A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



Thomas Wriothesley earl of Southampton in I 549." 

 It has since followed the same descent as the manor of 

 Soberton originally owned by the abbot and convent 

 of Beaulieu (q.v.). 



The manor of FLEXL4ND or RUSSELL FLEX- 

 L4ND was in origin a sub-manor dependent on the 

 manor of Soberton belonging to the abbot and con- 

 vent of Beaulieu, and as late as 1462 was said to be 

 held of the abbot and convent by the rent of a pound 

 of pepper. 100 At the close of the thirteenth century 

 the manor was held by Ralph Russell, who, with the 

 consent of Martha his wife, granted to the abbey six 

 acres of land which he held of it in Soberton."" He 

 seems to have been succeeded by Geoffrey Russell, 

 whose lands in Flexland of the annual value of four 

 marks three shillings were forfeited for his rebellion 

 towards the close of the reign of Henry III. 10 ' The 

 Russells, however, must have ultimately regained pos- 

 session of their property in Flexland, for in 1 308 

 John Russell, son and heir of Sir William Russell, 

 released to Sir John de Drokensford, bishop of Bath 

 and Wells (1309-29), all his right in a messuageand 

 lands in Flexland and in all other lands in Hampshire 

 that his mother Alice was holding in dower of his 

 inheritance. 10 * On the death of Sir John de Drokens- 

 ford, Russell Flexland passed to his brother Philip. 104 

 Philip de Drokensford, son and heir of the latter, died 

 in 1355, leaving a son and heir John, who seems to 

 have died a year or two afterwards without issue. 104 



In 1371 Walter de Mildecombe and Margaret his 

 wife dealt by fine with half the manor which Sir 

 Maurice le Bruyn and Margaret his wife were then 

 holding for the life of Margaret. 106 It is possible that 

 Margaret wife of Sir Maurice le Bruyn was the 

 widow of John de Drokensford, as she held the moiety 

 for life only, but it is more probable that she was 

 sister and heir of John, 107 and that the moieties of the 

 manor were entailed upon her daughters and co-heirs 

 by a former husband, John de Clyvedon, 108 viz. (l) 

 Margaret wife of Walter de Mildecombe, and (2) 

 Margaret who married first John St. Loe and second 

 Sir Peter Courtenay, seventh son of Hugh de 

 Courtenay, earl of Devon. 109 If such was the case, 

 Margaret wife of Walter de Mildecombe probably 

 died without issue, for Sir Peter Courtenay at his 

 death, in 1405, was seised of the whole manor in 

 right of his wife Margaret. 110 On her death some 

 years later, Flexland passed to her grandson William, 

 Lord Botreaux, 111 son and heir of William, Lord 

 Botreaux, and her daughter Elizabeth. 11 * He died in 



1462 seised of the manor of Flexland, together with 

 the hamlet of Soberton, parcel of the manor. 115 His 

 heir was his daughter Margaret, widow of Sir Robert 

 Hungerford, who after her father's death usually styled 

 herself Margaret, Lady Botreaux. She afterwards 

 married Sir Thomas Burgh, and joined with him in 

 1464 in granting the manor of Flexland to John 

 Mervyn, 1 " who was one of her confidential friends, 

 trustees, and general managers, 115 while the next year 

 she conveyed a messuage, 100 acres of land, 8 acres 

 of meadow, 80 acres of pasture, 20 acres of wood, 

 and 4O/. rent in Flexland Russell and Soberton to 

 other trustees. 116 Soon afterwards the manor was 

 settled on William Warbleton and Margery his wife 

 in fee-tail, with contingent remainder to Elizabeth 

 Syfrewast, aunt of William, for life, with remainder 

 in fee-tail to Agnes wife of Miles Skulle and daughter 

 of Elizabeth, with contingent remainder to Margaret 

 Breknok wife of David Breknok, and Sybil widow of 

 Thomas Rykys, sisters of Agnes. 117 William died 

 seised of the manor in 1469, the following being 

 returned as his heirs (l) his cousin Henry Puttenham 

 son and heir of his aunt Margaret Puttenham, aged 

 sixty and more, (2) his cousins Margaret Breknok and 

 Sybil Rykys, aged forty and more, and thirty-six and 

 more, respectively, and (3) his second cousin William 

 Skulle son and heir of his cousin Agnes Skulle, aged 

 thirty and more. 118 In accordance with the settlement 

 Flexland descended to William Skulle, who was seised 

 of it in 1484."' The history of the manor for some 

 time after this is obscure, but it eventually fell into the 

 hands of William Dale, who conveyed it with the 

 other Soberton manors to Walter Bonham and Alice 

 his wife, 1 * who in their turn sold it to Thomas 

 Wriothesley, earl of Southampton, in I549. 1 * 1 Since 

 this date its descent has been identical with that of 

 the chief manor of Soberton (q.v. supra). The site of 

 the manor is marked by Russell's Farm and Russell's 

 Wood in the east of the parish. 



The early history of the manor of LONGSPIERS 

 or LONGSPERrS is obscure, unless it is identical with 

 the manor of Soberton owned by the De Winton 

 family in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. 

 The first mention of it, though under a different name, 

 is in 1474, when John Horewood was said to have 

 held four marks rent in Candover of Thomas Langford 

 as of his manor of Soberton by the service of \d. a 

 year. 1 * 1 Thomas died seised of the manor in 1494, 

 leaving a son and heir John, 1 " who nine years later 

 sold it by the name of the manor of Longsperys, with 



' Feet of F. Hants, Trin. 3 Edw. VI. 



100 Inq. p.m. 1 Edw. IV, No. 15. 



101 Harl. MS. 6603, fol. 284. 



lm Chan. Inq. Misc. file 21, No. 12. 

 1 3 Close, 2 Edw. II, m. i8rf. 

 I M Vide Meonstoke Ferrand. l 5 Ibid. 

 Feet of F. Hants, Hil. 45 Edw. III. 



107 Most authorities state that William 

 le Bruyn and his son and heir Maurice 

 le Bruyn married respectively Iseult 

 daughter and heir of Philip Rokesle, and 

 Maud daughter and heir of Philip Rolccsle. 

 This seems unlikely, and 'Margaret 

 daughter and heir of Philip de Drokens- 

 ford ' seems a plausible emendation for 

 'Maud daughter and heir of Philip 

 Rokes'e,' especially as Drokensford is 

 sometimes spelt Throkkelsford. 



108 The manor of Meonstoke Ferrand 

 cannot have been thus entailed, for, as has 

 been shown above, Maurice le Bruyn 

 and Margaret his wife sold it in 1357. 



10 Jewer, Wells Cathedral, 293 ; Mite. 

 Gen. et Hcraldica (2nd Ser.), ii, 314. 



110 Inq. p.m. 6 Hen. IV, No. 38. 



111 In 1417 Richard Kayton released to 

 William, Lord Botreaux, all right in half 

 the manor of Flexland, which he had 

 lately held, in conjunction with Nicholas 

 bishop of Bath and Wells and others, of 

 the gift and enfeofTment of William (Close, 

 5 Hen. V, m. 14). 



112 Jewer, Wells Cathedral, 293. Eliza- 

 beth was her daughter and heir by her 

 first husband John St. Loe. 



118 Inq. p.m. 2 Edw. IV, No. 15 ; the 

 manor in 1431 comprised 7 messuages and 

 2 carucates of land (Feud. Aids, ii, 372). 



114 Feet of F. Div. Cos. Mich. 4 Edw. 

 IV. 



118 According to Vincent's pedigree, 

 John Mervyn was the husband of Joan, 

 either daughter or granddaughter of Mar- 

 garet (Misc. Gen. et Hcraldica [New Ser.], 



262 



i, 358), but this statement cannot be relied 

 on implicitly (Sir William Drake, Fasci- 

 culus Mer-uiniensis, 4). 



Feet of F. Hants, Trin. 5 Edw. IV. 



W Of the gift and enfeoffment of 

 William Brocas, jun., and John Brawe, 

 rector of St. Leonards, Sherfield. 



118 Inq. p.m. 8 Edw. IV, No. 44 ; by his 

 will he left 31. $.d. to the church of Soberton 

 (P.C.C. will 19 Godyn). 



119 De Bane. R. Mich. 2 Ric. Ill, m. 

 328. 



lao Feet of F. Hants, East. 36 Hen. 

 VIII. 



"l Ibid. Trin. 3 Edw. VI. 



1M Inq. p.m. 14 Edw. IV, No. 28; 

 Thomas had inherited it from his father 

 Edward (Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 9, 

 No. 66). 



158 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 9, No. 

 66 ; he was a member of a Hertfordshire 

 family (Clutterbuck, Herts, iii, 33). 



