A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



were 5 ploughs in the manor of Fy field; there was 

 woodland for 400 swine, 10 acres of meadow, and also 

 a hive of bees.'* In 184 1 it was estimated that there 

 were 1,655 acres of arable, 425 acres of meadow, and 

 1 20 acres of woodland." 



In 1086 the manor contained a mill,*" and in 1281 

 there was a windmill there.*' A windmill was in use in 

 the parish until about 1910*^ when it was blown down 

 and cleared away. It was an open-based wooden post 

 mill.83 A mill on the River Roding is still using water- 

 power to grind cattle food.'* The building is weather- 

 boarded and appears to date from the i8th or early 

 19th century. The mill house is a double fronted 

 plastered cottage probably built about 1 840. 



The Fyfield Pea {Lathyrus tubemus)'^^ has been 

 naturalized at Fyfield since about 1800. It is a native 

 of Europe and West Asia.** It can still be found in 

 hedges and fields in Fyfield, in particular in a field east 

 of the rectory, but is considered to be not so plentiful as 

 formerly. 



The works of Ernest Doe & Son, tractor repairers, 

 are opposite Pickerells. 



In 1066 FYFIELD was held by Leuric as a manor 



and as \\ hide and 30 acres and was worth 



MANORS ^5.*' In 1086 it was held by Roger of 



John son of Waleran and was worth [,1 .^^ 



In 1094 the manor was still held of John by Roger.*' 



Maud wife of Hasculf de Tany was heiress of John.'o 



It is almost certain that Maud held the manor of 

 Fyfield in demesne early in the 12th century." Grae- 

 land de Tany, son of Maud, died in 1 179-80.92 His 

 son and heir Hasculf, and the successors of Hasculf, un- 

 doubtedly held the manor in demesne of the king in 

 chief by knight service, the amount of which was re- 

 ported as I fee until 1428 and afterwards as ^ fee.'^ 



Hasculf de Tany died in 1 192-3.9'' He was suc- 

 ceeded by Gilbert de Tany who was probably his son 

 and who died in 1 22 1 leaving a widow Emma who had 

 dower in Fyfield. '^ In 1221 the heirs of Gilbert were 

 described as William de Fambridge, Maud wife of 

 Adam de Legh, and Nicholas de Beauchamp.'* In 

 1223 Adam and Maud de Legh granted their rights in 

 the inheritance to Stephen son of Alan de Normanby 

 and Alice his wife and to the heirs of Alice.*' This 

 Stephen seems to have been known later as Stephen de 

 Langton.9* In 1230 it was reported that Stephen de 

 Langton held \, and Nicholas de Beauchamp \, of 

 Gilbert de Tany's barony of 7J fees." A large part of 

 Gilbert's estate in Fyfield was evidently allotted to 

 Nicholas de Beauchamp, who died in 1 243 in possession 

 of an estate there consisting of 254 acres of arable, 8 

 acres of meadow in demesne, 6 acres of pasture, a wood, 

 rents amounting to 69;. \d. a year, and some works." It 



is not certain what happened to this estate when Nicholas 

 died. He left a minor, whose name is unknown, as the 

 heir to his other estates.^ Part of his Fyfield estate, how- 

 ever, may have passed to Stephen de Langton. Stephen 

 and his wife Alice had some interest in Fyfield at least 

 as early as 1228, but it is not clear what was the extent 

 of this interest before the death of Nicholas.^ It is cer- 

 tain, however, that in 1258 Stephen had in Fyfield a 

 messuage and a carucate of land which he then granted 

 to Roger de Beauchamp and to the adult heirs of Roger 

 to hold of him by the service oi\ fee and a yearly rent 

 of 1 1 1 J. ^d., 1 30 quarters of wheat, and 150 quarters 

 of oats.* After Stephen's death Roger was to hold the 

 premises in fee and to be quit of the annual rent.' 

 Stephen was dead by 1 26 1.* In the quo warranto in- 

 quiries of 1274-5 it was reported that Roger de Beau- 

 champ held the manor of Fyfield of the king in chief at 

 I fee and that he held the assize of bread and ale and 

 view of frankpledge, but by what warrant was un- 

 known.' Roger died in 1281 in possession of an estate 

 in Fyfield consisting of a messuage, 2 carucates arable, 

 2o(.?) acres of meadow, 10 acres of pasture, 80 acres of 

 wood, a windmill, and rents amounting to £6 13/. \d. 

 a year.* He was succeeded by his son John.' In 1295 

 John de Beauchamp received licence to enfeoff Henry 

 de Enfield, Alice his wife and John their son with 44 

 acres of land which they were to hold of the king by 

 ^ fee.'° Henry de Enfield was probably lord of Envilles 

 manor in Little Laver (q.v.). In 1303 it was reported 

 that John de Beauchamp and his tenants held I fee in 

 Fyfield." In 1309 John de Beauchamp settled the 

 manor of Fyfield on his son Nicholas but reserved a life 

 interest for himself '^ John was still alive in 1320, but 

 by 1329 Nicholas was in possession of the manor." In 

 1332 Nicholas received licence toenfeoffjohn Hotham, 

 Bishop of Ely, with the manor.'* In 1334 the king 

 granted to John Hotham and his heirs free warren in 

 all their demesne lands of the manor. '5 In November 

 1334 John, Bishop of Ely, received licence to grant the 

 manor to John son of Peter Hotham.'* In 1337 Sir 

 John Hotham received licence to grant the manor to 

 his son John and Ivetta his wife to hold to them and 

 their issue with remainder to Ivetta's brother Henry, 

 son of Geoffrey le Scrope, and his heirs." John died 

 without issue in 13 51.'* In 1355 his widow Ivetta 

 granted the manor to her brother Henry le Scrope to 

 hold during her life at a rent of ^^62 1 3/. \d. during the 

 lifetime of Mathias de Beauchamp, who was probably 

 the occupier, and ^^66 13/. \d. after the death of 

 Mathias." Ivetta was dead by I374.2*' Her brother 

 Henry, ist Lord Scrope of Masham, then held the 

 manor in his own right until he died in 1392, leaving as 

 his heir his son Stephen, 2nd Lord Scrope, who died in 



'8 y.C.n. Essex, i, 545a. 

 " E.R.O., D/CT 148. 

 «» F.C.H. Essex, i, 545a. 

 8* Cal. Inq. p.m. ii, pp. 235—6. 

 82 E.R. x\, 168. 



85 Ibid. 



8* Inf. from miller. 



85 r.C.H. Essex, i, 38. 



86 Clapham, Tutin, and Warburg, Flora 

 of Brit. Isles (1952). 



8' r.C.H. Essex, i, 545a. 



88 Ibid. 



89 /4nn. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii, 428, 430- 

 I ; see below, Church. 



«» f^.C.H. Essex, i, 545, note 2 ; E.A. T. 

 N.s. viii, 104-5. 



" Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii, 430-1 ; 

 Mon. Angl. v, 88-89 j see below. Church. 



'2 Ann. Mon. (Rolls Ser.), iii, 430-1 ; 

 E.A.T. N.s. viii, 104-5; P'P^ ^- "^° 

 (P.R.S. xxix), 6. 



" E.A.T. N.s. viii, 104-5; Feud. Aids, 

 ii, 136, 160, 222; Cal. Close, 1454-61, 



94-95- 



9* Pipe R. 1 193 (P.R.S. N.s. iii), 8. 



95 Ex. e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 71-72 ; 

 Feet of F. Essex, \, 6y. 



9i> Excerpta e Rot, Fin. \, 72. 



9' Feet ofF. Essex, \, 67. 



98 Feet of F. Essex, i, 74. 



99 P/^OfiJ. 1230 (P.R.S. N.s. iv), 137. 



■ Cal. Inq. p.m. \, p. 288 ; Ex. e Rot, Fin. 

 (Rec. Com.), i, 402. Nicholas also held 

 the advowson. 



2 Cal. Inq. p.m. i, p. 288. 



5 Feet of F. Essex, i, 74, 1 1 6, 1 20, 134. 



46 



* Feet of F. Essex, \, 232. 5 Ibid. 



6 Cal. Close, 1 261-4, '6; Ex. e Rot. 

 Fin. (Rec. Com.), ii, 364. 



' Rot. Hund. (Rec. Com.), i, 153. 



8 Cal. Inq. p.m. ii, pp. 235-6. 



9 Ibid. 



'" Cal. Pat. 1292-1301, 144. 

 '* Feud, Aids, ii, 136. 

 '2 Feet of F. Essex, ii, 125. 

 '3 Feet of F. Essex, ii, 200—1 ; Cal. Pat. 

 '3-7-3°. +50. 

 '♦ Cal. Pat. 1330-4, 235. 

 '5 Cal. Chart. R. 1327-41, 320. 

 ■' Cal. Pat. 1334-8,46. 

 " Ibid. 487. 



^8 Cal. Inq. p.m. \x, pp. 429—30. 

 '9 Cal. Pat. 1354-8, 174. 

 " Cal. Pat. 1 374-7. 34-35- 



