A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Bertram of Mitford. 



A-zure a scutcheon or. 



certain settlements were made of lands in Northum- 

 berland." It seems probable that Greatham was 

 included in these conveyances, for Greatham was 

 forfeited to the Crown after 

 the Battle of Evesham in 

 August 1265, when the elder 

 Peter de Montfort was killed, 

 and Peter his son was wounded 

 and captured." Peter gave his 

 Rutlandshire manor of Cot- 

 tesmore as ran>om to Thomas 

 de Clare, and Thomas further 

 obtained from the Crown a 

 grant of the manor of Great- 

 ham."^ Robert Stichill, then 

 Bishop of Durham, disputed 



the right of the Crown to this escheat, and the king 

 thereupon revoked the grant of the manor which he 

 had made to Thomas de Clare, and resigned it abso- 

 lutely to the Bishop." The case of Greatham was 

 accordingly quoted in all disputes concerning the 

 bishop's regal rights in the County Palatine." 



Stichill strengthened his title to the manor by 

 obtaining a release from his 'special friend' Peter 

 son of Sir Peter de Montfort," and another, 

 apparently from Roger Bertram." He then 

 assigned it to a hospital dedicated to St. Mary 

 and St. Cuthbert, which he established at Greatham 

 in 1272." With the manor he granted to the master 

 and brethren of the hospital the privileges of exemp- 

 tion from scot, toll, tallage, and geld in markets and 

 fairs, and suit of wapentakes throughout the bishopric. 

 They were to be free from all amercements before the 

 bishop's justices, saving only to the bishop his justice 

 of life and limb." Anthony Bek (1284-13 11) 

 added a grant of free warren." 



The manor was regranted to the hospital in the 

 charter of James I," and has remained the chief part 

 of its endowment. 



Certain tenements in Greatham, held of the master 

 of the hospital," belonged in 1389 to the Fulthorp 

 family,'' and followed during the 15th and 16th cen- 

 turies the descent of their manor of Tunstall " (q.v.). 



The vill of CLJXTON (Clacstona, xi cent.) was 

 among those quitclaimed by Robert Earl of Northum- 

 berland to William de St. Calais, Bishop of Durham 

 (1081-9)." It is next mentioned about 1 183, when 



" Cal. Pat. 1247-58, p. 203, 427 ; 

 Hatfield's Surv. (Surt. Soc), p. xivj Hundr. 

 R. (Rcc. Com.), ii, 17. 



«« Fhrn Hist. (Rolls Ser.), iv, 4-6 ; 

 Annates Mon. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 365 j iv, 

 171. 



»=■ Cal. Pal 1266-72, p. 63 ; Cal. Inj. 

 p.m. (Edw. I), ii, 233 ; Hist. Dunelm. 

 Script. Trts (Surt. Soc), App. ccccli. 



" Cal. Pat. 1266-72, p. 63; 1330-4, 

 p. 360. 



*> Reg. Palat. Dunelm. (Rolls Ser.), iii, 

 7-8 ; Pari. R. (Rec. Com.), i, 364 ; cf. 

 Barnard Castle. 



' Cal. Chart. R. 1257-I 300, pp. 250-1 



Walter de Buggethorpe held the vill of Twizel in 

 exchange for one moiety of the vill of Claxton." 

 Evidently the bishop granted it out in the late 

 1 2th century in two moieties. One was held of 

 him directly by the family of Heriz ; the other 

 was held by the same family, with mesne lord- 

 ships intervening. The second belonged in the 

 early 13th century to Walter de Musters, of whom it 

 was held by Leo de Heriz and Gregory de Leving- 

 thorp. Walter's son William was the chief lord of 

 the fee about 1241-9." A mesne lordship was held 

 at that date by John de Romsey, to whom Walter de 

 Musters seems to have granted the services of the 

 tenants in demesne." This lordship and rent John 

 de Romsey granted to the hospit.il of St. Giles, 

 Kepier," and the descendants of Leo de Heriz paid 

 the rent to the hospital in 1380." 



The first member of the family of Heriz to hold 

 land here seems to have been Henry. William de 

 Heriz granted 2 oxgangs of land in Claxton, which 

 had belonged to Henry de Heriz, to St. Giles Hos- 

 pital in the late 12th or early 13th century." Leo 

 son of William de Heriz was a contemporary of 

 Walter de Musters," and was probably the Leo who 

 was sheriff of Durham under Bishop Philip (1197— 

 1208) and mentioned as a tenant in the bishopric 

 in 121 1." He must also be identified with the Leo 

 de Heriz who assigned to the Prior of Durham 

 2 oxgangs as the endowment of a chapel at Claxton. 

 A later prior released them to his grandson Leo in 

 1233-44." The latter was 

 called Leo de Claxton," and 

 was probably succeeded by 

 the Sir William de Heriz who 

 lived at Claxton in 1264." 

 Roger de Claxton occurs as 

 lord of Claxton in 1272," and 

 was succeeded before 1 3 1 o by 

 another Roger," who was sum- 

 moned in 1 3 12 to appear 

 before the bishop with his 

 sons Leo, John, Michael, Wil- 

 liam and Robert." Leo, his 

 heir, granted Adam Bedell 4 

 oxgangs in Claxton in 1335." 



In 1349 ^^ had licence to grant all his lands in 

 Durham to his son William" and Joan de Neville" 



Claxton. Gules a 



fesst between three 

 hedgehogs argent. 



'" ' Ipsam viUam de Gretham Epiicopus 

 Robertus Stichil emerat a quodam Bert- 

 ram cognomine ' (Hist. Dunelm. Script. 

 Tres [Surt. Soc.], 55). Agnes Bertram, 

 widow of Tliomas son of William de 

 Emmelay and apparently daughter of 

 Roger Bertram, retained 2 oxgangs here, 

 which she gave to Agnes her daughter 

 (Surtees, op. cit. iii, 399). In 1235-6 'the 

 lady of Greatham * was in the king's 



gift but was already married, though the 

 jury did not know to whom (Assize R. 

 224, m. 2). 



" Cal. Chart. R. 1257-1300, p. 250-1 ; 

 y.C.H. Dur. ii, 121. 



^' Cal. Chart. R. 1257-1300, p. 250-1. 



" Dip. Keeper's Rep. xxxiv, 203. 



" Pat. 8 Jas. I, pt. XXXV, no. 3. 



" Dep. Keeper's Rep. xliv, 387. 



3« Cal. Pat. 1388-92, p. 169. 



" Dep. Keepir^s Rep. xliv, 387, 479, 

 491-2. 



" Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc ), 

 144 n. 



" y.C.H. Dur. i, 329. 



"> Mem. of St. Giles (Surt. Soc), 200. 



*' Ibid. " Ibid. 



*^ Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 100 d. 

 The manor was said to be held of 

 the bishop for a rent of i ^s, 4*/. and 

 homage and fealty. Two oxgangs, the 

 endowment of the chapel, were held of 

 the Prior of Durham for a rent of 101. 

 (Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 256 d.). 



" Mem. of St. Giles (Surt. Soc), 203. 



A William de Heriz witnessed charters 

 of William Brus between 1194 and 12 14 

 {Cal. Doe. Scotland, i, 107-8). He had 

 3 brother Leo {Guistro' ChartuI, [Surt. 

 Soc], 324). 



"• Mem. of St. Giles (Surt. Soc), 200. 



*' Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 126 n., 150 n. ; Pipe R. (Soc. of Antiq. 

 Newcastle), 210, 222. 



<* Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 26 n. "Ibid. 



'=■" Hatfield's Sur-v. (Surt. Soc), p. xvi. 



" Surteei, op. cit. i (2), 28 ; iii, 142. 

 Surtees does not give his authority for 

 this statement, but seems to found his 

 pedigree of the early Claxtons on the 

 evidence of charters, 



"Ibid, iii, 142; Arch. Ael. (Ser. 3), 

 vii, 338. 



" Reg. Palat. Dunelm. (Rolls Ser.), i, 

 127. 



*' Surtees, iii, 142. " Ibid. 



*<> Anct. D. (P.R.O.), D 1231. She 

 was the widow of Robert son of William 

 de Kilkenny of Stotfold. 



