ONGAR HUNDRED stapleford tawney 



death of Thomas Lampet. By a series of conveyances 

 ending in 14 lo, however, Alice and Helming Legat 

 obtained the sole reversionary rights, apparently by 

 grant from Joan and John Barry J' In 141 2 it was 

 reported that Alice, widow of Helming Legat, was 

 holding Stapleford Tawney manor which was worth 

 ;^20.'^ Alice married as her second husband Roger 

 Spice and after she died in 1420 Roger was lord of the 

 manor until his death, or shortly before his death, about 

 1459.73 The manor then descended to Clement Spice, 

 son of Roger and Alice.''* In 1466 Raphael Vannell, 

 grandson of Joan and John Barry, tried to dispossess 

 Clement. 75 Between 1467 and 1473 Clement filed a 

 bill in Chancery against Raphael and evidently won 

 his case.'* Between 1480 and 1485 Clement Spice 

 sold the manor to William Scott, lord of the manor of 

 Woolston in Chigwell (q.v.)." By a deed of feoffment 

 in May 1485 the manor of Stapleford Tawney was 

 settled on William and his wife Margery for their lives 

 in survivorship with remainder to their eldest son 

 John.'* William died in 1491 and his wife in ijo;." 

 John Scott died in 1527 and was succeeded by his 

 grandson Walter, son of his son Thomas.*" In 1534 

 Walter also inherited the manor of Woolston (q.v.) 

 and afterwards the manor of Stapleford Tawney 

 followed the same descent as that of Woolston until the 

 death of George Scott in 1589.*' In 1550 the manor 

 of Stapleford Tawney consisted of 40 acres of arable, 

 60 acres of meadow, 40 acres of pasture, 100 acres of 

 wood, and rents totalling 40/. a year.*^ The net 

 annual value of the manor was ^^26 gs. 81/. *3 In 1 589 

 it passed to Elizabeth and Mary, daughters of George 

 Scott, and was afterwards allotted to Elizabeth and her 

 husband Sir Edward Aleyn, ist Bt.** Sir Edward died 

 in 1638 and was succeeded by his grandson Edmund, 

 2nd Bt.*5 In 1656 Edmund died leaving as his heir his 

 daughter Arabella, wife first of Francis Thompson and 

 afterwards of Lord George Howard, son of Henry, 

 Duke of Norfolk (d. 1684).** In 1717 Arabella and 

 Lord George Howard conveyed the manor to Sir 

 Edward Smyth, Bt., of Hill Hall, Theydon Mount*' 

 (q.v.). Afterwards the manor descended along with 

 Hill Hall until the break up of the Hill Hall estate.** 

 The manor then passed with the manor of Theydon 

 Mount (q.v.) to Mrs. Battye and Mrs. Stafford North- 

 cote who held it until after 1937.*' 



In 1838 the estate in Stapleford Tawney consisted 

 of 711 acres of which 247 acres were arable.'" 



The site of Stapleford Tawney Hall is immediately 

 to the south of the churchyard. It now consists of a 

 walled garden, surrounded by a dry moat. 



Great Tawney Hall, standing immediately south of 

 the site of Stapleford Tawney Hall, probably super- 

 seded the old manor house. It is a timber-framed farm- 

 house, apparently of the 1 8th century, and was probably 



built for the occupation of the tenant of Stapleford 

 Tawney Hall farm after the manor had passed to the 

 Smyths of Hill Hall. In 1838 it was owned by Sir 

 John Smijth of Hill Hall but was in the occupation of 

 the executors of Edward Potter, late tenant of Staple- 

 ford Tawney Hall Farm." It has two stories and a 

 basement. The five-window garden front has been 

 refaced with red brick, probably about the middle of 

 the 19th century. 



Nothing has been found concerning the manor of 

 S UTTONS until 1 29 1 . It derived its name from 

 John de Sutton (see below). 9^ Then and afterwards 

 it was held of the manor of Stapleford Tawney by 

 knight service, the amount of which was reported as 

 \ fee in 1303 and 1428, as J fee in 13 17, and as J fee 

 in 1326. '3 



In 1 29 1 Thomas de Bredstrete granted to John de 

 Sutton and his wife Maud i messuage, i mill, 220 

 acres of arable, 10 acres of meadow, 50 acres of pasture, 

 8 acres of wood, and \s. rent in Stapleford Tawney 

 and Navestock, to hold to them and their son John 

 and his issue, with remainder to the right heirs of John 

 the son.'* In 1 3 1 2 or 1313 John the elder granted this 

 estate to Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and his 

 wife Maud and to Gilbert's heirs. 's Gilbert died in 

 1 3 1 4 and his wife in 1 3 20.'* The estate then descended 

 to Margaret, sister and coheir of Gilbert, and her 

 husband Hugh, ist Lord Audley." In 1321 Lord 

 Audley forfeited this estate to the Crown, with the 

 rest of his lands, when he joined the rebellion against 

 the king.'* The manor was still in the possession of 

 the Crown in 1326 when the sisters of John de Sutton 

 the younger, who was then dead, claimed the estate as 

 their brother's heirs." Their claim failed and the 

 manor was restored to Lord Audley who died in 1347 

 leaving as his heir his daughter Margaret, wife of 

 Ralph, later ist Earl of Stafford.' Ralph survived his 

 wife and died in possession of Suttons in 1372.^ The 

 manor then followed the same descent as that of 

 Stanford Rivers (q.v.) until the 17th century. It was 

 usually farmed out, on long leases, at a rent of 

 ^13 6s. iJ. a year.3 One of the lessees in the i6th 

 century was Walter Cely, lord of Albyns in Stapleford 

 Abbots and also lessee of part of the manor of Staple- 

 ford Abbots (q.v.).* 



In 1613 James I sold Suttons, with the manor of 

 Stanford Rivers, to Richard Cartwright and Thomas 

 Cowley of London. 5 Nothing more has been found 

 concerning Suttons until 1649 when the lord of the 

 manor was Thomas Luther.* He died in 1694 leaving 

 as his heir his son John who was dead by 171 3.' 

 Thomas Luther, son of John, died in 1722 leaving his 

 estates heavily encumbered with debts.* He devised 

 Suttons to his mother Jane Luther for life with 

 remainder to his sister Rebecca Goebell for life and 



" Feet of F. Essex, iii, 243, 252, 254. 



'* Feud. Aids, vi, 440. 



" Feud. Aids, ii, 222; Cal. Close, 1447- 

 54, 366;Ci39/i8i. 



'■• E.R.O., D/DRg 1/115. 



" Ibid. 



'6 E.R.O., D/DRg 1/115; C140/S4. 



" E.R.O., D/DRg 1/115. 



" Cal. Inq. p.m. Hen. yil, \, p. 3 34. 



" Ibid.; Morant, Essex, \, 179. 



«» E.R.O., D/DRg 1/115; C142/46/10. 



«■ €142/90/87; €142/208/181; C142/ 

 220/67; E.R.O., D/DRg 1/115. 



«2 E.R.O., D/DRg 1/115. 83 Ibid. 



«♦ €142/220/67; CP25(2)/293 East. 8 

 Jas. I; CP25(2)/4i6 Trin. 6 Chas. I. 



'5 G.E.C. Baronetage, ii, 74-75. 



86 Ibid. 



8' CP25(2)/ioi2 Trin. 3 Geo. I. 



88 E.R.O., e/RPl 685-737; ibid. D/CT 

 331; Kelly's Dir. Essex (1874 f.); Burke, 

 Peerage (193 1), 218 1-3. 



89 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1937). 



90 E.R.O., D/CT 331. 91 Ibid. 

 92 Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 454-5. 



95 Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 69, 454-5 ; Feud. 

 Aids, ii, 136, 222. 



9< Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 454-5. 



95 Ibid. 



9' Complete Peerage, V, 714-15. 



9' Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 454-5 i Complete 

 Peerage, v, 715. 



98 Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 454-5 ; Cal. Fini 

 R. 1319-27, 57; Complete Peerage, i, 346! 

 ibid. V, 716. 



99 Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 454-5. 

 ' Cal. Inq. p.m. ix, p. 56. 



'Ci 35/230/1; Complete Peerage, i, 

 347- 



» E.R.O., D/DP M582; L. fiif P. Hen. 

 VIU, xviii (2), p. 60; Req. 2/30/73; 

 C66/1988. 



♦ Req. 2/30/73; P.C.C. 44 Populwell 



('5+9)- . 

 5 C66/1988. 

 » E.R.O., D/DSd T4. 

 ' Ibid. 

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



'^ZS 



