HUXLOE HUNDRED 



GREAT ADDINGTON 



Baldwin de Vere, who in 1233 was described as 

 constable of Clun Castle." He obtained exemption 

 from suit at the hundred court for his lands and 

 men of Thrapston from Alexander, Abbot of Peter- 

 borough (1222-6)*" and appears to have taken up his 

 residence and possibly built a house at Addingon. 

 In 1232 he received licence from tl\e Abbot of Croyland 

 as patron, Walter, rector of the church of Addington, 

 and Bishop Hugh of Lincoln, to build a chapel, 

 without a baptistery or belfry, in his court at Adding- 

 ton, where he and his wife Havvise, their guests and 

 household, might hear divine service, but they were 

 to visit the parish church on certain feasts. Baldwin 

 and his heirs could present a chaplain who would be 

 admitted by the rector, and he and his wife granted 

 certain lands to the parish church.** At the same 

 time he exchanged certain lands with the abbot of 

 Croyland for other lands before his gate, evidently 

 with the object of improving the approach to his 

 house.** He was alive in 1242-3,** but in 1 245, 

 Robert his son was holding his lands.** Robert 

 married Joan de Waterville, one of the heiresses of 

 Thorpe Waterville, with whom he received one third 

 of the manor of Ludborough and other lands. He 

 died before 1 277 when Baldwin his son was under age. 

 Baldwin died before 1287, when Robert his brother 

 did homage for part of the inheritance of Joan his 

 mother.** Robert de Vere, who was sheriff of North- 

 amptonshire in 1 301 and 13 19, paid scutage for his 

 manor of Thrapston held of Thomas Wake in 1316.** 

 His wife's name was Maud. He died before 1330, 

 and was succeeded by Ralph his son.*' Ralph died 

 in 133s,** and an extent of Addington Manor taken 

 after his death, showed there was then a capital mes- 

 suage, a dovecot, a garden with a mill in it and 

 60 acres of demesne.*' His son John de Vere, who 

 married Alice, was one of the 1 10 defendants in a suit 

 as to dower in Thrapston in 1345.^ He was killed 

 at the Battle of Crecy (1346)'* leaving a son John 

 who survived his father only a few years and died 

 under age. 



In 1349 Simon de Drayton, the overlord of Adding- 

 ton, granted the wardship of John in respect of that 

 manor to Thomas Wake, lord of Liddell^^ who was 

 John's overlord at Thrapston. John was succeeded 

 by his uncle Robert, who is described as of Addington 

 He and his wife Elizabeth entailed the manor of 

 Addington in 1351, when Alice widow of John de Vere 

 had her dower in it.** Robert died about 1369, leav- 

 ing three sons, Robert, Baldwin and John. Elizabeth 

 his widow had her dower in the lands, and she is 

 described in 1400 as lady of Great Addington,** 

 where no doubt she lived. Robert the eldest son, also 

 described as of Addington,** was still under age in 



1400.** In 1408, by deed dated at Great Addington, 

 he, described as ' Robert Vere of Thrapston,' granted 

 the manors of Thrapston, with his lands in Little 

 Addington and Woodford, to Sir John Pilkington, 

 Ralph Grenc of Drayton, Thomas Mulsho and John 

 de VVelton of Bolde, probably for the purposes of a 

 settlement.*' On 26 February 1420, Pilkington, 

 Mulsho and Welton reconvcycd these lands, except the 

 site and demesnes of the manor of Thrapston and other 

 lands there, to Robert de Vere.** Robert died appar- 

 ently in this year or the following, leaving a daugliter 

 Margaret, married to Thomas Ashby. In 1421 

 Thomas Ashby, of Louseby in Leicestershire, and 

 Margaret his wife granted the manor of Thrapston to 

 Baldwin de Vere, uncle of Margaret.*' Baldwin, 

 described as of Addington, by deed dated there in 

 1405, conveyed all his lands to William, parson of the 

 church of Islip, and William Seymour, apparently 

 for the purposes of a settlement.*" He died in 1424, 

 leaving a son and heir Richard,** who married Isabella, 

 sister of Sir Henry Grene. Richard died in 1480 and 

 was succeeded by his son Henry de Vere'^ who died 

 in 1493, leaving four daughters and heirs by his wife 

 Isabella Tresham, all under age.** These ladies were 

 also co-heirs of their mother to the lands of Constance, 

 daughter of Sir Henry Grene, wife of John Stafford, 

 Earl of Wiltshire, on the death of their son Edward, 

 Earl of Wiltshire** in 1499. These de Vere co-heiresses 

 were (i) Elizabeth, who married John son of Sir John 

 Mordaunt, who was created a baron in 1522, and whose 

 descendants eventually obtained nearly the whole of 

 Henry de Vere's property ; (2) Anne, who married, first, 

 Robert, another son of Sir John Mordaunt, by whom 

 she had no issue, and secondly, Humphrey Brown, 

 brother of Sir Wistan Brown, by whom she had a son 

 George who died without issue in 1558 ; after George's 

 death his share in the manor of Great Addington being 

 conveyed by the three daughters of Sir Humphrey 

 Brown by his second wife Anne, daughter of John, 

 Lord Hussey,** and their descendants, to the Mor- 

 daunts before the end of the century ; (3) Constance, 

 the third daughter, who married John Parr and died 

 without issue in 1501, when her share fell to her three 

 sisters ; (4) Audrey or Etheldreda, the fourth daughter, 

 who married John, son and heir of Sir Wistan Brown ; 

 they and their son George conveyed their share in 

 Great Addington to Sir John Mordaunt in 1548.** 

 Thus by the end of the l6th century all the shares in 

 Great Addington and Thrapston had come into the 

 possession of Lewis, third Lord Mordaunt, son of John 

 son of John first Lord Mordaunt and Elizabeth de 

 Vere. Lewis leased the manor house of Great Adding- 

 ton to Arthur Darcy with the chief messuage in the 

 tenure of John Cootes. In 1610, a term of six years 



•» Rol. Liu. Claus. (Rcc. Com.),i, loA. ; 

 Cat. Liberate R. 1226-40, p. 232. 



" Drayton Chart, no. 52. 



* * Ibid. nas. 2 1 , 94, 98 j Line. Epis. Reg. 

 Bp. Wells, Jol. 23. 



•• Drayton Chart, no. 68. 



•• Bk. of Fees, pt. ii, 937. 



" PUe. de Quo Warr. (Rcc. Com.), 500. 



♦'Cott. MS. Cleop. C i, fol. 136; 

 Cbron Petrob. (Camden Soc), 142. 



*• Drayton Chart, no. 6. 



♦' Plac. de QuolVarr. (Rcc. Com.), 500; 

 Halstead, op. cit. 265, 268. 



" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. no. 128. 



** Drayton Chart, no. 91. 



Drayton Chart. 7. 



Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. IV, file 74, 

 II ; Cal. Pat. Hen. VII, vol. ii, 419; 

 , MS. 1025, p. 6. 

 Ibid. 



Exchcq. Inq. p.m. ptf. 573, no. 2. 

 Cal. Pat. Hen. VII, vol. ii, p. 419. 

 Visit, of Essex (Harl. Soc.), i, 166 j 

 of F. Northants. Mich. 22 Hen. VIII ; 

 Cos. East. 4 Eliz. ; Northants. Mich. 

 9 Eliz. ; IVin. 40 Eliz. ; Recov. R. 

 , 1572, ro. 1068; Trin. 1576, ro. H07. 

 Com. PI. D. Enr. East, i Edw. VI, 

 d ; Feet of F. Northants. Trin. X 

 .VI. 



157 



