THE HUNDRED OF WILLYBROOK 



CONTAINING THE PARISHES OF 



APETHORPE FOTHERINGHAY SOUTHWICK 



COLLYWESTON GLAPTHORN TANSOR 



COTTERSTOCK KING'S CLIFFE WOODNEWTON 



DUDDINGTON LUTTON YARWELL ' 



EASTON ON THE HILL NASSINGTON 



The boundaries of this hundred have remained practically unchanged. 

 The hundred headings in Domesday for Northamptonshire are not sufficiently 

 clear to make it possible to tell exactly what places were then included in 

 any hundred, but the 12th-century survey of Northamptonshire gives a 

 complete list for Willybrook. All the places mentioned above are included, 

 and in addition some land in Elton, Warmington, and Elmington. A few 

 acres of land belonging to Elton, a Huntingdonshire parish, are still in 

 Northamptonshire. One hide of land in Warmington is specially noted in 

 Domesday as pertaining to Willybrook hundred, and in the population return 

 of 1 83 1 the hamlet of Warmington is said to be locally situate in the 

 Willybrook hundred, though the parish belongs to Polebrook hundred. 

 The return states the same with regard to Elmington, a hamlet in the parish 

 of Oundle." 



Willybrook was a royal hundred, and until the reign of Henry III 

 remained so far as is known entirely in the hands of the crown. In 1224 

 the sheriff was commanded to allow Ranulf, earl of Chester, to take into his 

 hands the hundred of Willybrook during pleasure as he had it before an inquiry 

 was made.^ In this reign also the views of frankpledge of Tansor, Cotter- 

 stock, Glapthorn, Southwick, and Perio, were acquired by the Earl of 

 Gloucester.* The prior of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem also had 

 view of frankpledge at Glapthorn for his tenants in the neighbourhood.' 

 The view for the rest of the hundred * with the lordship remained in royal 

 hands until the i6th century. 



In 1628 James I granted to Francis, earl of Westmorland, for three 

 lives the lordship of the hundred with all view of frankpledge and other 

 privileges.' This grant was renewed to Mildmay, earl of Westmorland, for 

 three lives in 1662.* A further renewal was obtained by Thomas, earl of 

 Westmorland, in the i8th century,* and after this the honour was allowed 

 to lapse. 



' This list is taken from the Population Return of 1 8 3 1 . 



' The hamlet of Warmington, apart from the vill of Warmington, appears in the Subsidy Rolls under the 

 hundred of Willybrook. (Lay Subs. R. JU, -J-fJ. ^*.) No instance has been found of Elmington being 

 thus included in the hundred, but in the beginning of the reign of Edw. I it was said that the abbot of Crow- 

 land had abstracted the suit of his tenants at Elmington from the court of the hundred of Willybrook {Hund. 

 R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 14. In the Population Return of 1 83 1 Elmington is said to be a hamlet of Easton on the 

 Hill on the other side of the hundred. No connexion can be traced between these two places except that 

 until the reign of Henry VIII the abbey of Crowland held the advowson of Easton and the greater part 

 of the land at Elmington. ' Close, 8 Hen. Ill, m. 4, 5. 



'Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 14. ' Quo Warr. R. (Rec. Cora.), p. 531. 



^ Held at King's Cliffe in fourteenth century (Assize R. No. 632, m. 30). 



' Pat. 4 Chas. I, pt. xxix, m. 28. ° Pat. 14 Chas. II, pt. xix, No. 8. 



' Hijt. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. pt. iv, 52. 



542 



