A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



during the minority of Andrew de Walden.''' In 

 1 367, after he came of age, Thomas de Walden granted 

 the estate for ten years to Sir John Wade who had had 

 custody of it during the minority of Thomas. '5 In 

 141 2 the manor was said to be worth ^{^12 a year.'* 

 After the death of Thomas Bataille in 1439 his widow 

 Isabel held in dower a bakehouse and some lands and 

 rents in the manor.'' In 1439 ^^^ '^^^ annual value of 

 the manor was j^io.'* In about 1450 there were some 

 fifteen manorial tenants whose rents amounted to 

 £^ IS. a. yeiT.''9 



In 1468 John BataiUe mortgaged the manor to Sir 

 Thomas Cooke for ,^200.*° Shortly afterwards Cooke 

 became absolute owner of the estate.*" He died in 

 1478 leaving as his heir his son John.*^ In i486 John 

 Cooke died and was succeeded by his brother Philip 

 who was knighted in 1497.*' In about 1500 there 

 were some fourteen manorial tenants paying rents 

 amounting in all to ^^4 19/. iJM In 1502 Sir Philip 

 Cooke leased the manor for five years to John King at 

 an annual rent of ^12 ji.*' The lease included all the 

 manorial lands and the rents of manorial tenants but 

 not the perquisites of the court.** Cooke died in 1 503 

 leaving as his heir his son John.*' In 1544 Margaret 

 Cooke, widow — probably of John Cooke — received a 

 life interest in the manor with remainder to Anthony 

 Cooke (K.B. 1547) son of John Cooke, and the heirs 

 of Anthony.** In 1570 Sir Anthony Cooke settled the 

 manor on his second son William when William 

 married Frances daughter of Lord John Grey of Pirgo 

 and cousin of Lady Jane Grey.*' William Cooke died 

 in 1 589.'° In 1608 his son and heir Sir William Cooke 

 conveyed the manor to Sir John Poyntz." 



In 1614 Sir John Poyntz mortgaged the manor to 

 Sir Edward Buncombe for ^2,000.'^ It was then in 

 the occupation of William Aylett.'^ By June 1622 

 John son of William Aylett had become lord of the 

 manor. 9'« In June 1650 John Aylett sold the estate, 

 which then contained 160 acres, to John Throckmorton 

 of Twickenham (Mdx.) for about ^^2,400. 95 In 1659 

 there were 22 manorial tenants whose rents amounted 

 to £4. 15/. 9^/. a year.'* 



John Throckmorton died in 1663-4 having devised 

 all his real estate to his son George." In 1676 George 

 Throckmorton made a settlement by which after his 

 death the manor was to be held by his wife Elizabeth 

 for her life and afterwards by his heirs.'* In 1692-5 

 there were 22 manorial tenants whose rents amounted 

 to £4 17s. lod. a year." In 1703 George, William, 

 and Thomas, sons of George and Elizabeth Throck- 



morton, sold to William Cole the reversion of the 

 manor after the death of their mother." WiUiam Cole 

 had become lord of the manor by 1707.^ He died on 

 I February 1730 having devised all his real estate, sub- 

 ject to a life annuity of ^£200 for his brother Henry, 

 to his nephew William Cole in tail male with remainder 

 to his nephew Henry Cole, brother of William.3 The 

 nephew William Cole died without issue on 24 

 February 1730 and his brother Henry then succeeded 

 to the property.* By his will of 1760 Henry Cole 

 devised all his real and nearly all his personal estate to 

 his servant John Cozens.s Between 1748 and 1764 

 there were 1 5 tenants of the manor of Magdalen 

 Laver; the total of their rents varied irregularly between 

 ^4 ^s. I \d. and ^^4 1 8;. (i\d. a year.* John Cozens died 

 in 1766 having devised this manor to his eldest son 

 John.' Some time before April 1782 John Cozens 

 mortgaged the estate to Mrs. George Sealy for ;^75o.* 

 He died in 1784 having stipulated that the estate 

 should be redeemed out of the proceeds of sale of his 

 freehold lands in Hornsey (Mdx.).' He devised the 

 manor to his wife Elizabeth for her life with remainder 

 to his son John."" Elizabeth died in 1791-2."" In 

 1832 John Cozens sold the estate to James Ewing."^ 



In 1848 the manor farm, which was occupied by 

 James Edwards, consisted of 191 acres of which 34 

 acres were meadow and nearly all the remainder 

 arable."^ In December 1852 James Ewing died leaving 

 as his heirs his four daughters: Mary Ann, wife of 

 Robert Ewing Curwen, Anna Caroline, wife of Caledon 

 Du Pre Alexander, Frances Elizabeth, later the wife of 

 William James Tyrwhitt Walker, and Louisa, latei; the 

 wife of Winthrop Mackworth Praed."'' In 1865 they 

 sold the estate, which then consisted of 223 acres, 

 nearly all arable, to John Francis Clark of Exning 

 (Suff.) for ^8,380."' At that time the manor house 

 and farm were still in the occupation of James Edwards 

 who paid a rent of ^^320 a year.'* J. F. Clark died in 

 1898, having placed the property in the hands of 

 trustees who were to apply the rents for the benefit of 

 his daughters."' At the time of Clark's death Matthew 

 Torrance occupied the estate.'* In 1922 the estate was 

 still in the hands of Clark's trustees but by 1926 

 Matthew Torrance had purchased the property." 

 Torrance still lived at Magdalen Laver Hall and 

 farmed the estate in 1937.^0 In 1942^' the property 

 was purchased by Mr. Charles French who is stiU the 

 owner. 



The first manor house probably occupied the large 

 moated site immediately north-west of the churchyard. 



'■• Cal. Fine R. 1327-37, 256. 

 '* Cat. Inq. p.m. xii, p. 164J Cal. Close, 

 1364-8,405. 

 " Feud. Aids, vi, 443. 

 " E.R.O., D/DA Ti99i C139/98. 

 78 E.R.O., D/DA T 199. 

 " E.R.O., D/DU 199/9. 

 »» E.R.O., D/DKT51. 

 8' C140/68. «2 Ibid. 



M Cal. lnq.f.m. Hen. Vll, i, p. 38. 

 «« E.R.O., D/DU 199/10. 

 «5 E.R.O., D/DAT199. 

 «« Ibid. 

 *' Cat Inq. p.m. Hen. VII, ii, p. 472. 



88 CP25(2)/i3/74 Hil. 35 Hen. VIII. 



89 C142/221/109. John Grey was the 

 youngest son of Thomas, Marquess of 

 Dorset (d. 1530): Complete "Peerage, iv, 

 420-1, vi, 135. 



O" C142/221/109. 



9" Ibid.; CP25(2)/293 East. 6 Jas. I; 

 E.R.O., D/DAT199. 



9^ E.R.O., D/DA T199. For a later 

 marriage alliance between the Duncombe 

 and Poyntz families see Chipping Ongar. 



93 Ibid. 



94 E.R.O., D/DU 199/1. He held his 

 first court on 4 June 1622. 



95 CP25(2)/55oB Trin. 1650; E.R.O., 

 D/DAT199. 



96 E.R.O., D/DU 199/12. 



97 E.R.O., D/DAT199. 



98 Ibid. 



99 E.R.O., D/DU 199/15. 

 > E.R.O., D/DAT199. 



2 E.R.O., D/DU 199/3. He was high 

 sheriff in 17 16 and was for several years 

 treasurer of St. Thomas's Hospital, South- 

 wark: Wright, Hist. Essex, ii, 350. In 

 1724 he purchased the manor of Nether 

 Hall in Moreton (q.v.). 



3 E.R.O., D/DA T199; ibid. D/DU 

 201/35. 



♦ E.R.O., D/DU 201/35. 



106 



s Ibid. 6 E.R.O., D/DU 199/17. 



7 E.R.O., D/DU 201/35. 



8 E.R.O., D/DAT199. 



9 Ibid. 

 '» Ibid. 



■■ E.R.O., Q/RPl 695-g ; ibid. Q/RSg 4. 

 She died between Aug. 1791 and June 

 1792. 



■2 E.R.O., Q/RPl 734-7 i Essex Arch. 

 Soc. Docs. Magdalen Laver 10; Reg. 

 Electors S. Essex, 1832. 



"3 E.R.O., D/CT 211. James Edwards 

 occupied the estate at least as early as 

 1 840 : Reg. Electors S. Essex, 1 840. 



M E.R.O., D/DU 199/22. "5 Ibid. 



"^ Ibid. His lease, which was for 6 years, 

 was due to expire in September 1866. 



" E.R.O., D/DTcTi2. 



'8 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1899). 



"9 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1922, 1926). 



" Kelly's Dir. Essex (1937). 



2' Inf. from Mr. C. French. 



