GODALMING HUNDRED 



WITLEY 



the rebellion of William Clito his whole honour of 

 Aquila escheated to the Crown, and was only fully re- 

 granted in 1154.* He died in 1176 and was succeeded 

 by a son of the same name.' The latter's son Gilbert 

 went away into Normandy shortly before 1 200, at 

 which date the sheriff accounted for his lands at 

 Witley. 10 The custody of this manor was given first 

 to Stephen de Turnham, and afterwards, in 12045, 

 to William, Earl de Warenne, Gilbert's brother-in- 

 law," who obtained the grant on behalf of his sister." 

 The lands had probably been restored to Gilbert be- 

 fore 6 April 1226, when he had licence to cross to 

 Normandy," but they were again taken into the king's 

 hands in September of the same year," perhaps as a 

 pledge for his loyalty to Henry III, for they were re- 

 stored in the following spring on payment of a fine. 15 

 Gilbert de Aquila was dead before January 1231-2," 

 and his lands escheated to the king, 17 probably owing 

 to his or his heir's adherence to French interests, 18 

 for in 1232 Henry III granted his barony to Peter 

 de Rivaulx, the Poitevin favourite, promising that, 

 if he should restore it to Gilbert's heirs by a peace 

 or of his own free will, Peter should not be dispossess- 

 ed without compensation. 19 Peter de Rivaulx, however, 

 seems to have lost the lands at the time of his depriva- 

 tion in 1234, for in December of that year the king 

 granted them with a similar promise to Gilbert Mar- 

 shal, Earl of Pembroke. 10 He exchanged them almost 

 immediately with the king's brother Richard," but 

 temporarily only, for he surrendered them to the 

 Crown in June 1 24.0." In the year following Henry 

 granted the honour of Aquila to Peter of Savoy, uncle 

 of Queen Eleanor," and entailed it on his heirs in 

 1246." It was doubtless the general dislike of for- 

 eigners which caused the ill-feeling that arose between 

 Peter of Savoy and his tenants at Witley. They 

 roused his anger by neglecting the homage due to him, 

 and he in revenge increased their rents. 1 * On the 

 baronial victory in 1264, Peter of Savoy having fled 

 from the country, Witley was granted to the custody 

 of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester." But after 

 Evesham, Peter's lands were restored, and on his death 

 in 1268 Queen Eleanor received Witley in accord- 

 ance with a settlement made by Peter her uncle." 

 The king and queen granted the manor to their son 



Edward, who surrendered it to his mother for her 

 life.' 3 



She granted the tenants a release from the oppres- 

 sive exactions of her predecessor on condition that 

 they should cause a yearly service to be held in Witley 

 Church for the souls of her husband and of Peter of 

 Savoy.* 9 In 1275 she gave the manor for life to her 

 steward Guy Ferre,* who surrendered it to the Crown 

 c. 1279." In 1283 Queen Eleanor was again in 

 possession, for she then had a grant of a weekly market 

 on Fridays at her manor of Witley, 3 ' and her charter 

 to Guy Ferre was confirmed in 1289." She died in 

 1291. 



Edward I visited Witley in June 1294," and in 

 1 299 assigned the honour of Aquila, and possibly 

 Witley also, but there is no definite proof that 

 Witley was parcel of the honour, in dower to 

 Queen Margaret," who was in actual possession of 

 Witley in 131 3," and possibly earlier, for Guy de 

 Ferre the former tenant for life had died before 

 I 303." Witley ^seems to have been assigned with the 

 honour to the next queen, Isabella, who was in 

 possession in 1329." Queen Isabella surrendered it 

 with her other lands in 1330," and it formed part of 

 Philippa of Hainault's dower in January 1330-1.* 

 During the latter's life Andrew Tyndale held the 

 manor in lease, and after her death, in 1 369, the lease 

 was renewed for twenty years.* 1 He died c. 1377,*' 

 and the manor was thereupon granted by Richard II 

 to his nurse Mundina Danos for life, the grant being 

 afterwards extended to her and her husband Walter 

 Rauf, the king's tailor, in survivorship.*' They seem 

 to have renewed the exactions of Peter of Savoy, 

 whereupon the tenants of the manor raised a subscrip- 

 tion among themselves and brought a plea against 

 Mundina and her husband,** and though they were 

 not at the time successful they were able in the next 

 reign to obtain an exemplification of the Domesday 

 entry relating to Witley,** and a confirmation of 

 Queen Eleanor's charter.* 6 Walter Rauf died 12 

 June 1421,*' but Mundina survived him, at any rate 

 till 1423, when she had confirmation of the former 

 grants of Witley.* 9 The reversion of Witley Manor 

 was given to John Feriby, king's clerk, for life, in 

 1422 ;*' Henry VI also granted a life-interest in the 



8 Dugdale, Baronage, i, 497. That he 

 retained some lands, possibly including 

 Witley, is inferred from hit grant of 

 Oxenford in 1 147. 



'Cbroniea Roberti di Torigneio (Rolls 

 Ser.), 270. 



10 Pipe R. 2 John, m. 15 d. ; Testa de 

 Nevill (Rec. Com), 225 j Cal. Doe. France, 

 225-6. "Close, 6 John, m. 14. 



19 Teita de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 225. 



u Cal. Pat. 1225-32, p. 26. 



14 Excerfta t Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 147. 



"Fine R. n Hen. Ill, pt. i, m. iz. 



u Cal. Pat. 1225-32, p. 458. 



W Exeerfta e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 119. 



18 It is most likely that it was the heir 

 who sacrificed his English in order to 

 retain his French lands, for Gilbert's 

 widow had dower in his English lands, 

 which were nevertheless accounted for 

 among the 'Terrae Normannorum.' 



19 Col. Chart. R. i, 162. It is interest- 

 ing, in face of Peter de Rivaulx's depriva- 

 tion, to note that Hubert de Burgh pledged 

 himself to resist any possible attempt of 



the king to violate the charters granted to 

 the Poitevin (ibid, i, 165). 



*>Ibid. i, 190. 



Ibid, i, 191 ; Red Bk. ofExeh. (Rolls 

 Ser.), 803. 



M Cal. Chart. R. 252. 



"Rymer, FoeJera, i, 399. 



* Cal. Chart. R. i, 193, 296. 



5 Assize R. no. 873 (43 Hen. Ill), 

 m. 6. 



* Pat. 48 Hen. Ill, m. 8. 



'7 Feet of F. Div. Co. Mich. 44 

 Hen. III. 



98 Pat. 53 Hen III, m. 24 and 21. 



89 Pat. 7 Hen. IV, pt. i, m. 29. 



Cal. Pat. 1272-81, p. 125. 



"Ibid. 355. 



89 Close, 1 1 Edw. I, m. 7. 



"Cal. Pat. 1281-92, p. 329. 



81 Letters close and patent are dated 

 thence by the king 25 June 1294. 



86 Cal. Pat. 1292-1301, pp. 76, 79, 

 102. 



M Close, 6 Edw. II, m. 14, 15. 



87 Mins. Accts. (Gen. Ser.), bdle. 1015, 

 no. 8. Mention is made of his executors 

 in this account. Edward II visited Witley 



63 



m 1324 (Cal. Close, 1323-7, pp. 203, 

 205). 



88 Pat. 3 Edw. Ill, pt. 11, m. 19 d. 



89 Rymer, FoeJera, ii, 835, 893. 



40 Cal. Pat. 1330-4, p. 55. 



41 Abbrev. Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com.), ii, 

 304. At first he paid 20 yearly, from 

 which the parker's wages of id. daily were 

 deducted : after 1369 he paid 30 yearly, 

 which seems to have been about the value 

 of the manor. Queen Philippa granted 

 30 from it to Gilbert of Imworth (Cal. 

 Pat. 1343-$, p. 380). See also the first 

 grant to Mundina Danos (ibid. 1377-81, 

 p. 1 20), and Andrew Tyndale's account 

 (Mins. Accts. [Gen. Sen], bdle. 1015, 

 no. 9). 



4a Cal. Pat. 1377-81, p. 21. 

 48 Ibid. 120, 159, 609. 

 44 Coram Rege R. no. 511 (Hil. 11 

 Ric. II), m. 17. 



46 Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, p. 501. 

 44 Pat. 7 Hen. IV, pt. i, m. 29. 

 4 " Esch. Inq. p.m. (Ser. i), file 1417, 



DO. I. 



48 Cat. Pat. 1422-9, p. 87. 



49 Ibid. 16. 



