 

 Com.), p, 80, The main line of this family 

 took its name impartially from their two 

 estates of Barnack or Selly ; the younger 

 branches of the family appear to have pre- 

 ferred Barnack as the more important 

 place. 



i» Anct. D. (P. R. O.), A 4793. 



'^ Cott. Faust. B, iii, 73. 



'5 Pari. Writs (Rec. Com.), Div. 2, iii 

 391. 



'* Surrey Fisil. (Harl. Soc. xliii), p. 5 5 



" Inq. p. m. 16 Edw. II, No. 72. 



i» Chant. Cert. (P. R. O.), 35 No. 33 ; 

 Star Cham. Proc. bdle 27, No. III. 



" Cott. Faust. B, iii, 15 d. 



"" Inq. a. q. d. File cxciv, No. 21. In a 

 suit about 1362 (De Banco, No. 411, m. 

 143 d) Geoffrey de Selly and John his son 

 are mentioned. This may possibly refer 



464 



to Geoffrey de Barnack, who is stated in 

 a Heraldi' yiiitation of Surrey {Harl. Soc. 

 xliii, 55) to have had a son John, whose 

 daughter and heiress Joan married 

 Thomas Vincent of Swinford. 



21 Feet of F. Northants, z Hen. VI, 

 No. 13, 



22 Cott. Nero, C vJi, 130. 



33 De Banco R. Hil. 14 Hen. VI, m. 

 107 d. 



2' Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 70, No. 175. 

 John Coory's plea was that Richard was 

 the elder brother. 



2-^ Add. MS. 6409, fol. 9 et scq. 



'^'^ Early Chanc. Proc. bdle, 39, No. 113, 



"7 Add. Chart. 5365. 



^ Son of David Vincent, to whom a 

 legacy was left by Hen. VIII (Rymcr's 

 Foedera, xv, no). 



2'-t Add. Chart. 9272. 



