A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



In 1474 the last named John Prince made a con- 

 veyance of the manors for the surety of his wife's 

 jointure and of their children, and in 1482 Theydon 

 Garnon and Gregories were settled upon John and 

 Lucy his wife for hfe.33 In 1497 John and Lucy leased 

 the manor house of Gamons Hall, except the parlour 

 and three rooms over it at the upper end of the high 

 dais of the hall, with access thereto through the garden 

 on the south side, to John Wylkinson of Epping, malt- 

 man, for 10 years at an annual rent of £SM Prince 

 was living at Waltham Holy Cross at the time of his 

 death in 1499. In his will, proved in the same year, he 

 left all his properties to his daughter Elizabeth and her 

 husband William Sparowe, subject to an annuity of 

 ;^i 5 to be paid to Lucy for her life out of Theydon 

 Garnon and Gregories. 's 



Early in 1499, however, shortly before making his 

 win. Prince had sold to Humphrey Coningsby for 300 

 marks the reversion upon his death of Theydon Garnon 

 and Gregories, saving the life interests of Lucy and of 

 William and Elizabeth Sparowe in certain lands. 

 Prince had agreed to deliver up his evidences before 

 Whitsun 1499, but although he was still alive in July 

 1499, for he then made his will, he had failed to do so 

 and the bargain remained uncompleted at his death.^* 

 Sparowe refused to surrender the evidences and 

 Coningsby took the matter to law, claiming ^{^400 

 damages. In 1 500 Sparowe and his wife agreed with 

 Sir Thomas Tyrell to settle Theydon Garnon and 

 Gregories and a messuage in Theydon Garnon called 

 Garnish Mill on themselves and Elizabeth's heirs with 

 remainder to Tyrell who covenanted to bear the cost 

 of the actions between the Sparowes and Coningsby.37 

 In 1 501 Sparowe bound himself and his wife in the 

 sum of ;£6oo to obey an award of arbitration, and to 

 make no default in an assize of novel disseisin arraigned 

 by Sir Reynold Bray, one of Coningsby's feoffees. '^ 

 In the same year Sparowe died and Elizabeth married 

 Francis Hampden, who was then named with her as 

 defendant in the suit. In 1 502 he, with Sir John 

 Hampden and another, entered into reciprocal bonds 

 with Coningsby to accept arbitration. '' The dispute, 

 however, went on. Francis and Elizabeth evidently 

 remained in possession of the properties and in 1504 

 leased to Robert Pecok for nine years at an annual rent 

 of £7 1 3/. 4^'. what was described as the site of the 

 manor of Theydon Garnon being the outer court, 

 without the moat, and all the housing in that court 

 except the Long House.^" 



Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter, who was the last 

 survivor of the feoffees created by Coningsby, died in 

 1 5 19. It was subsequently claimed that the legal estate 

 in the manor of Theydon Garnon passed to Oldham's 

 heir Adam Travers, Archdeacon of Exeter. Travers 

 seems to have enfeoffed a certain Nowcrs, but when 

 Nowers and others brought an action against Francis 

 and Elizabeth Hampden the plaintiffs claimed to hold 

 under a previous feoffment.'*' In 1523 there was a 

 further appointment of feoffees, and in 1 527 Coningsby 



entered into another bond of ;{^6oo to abide by the 

 award of three justices of the Common Pleas. A 

 settlement was at last reached and later in 1527 

 Coningsby, Nowers, and the other feoffees released 

 their right in Theydon Garnon and Gregories to 

 Francis and Elizabeth Hampden and Elizabeth's heirs. 

 Francis and Elizabeth were to pay 350 marks to 

 Coningsby, who was to deliver up his evidences. In 

 1529 Francis and Elizabeth made a conveyance of the 

 two manors to Thomas Tyrell and others, no doubt in 

 connexion with the agreement of 1 500.^^ Before the 

 final settlement of the dispute, in 1525, they had settled 

 one-third of their lands upon Margery their eldest 

 daughter and her husband John Shirley .^3 In 1538 

 the third part of the manor of Theydon Garnon was 

 leased to John ap Rice of London for ^90 a year.** 



Elizabeth Hampden died, a widow, in 1538, leaving 

 three daughters and coheirs, the above Margery 

 Shirley, Jane wife of Christopher Carleton, and EUen, 

 later wife of John Branch. Shortly after Elizabeth's 

 death Carleton instituted proceedings in Chancery 

 which seem to have resulted in the transfer to him of 

 Gregories manor and a rent of 30/., while Branch was 

 given Garnish Mill farm and a rent of j^io, and 

 Margery (now Edward Bishop's wife) retained 

 Theydon Garnon manor. This new arrangement was 

 confirmed in the Common Pleas in 1 544 and it was 

 then also provided that the common and waste and 

 Gamons Wood should be divided into three. Pre- 

 sentations to Theydon Garnon rectory, as already 

 arranged, were to be made in turn, the first vacancy to 

 be filled by Margery, the second by Carleton, and the 

 third by Branch.^s 



Margery Bishop died in 1545, leaving an infant son 

 Edward .■<* He evidently died soon after, for on the 

 death in 1553 of Margery's husband Edward Bishop, 

 who had held Theydon Garnon for life, the manor 

 passed to her two sisters.*^ In 1556 the manor was 

 allotted to John and Ellen Branch, together with 

 Margery's turn in the advowson. Jane, formerly wife 

 of Christopher Carleton (d. c. 1 549) and now of Francis 

 Michell, received two parts of the wood upon the 

 common and the waste lands.''* Further disputes oc- 

 curred and in 1 562 there was another settlement which 

 confirmed the manor to John and Ellen Branch, settled 

 the advowson upon them in reversion after the death 

 of Jane, divided the freehold lands between the sisters 

 but gave to John and Ellen all Margery's share in the 

 waste grounds of Gamons Wood.*' 



Ellen Branch had died in 1 567.50 John Branch held 

 the manor for life after her death. In i 568 he married 

 Ellen Minors,^' said elsewhere to be daughter of 

 William Nicolson.52 j^g vvas Lord Mayor of London 

 1580— I and was knighted in that year.'' In 1587 he 

 settled the reversion of the manor after the deaths of 

 himself and his wife on his nephew Sir Daniel Dun.'* 

 Branch died soon after this and in 1589 his widow re- 

 leased to Dun her life interest in the manor.'' At some 

 time after this, and before 1672, Garnish Mill farm 



" E.A.T. N.5. vi, 119. 



" Ibid. V, 213. 



" Ibid. 223. 



J« Ibid. V, 223, 18-19. 



" Ibid, vi, 120. This agreement also 

 refcr« to the manor of Theydon Mount, 

 but this was presumably an error. 



3* Ibid. V, 19, 



» Ibid. 217. 



« Ibid. 213. 



«' Ibid. 19-20. For Bishop Oldham see 



D.N.B. 



*^ Ibid. 217-19. 



« Ibid. 21. 



■•« Ibid. 219. 



«5 CP40/1121 m. 34.1. For the plead- 

 ings see C 1/967/3, 4.. 



*<■ C.42/73/63. 



■" P.C.C. 14 Tashe; C78/50, No. 20. 



"8 E.R.O., D/DDa T13; for Carlcton's 

 will (pr. 1550) see P.C.C. i Coode. 



" E.R.O., D/DDa T13. 



264 



5° M.I. in Theydon Garnon church. 



SI W. H. Challen, 'St. Mary Abchurch, 

 London, Transcription of Marriages 

 1558-1736' (typescript 1927), 2. 



5^ Fisit. of Lond. 1568, i, 13. 



S3 A. B. Beaven, Aldermen of London, ii, 



39- 

 5< E.R.O., D/DDa T13. 



5S Ibid. 



