CITY OF DURHAM 



and both chose Broomhall as their abode.* 

 Christopher died in 1625' after having by will 

 divided his leases between his nephew Nicholas, 

 son of Nicholas Briggs, and Edward and Thomas, 

 the sons of William Hall of Newcastle.' 



Certain lands in Broom were held by Richard 

 de Hoton, whose name is found in 1334.* In 

 1339 Richard, son of WiUiam de Hoton, acknow- 

 ledged that he owed ^^20 to Richard de Whyte- 

 powys, who received a similar recognizance for 

 a like amount from Richard, son of John de 

 Aldwood.' The significance of these transac- 

 tions is not clear, but in 1345 Richard de Hoton 

 ' of Aton,' was dealing with the manor of 

 Broom as in his own hands.^" though it had 

 formerly been held of him by Richard de Whyte- 

 powys," the Bishop's forester in Weardale. 



In 1345 Richard de Hoton conveyed his 

 manor of Broom to Richard FitzHugh chaplain, 

 who in the following year enfeoffed Richard de 

 Hoton and Cecily his wife and their issue.^- 

 Alice, daughter and heir of Richard de Hoton, 

 married Richard Dawtry as his second wife and 

 had by him a son John Dawtry the younger.^' 

 In 1431 this John Dawtry delivered various 

 evidences relating to the manor of Broom to his 

 nephew John Dawtry, the son of John Dawtry 

 the eldest son of Richard by his first wife." 

 This transfer seems to have been made at the 

 sale of the manor to Richard Cowhird, possibly 

 a trustee.'' 



John Forcer died in possession of the manor 

 in 1432''' and Broom followed the descent of 

 Kelloe (q.v.) until 1577," when John Forcer of 

 Harbour House conveyed all his lands here to 

 Mark Greenwell, with whose possessions in 

 Ushawe Broom possibly descended. 



The manor of BURN HALL (Great Brume, 

 Great Burne ; Burn xiv cent.) was held of 

 the Nevills, lords of Brancepeth by service of 

 f knight's fee.'* 



Its earliest known tenants were members of 

 the family of Brackenbury. At the end of the 

 13th century Robert de Neville released suit at 

 the court of the manor of Brancepeth to 



^ Headlam, op. cit. 44, 58. Eleanor died in 1635 

 and ' being excommunicate and convicted of recu- 

 sancy ' was given a clandestine burial in St. Oswald's 

 Church {Acts of the High Com. [Surt. Soc], 142 j 

 Headlam, op. cit. 88). 



6 Ibid. 71. 



' Surtees, loc. cit. 



* Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 29, m. I, 3 d. 



» See above. Ibid. m. 10. Thomas del Broom 

 had owed Richard ^6 in 1 343 (Ibid. m. 19 d.). 



1* Ibid. no. 36, m. 3. 



'1 Ibid. no. 29, m. 13 d. 



^ Ibid. no. 36, m. 3. 



13 Ibid. " Ibid. 15 Ibid. 



" Ibid. no. 2, fol. 266 ; 37, m. 6. 



" Surtees, loc. cit. 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 81 d., 104 d. 



Brackenbury. 

 ginl/retly sahU. 



Isabella de Brakenbury for a moiety of the 

 vill of Little Burne as Nicholas de Ture formerly 

 held it. Isabella seems to have married Peter 

 de Neville and a like release was granted to 

 them for a moiety of Little Burne by Ralph 

 son of Robert de Neville." Maud, widow of 

 William de Brackenbury, 

 claimed dower in the 

 manors of Great Burn, 

 Shipley and Crook, against 

 Robert de Brackenbury. 

 Robert declared that Wil- 

 liam de Brackenbury had 

 conveyed the tenements to 

 him, and in warranty he 

 called Peter, son and heir 

 of WiUiam.2o Maud failed 

 to establish her claim and 

 Robert held this manor until his death in or 

 about 1369, when it descended to Gilbert his son 

 and heir.-' Gilbert was succeeded by Alice his 

 daughter, but she died unmarried in 1379^ soon 

 after her father, her heir being her sister Maud, 

 born some time after November 1379.''^ Maud 

 grew up and married Sir John Claxton, Kt., 

 but the marriage was unhappy and they seem 

 to have separated in 141 0, when arrangements 

 were made for Maud's maintenance.-' Maud 

 survived her husband and died in January 

 1422-3, leaving a son John Claxton, a young man 

 of 22.25 Before 1448 John _ 

 had been succeeded by his 

 son William Claxton.-^ He 

 was twice married ;" Wil- 

 liam his eldest son and 

 successor died childless in 

 1481, his heir being his 

 sister Beatrice, who had 

 married Richard Feather- 

 stonehalgh.2* The manor of 

 Great Burn and other lands 

 were claimed, however, by 

 Richard Claxton, stepbrother of William,-' and 

 the succession seems to have been disputed 

 vehemently.*" Richard and Beatrice Feather- 



" Lans. MS. 902, fol. 295. Among the witnesses 

 are Thomas, Robert, and WiUiam de Brakenbury. 

 ^o Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 70, m. 28-9. 



21 Ibid. no. 2, fol. 81 d. 



22 Ibid. fol. 102 d. 



23 Ibid. 13. 



2* Ibid. no. 34, m. 6 d. ; cf. 35, m. 16 d., 20 d. ; no. 38, 

 m. I. 



2* Ibid. no. 2, fol. 219. He obtained livery in 

 April. Ibid. no. 38, m. 9. 



2« Ibid. no. 46, m. 16 d. 



2' In 145 1 he and Agnes his wife leased a waste 

 messuage in Owengate to Richard Raket. (Ibid, 

 no. 47, m. 22 d.). 



2» Ibid. ptfl. 178, no. 29. 



29 Ibid. 



30 Ibid. no. 56, m. 2 ; no. 62, m. 3. 



Claxton- Gulei a 

 Jesse betzceen three 

 hedgehogs argent. 



159 



