A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



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dants,* 7 and was inherited by Thomas Wood, who 

 bought the manor of Littleton (q.v.) towards the 

 close of the 1 8th century. It is last mentioned in 

 1 80 1, 68 after which time it was probably merged 

 in the manor of Littleton. The name is still pre- 

 served in Astlam Common, which lies in the 

 north-west of the parish. 



According to an extent taken in 1660, there 

 was a ' mansion house built with brick,' where 

 the lord of the manor dwelt. 69 Belonging to it 

 were outhouses, barns, stables, mill-houses, or- 

 chards, gardens, and ' back sides.' A dove-house 

 was built between 1600 and 1650, and dove- 

 houses are mentioned in i66o. 71 



The Beauchamps of Hacche in Somerset held land 

 in the parish for several generations. It does not 

 appear of whom the land was 

 held in early times, the only 

 mention of an overlord oc- 

 curring in 1360, when the 

 Abbot of Westminster is 

 named." Robert de Beau- 

 champ acquired land there 

 in 1235 from Richard son 

 of Bartholomew, 73 and in 

 the same year a weir from 

 William le Sire." In 1 34 1 

 John de Beauchamp, Baron 

 of Hacche, the descendant of 



Robert, received lands in Littleton from Henry de 

 Roydone and Joan his wife, which were, however, 

 held by Henry and Joan for the term of their lives 

 for the yearly rendering of one rose." In the 

 same year Alice widow of William Raghener con- 

 veyed premises in Littleton to John de Beauchamp 

 which she also held for life on rendering one rose 

 yearly at the feast of St. John the Baptist. 76 The 

 Ragheners, or Raheners, had held land in Littleton 

 since 1283, when John Rahener acquired 8 acres 

 from John Argent and his wife Margaret." 

 William Raghener held land there in 1 3 1 o, 78 and 

 William de la Lee conveyed certain premises there 

 to him in 1321." John de Beauchamp's lands 

 were inherited by his son, also named John, 80 who 

 died seised of tenements at Littleton in 1360." 

 His heirs were found to be his sister Cicely and his 

 nephew John Meriet, the son of his second sister 

 Eleanor by her first husband. 8 * The Littleton 

 lands apparently fell to the share of John Meriet. 83 

 In 1373 he released all his right to the 'manor' 

 of Littleton to William Beauchamp and others, 

 who were presumably acting as his trustees. 84 This 

 is the only instance in which the estate was called 



BEAUCHAMP of Hacche. 

 Vair. 



SEYMOUR. Cuhs 

 fair of taingi or. 



a manor. John Meriet died in 1391, leaving an 

 only daughter and heiress Elizabeth, who married 

 Urias Seymour. 86 The Meriet lands came in this 

 way to the Seymours, as did the lands of the 

 Beauchamps by the marriage of Cicely Beau- 

 champ with Sir Roger Seymour, 86 and were in- 

 herited eventually by Ed- 

 ward Seymour, Earl of 

 Hertford and Duke of Som- 

 erset, who acted as Protec- 

 tor in the reign of Ed- 

 ward VI, and who was 

 created Baron of Hacche in 

 I536. 87 His son held the 

 manor of Littleton (q.v.), 

 and it is probable that the 

 lands originally held by 

 the Beauchamps became 

 merged in that estate. 



It is just possible that in 1340 Sir John de 

 Moleyns held lands here, which were sometimes 

 called a manor. In that year he obtained a con- 

 firmation of the manors of ' La Lee Littleton,' 



and others. 88 He forfeited his lands in that year, and 

 they were not restored until I34S. 89 No mention 

 is made of this ' manor ' in the records of the resti- 

 tution. Possibly the lands had been granted to 

 some tenant, not improbably to Augustine 

 Waleys. On 26 March 1346 Augustine Waleys 

 and Maud his wife conveyed the ' manor of 

 Littleton ' to John Gogh, 90 who conveyed it at 

 midsummer of the same year to Edward de Bohun 

 and Philippa his wife, with remainder in case of 

 default of heirs to Guy de Brian." It seems very 

 likely that this estate was not really a manor. It 

 probably came to Guy de Brian in due course, 

 although there is no mention of a ' manor ' be- 

 longing to him. Sir Guy already held lands in 

 Littleton, part of which (one messuage and I acre 

 of land) he had acquired in 1 346 9> by conveyance 

 from Sir John de Moleyns, who held it as early as 

 1 340.** He received a grant of free warren in his 

 demesne lands at Littleton in 1350." The estate 

 passed in 1390 to his eldest surviving child, 

 Philippa, wife first of John Devereux, and then of 

 Sir Henry de Scrope. 95 She died holding a ' toft 

 and lands in Littleton ' in 1407, when her property- 

 passed to her sister Elizabeth, wife of Robert 

 Lovell. 96 About 1473-4 Robert Lovell was en- 

 gaged in a lawsuit with one Katharine Palmer 

 concerning these lands. 97 But they were never 

 known as a manor, and are not traceable beyond 

 this date. 



' Feet of F. Midd. Trin. 16 Geo. III. 



68 Recov. R. Mich. 42 Geo. IV, rot. 

 124. 



69 Close, 13 Chas. II, pt. rv, no. 23. 

 o Feet of F. Midd. Mich. 42-3 Eliz. ; 



cf. Hil. 1650-1. 



71 Close, 13 Chas. II, pt. xv, no. 23. 



< a Chan. Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. Ill, pt. i, 

 no. 36. 



" 8 Feet of F. Lond. and Midd. 19 

 Hen. Ill, no. 115. 



" Ibid. no. 1 1 6. 



"Ibid. 15 Edw. Ill, no. 143. 



** Ibid. no. 150. 



"" Ibid. 10 Edw. I, no. 120. 



7" Ibid. 3 Edw. II, no. 50. 



79 Ibid. 14 Edw. II, no. 272. 



80 Croke, Gen. Hitt. of the Crate 

 Family, ii, 205. 



81 Chan. Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. Ill, pt. 

 i, no. 36. 



M Ibid. ; Croke, op. cit. ii, 205. 

 89 Fin. R. 36 Edw. Ill, m. 27, no. 83. 

 84 Close, 8 Ric. II, m. 28 d. 

 84 Chan. Inq. p.m. 15 Ric. II (it 

 not.), no. 48. 



86 Croke, op. cit. ii, 205. 



87 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, vii, 174. 



88 Chart. R. 4 Edw. Ill, no. 30. 



89 Col. Pat. 1343-5. P- 543- 



404 



90 Feet of F. Lond. and Midd. 20 

 Edw. Ill, no. 221. 



91 Ibid.no. 214. 



m Ibid. 20 Edw. Ill, no. 207. 



M Ibid. 14 Edw. Ill, no. 135. 



91 Chart. R. 24 Edw. Ill, no. 145, 

 m. i, no. 3. Dugdale (Bar. ii, 14;) 

 says that Sir J. Moleyns held the 

 manor of Littleton in Wilt*. This is 

 not substantiated by his reference to 

 Chart R. 14 Edw. Ill, no. 30, where 

 no county is mentioned. 



95 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, ii, 445. 



96 Chan. Inq. p.m. 8 Hen. IV. m. 54. 



97 Early Chan. Proc. bdle. 4, no. 112. 



