A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



cured of a lingering illness by the presence of the body 

 of St. Edmund, on its way back to Bury Abbey from 

 London, and that in return for his recovery he granted 

 the manor to the abbey for ever.*' Whether the grant 

 was made then and in those circumstances cannot be 

 confirmed but the abbey certainly owned the manor by 

 1066.*^ It was then worth 45^.*' In 1086 it was 

 worth 50^.*^ The abbey retained*s Stapleford until 

 the Dissolution and the manor and the parish became 

 known as Stapleford Abbots. 



In the early 12th century the abbey's possessions 

 were divided between the abbot and the convent:** 

 the manor of Stapleford was apportioned to the abbot.*^ 

 Abbot Hugh (11 57-1 1 80) let or confirmed the lease 

 of this manor to Walter of Hatfield.*^ In September 

 1 182, soon after his election. Abbot Samson took all 

 his manors into his own hands.*' He pardoned Walter 

 of Hatfield £11^ arrears of rent in return for which 

 Walter surrendered Stapleford and three other 

 manors.'" In 1207 a meeting took place in Abbot 

 Samson's chamber at Stapleford between King John 

 and his nephew Otto IV;" as a result of the meeting 

 John supplied Otto with 6,000 marks.'^ Later in the 

 13th century the abbots again leased the manor of 

 Stapleford. In about 1260 Abbot Simon (1257-79) 

 granted it to Sir Philip Basset for life.'^ In 1278 

 Simon granted it to Laurence de Offinton for life at a 

 rent of ^10 a year.'< Afterwards Simon's successor 

 John (1279-1301) granted a life interest in the manor 

 to Hervey de Stanton, king's clerk.'' 



In 1539, after the Dissolution, a man whose name is 

 lost but who was perhaps George Cely, petitioned 

 Thomas Cromwell to grant him in exchange for his 

 house and lands in Havering 'the lordship in Essex 

 called Stapleford Abbot, lately belonging to the 

 monastery of Bury and worth ;^20, within which lord- 

 ship I have £1 5 over and besides the £zo now the 

 King's'.'* The petitioner added that he would not 

 have 'Mr. Chancellor's favour therein as he has pro- 

 mised it to Mr. Tuke who has refused it unless he may 

 have my lands lying within the same'." In 1541 the 

 manor was granted in fee to John Maynarde, mercer, 

 of London, who immediately received licence to 

 alienate it to Sir Brian Tuke, Treasurer of the Cham- 

 ber.'* Sir Brian held his first court in October 1541 

 and three more courts before the end of February 

 1543." By April 1545, however, the Crown had 

 regained the estate, possibly by an exchange,*" and 

 thenceforth retained the freehold until 1835 or soon 

 after. 



During this period the estate was let on long leases. 

 At first it was leased in parcels and the leases did not 



include the manorial rights, although, occasionally at 

 least, a lessee was appointed bailifl^of the manor. Later 

 the manorial rights were leased as well as the rest of the 

 estate. 



In 1545 George Cely was granted a lease for 21 

 years of the capital messuage and some of the lands 

 appurtenant to the manor at a rent of ^21 13/. 4</. a 

 year.*' Cely mortgaged the lease to one Buckland for 

 j^20.82 Shortly afterwards George Cely died having 

 devised the lease to his eldest son Walter who im- 

 mediately redeemed the mortgage. *3 Walter was al- 

 ready bailiff of the manor, having been appointed in 

 1 546.*+ In 1 548 he purchased the manor of Albyns.*' 

 He died in 1 549 having devised his lease of Stapleford 

 Hall to his wife Elizabeth.** Afterwards Elizabeth 

 married Thomas Smythe, clerk of the bakery, who in 

 1557 was appointed bailiff of the manor.*' In 1558 

 Smythe surrendered to the Crown the remaining term 

 of the lease granted to George Cely in 1545 and 

 received a new lease for 30 years at a rent oi£2 1 1 3/. \d. 

 a year.** This lease was apparently surrendered before 

 its term, for in 1585 the queen granted a lease of the 

 same property to William Dove for 21 years at 

 j^2l 13/. 4d'. a year.*' Later Dove surrendered this 

 lease to the Crown with the request that it should be 

 granted to Roger Gittins and his wife Anne and their 

 daughter Anne.'" In 1591 a lease was granted to 

 Roger and Anne Gittins and their daughter Anne for 

 their lives in survivorship at the same rent as that paid 

 by previous lessees." In 1594 the Crown granted a 

 lease of the same property in reversion to John Wood, 

 clerk of the signet, for 30 years at a rent of ;^2 r 1 3/. 4^/. 

 a year.'^ 



In January 161 7 James I demised the manor with 

 all its lands rents and profits to Sir Francis Bacon and 

 others for a term of 99 years.'^ In July 1629 this lease 

 was assigned to Henry, Earl of Holland, and others in 

 trust for Queen Henrietta Maria for her life with the 

 power of letting the estate.''' In March 1641 the queen 

 leased the capital messuage and some lands appurtenant 

 to the manor to William Crofts, one of her servants, for 

 21 years at a rent of £21 1 3/. \J. a year.'s Crofts was 

 also granted the manorial rights for 2 1 years at a rent 

 of ^17 loj-. a year and, for the same term, a tenement 

 called Hammonds, which was also part of the manor 

 and which had been leased at an annual rent of ^^8 10/. 

 since 1541 or earlier.'* 



By letters patent of 7 February 1650 Charles II 

 mortgaged four manors, including Stapleford Abbots, 

 to Sir George Carteret, ist Bt., for ,^4,000, part of a 

 larger sum which Sir George had expended in the 

 service of Charles I and which Charles II had bound 



*' Dugd. Mon. iii, 139, 140. 



" r.C.H.Es!ex,\,^Si>'. 



" Ibid. 



<>* Ibid. 



" During the period 1148-56 Aubrey, 

 Earl of Oxford (d. 1194) quitclaimed all 

 his rights in the manor to the abbey : D. C. 

 Douglas, Feud. Docs, of Bury St. Edmunds, 

 162. There is no indication, however, of 

 what these rights were. 



'* Ckron. of Jocelin of Brakelond, ed. 

 H. E. Butler, xix. 



<" Ibid. 32. 



** Ibid. The same abbot granted the 

 'staffacre' of Stapleford Abbots to Henry 

 «on of Henry, clerk : Douglas, Feud. Docs. 

 Bury, 141. For meaning of this word see 

 Chron. yocelin of Brakelond, cd. Butler, 

 App. N, 151. 



'9 Chron. Jocelin of Brakelond, ed. 

 Butler, 32. 



'0 Ibid. 



" A. L. Poole, Dom. Bk. to Magna Carta 

 io8y-i2i6, 451. In the index to this book 

 Stapleford is wrongly stated to be the 

 Cambridgeshire place of that name. 



'2 Ibid. 



" Cat. Anct. D. \, A. 809. 



'< Cal. Fine R. 1272-1307, no. 



'5 Cal. Pat. I 3 17-21, 160. 



'6 L. & P. Hen. Fill, xiv (2), p. 358. 

 Cf. ibid, (i) p. 63 and Dugd. Mon. iii, 176. 



" L. & P. Hen. mi, xiv {2), p. 358. 



'8 L. & P. Hen. Fill, xvi, p. 281. 



" SC2/173/86. 



80 Req. 2/23/49; L. & P. Hen. fill, 

 IX (l), 683; C<2/. Pat. 1558-60, 82. 



8' Req. 2/23/49; L. & P. Hen. Fill, 



XI (0,683. 



" Req. 2/23/49. 



83 Ibid. 



8« L. & P. Hen. Fill, iii, p. 770. 



85 See below, Manor of Albyns. 



8' Req. 2/23/49; cf. Walter Cely's will: 

 P.C.C. 44 PopulwcU (1549). 



8' Req. 2/23/49 ;Ca/.7'<2/. 1555-7.360- 



88 Cal. Pat. 1557-8, 368. 



8« E.R.O., D/DM T77. 



9» Ibid. 



»■ Ibid. 



»2 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1591-4, 515. 



« Lord Carteret's Estate Act, 2 & 3 

 Anne, c. 5 (priv. act). 



«♦ Ibid. 



»5 SP16/478. 



9' Ibid.; Cal. Pat. 1554-5, "4- 



224 



