A HISTORY OF SURREY 



COOMBE (Cumbe, xi cent. ; Cumbe Nevill, 

 xiiicent. ; Combe, xiv cent.). 



Certain lands held here by Cola in the time of the 

 Confessor had passed into the hands of Ansgot the 

 Interpreter by 1086, when they were assessed at ij 

 hides, half the previous computation. 366 In 1164-5 

 the sheriff rendered account of 7 from Coombe, 

 already considered a member of Kingston,* 67 and the 

 payment was repeated in the following year, when an 

 additional \\s. was rendered from the pasture of 

 the park there ;** these payments were still made in 

 1173-4.'*' Before 1167-8 the fee was held by 

 Robert Belet, who in that year was dispossessed by 

 Henry II, 370 but the lands were restored in 1190-1, 

 when Robert Belet paid 80 to the Exchequer for 

 restoration to his inheritance." 1 At the beginning of 

 the 1 3th century it was held by Michael Belet, and 

 with his manor of Sheen came into the hands of the 

 Crown. 371 In 1215 King John gave Coombe to Hugh 

 de Nevill," 1 and it was already known as Coombe Nevill 

 in 1 260."* In the following year John Nevill 

 bought an acre of land in Kingston from Peter the 

 Goldsmith.'" At the beginning of the 1 4th century 

 the manor was held by William de Nevill, who died 

 without male issue, his lands being divided between 

 his daughter Nicholaa, wife of John de Hadresham, 

 and Henry son of the second daughter Alice, who had 

 married Richard le Weyte. 37 ' 



The moiety of the manor held by Nicholaa and 

 John descended to John de Hadresham who was 

 the tenant in 1341.*" William de Hadresham was 

 in possession at his death in 1361, when the manor 

 passed to John his infant son. 378 During his minority 

 the ' manorhouse ' was accidentally burnt, and in 

 1 368-9 the custody was granted to John de Hadresham 

 who was charged with the reconstruction. 3 " John 

 de Hadresham died in 1417, his heirs being his cou- 

 sins, Alice Virly and Joan wife of John Silverton, 

 daughters of Christina sister of his father William, and 

 his own child yet unborn. 380 In 1418 the manor 

 was conveyed by Alice widow of Richard Virly, 

 Elizabeth widow of Edward Herveys, and John Silver- 

 ton and Joan his wife to trustees,* 81 who in 1423 

 completed the transfer to Merton Priory. 38 * 



The manor was still in the hands of the priory 383 at 

 the Dissolution, when it came to the Crown, and in 

 1539-40 was leased for twenty -one years to John 

 Jenyns of the household. 384 In 1 547 it was granted 

 to Edward Duke of Somerset, 385 but escheated to the 

 Crown on his execution, and was re-granted in 1552 

 to Willaim Cecil for twenty-one years.' 86 On the 

 accession of Queen Mary the reversion of the manor 

 was granted to Anne widow of Edward Duke of 

 Somerset for life, and in 1571 William Cecil, now Lord 



Burghley, obtained a further grant of the reversion, 3 " 

 and at the same time Anne, now the wife of Francis 

 Newdigate, released the manor to him. 388 Burghley 

 retained it until I579, 36 ' when he quitclaimed to the 

 queen, who forthwith granted it and the manor of 

 Berwell to Thomas Vincent and his heirs. 390 In 1 60 1 

 Thomas Vincent with Jane his wife and Francis his 

 son conveyed his rights of free warren here to Edward 

 Heron and another, 3 ' 1 and in 1 608 Sir Francis Vin- 

 cent, kt., sold these rights and the manor itself 

 to William Cockayne, 398 Lord Mayor of London, 

 knighted in 1 6 1 6."* Sir William was succeeded by 

 his son Charles created Viscount Cullen in i642. 391 

 He was a staunch Cavalier and raised a trcop of horse 

 for the king's service. He apparently refused to pay 

 his church rate to the party in power in 1650, 

 when an entry for zd. occurs in the churchwardens' 

 accounts as incurred ' in going to the Lord Cockayne 

 for his rate money.' 396 He is said to have lost ^50,000 

 by his loyalty, and was forced in 1651 to convey the 

 manor of Coombe to Edward, Lord Montagu, and 

 others, 396 apparently trustees for Elizabeth wife of Sir 

 Daniel Harvey and daughter of Lord Montagu. 397 

 From Sir Daniel it descended to his son Sir Edward 

 Harvey, who made various settlements of the manor 

 in 1679.*" His son Edward Harvey, Jacobite M.P. 

 for Clitheroe in 1714, resided here. Rent from the 

 manor appears as the property of Edward Southwell, 

 senior and junior, in 1729 and I76i," 9 but the 

 manor is said to have passed to Michael, cousin of 

 Edward Harvey, junior, and to have been sold in 

 about 1753 to the trustees of John Spencer, 400 who 

 was created Viscount Spencer in 1761 and Earl 

 Spencer in \'j6^. v>l His son George John, Earl 

 Spencer, succeeded his father as lord of the manor 

 in 1783 and was still holding in i8o4. WI The 

 manor is not mentioned after this date, and has now 

 ceased to exist. Coombe House belonged to the 

 Earl of Liverpool, the statesman ; and subsequently 

 to the late Duke of Cambridge. 



The most interesting fee in Kingston was perhaps 

 that which was held in the time of the Confessor by 

 Alured, who could seek what lord he pleased, and 

 held land assessed at 3 hides. He was succeeded 

 by a woman who, in the time of King William, 

 placed herself and her land under the queen's pro- 

 tection. In 1 086 the land was in the hands of Hum- 

 frey the Chamberlain ; he had in his charge one 

 villein to collect the queen's wool, and took from 

 him 2O/. as a relief when his father died. 403 This 

 land seems to have been granted by Henry II to one 

 Postel. 40 * In 1 1 64-5 the sheriff rendered account of 

 9*. from one hide of land in Coombe which Postel 

 held, 406 and in the following year this was increased 



" y.C.H. Srr. i, 382. 



' Pi ft R. II Hen. 11 (Pipe R. Soc.), 

 III. 



8 Ibid. 12 Hen. II, 107. 



< Ibid. 20 Hen. II, 3. 



*!' Ibid. 14 Hen. II, 216. 



871 Pipe R. 2 Ric. I, m. 13. 



W For descent see Sheen. In 1417 

 the tenants in demesne were said to hold 

 in socage of the king as of his manor of 

 Sheen. 



" Rot. Lit. Clans. (Rec. Com.), 237. 



? 4 Feet of F. Surr. 44 Hen. Ill, no. 

 1)1. 



Ibid. 45 Hen. Ill, no. 32. 



*" Chan. Jnq. p.m. 13 Edw. II no, 13* ; 

 Cal. Clou, 1318-23, p. 315. 



OT Chan. Inq. p.m. 14 Edw. Ill (ist 

 nos.), no. 7. 



'T Ibid. 35 Edw. Ill, pt i, no. 93. 

 7 Abbrev.Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com), ii,197. 

 180 Chan. Inq. p.m. 5 Hen. V, no. 45. 

 "Feet of F. Surr. 6 Hen. V, no. 29. 



883 Close, 2 Hen. VI, ra. 1, 5. 



888 Heales, Rec. of Merton Priory, App. 

 p. cxxxiv. 



884 L. tnd P. Hen. VIII, XT, 565. 

 884 Pat. I Edw. VI, pt. iv, m. 36. 

 888 Ibid. 13 Eliz. pt. vii, m. 21. 

 < Ibid. 



888 Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 13 & 14 Eliz. 



888 Ibid. Trin. 21 Eliz. 



890 Pat. 21 Eliz. pt xi. 



881 Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 43 Eliz. 



502 



8 Ibid. Trin. 6 Jas. I. 



898 G.E.C. Peerage, ii, 435. '" Ibid. 



895 Churchwardens' Accts. 1650. 



8M Feet of F. Surr. Hil. 1561. 



89 7 Manning and Bray, Surr. i, 402. 



898 Recov. R. East. 31 Chas. II, rot. 8 5 

 Feet of F. Surr. East 3 1 Chas. II. 



8M Feet of F. Surr. Trin. 2*3 

 Geo. II; Recov. R. East I Geo. Ill, rot. 

 364. 



400 Manning and Bray, Surr. i, 402. 



" G.E.C. Peerage. 



4(B See Lysons' Environs, 1,235 ; Man- 

 ning and Bray, Surr. i, 402. 



4 o V.C.H. Surr. i, 297, 326. 



404 Testa de Ne-vill (Rec. Com.), 226. 



408 Pipe R. 1 1 Hen. II (Pipe R. Soc.), 1 1 1 . 



