A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Splint Close, the stone bridge called Brokforde 

 Brigge,!" (13th century), le Kirkegrene and Copthorn- 

 hill at Armston.ii 



In 1921 the population of Polebrook was 310, that 

 of Armston 28, persons. 



In 1086 Si hides in POLEBROOK 



MANORS belonged to Peterborough Abbey, 



which were held by Eustace the 



Sheriff.'- The overlordship was claimed by the heirs 



of the Earl Gilbert of Gloucester (d. I3i4),i3 but 



it was retained by the Abbey until the Dissolution.'^ 



In the reign of Henry I 2J hides of the Peterborough 

 fee in Polebrook had passed from Eustace the Sheriff 

 to Walter de Clopton.'^ A mesne lordship over this 

 fee or some part of it was afterwards held by the 

 Lovetot lords, as at Clapton {q.v.), until Margery de 

 Vernon and Nigel de Amundeville surrendered their 

 rights in it to the Abbey.'* It is probable that the 

 manor of Polebrook descended with that of Clapton 

 (q.v.) until the close of the 12th century when it fell 

 to the share of Rose or Rohesia, probably sister of 

 WiUiam de Clopton, Lady of Polebrook," who 

 apparently married Hugh le Fleming. Hugh held 

 the Peterborough manor in Polebrook,'* and presented 

 to the church there." He was succeeded by his son 

 Robert le Fleming,'*" possibly before 1 2 19 when 

 Rose by her son Robert granted the advowson of 

 Clapton to the Abbot of Peterborough.-" Robert le 

 Fleming was patron and parson of Polebrook in 

 1232-' and in 1245 held a quarter of a knight's fee of 

 the old feoffment of the Honour of Lovetot in Pole- 

 brook.-- This seems to be the Polebrook fraction of 

 the Fleming's third of a knight's fee which they held 

 together with a knight's fee and a half de sancta 

 terra in Polebrook, Kingsthorpe and Clapton.^^ These 

 tenements went to make up the manor which in 

 1252 Robert granted in frankalmoigne to Abbot 

 John de Cauz.-'' Out of the revenues of the manor 

 the abbot assigned ;^ioa year for wine for the monks.-* 

 The manor continued in the hands of the abbey 

 until its dissolution in 1529.-'' 



Another Peterborough tenant, Thomas Smert, held 

 land in Polebrook in demesne in the early years of 

 the 13th century.'-' He or his heir of the same name 

 and others paid sciitage for their fees in Polebrook, 

 Kingsthorp and Armston before 1252.-* In 1299 

 Thomas Ellger did homage to the Abbot for a tene- 

 ment of the fee of Smert,'-^* but in 1314 the name of 

 Thomas Smert appears again as one of four tenants 

 who held of the Abbot in Polebrook.™ A holding in 



Polebrook belonged to the family of Porthors. A 

 Reginald Porthors paid scutage in Warmington in 

 1253,3' and William Porthors is described as of Pole- 

 broo!' in 1260,^'- and held lands there about lijt).'^^ 

 He had a son Ralph who did homage to the abbot in 

 I289,'" and a daughter Sarah who married Geoffrey 

 le Dispenser. 3* Ralph apparently mortgaged the 

 so-called manor of Polebrook to John son of Thomas 

 de Oundle at the end of the 13th century.^^ Robert 

 Porthors, presumably his heir, w-as holding here in 

 1315," and was living in 1326- 30.^* Richard Porthors 

 of Polebrook and Agnes his wife were deaUng with 

 lands in Polebrook in 1326,^' and WiUiam Porthors of 

 Polebrook in 1356 to 1373.'"' The last of the family 

 at Polebrook to which reference has been found is 

 Hugh Porthors of Polebrook, who witnessed a charter 

 in 1404.^' 



Another hide and a virgate of the Peterborough 

 lands in Polebrook had come into the possession of 

 Roger Marmion in the reign of Henry I.'- This land, 

 as part of the fee of Robert 

 Marmion in Langton and 

 Polebrook was confirmed to 

 the Abbey in 1146 by Pope 

 Eugenius III, and in 1189 by 

 Richard l.« 



The mesne lordship of the 

 Marmions passed from Roger 

 to his son Robert who was 

 slain in 1143. He was suc- 

 ceeded by another Robert 

 who was living in 1155, and 

 had a son Robert who died in 

 1 2 18. He had by his first wife, 



Maud de Beauchamp, a son, ' Robert Marmion, 

 senior,' and by his second wife, Philippa, two sons, 

 ' Robert Marmion, junior,' and William Marmion, a 

 clerk. Robert, senior, died about 1242, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Philip, a minor,''^ who died without 

 issue about 1292.''* On his death the mesne lordship 

 appears to have reverted to the abbot of Peterborough. 



The holders of this fee under the Marmions were 

 the Grendons. Herlwin de Grendon held J knight's 

 fee of the Marmion Fee in Polebrook in the middle 

 of the 13th century.'"' He was succeeded by Ralph de 

 Grendon, who paid scutage for ^ fee in 1253,'" and 

 was living in 1262 to 1272.''* His son John was 

 living 1270 to 1315.''* Ralph son of John de 

 Grendon did homage to the abbot of Peterborough 

 in 1318,''" and was apparently succeeded by two 



Vair a fesse 



'° Bucclcuch Deeds, K. 4. 



" Ibid. H. 80, 81. 



" V.C.II. Nortbanls. i, 315A, 362. 



" Cf. manor of Cbpton ; see also 

 Cott. MS. Clcop. C ii, ff. 101-12 ; Cal. 

 Inq. p.m. v. no. 538 ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 lidw. Ill, file 230, no. Cp2 ; ibid. Ric. II, 

 file 47, no. 38 ; Hen. IV, file 38, no. 41. 



'* Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.) iv, 279. 



'• r.C.II. Norihanti. i, 366*. 



" Cf. manor of Cl.ipton ; let alio Cot(. 

 MS. Clcop. C ii, ff. 109-12. 



" Soc. Antiq. MS. 60, f. 159b; Ciir. 

 Reg. R. (I'.R.O.), i, (I. 117, 119, 283. 



" Cott. MS. Clcop. C ii, f. 104. 



'• De Banco R. 54, m. I5d. '•"Ibid. 



" Feet of F. Northants. ca«c 172, 

 file 14, No. 25. 



" Rcl. Hug. dt Wtllo (Cant, and York 

 Soc), ii, 164. 



" F.gerinn MS, 2733, f. 141b. 



■' Ibid. ff. 129, 129b. 



" Cott. MS. Cleop. C li, f. 1 1 1 ; 

 Chi on. Pelrob. (Camden Soc.) 15 ; De 

 Banco R. 54, m i5d. 



" Gunton, //i;(. Ch. oj Petcrlwrough, 34; 

 Sparke, lUst. Aiigl. Script. (Walter de 

 Whytlesey), 129. 



•* Valor Ecd. (Rec. Com.), iv. 279. 



" Cotton MS. Cleop. C ii, f. 10. 



■' Ibid. f. nob. 



" Ibid. Vesp. E xxi, f. lid. 



•° Ibid. f. 30 b. 



" Soc. Antiq. MS. 60, f. 249. 



•• Bucclcuch Deeds, A. 37. 



" Cott. Chart, xvii, i. 



" Chron. I'clroh. 145. 



" Bucclench Deeds, F. 41. 



" Feet of F. Northants. case 175, 

 file 58, no. 32. 



" Cott. MS. Vcsp. E xxi, fol. 30 b. 



" Bucclcuch Deeds, G. 17, 22, K. 5. 



102 



" Ibid. K. 5. 



" Ibid. A. 77, 84, D. 24. G. 24, 25. 



" Ibid. G. 19. 



" V.C.H. Northants. i, 366A. 



" Dugdalc, Mou. Angl. i, 391 : Cliart. 

 R. 119, m. 14. 



" VVrottesley, PeJ. from the Pl-a K. 

 491-2. 



" Cf. Round, Fend. Engl. 189-194, 

 where the Marmion pedigree is set out 

 with authorities. 



•' Cott. MS. Clcop. C. ii, 101 b, 106. 



•' Soc. Antiq. MS. 60, f. 248 b ; I'ytch- 

 ley, Bk. 0/ Fees (North.ints Rec. Soc.) 

 52 n. The ' Radulpho Ucrlewinc ' may 

 be for * Radulpho filio Ilerlcwine.* 



'" Bucclcuch Deeds, A. 40, 41, 46, 

 D. 17, G. 8. 



" Ibid. F. 10, G. 1 ; Cott. MS. \'esp. 

 F. xxi, f. 30 b. 



•• Pyfchley, op. cit. 157. 



