A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE 



Roger de Laci had succeeded his father, whose predecessor in 

 three Berkshire manors, as in a Gloucestershire one, had been Edmund. 

 Hascoit (Musard) a Breton, who belonged to Derbyshire and Gloucester- 

 shire, had for his tenant at Winterbourne, a fellow-countryman, Chemar- 

 huec. Geoffrey de Mandeville of Essex was indebted for most of his 

 Berkshire lands to his well-recognized succession to Esgar, staller and 

 sheriff. 



With Walter Fitz Other we come to a baron of local association, for 

 he was the founder of the house of Windsor and may himself have been 

 occasionally named, as were his sons, from that royal abode. Keeper of the 

 forests of Berkshire and constable of Windsor castle, 1 his was the charge 

 of the knights who owed it castle guard, namely those of Abingdon 

 Abbey, of Ghilo de Picquigny and of his own fief 8 which extended into 

 the four counties adjoining eastern Berkshire. Of his connexion with 

 Windsor Domesday affords us no indication beyond his holding a small 

 portion of the King's own manor there ; but it hints at his forest post 

 in its entry under Kintbury, where we find him holding half a hide, 

 which King Edward gave to his predecessor ' out of his demesne (jirma) 

 . . . for keeping the forest.' The monks of Abingdon suffered at his 

 hands, for when the King annexed part of Winkfield to Windsor forest, 

 Walter did some robbing on his own account, seizing some of their woods 

 down Bagshot way. 



Of the great English lord whom William found in possession, 

 namely Wigod of Wallingford, there is scarcely any mention, Letcombe 

 (Bassett), a manor of Robert d'Ouilly, being alone mentioned as 

 formerly his. But under the fief of Miles Crispin we have just a hint 

 in one place of his former possession ; and this is as it should be, for it 

 is well recognized that Robert and Miles succeeded to the widely 

 scattered estates of the lord of Wallingford. 



In Berkshire, as in Bucks and Oxon, Domesday seems to support 

 the story of some mysterious connexion between Robert d'Ouilly and 

 Roger d'lvry. Stowe in Buckinghamshire is entered, under the 

 Bishop of Bayeux' fief, as held of him by Robert and Roger jointly, 3 

 and in Berkshire an estate in Shefford, 4 which had belonged to ' Bristei ' 

 or 'Bricstec,' appears in two moieties under the fiefs of Robert and 

 Roger respectively, Domesday adding in each case * de feudo episcopi 



1 Abingdon Cbron. (Rolls Ser.), ii. 7, 132. * Red Book of the Exchequer (Rolls Sen), 716-7. 



3 See V '.C.H. Buckinghamshire, \. 237. 



4 The Rev. H. Salter, editor of the Osney cartulary, inclines to the view, from evidence therein, 

 that this estate was Elton farm in Welford, now bordering on the east of East Shefford. 



This view I can confirm from independent evidence. In the Testa (p. 126) we find ' Elfreton ' 

 divided into two holdings, each of a quarter of a fee. One of these was held of the Honour of St. Valery 

 (pp. lllb, 1244), which is known to represent Roger d'lvry ; and the other was held of the Earls of War- 

 wick (pp. 109, 122), who are known to have inherited from Robert d'Ouilly. ' Elfreton,' therefore, was 

 the present Elton, which supports my view (p. 363 below) that the ' Ulvritone ' of Domesday is repre- 

 sented, as a name, by Woolton. The quarter fee at ' Elfreton ' is duly entered in the Inq. p.m. on the 

 earl in 26 Hen. III., but the Record Office has failed to identify the place (Cat. of Inq. i. 3). 



Yet further confirmation is found in the return of the Berkshire carucage (1220-1221) in Testa, 

 p. 131^, where, between two Shefford entries, we read (the text is bad), ' De Elfinton (sic) Ad' et Galfr" 

 pro tribus caruc[atis] terrse.' Here we have the three hides of Domesday in two moieties again. 



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