A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



stonehalgh, ' in some hope of loyalty and 

 justice,' conveyed these lands in March 1487-8 

 to trustees, among the chief of whom were 

 Ralph Earl of Westmorland and the powerful 

 Sir John Conyers, kt., as well as William Claxton 

 of Brancepeth.'i Beatrice died before February 

 1 500-1 when Richard obtained a retrospective 

 pardon to them both for intrusion on the manor 

 of Great Burn and an episcopal mandate secur- 

 ing them from molestation.^ Later Richard 

 seems to have taken Holy Orders,'' but before 

 doing so he conveyed his life interest in the 

 manor to Eleanor wife of Robert Layburn** 

 in return for a yearly rent of ;^io.'* Eleanor 

 died in 1507, leaving an infant daughter Joan 

 but 35 weeks old ; '* Robert Layburn continued 

 in possession by the courtesy of England. In 

 151 1 the elder branch of the family of Bracken- 

 bury, as represented by Ralph and Anthony 

 Brackenbury, made a determined effort to get 

 possession of the manor and actually obtained 

 a judgment in their favour." 



In spite of this action the Brackenburys 

 could not make good their claim. Anthony 

 Brackenbury and others entered into recogniz- 

 ances to keep the peace towards Robert Claxton 

 of Framwellgate in 15 12,'* and in 15 18 Robert 

 acknowledged a debt of ;^ioo to Anthony giving 

 as security the manor of Burn with all lands, 

 etc., ' which were in the possession of William 

 Claxton of Burn.' ^ Robert was succeeded by 

 William his son, who died in 1540, leaving a son 

 William, a minor, whose wardship was claimed 

 two years later by Ralph Earl of Westmorland.'"' 

 The younger William Claxton died in December 



'1 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, ptfl. 178, no. 56, m. 5 d. 



^ Ibid. no. 61, m. 14. 



^ Ibid. no. 62, m. 8. 



** Ibid. cl. 13, no. 233. 



'5 Ibid. no. 66, m. 2d. In 1511 Richard Feather- 

 stonehalgh, chaplain, sued Anthony Brackenbury and 

 another for their forcible breaking of his houses, etc. 

 (ibid. 13, 233). 



3* Ibid. ptfl. 178, no. 29. 



" Ibid. no. 70, m. 9; cl. 13, no. 233. Anthony 

 alleged that Piers Brackenbury was enfeoffed by cer- 

 tain trustees for life with remainder in tail male to 

 Gilbert Brackenbury and contingent remainder to 

 Nicholas Brackenbury in tail male. He further said 

 that Piers Brackenbury died at Great Burn and that 

 the manor descended to Thomas, son and heir of 

 Nicholas Brackenbury, and to his heirs. No docu- 

 mentary evidence for any of these statements has been 

 found. Layburn objected to the panel as first formed 

 on the ground that it had been made by Sir William 

 Buhner, then sheriff, and cousin of Anthony Bracken- 

 bury 's wife. 



3« Ibid. cl. 8, no. 78, fol. 78. 39 Ibid. fol. 115. 



40 Ibid. cl. 3, ptfl. 177 ; no. 58, 178 ; no. 6, 29; cf. 

 no. 78, m. 13 d., ptfl. 177, no. 51. Ann, his widow, 

 married Richard Thade (ibid. ptfl. 177, no. 49; 

 no. 78, m. 15 d.). 



1560 when Robert his son was a boy of 13." 

 Robert made a settlement of the manor on him- 

 self, Eleanor his wife and their children in 1 569." 

 He seems, however, to have got into great 

 financial difficulties and sold Burnhall to George 

 Lawson of Little Usworth, who bought Strother 

 house and Strotherfield in Bowden parish from 

 him in 1574.*' Lawson seems to have behaved 

 with the greatest consideration towards the 

 Claxtons," providing in his will that Robert 

 should recover the property on the payment of 

 j^2,ooo within a twelvemonth of the testator's 

 death,''^ but Robert was unable to fulfil this 

 condition.''* Thomas Lawson, son and heir of 

 George, conveyed the manor to James Lisle,'" 

 and together they and Dorothy wife of James 

 made a further conveyance to Sir Ralph Lawson 

 in 1592.** Sir Ralph sold it before 1617" to 

 Henry Manfield of Amerden, Bucks ;''* an 

 interest in it also belonged to Dorothy Fitz- 

 William, widow, and Henry son and heir of John 

 Barker of Hurst, Berks." 



All these persons joined in conveying the 

 manor in 1621 to Christopher Peacock of Rich- 

 mond, mercer, and to Simon his son and heir.** 

 Simon died in his father's life-time,"' but Simon 

 his son inherited the manor,** which formed the 

 marriage settlement of Simon his son in 1683.** 

 The younger Simon Peacock was living at 

 Burnhall in 1689*" and died in January 1707-8." 

 Simon his son sold Old Burnhall or the eastern 

 portion of the estate to Posthumous Smith, 

 LL.D., and his father-in-law Sir George Wheler 

 in 1 71 5,** while two years later New Burnhall 

 was purchased by George Smith, his nephew.*' 



George Smith was a non-juror* and titular 



" Ibid, no. 6, fol. 56 ; Wills and Invent. (Surt. Soc), 

 i, 252-4. 



■»2 Dur. Rec. cl. 12, no. I, m. 2. 



'" Surtees, Dur. iv (2), 95 n. ; Dur. Rec. cl. 3, 

 no. 88, m. 3 d. 



*• The settlement of 1 569 may help to explain 

 Lawson's bequest to Eleanor of ;^I0, to be paid with- 

 out her husband's knowledge. 



« Wills and Invent. (Surt. Soc), ii, 322. '«« Ibid. 



4' Surtees, op. cit. iv (2), 95. 



•** Dur. Rec. cl. 12, no. I, m. 3. 



*^ Cal. S. P. Dom. 1611-18, p. 476. 



so See V.C.H. Bucks, iii, 243. 



*i Close, 19 Jas. I, pt. xiii, no. 21. 



52 Ibid. 



*' Surtees, op. cit. iv (2), 99. 



**Cf. Recov. R. Mich. 1650, 122. 



** Surtees, op. cit. 96. 



** Headlam, op. cit. 167. 



*' Ibid. 209. His father had died in 1702 (Surtees, 

 op. cit. 99). 



** Surtees, op. cit. 96 ; Thoresby, Ducatus Leod- 

 <'n/!j(ed. 1816), 24. *9 Ibid. 



^ Hutchinson, Dur. ii, 331. He married Christian 

 daughter of the well-known non-juror Hilkiah Bed- 

 ford, father of Dr. John Bedford (see below). Surtees, 

 Dur. iv (2), 99. 



160 



