A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



honor as inheritance of his wife Ada, a sister and heir 

 of John, Earl of Chester.' Perhaps it was restored to 

 the possession of Edward, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of 

 Chester, after a complaint of usurpations of his fees in 

 1338.^ On his death in 1377 he held a half fee in 

 Preston late of Gilbert de Preston worth ;oi. yearly^ 

 and this was assigned as dower of his widow Joan in 

 1 38 1.'' There is no clear reference to this fee again 

 until the 1 6th century. ^ 



Walter fitz Winemar who held both fees in the 1 2th 

 century was succeeded by Gilbert de Preston before 

 1 167* and Gilbert by Michael de Preston before 

 Michaelmas 1172.^ He died in or before 1187 when 

 for two years the sheriff answered for £() 6s. from the 

 farm of Preston, in the king's hands together with the 

 heir of Michael.' Walter son of Michael became 

 sheriff in 1206 and in 1227 received a royal gift of six 

 does from Salcey forest to stock his park at Preston.' 

 On his death in 1230'" his son Gilbert paid 100^. relief 

 for his father's lands." Between 1241 and 1243 2 fees 

 in Preston and neighbouring parishes were held by 

 Gilbert de Preston of Henry de Hastings as of his 

 honor of Huntingdon.'- At the same time he was hold- 

 ing a half fee in Preston of Hugh d'Aubigny as of his 

 honor of Chester.'^ Gilbert de Preston 'le seneschal' 

 died in 1274 holding the manor of Preston including 

 a foreign wood called 'Arnho' through which he had 

 common and pannage in Salcey forest.''* He was suc- 

 ceeded by Laurence son of Sir William de Preston his 

 brother.' 5 In the next year the Chester fee was described 

 as a half fee in Preston, Hackleton, and Horton held 

 by the heirs of Gilbert.'* In 1284 Laurence held one 

 fee in Preston and Wootton of John de Hastings" and 

 in 1 301 he settled the manor on himself for life with 

 remainders to his sons Laurence and Thomas.'* Either 

 he or his son Laurence in 1313 owed service for 2 

 knights' fees for land in Preston, Hackleton, Horton, 

 Piddington, Quinton, and Wootton, as of the manor of 

 Yardley Hastings," and was named as lord of the viU 

 of Preston in 1316.-° Laurence de Preston junior had 

 certainly succeeded by 1329 when he claimed view 

 of frankpledge and other rights by force of the 1301 

 settlement.^' On his death in 1 347 the jurors returned 

 that he held the manor by service of one knight's fee 

 and suit at the court called 'Barronesmot' at Barton or 

 Huntingdon each month and that Thomas de Preston, 

 knight, was his son and heir.-- In this year Thomas 

 brought a suit against Sir George de Longueville and 



Isabel his wife, the daughter of Laurence de Preston 

 and Joan de Moleton,-^^ concerning 18 messuages of his 

 manor, and in 1 348 George de Longueville was named 

 with Thomas de Preston as tenant of i J fees in Preston 

 and elsewhere. ^■^ From Thomas the manor descended 

 to his son Hugh and grandson Wynmer.-^' In 1429 

 Wynmer 'late lord of Preston' and his mother 

 Eleanor quitclaimed their right in the manor to John 

 Hertwelle of Hartwelland Henry 

 Hertwelle of Piddington.^* Six 

 years later when Wynmer's goods 

 were extended for a debt of ^{^500 

 to John and Henry Hertwelle he 

 was found to be seised of a rent- 

 charge of 20 marks on the manor 

 of Preston. ^^ John HertweU was 

 succeeded by his son Thomas and 

 grandson Sir William who died in 

 I 503 leaving Catherine his wife, Hertwell. Sails a 

 daughter of John Boughton of hart'^ head cahoikedar- 

 ry,. jj. T> jr J ■ Z^"' "With a cross Jormy 



Tiddmgton, CO. Bedford, m pos- \^ ^^,^^^„ ,^, ^^^„/ 

 session.-" Prom her it passed to 

 their son John in 1512.^' Some years later an unsuccess- 

 ful claim to the manor was made by Richard Rudhull, in 

 right of Sybil his wife, and John BrudeneU as descendants 

 of Alice and Eleanor sisters of Wynmer de Preston, on 

 the plea that Wynmer was seised in fee tail and that 

 the right of John Hertwell was based solely on a debt 

 of ^500 long since paid.^" In 1 527 John HertweU made 

 a settlement on his eldest son William at his marriage 

 with Elizabeth daughter of John Barber.^' They were 

 both dead by 1545 when a marriage was arranged 

 between their son Jasper, a minor, and Martha 

 daughter of John Tregian whose dower of the lands in 

 Preston had to be assured by an Act of Parhament.^^ 

 The family of Lane held property in Preston at this 

 time and in 1 569 Jasper Hertwell and his son Robert 

 assigned to Sir Robert Lane aU the land north of a brook 

 running through the manor, but later this share was 

 acquired by Jasper in return for an annuity. ^^ On the 

 death of Jasper in 1585 the jurors returned that the 

 manor was held of the Queen for 3 knights' fees, of 

 which 2 were held as of the honor of Huntingdon, 

 i fee as of the honor of Chester and the remainder as 

 of Basset's fee. 3'* In 1620 the property passed from Sir 

 Robert, son of Jasper, to Sir Clement Edmonds, a 

 clerk of the Council of James I,^^ ^ho was succeeded in 

 1622 by his son Charles.^* He married EHzabeth 



^ Cal. Close, 1237-42, p. 369. 



^ Cal. Pat. 1338-40, p. 34. 



3 Chan. Inq. p.m. 2 Ric. II, no. 57. 



* Cal. Close, 1377-81, p. 443. 



5 Ct. of Wards, Inq. p.m. file 21, no. 98. 



' Pipe Roll Soc. xi, 121. A grant by 

 Walter fitz Winemar to the priory of St. 

 Andrew, Northampton, was confirmed by 

 his heirs Gilbert and Hugh brother of 

 Gilbert, and successively by Michael de 

 Preston, Walter his son, and Gilbert son 

 of Walter : Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xvii, fols. 

 55-6, 69-70. For this family see Farrer, 



'. 95-7- 



' Pipe Roll Soc. xv'm, ^6. This Michael 

 is said to have been the brother of Walter 

 6tz Winemar: Farrer, ii, 322. 



^ Pipe Roll Soc. xxxvii, 1 04; Pipe R. 

 I Ric. I (ed. J. Hunter), 104. 

 ' Cal. Close, 1227-31, p. 6. 

 »» Ibid. p. 372. 



" Excerpta e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 204. 

 '2 Cal. Close, 1237-42, p. 369; Bk. of 



Fees, ii, 938. " Ibid. 941. 



^■* Cal. Inq. p.m. ii, 69 ; Cal. Fine R. i, 1 6. 



'5 Ibid. Shortly after this date the jurors 

 inquiring into the liberties of the King 

 found that the men of Laurence de Pres- 

 ton and Gilbert his predecessor had for ten 

 years withheld toll in Northampton be- 

 cause they were tenants of the honor of 

 Huntingdon: Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 2. 



■* Cal. Inq. p.m. ii, 128, p. 84. 



" Feud. Aids, iv, 7. 



>8 Feet of F. case 175, file 58, no. 399; 

 Plac. de Quo IVarr. (Rec. Com.), 563. 



" Cal. Inq. p.m. v, 412, p. 235. 



20 Feud. Aids, iv, 27. 



2' Plac. de Quo IVarr. (Rec. Com.), 563. 

 Cf. Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii, 8. 



-^ Cal. Inq. p.m. \x, 27. He had demised 

 the manor to Roger, Bishop of Coventry 

 and Lichfield, for life at a rent of ,f 20. 



" DeBancoR. 350, m. 307 d.j ibid. 352, 

 m. 1 30 d. ; ibid. 3 54, m. 1 54. The defen- 

 dants cited a settlement made by Sir 

 Laurence de Preston to his son Laurence 



and Joan daughter of John de Moleton. 



^* Cal. Inq. p.m. ix, 118, p. 122. 



25 Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 438, no. 10; 

 561, no. 54. 



2' Cal. Close, 1429-35, pp. 28, 32. This 

 John was the son of Henry HertweU by 

 Mary daughter of Sir Laurence de Pres- 

 ton : Bridges, Hist, of Northants. i, 380. 



" Chan. Extents on debts, file 63, no. 1 8 . 



2* Bridges, i, 381; Cal. Inq. p.m. Hen. 

 VII, ii, 752. 



2^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ixxix, 187. 



3° Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 438, no. 10; 

 561, no. 54. 



3' L. and P. Hen. nil, xx (2), g. 850 

 (11). " Ibid. 



35 Feet of F. Northants. East. 11 Eliz. ; 

 ibid. Trin. 11 Eliz.; ibid. Mich. 33-4 

 II Eliz. ; Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2),ccvii, 103. 



3+ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccvii, 103. 



35 Diet. Nat. Biog.; Feet of F. 

 Northants. East. 18 Jas. I; Recov. R. 

 East. 18 Jas. I, m. 72. 



3' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cccxcv, 99. 



280 



