A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Alured, or Walter de Clapton, was the sub-tenant of the 

 Abbey fee. He held one hide and one virgate of Roger 

 de Lovetot and 3J hides of the abbey.^ Walter was 

 succeeded by his son William, who alienated a great 

 deal of his land in Clapton. His only child was his 

 daughter Emma,^' but she died without descendants ^•' 

 as his heirs were Alice the wife of Robert de Hotot, 

 Denise, the wife of Robert de HofFord, and Rohesia or 

 Royce, probably the daughters of his brother Robert.-^ 



The manor of CLAPTON HOTOTS may be traced 

 to the grant of lands partly in demesne and partly in 

 villeinage made before 1 190 ^^ by William de Clapton to 

 Thomas, the son of Alice de Hotot.^' The manor was 

 originally held of the Lovetots and the homage and 

 service of a later Hotot was granted by Margery de 

 Vernon and Nigel de Mundeville to the Abbey of 

 Peterborough,^ but when the latter claimed, in 1288,^° 

 the homage of the sub-tenant, it appeared that between 

 tlie death of Nigel de Lovetot and the grant to the 

 Abbey,^ the homage and service due had already 

 been granted to a mesne lord, an ancestor of David 

 de Fletewik, lord of Ringsdon.^* The latter, however, 

 granted his rights in Clapton to the Abbot, ^^ who from 

 that lime was the immediate lord of the manor.^* 



Thomas de Hotot, the original grantee, who was 

 living in 1 190, was succeeded by his son Richard, the 

 tenant in 1243.^^ Richard is said to have bought back 

 part of the land given by William de Clapton to the 

 nuns of Chicksand, as well as the share of William's 

 lands which passed to his sister Denise and to her 

 granddaughter Isabella, the wife of Hugh de Rings- 

 don. -"^ Before 1254 another Thomas appears, ^^ and in 

 1272 he made a settlement of the manor, with re- 

 mainder to his son William,^' who succeeded him in 

 1288.^ William's son Robert did homage to the 

 Abbot in 1311,^* and his grandson, another Robert, in 

 1322.'"' The latter was presumably the tenant in 

 1346.*' He seems to have been succeeded by another 

 Robert, at whose dwelling in Clapton there was a 

 chapel which, with other chapels and oratories in the 

 parish drew the parishioners from the parish church, 

 and was interdicted in I369.''2 His daughter and 

 heir married Richard Dudley of Barnwell. ''^ In 141 2 

 and 1428 John Scot held the manor presumably as a 

 trustee,'** since Dudley afterwards enfeoffed other 

 trustees, from whom his son and heir William, be- 

 tween 1467 and 1472 liad difBculty in obtaining livery 

 on coming of age.""^ William died seised of the manor 

 in 1505, when his heir was his grandson William, tlicn 



a minor.''* The manor was held by the Dudleys, passing 



from father to son, with one temporary break, until the 



1 8th century. Their names 



were Thomas,*' Edward who 



succeeded before 1588** and 



died in 1608,'" Edward, who 



died in 1632,^" and a third 



Edward, who died in 1641, 



leaving four daughters and 



heirs, all under age.^^ The 



manor, however, was settled 



on their uncle William, to 



enable him after their father's 



death to pay the portions left 



to them.^- William Dudley 



was created a baronet in 



1660.*^ His son Matthew 



and grandson William succeeded him, hut the latter, 



who had no children,^'' sold the manor in 1724 to 



William Peere Williams. ^^ His son Hutchins Williams 



was created a baronet in 1747. On the death of the 



third and last baronet. Sir Booth Williams, in 1784,'''' 



it passed to the nephew of the first baronet. Admiral 



Peere Williams, who assumed the name of Freeman 



DuDLiv of Barnwell. 

 Azure a cheveron he- 

 tvieen three Horn* beads 

 razed or. 





WiLMAMS. Gules a 

 wolf coming out of bis 

 den argent. 



Freeman. . 



lozenges or. 



three 



in 1822." His descendants hold it till 1906, when 

 Augustus Freeman died unmarried. It was then sold 

 to Sir John Brunner, who settled it upon his son in 

 law, the Hon. Audley Blyth, in March 1906. He died 

 21 March 1908, and was succeeded by his widow, from 

 whose trustees it was purchased in 1910 by Thomas 

 William Buckley, M.D., J. P., the present owner. 



The third heir of William de Clapton m.iy be 

 identified with Rohesia, lady of Polcbrook, who 

 renounced her claim in the advowson of the cluirch 



of Clapton in 

 her quitclaim.-''' 



" I'.C.II. Xorlhants. i, 366 ; Chroi:. 

 Petrob. 173. In the Dudley MS. Alured 

 is called Alfred dc Crauntkort and his 

 family is said to have taken the name 

 of Clapton. 



" Bridges, Hist. Nortbanis, ii, 369 ; 

 Soc. Antiq. MS. 38, f. 68 j Cal. Curtn 

 Regis, i, pp. 25, 14S. 



"Soc. Antiij. MS. 38, f. 06, 121J; 

 Bridges, loc. cit. 



«* Cal. Curia Regis, i, pp. 25, 117, 119, 

 253 ; Bridges, loc. cit. gives them as 

 sisters of Willi.im, but from the pleadings 

 in the Curia Regis Royce is said to be the 

 niece of William and daughter of Robert 

 de Clapton. 



" SwafFham Reg. clxxi. 



" Bridges, op. cit. i, 368. 



" Soc. Antiq. MS. 3K, f. 66. See above. 



'• CBron. I'ftrob. (Camden Soc.) 142-3. 



"Soc. Antiq. MS. 38,1.66. 



•' Cote. MS. CIcop. C ii, f. 105./. 



" Ibid. f. Ill ; Chron. Petrob. (Camden 

 Soc), pp. 142-3. 



" Cott. MS. Vesp. E xxii, f. 49; 

 FaiJ. Aids, iv, p. 448 ; Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. (Ser. ii), xix, 129. 



" EgcrtonMS. (B.M.), 2733,f. 141^. 



" Bridges, op. cit. ii, 369 ; cf. Feet of 

 F. .Northants. llil. 24llcn. HI. 



•• S,.c. Antiq. MS. 60, f. 248./. 



•' I'cct of F. Northants. East. 56 

 Hen. III. 



" Chron. Petrob. 142-3; William seems 

 tfi have paid huinage again in 1301, pcr- 

 li:.ps after the dispute with David dc 

 I'letcwlk was finally settled (Cott. MS. 

 \'e!p. F. xxii,f. 49). 



••Cott. MS. Vcsp. Exxii. f. 110. 



" Ibid, xxi, f. 80 ; Soc. Antiq. MS. 38, 

 I. 65. ♦' Feud. Aids, iv, 44S. 



" J. inc. Epis. Reg. Memo. Bucking- 

 ham, 67. 



" Mctcilfr, Visit. Northantt. 15. 



126 



1219.'* Her son Robert ratified 

 It seems probable that she was 



•* Fend, .■tuts, vi, 501 ; ibid. Iv, 48. 



" Early Chan. I'roc. bdle. 38, no. 114. 



*" Clian. Inq. p.m. (Scr. II) xlx, 128. 



*' Meicalfe, loc. cit. ; Northants .V. and 

 Q. (new Sor.) iv, 52. " Ibid. 45, 46. 



*• Chan. Intj. p.m. (Scr. ii) ccc v, 129. 



^*' Ibid, cccclxvill, 93. 



" Ibid. dcxvll,4i. 



"Ibid.; Feet of F. Div. Cos. Trln. 

 1649; ibid. Mich. 1651; ibid. Mich. 

 1654 ; ibid. Trin. 165;. 



"' Ci.E.C. Complete Baronetage,\\\. p. loo. 



" Ibid. 



" I'cet of F. Northants, Trin. to Ceo. I 

 ibid. llil. I Geo. II. 



" G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, v. 94. 



" Burke, Landed Gentry, 1921 ; Recov. 

 K. Trin. 24 Ceo. Ill; Feet of F. 

 Northants. Trin. 2<) Geo. III. 



•• Swatlham Reg. ccl. b. ; Feet of F. 

 Northants. Trln. 3 Hen. HI. 



'• Swatlham Reg. cclxi. b. 



