A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



his life interest in the manor to John Chamberlain, 

 who transferred his rights to John Boston of Boston. 



Warenne. Chgcky or 



and azure. 



FiTZALAN. 



lion argent. 



Boston's title was extended by the Crown to a life 

 interest 5 May 1398, shortly after the forfeiture of 

 the earl's estates.^' These were restored in October 

 1400 to Thomas son of the late earl/* and he gave 

 Berwick to his messenger (nunc'ms) John RygoU for 

 life/' The latter was still living in July 1416.^ 

 The earl had died 13 October 141 5, leaving as heirs 

 three sisters. 



About the year 1439 Berwick was in the possession 

 of Sir John Fray, chief baron of the Exchequer, who 

 acquired a considerable estate 

 in the county by purchase and 

 probably bought this manor 

 also.''' It was afterwards held 

 by Anne wife of Richard 

 Southwell, who in 1475 

 joined with her husband in a 

 conveyance to Henry and 

 Robert Colet and others and 

 to the hcin of Henry,"- who 

 was afterwards Lord Mayor 

 of London. Sir Henry's son 

 and heir John Colet, the 

 famous Dean of St. Paul's,'^ 

 gave the manor in trust to 

 the Mercers' Company for his 



chantry of Our Lady Patroness of Boys near his 

 school in St. Paul's Churchyard. ''^' The manor was 

 evidently acquired by William Gery of Barkway and 

 Bushmead after the suppression of Colet's chantry. 

 Gery conveyed it in 1552 to William Plattfote of 

 Beccic?,*'' who evidently alienated to William Hilling- 

 ton, since in 1553 the latter sold to Thomas Hanchett 

 of Albury, a rent of ^^8 being reserved to the school.*^ 



Hanchett sold in 1555 to George Hadley and his 

 wife Mercy .8^ Early in the year 1584 George 



Colet. Sableacheve- 

 ron betvjeen three hinds 

 tripping a rgen t 'with three 

 rings argent on the cheve- 



Hadley transferred his rights to Wimond Gary,** 

 who sold in 1595 to Henry Prannell, gentleman." 

 The manor hai since descended with Newsells. 



Cockenach (Cochenac, xi cent. ; Cochenach, xii 

 cent. ; Cokenhache, xiii cent. ; Cockenach, xiv- 

 xvi cent. ; Cockenhach or Cockenhatch, xvi-xviii 

 cent.) is an extensive district lying partly between 

 Newsells and Nuthampstead, partly to the east of 

 Nuthampstead on the Essex border. In 1086 

 Ansfrid held of Geoffrey de Bech I hide i z acres in 

 Cockenach, and the same Ansfrid held of Geoffrey 

 20 acres in the neighbouring parish of Barley."" 

 Algar, one of Wigar's men, had held the land at 

 Cockenach before the Conquest.^' A part of this 

 land was apparently LITTLE COCKENACH OR 

 COCKENACH IN NUTHAMPSTEAD.^'' The 

 ' manor of Cockenach ' subsequently came into the 

 possession of Ralph the Butler (' Pincerna '), together 

 with other lands which had been held by Geoffrey 

 de Bech."^ Roger Burun held these of Ralph by 

 service of two knights' fees. Between 1120 and 

 1 1 3 5 the latter subenfeofFed Aubrey de Vere of 

 them until Robert Burun should have paid to Vere 

 j^32 due to Ralph the Butler. Robert was then to 

 enter upon the lands and the right of Vere and his 

 heirs was to be limited to a mesne lordship between 

 Burun and Butler.'^ A Robert Burun, possibly the 

 Robert mentioned above, with his wife Beatrice, 

 gave to the Abbot and to the convent of St. Gunwal 

 at Montreuil 80 acres of land at Cockenach, upon 

 which was built a chapel, while Robert Levegar and 

 his son gave to the abbey the croft and house 

 {mansio) in which the chapel was built.'' It is said 

 that the abbot built (possibly rebuilt) the chapel as a 

 chantry for the souls of all the faithful departed."' 

 Robert Abbot of Montreuil acquired lands of the 

 fee of Earl William (of Essex, d. 1227), lord of 

 Nuthampstead, and he alienated these with Cock- 

 enach to the abbey of St. James, Walden, about 

 122 1."' Roger Burun, son of Robert, in confirming 

 to Walden Abbey ' the place called Cockenach with 

 the chapel of St. Gunwal,' agreed to keep the chapel 

 in repair and to provide vestments.'* By 1343 the 

 chantry had long ceased to exist," but the monks of 

 Walden retained their land in Cockenach and Nut- 

 hampstead '"^ until the surrender of their house to 

 the Crown in March 1537-8.1 Early in the l6th 

 century some part at least of their land was let to the 

 Priors of Royston.^ Cockenach was granted with 

 WaldenA bbey in 1 5 3 8 to Sir Thomas Audley, kt., lord 

 chancellor,' by whom a settlement in tail was made 



" Cat. Pat. 1396-9, p. 578. 



" Ibid. I 599-1401, p. 134. 



^ Chan. laq. p.m. 4 Hen. V, no. 54. 



6" Ibid. 



^ KC.H. Herts, iii, 229, 266, 273 ; 

 Inq. a-q.d. file 448, no. 22. 



*• Feet of F. Hens. 15 Edw. IV, 

 no. 43. The identity of Anne Southwell 

 is unknown. Possibly she was Fray's 

 daughter who is elsewhere styled ' Agaa ' 

 (cf. F^.C.H. Herts, iii, 229, 266, 273). 



^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), xii, 31 ; 

 Exch. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), file 295, no. 2. 



^ L. and P. Hen. nil, i, 4659 ; Chan. 

 Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), iiviii, 69 ; xiiriii, 25. 



5^ Com. Pleas D. Enr. Hil. 6 & 7 

 Edw. VI, m. 3. 



8«Ibid. Mich. I Marv, m. ijd. 



" Feet of F. Herts. East. 1 & 2 Phil, 

 and Mary. William Sterne and his wife 



Bridget were parties to this conveyance ; 

 cf. ibid. Mich. 3*4 PhiL and Mary. 

 ^ Ibid. Hil. 26 Eliz. 



* Ibid. East 37 Eliz. In the same 

 year John Oliver and his wife Frances 

 conveyed their right in the manor to 

 Prannell (ibid. East. 37 Eliz.). 



^ r.C.H. Herts, i, 3334. 



9> Ibid. 



" cf. Duchy of Lane Ct. R. bdle. 77, 

 no. 999, where it is stated that the lands 

 of the abbey of Walden lay within the 

 ' leet and lordship ' of Nuthampstead. 



" viz. Hailey and Bengeo near Hert- 

 ford (HarL Chart. 46, I 30 ; see KC.H. 

 Hera, iii, 417, 425-6). 



*• Harl. Chart 46, I 30. 



" Dugdale, Mon. iv, 151. 



* Cal. Close, 1343-6, p. I. 



^ Harl. MS. 3697, foL 194. In com- 



32 



pensation the abbey at Montreuil re- 

 ceived 15 marks and a pension of ioj., 

 which was afterwards released (ibid. 

 foL 13). 



^ Ibid. fol. 194. John Burun gave 

 to Colchester Abbey land in Cockenach 

 in a place called Ryshill next the 

 land of Walden Abbey which 'Robert 

 the Chaplain of Bokesworth' formerly 

 held [Cart. Mon. S. Johannit de Colecestria 

 [Roxburghe Club], 236-7). 



^ Cal. Close, 1343-6, p. I. This 

 return is probably in error in stating 

 that Bumn held of the Mandeville fee. 



"» Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 14. 



•r.C.H. £„„, ii, ,,4. 



» Duchy of Lane. Ct. R. bdle. 77, 

 no. 999. 



» L. and P. Hen. VIU, xiii (i), 11 15 



