HIGHAM FERRERS HUNDRED 



RING STEAD 



from tenants in Ringstead, Raunds, and Cotes, mem- 

 bers of the manor of Higham.' 



The tenants in Ringstead from whom suit was 

 thus appropriated were Robert Punteney and Richard 

 Trayly;- the bailiffs had also withdrawn \oJ. sherifFs 

 aid owed by Richard de Ringstead, with \od. for 

 sheriff's aid from the fee of William Hay in Ringstead, 

 and 2/. owed by the latter fee for view of frankpledge 

 and vigils.' William Barbedor (who in 1285 received a 

 grant of lands and rents in the manor of Ringstead from 

 Roger Barbedor for life)* and Ralph Waldeshef in 

 Ringstead and Stanwick were claiming assize of bread 

 and ale.' 



In 1284 one-eighth of a fee in Ringstead was held 

 of the Earl of Lancaster by Henry the Scot,* and this 

 was presumably either the eighth of a knight's fee in 

 Ringstead held in 1298 by John Andrew, or another 

 eighth then held by Hugh de Ringstead, of the fee of 

 Ferrers.' 



About 1330 the eighth of a fee formerly held by 

 'John son of Andrew' was in the hands of Richard 

 Chamberleyn,* and this manor followed the descent of 

 Denford (q-v.)' until 1496, when Richard Chamber- 

 leyn died seised of 4 messuages and land in Ringstead, 

 held of the Earl of Kent.'" The manorial rights seem 

 by this time to have been absorbed in the Chamberleyn 

 manor of Cotes. 



Haifa fee in Ringstead and Stanwick was held of the 

 honor of Peverel in 1242 by Matthew de Iverny." 

 Between this date and 1 260 the Earl of Derby enfeoffed 

 William de Walda, who commuted the villein services 

 in this manor for a payment of 20/. the virgate.'^ This 

 half fee had evidently passed to William Barbedor and 

 Ralph Waldeshef by 1275,'^ and was apparently sub- 

 sequently divided, Waldeshef taking the property in 

 Stanwick (q.v.). A third of a fee which had belonged to 

 Roger Barbedor was held, about 1 3 30, by Roger Brown 

 and Agnes daughter and heir of Walter Barbedor'* 

 (presumably either Roger's wife or his mother). It 

 was possibly acquired by Henry Green with the manor 

 of Raunds (q.v.) about 1360, as in 1428 Sir Simon 

 Felbrigge was holding, in right of his wife Katharine 

 the widow of Ralph Green, a half fee in Ringstead and 

 Stanwick formerly held by Ralph Waldeshef and John 

 Brown. '5 It then descended with Drayton (q.v.)'* until 

 I 540, when John Browne, the son of Sir Wistan and of 

 Maud daughter of William Mordaunt," with .'\udrey 

 his wife, the third daughter and co-heir of Henry Verc 

 of Addington,'' settled a third of the manor of Ring- 

 stead on himself and Audrey for life, then on George 

 their son and heir and his wife Elizabeth, for life, with 



MoBDAfNT. Argent a 



cheveran betvieen three 



itars table. 



remainder to Wisun, their third son." In 1558 George 

 and Wistan conveyed this third to Sir John, Lord 

 Mordaunt.-o A third of the manor was in i 562 in the 

 hands of Sir Humphrey Browne, who made a settle- 

 ment of it on himself, with re- 

 mainder to his son and heir 

 George for life, then to Mary, 

 Christine.and Catherine Browne, 

 daughters of Sir Humphrey.-' 

 George Browne died s.p., and in 

 1576 one daughter, Catherine 

 Browne, suffered a recovery of 

 a third of a third of the manor;" 

 and a recovery of another third of 

 a third was suffered by JohnTuf- 

 ton, father of Nicholas Lord 

 Tufton,^' who had married an- 

 other daughter, Christine.-* In the following year two- 

 thirds of a third were dealt with jointly by John Tufton 

 and his wife Christine, and by Thomas Wilford and his 

 wife Mary,^5 the eldest daughter of Sir Humphrey.** 

 Catherine Browne, the third daughter and co-heir of Sir 

 Humphrey married as her first husband Richard Town- 

 send of Raynham in Norfolk and, as her second, William 

 Roper, son and heir to Sir Thomas Roper of Eltham." 

 With her husband William Roper she was dealing with 

 a third of a third of the manor in 1 590.'' Two-thirds of 

 the manor of Ringstead were in the same year dealt with 

 by Sir Lewis, Lord Mordaunt, and his wife Margaret," 

 whose son Henry Lord Mordaunt at his death on 13 

 February 1610 was seised of manors of Ringstead and 

 Furnells in Raunds, cSrc.,'" with which his son and heir 

 John Lord Mordaunt was dealing in 162;. '' On this 

 occasion and in 1649'- the description ' manor of Ring- 

 stead alias Furnells in Raunds' replaces the 'manors of 

 Ringstead and Furnells in Raunds' used in 16 10, and 

 it was as the manor of Ringstead alias Furnells in 

 Raunds that this manor then descended like Drayton 

 with the earldom of Peterborough. '^ 



Four small virgatcs in Ringstead of the fee of Den- 

 ford were returned in the Northamptonshire Survey as 

 held by Gilbert fitz Richard, and descended with the 

 Cotes fees among the possessions of the de Clares, Earls 

 ofGloucester.'* In 1262-3 William de Shardelcwe and 

 his wife Joan made a grant to Richard Trayly of Wood- 

 ford of land in Thrapston, Denford, and Ringstead," 

 and in 1274-5 Richard Trayly was one of the tenants 

 in Ringstead whose suit at the hundred courts and 

 sheriff's tourn in the manor of Higham had been ap- 

 propriated by the Earls of Gloucester: the service due 

 from him in Ringstead in making part of the hedge of 



' Hund. R. ii, 10. 



* Their interests were probably acquired 

 by the Chamberlej-n family; cf. Denford; 

 y.C.H. Nortbantt. iii, 193-4. 



' HunJ. R. ii, 10. 



♦ Feet of F. Div. Co. East. 1 3 Edw. I, 

 no. 1 1 . ' Hund. R. ii, 10. 



' Feu J. Aids, iv, 14. 



' Cal. Inq. p.m. iii, 423; Cat. Chte, 

 IZ96-130:, p. 168. Part of Ringstead at 

 this time was a member of the manor of 

 Raunds: ibid. 



» Plac. de Quo ffar. (Rcc. Com.), 580; 

 Feud. Aidi, vi, 568. 



• y.C.II. Sortbantl. iii, 193. 



"> Chan. Inq. p.m. (Scr. 2), xi, 4. 



" Bk. cj Feet, ^]i. 



" Assize R. 616, m. 7 d. 



'J Hund. R. (Rcc. Com.), ii, 10. 



'* Feud. Aidt, vi, 568. Waldeshef and 



Barbedor are here called heirs of William 

 dc Vaus (i.e. de Waldc, or dc Waldis, as 

 he is called elsewhere). 



■5 Ibid, iv, 46. 



'<" Feet of F. Div. Co. Trin. 1 5 Hen. 

 VII; ibid. Hil. 27 Hen. VIII; Deeds 

 Enr. Trin. 29 Hen. VIII, no. 14. 



" yitii. ofEiiex (Harl. Soc.), 166. 



>» Ibid. 



'» Feet of F. Northants. Hil. 31 Hen. 

 VIII. 



" Ibid. Div. Co., Mich. 4 & 5 P. and M. 



" Ibid. East. 4 Eliz. 



'' Recov. R. Trin. 18 EUi. ro. 107. 



" Ibid. ro. 120. 



" fitit. ofEttex (Harl. Soc.). 166. 



" Feet of F. Northants. Mich. 18 & 

 19 Eliz. ' 



" yiiit. ofEttex (Harl. Soc.), 166. 



" Ibid. 



'* Feet of F. Northants. Trin. 32 Eliz. 



" Ibid. 



^o Chan. Inq. p.m. (Scr. 2), vol. cccix, 

 200. 



" Feet of F. Div. Co. Trin. 19 Jas. I; 

 Recov. R. Hil. iq Jas. I, ro. 40. 



" Keetof F. Northants. Hil. 24 Chas. I. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), dcxiiv, 64; 

 Recov. R. Trin. 21 Chas. II, ro. 158; 

 Trin. 22Cha9.II,ro. 21; Mich. 23 Chas. II, 

 ro. 175; Hil. 1-2 Jas. II, ro. 62; Feet of 

 F. Northants. Mich. 23 Chas. II ; Div. Co. 

 Hil. I & 2 Jjs. II. 



'^ In 1330 Hugh de Audley and Mar- 

 garet his wife, then holding the honor of 

 Gloucester, claimed free warren and other 

 rights in Ringstead; Phc, de Quo Ifar. 

 (Rec. Com.), 57 1. 



" Feet of F. 47 Hen. Ill, Northants. 

 file 47, no. 844. 



TV 



41 



