400 Notices of Heathpool. By James Hardy. 



The first was held at Wooler, 18th April, 1306. He held the lands not as 

 his own, but of the heredity of Maria de Graham, his wife. The termly 

 payments of the tenants were, Martinmas and Pentecost. This is what 

 relates to Hethpol : — Also at Heythepol there is a certain separate pasture, 

 its value by the year, 16d.; also divers free tenants " forms " [who perform 

 external or warlike services] and pay at said terms, 9s. lOd. ; also 2 cottars 

 who pay rent at the same terms, 4s. ; also a certain brewery (bracina), 

 worth by the year, 5s.* The second inquisition by jury was held at 

 Bamburgh " on the Thursday next before the feast of Pentecost," 1306, 

 when it was declared that the right of Robert de Muschampe descended 

 to Margery and Isabella, " et uni heredi," which I will not follow 

 Mr Dickson, in translating " sole heirs," and of the same Margery came 

 Maria, who was the wife of the foresaid Nicholas de Graham, who was 

 the daughter and heir of the foresaid Margery of the moiety of the said 

 barony. Husband and wife were not infefted conjointly. He held 

 nothing in the said barony, except through the heredity of his wife. John 

 de Graham, their son, was of the age of 28. f 



What became of John de Graham is not known. We are now entering 

 upon some inexplicable proceedings on the part of Maria de Graham, 

 which created considerable contention afterwards, and introduced for a 

 short period a new race, the Meyneils, as holders of her paternal estates, 

 who were eventually superceded by another family, the Darcies. The 

 story is to be learned only imperfectly from the legal documents. 



II. The Mknills or Meynicls and the Darcies. 



An Inquisition ad quod Damnum, 8 Edward II., 1315, held at Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne on the Saturday next after the feast of St. Matthias the Apostle, 

 in Lent, determined that it was not to the prejudice of the King and 

 others that he should permit Maria, daughter of Margery de Muschaunce, 

 that she should concede that moiety of the manor of Wollour, Hethpol, 

 Hederslaw, Lowyk and Belford, held by her, to Thomas de Hybernia and 

 his heirs ; to re-enfeoff the said Maria for her life ; after her death to 

 remain to Nicholas de Meynill and his heirs ; but in defect of lineal heirs, 

 to remain to Nicholas, son of Lucie, daughter of Robert de Thwenge and 

 his heirs ; remainder to the right heirs of Nicholas de Meynill.^ 



At the same date in pursuance of the above inquisition, Nicholas de 

 Menill paid a fine of £10 for a licence to possess the moiety, after the 

 death of Maria, daughter of Margery de Muschaunce. || In one of the 

 deeds, Hethpol is called " Hegpol." 



* Ford Tithe Papers, Printed, p. 227. I may now state that here, as in 

 several other quotations, I have translated and abridged from the original 

 Latin documents. 



f lb., p. 227. 



j Ford Tithe Case, Printed, pp. 227-8. 



|| 4 Rot. Pat., 8 Edw. II. ; Origmalia, 8 Edw. II., Ford Papers, p. 228, 

 and MS. Documents. 



