ONGAR HUNDRED 



r 



THEYDON GARNON 



manor of Denise de Munchensy and part of it of 

 Baldwin de Lisle. His heir was his son Ralph."* Ralph 

 Gernon was an adherent of Simon de Montfort and 

 in 1265 his estates were consequently seized by the 

 Crown. Theydon Garnon was valued at £\6 and 

 John de Rivers, the lord of the honor of Ongar, had 

 received the Michaelmas rent of ;^4 9/. i\J. because 

 Ralph had denied service and did not claim to hold the 

 manor of him." Ralph was pardoned in 1267 and in 

 1 271, three years before his death, he subinfeudated the 

 manor for one knight's fee to his youngest son John, 

 who was to pay an annual rent of ;^4o during his 

 father's lifetime.' Ralph died in 1274.* John, who was 

 described in 1293 as one of the four nephews and 

 coheirs of Nicholas Tregoz of Tolleshunt Darcy, the 

 husband of Eve de Valeynes,' was probably the John 

 Gernon who died in 1 3 2 1 .* Long before this, however, 

 he must have alienated the manor, for in 1305 it was 

 held by Hugh Gernon, apparently the son of William, 

 who was the heir of the last-named Ralph Gernon.' The 

 mesne tenancy created by the conveyance of 1 27 1 thus 

 appears to have been extinguished. In 1309 Hugh 

 Gernon granted to William Deen the reversion of the 

 manor, then said to be held for life by William Gernon 

 and his wife Isabel, of Hugh's inheritance.* In 1 3 1 1 

 Deen, then a knight, released to William and Isabel and 

 the heirs of William his rights in the manor, which 

 rights had previously been recognized by Hugh 

 Gernon, son of William.^ 



In 1320 William Gernon the elder granted to his 

 son William the reversion of the manor, then held for 

 life by Richard de Teye, parson of Theydon Garnon; 

 Ralph, brother of the younger William, was to have 

 remainder after him.* The elder William died in 

 1327 and Richard de Teye in 1329.' In 1339 John, 

 son and heir of Sir John Gernon, brother of the elder 

 William, released to the younger William his right in 

 the manor, to which he claimed to have the reversion 

 after the younger William and his heirs.'" In 1 340 the 

 manor was conveyed by John de Goldingham and 

 others, no doubt feoffees, to William Gernon and his 

 wife Isabel and the heirs of William, with remainder 

 to their son Thomas." William must have died shortly 

 after, for later in the same year Isabel was a widow.'^ 

 In 1 345 the manor was conveyed by John Colepepir to 

 Thomas son of William Gernon and Lucy his wife, 

 daughter of Maud de Whetynton. Theydon Garnon 

 was then said to be held by Walter Colepepir as security 

 for a debt of j^ioo owing to him." In 1346 John, son 

 and heir of Sir John Gernon, again released his rights 

 in the manor.'* 



Thomas Gernon was living in 1354 but was ap- 

 parently dead by 1361, when Lucy Gernon was said 

 to be one of the lords of whom the manor of Gaynes 

 Park (see below) was held. '5 About this time the manor 



of Theydon Garnon was evidently acquired by John 

 Stokes, who presented to the rectory in 1367 and 1368 

 and was described as lord of the 'town'.'* He was 

 probably identical with John de Stokesby who with 

 his wife was holding 2 fees in Theydon and elsewhere 

 when the honor of Lisle was given to the king in 1 368. '^ 

 He was still alive and living at Theydon Garnon in 

 1 37 1.'* It is possible that he had married Lucy 

 Gernon and held the manor in her right. By 1375, 

 however, Lucy had married Thomas Lampet, for in 

 that year Sir Thomas Colepepir released to Thomas 

 and Lucy all his interest in the manor for the term of 

 her life.' 9 Lucy died soon after this, leaving her son 

 Thomas Gernon still under age.^" In 1379, having 

 presumably attained his majority, Thomas leased the 

 manor for three years to his stepfather Lampet, at an 

 annual rent of 3 ; marks.^' 



In 1407 Lampet released to Thomas Gernon his 

 right in the manor, which he held as a feoffee, and next 

 day directed the delivery of seisin to Gernon and three 

 others, to the use of Gernon and of Robert Prince who 

 was said to be the tenant in tail.^^ Robert was son of 

 Gilbert Prince and Elizabeth, sister of Thomas 

 Gernon.23 By 1428-9 Gernon was dead and Robert 

 Prince had been put in possession of the manor. In 

 that year Prince enfeoffed Thomas Morsted and 

 Adam May in all the lands which came to him after 

 the death of his uncle, and the feoffees permitted the 

 profits to be taken by Elizabeth, widow of William 

 Massey, one of the feoffees of 1407.^'* On Prince's 

 death Morsted as surviving feoffee released his right to 

 Elizabeth, now the wife of Sir Thomas Cobham, and 

 she and her husband continued to take the profits.^' 

 Cobham presented to the rectory in 1442.^* In 1444, 

 however, John Prince, nephew of Robert, took pro- 

 ceedings against Morsted as tenant of the freehold by 

 Robert's feoffment. Morsted allowed him to recover 

 seisin by default, but the Cobhams remained in pos- 

 session until Prince tortiously entered the lands. Judge- 

 ment was given in his favour in 1446, but the verdict 

 was impugned by the Cobhams. ^^ The matter seems 

 to have been decided by arbitration in 1448—9, Prince 

 being confirmed in the manor.^* He had held his first 

 court there in 1447.2" In 1467 he and his wife had 

 licence from the Pope to have a portable altar.^" His 

 will was dated 1470 and he was dead by February 

 1471.31 Under the will his wife Joan should have 

 inherited the manor absolutely, but a dispute arose 

 over the will and eventually it was settled by arbitra- 

 tion that Joan should receive 10 marks a year in com- 

 pensation for her dower and her rights in the manors of 

 Theydon Garnon and Gregories in Theydon Bois. 

 This was confirmed by John Prince son of Joan. He 

 was to receive £20 at the sealing of this deed, with all 

 the goods left by Joan at both manors.'^ 



'* Cai. Inq. p.m. i, p. 1 2 1 . 

 " Cal. Inf. Misc. i, p. 200. 

 ■ Cal. Pat. 1266-72, 150, 153; Fett 

 of F. Essex, i, 273. 



* Cal, Inq. p.m. ii, p. 44. 

 3 Ibid, iii, p. 91).. 



* Ibid, vi, pp. 174—5. 



5 Cal. Chan. 1300-26, 62; E.A.T. 



N.S. V, 26. 



' Feel of F. Essex, ii, 1 26. 

 ' E.A.T. N.8. vi, 114. 



* Feet of F. Essex, ii, 194. 



» Cal. Inq. p.m. vi, pp. 478-9; New- 

 court, Repert. ii, 583. 

 "> E.A.T. N.S. vi, 114. 

 " Ibid, vi, 120. For John de Golding- 



ham see the manor of Chigwell. 



" Cal. Close, 1339-41,489. A William 

 Gernon, coroner of Essex, was dead by 

 26 May 1340 : ibid. 412. 



" Feet ofF. Essex, iii, 77. 



■4 E.A.T. N.S. vi, 115. 



■5 Cal. Close, 1354-60, 80; Cal. Inq. 

 p.m. x\, p. 287. 



>* Reg. Sudbury (Cant. & York Soc), 



253. ^59- 

 " Cal. Close, 1364-8,495. 

 '* Cat. And. D. iv, A. 9131. 

 '» E.A.T. N.S. v, 23. 

 " Ibid. 22. 

 2' Ibid. 223-4. 

 22 E.A.T. N.S. V, 4, vi, 116. 



263 



" Ibid. V, 24. 



2« Ibid. 4. 



^5 Ibid. William Massey had died* 

 shortly before Oct. 1428 : Cal. Fine R. 

 XV, 235. Elizabeth married secondly, 

 Walter Lord Fitz Walter (d. 1431). She 

 married Cobham, her 3rd husband, before 

 Nov. 1438 : Complete Peerage, v, 483-4. 



26 Newcourt, Repert. ii, 584. 



" E.A.T. N.S. V, 4-5. 



2' Ibid. V, 206. 



" E.R.O., D/DDa M21. 



3» Cal. Pap. Lett, xii, 611. 



" E.A.T. N.S. V, 222; Cal. Fine R. xx, 

 268. 



31 E.A.T. N.S. V, 206. 



