WILLYBROOK HUNDRED 



Stafford. Or a chev- 

 ron gules. 



Stafford and Margaret his wife, daughter of Hugh, in 

 fee on Ralph, son of Ralph and Maud, daughter of 

 Henry, earl of Lancaster.' Ralph son of Ralph died 

 without issue, and after the death of Maud, who 

 married as her second husband 

 William of Bavaria, the manor 

 reverted to Ralph earl of Staf- 

 ford, her father-in-law.' On 

 his death in 1372 it passed first 

 to his son Hugh and then to 

 his three grandsons Thomas, 

 William, and Edmund.' Ed- 

 mund was succeeded by his son 

 Humphrey, first duke of Buck- 

 ingham.' His eldest son, also 

 Humphrey, was killed in the 

 battle of St. Albans in 1455, 

 before his father's death. His son Henry, on his 

 grandfather's death in 1460, succeeded to the duke- 

 dom of Buckingham. He did not become politically 

 important until after the death of Edward IV. fie 

 was then at first the enthusiastic supporter of the 

 claims of Richard III, but suddenly changing his 

 policy in October, 1483, he declared for the earl of 

 Richmond, and being defeated and taken prisoner by 

 Richard, was attainted and executed in 1483. His 

 estates were confiscated for the time, but his attainder 

 was reversed in 1485 in favour of his son Edward, 

 who became a very prominent political figure in the 

 early part of the reign of Henry VIII. He, however, 

 fell under royal displeasure, and probably on insufficient 

 grounds was attainted and executed in I 521.' Some 

 of his confiscated lands were returned to his son Henry, 

 but Glapthorn was not among them, being granted in 

 1522 for life to Roger Radcliffe.* After his death 

 without children, the manor was given by Henry VIII, 

 in 1538, to Thomas Lord Cromwell, in fee.' In spite 

 of Lord Cromwell's attainder and execution in 1539, 

 his son Gregory was created Baron Cromwell a few 

 months after his death and succeeded to some of his 

 estates, including Glapthorn. 

 Gregory's son Henry completed 

 a transaction which had begun 

 during the tenure of Roger Rad- 

 cliffe for the sale of Glapthorn 

 and all its appurtenances to the 

 Brudenell family. John Morrice, 

 who appears to have been a 

 tenant of the manor under the 

 Staffords, sold it about I 5 I 2 to 

 Robert Brudenell and Thomas 

 Terjngham. Thomas died 

 without children and the whole 

 of his interest in the manor 



passed to Robert Brudenell, who died, holding it of 

 Roger RadclifFe, in 1530. Henry Lord Cromwell, 

 about 1574 released all right in Glapthorn to Thomas 

 Brudenell with also view of frankpledge in Glapthorn, 



Brudenell. Argent 

 a chevron gules henvecn 

 three caps azure. 



GLAPTHORN 



Cotterstock, Tansor, Southwick, and other neighbour- 

 ing places.* From the time of Elizabeth, the Brude- 

 nells have continued to own Glapthorn, the countess 

 of Cardigan, the present representative of the family, 

 being now lady of the manor. 



The Brudenell family throughout the 17th century 

 were Roman Catholic, and Sir Thomas Brudenell in 

 the reign of Charles I settled his lands on Francis e.irl 

 of Rutland, Francis earl of Westmorland and Mild- 

 may his son, in order to avoid the recusancy fines. 

 His estate in Glapthorn is then described as a manor 

 called Cromwell's manor, and another manor called 

 Brown's manor.' No reference has been found to a 

 manor of the latter name in Glapthorn before this 

 date, but there is some history of an estate separate from 

 the manor which was at one time in the hands of a 

 family named Brown. In 1248 Henry III granted 

 to Hugh Franceys, in fee, 1 8 acres and I rood of 

 land in Glapthorn which had formerly been held by 

 Ralph de Carville.'" This small holding may have 

 been one of those held by Ridel or Hugh or part of 

 that held by Geoffrey de Normanville in the 12th cen- 

 tury. In a perambulation of the forest of Clive in the 

 latter part of the reign of Edward I, the land of 

 William Brown, next that of the countess of Fife, is 

 mentioned," and probably this was the land formerly 

 held by Hugh Franceys, for in 1330 Edward III 

 confirmed to William Brown of Glapthorn the land 

 formerly in possession of Hugh." There is no sub- 

 sequent history of this holding ; it may well have 

 come into the hands of the Brudenells, and with 

 perhaps other small portions of land may have been 

 called Brown's manor in distinction from the manor 

 of Glapthorn proper. 



No lord of the manor lived in Glapthorn until the 

 1 6th century ; it is probable then that John Morrice, 

 who is described as of Glapthorn, lived there,'' and 

 later some members of the Brudenell family for a 

 time." A more interesting resident at this period was 

 John Johnson, * of the staple at C.nlais,' several of 

 whose letters are printed in the Letters and Papers of 

 Henry Fill.'" 



Sir Thomas Brudenell obtained from James I a 

 grant of free warren in his lands of Glapthorn and 

 Cotterstock.'* 



The men of Glapthorn in the reign of Henry III 

 complained that they were not allowed by the sheriff 

 their free pasture in Totenho and the chase of Perio. 

 The king ordered that they should have their common 

 as they had been accustomed.'' 



The monastery of Crowland from a very early date 

 held land in Glapthorn. The pre-Conquest charters 

 of this monastery are nearly all spurious, but they 

 probably rest on a foundation of truth. WigLif, king 

 of Mercia, in 833 is said to have confirmed to Crow- 

 land three virgates of land in Glapthorn, ' the gift ol 

 Asketel, my cook.' This is repeated in several subse- 

 quent charters.'* The land of Crowland in Glapthorn 



1 Pat. 18 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. i. 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. HI, No. 59 ; 

 ibid. 56 Edw. Ill, (pt. i,), No. 37. 



9 Ibid. 46 Edw. Ill, No. 62 ; ibid. 10 

 Ric. II, No. 38 ; ibid. 16 Ric. II (pt. i). 

 No. 27 ; ibid. 18 Ric. II, No. 43. 



^ Ibid. 4 Hen. IV, No. 41. 



' Ibid. (Ser. 2), Ixxi, 177 ; Did. Nat. 

 Biog. 



^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ixxxii, 67 j 

 Pat. 14 Hen. VIII, pt. i, m. 9. 



7 Ibid. 30 Hen. VIII, pt. ii, m. 15. 



' L. and P. Hen. Fill, iii, pt. ii, 1529 ; 

 Exch. Accts. Northants, 19 Hen. VIII; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), xlvi, 64 ; ibid, 

 liii, 64; Feet of Northants, Trin. l6Eliz. 

 For the rest of the history of view of the 

 frankpledge in Glapthorn, see Cotterstock, 

 * Pat. 2 Chas. I, pt. iii, m. 22. 



1» Chart. R. 32 Hen. Ill, m. 1. 



^* Forest Proc. bdle. 102, m. 11. 



" Pat. 4 Edw. Ill, pt. i, m. 27. 

 Browns of Glapthorn are occasionally 

 mentioned in the 14th and 1 5t}i centuries. 



577 



" L. and P. Hen. rill, iii, pt. ii, 1 529. 



" Lay Subs. R. |5{. 



" L. and P. Hen. rill, xix. 



" Pat. 10 Jas. I, pt. li, No. 14. 



'' Close, 14 Hen. Ill, m. 21 </. Right 

 extinguished by enclosure of lorcst of 

 Olive in 1805. 



1* Dugdale, Mon. ii, no. Crowland 

 also had some land in Glapthorn of the 

 gift of the Torpel family (Crowland Cart, 

 in possession of Lord Lucas, p. 24). 



73 



