EDWINSTREE HUNDRED 



in the same year.' It was evidently purchased by 

 Sir Robert Chester ' and united to the ' manor of 

 Cockenach,' which had belonged to Royston Priory. 



The latter is probably identical with GREAT 

 COCKENACH or COCKENACH in BJRKIf'jr. 

 The Prior of Royston acquired from William de 

 Notton in 1354 a messuage, land and services in 

 Cockenach.' They had been given to Notton by 

 John Earl of Oxford,' to whom they had escheated 

 by reason of the felony of Richard Bromley, a former 

 tenant.' They may be identical with the quarter 

 knight's fee in Cockenach held by Willi.im Berking 

 in 1303,' since in 1309 William Berking and his 

 daughter Idonea sought to replevy certain lands in 

 Barkway against Alan son of Walter Bromley. '° 

 Possibly the lands acquired by Royston Priory were 

 that part of the holding of Geoffrey de Bech which 

 Robert Burun had not included in his gift to the 

 abbey of Montreuil.^^ 



The possessions of Royston Priory at the Dissolu- 

 tion included the manor of Cockenach, lands called 

 Bermondseyes ^^ and Margeryes in Nuthampstead and 

 other lands in Cockenach set aside to the use of the 

 sacristan. 1' These were purchased, together with the 

 lite of the priory, by Robert Chester in 1 540.^* 

 Cockenach Manor then descended with Nuthamp- 

 stead and subsequently with Newsells (q.v.). 



The manor-house or Cockenach Park estate was 

 separated from the manor about 1780, when it was 

 purchased by Sir John Chapman, bart.^' His widow 

 Dame Sarah Chapman bequeathed it to Dame Mary 

 Willes, wife of Sir Francis Willes, who left it to her 

 nephew William Henry Clinton, afterwards General 

 Sir William Clinton, to hold in tail-male.^' His 

 son Lieut.-Colonel Henry Clinton disentailed the 

 property, which was purchased from his widow by 

 Mr. Alexander Crossman, the present owner of the 

 manorial rights, who resides at Cockenach.^' 



HEDLErS or HADLETS belonged to the college 

 of St. John, Rotherham, co. York, founded by Thomas 

 Rotherham, Archbishop of York.^* The grant was 

 made in 1482, when the estate was conveyed by John 

 Shuckburgh^' and his wife Clemency, daughter of 

 John Home, to the archbishop, William Sheffield, 

 clerk, and others,^" for the endowment of the college.^' 

 It was possibly identical with the land held of the 

 lord of Newsells by Ralph ' de Handley,' by service 

 of a quarter-fee, about 1 248.^^ The college was 



Lancaster. Argent 

 t'lvo bars gules and a 

 quarter gules 'with a 

 leopard or therein. 



BARKWAY 



dissolved under the Act of 1547 and its lands were 

 seized by the Crown.23 Hedleys was purchased in 

 1550 by Robert Chester, ^-J and thus became part of 

 the estate consolidated by the Chesters in Barkway 

 and its neighbourhood. ^^ 



ROKEr (Rokeye, xiii-xv cent. ; Rookey, xvi- 

 xviii cent.) can be located off the road from Reed to 

 Barkway. The manor was 

 held by a cert.iin Robert ' de 

 Hilton,' who gave it to his 

 son Alexander 26 de Hilton 

 (or Hutton).27 The latter 

 claimed amendment of assize 

 of bread and ale about 1 2 8 7 ^^ 

 and subsequently enfeoffed 

 Hugh de Lancaster of the 

 manor.-^ He was holding it 

 in 1 303,^" and in 1306 a 

 settlement was made on him- 

 self and his wife Maud and 

 the heirs of Hugh.^^ Maud 

 survived her husband,''' who 



was dead in 1327.^^ His heir was his son John,^'' 

 who was in possession of the manor in i 347.'' It 

 evidently remained in the family'^ until 1415, 

 when Thomas son and heir of Edward de Lancaster 

 sold it to John Woodward and others.'^ Maud 

 Woodward was holding it in 1428.'' It was subse- 

 quently acquired by the lord of Newsells Manor. 

 It is said to have been settled in fee simple on 

 Thomas Lord Scales.^' In 1483 it was included 

 with Newsells in the grant to the Duke of Norfolk of 

 the lands which had lately belonged to Earl Rivers.*" 

 Its history is coincident with that of Newsells until 

 1546, when the Earl of Oxford sold it to William 

 Gery of Barkway.*^ By 1560 it had been acquired 

 by the lord of Water Andrews, William Hyde, and 

 his wife Elizabeth. At that date they conveyed 

 both manors to Matthias Bradbury,*^ from whom they 

 were purchased by Sir William Petre in 1562.*' In 

 1583 Sir John Petre, kt., sold them to Henry 

 Prannell,** who had recently acquired Newsells 

 (q.v.). He in 1589 bequeathed two-thirds of all 

 his Hertfordshire manors to his wife Anne for life 

 with remainder to his son Henry, who also held the 

 other third at his father's death. If the son should 

 die without issue two-thirds of the manors of Rokey 

 and Water Andrews were to pass to Joan Brooke, 



* L. and P. Hen. VIII, jciii (2), 491 

 (6). 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Sen 2), clix, 51. 



"Add. MS. 5843, fol. 247; Cal.Pat. 

 •354.-8, p. 53. 



' Add. MS. 5843, fol. 247. 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. 26 Edw. Ill (2nd 

 nos.), no. 4 ; cf. Abbrev. Rat. Orig. (Rec. 

 Com.), ii, 225 ; Cal. Pat. 1350-4, p. 349. 



' Feud. Aids, li, 431. 



"Ca/. Close, 1307-13, p. 136; cf. 

 Cal. Pat. 1307-13, p. 419. 



" Thui the CTerlordship of the Veres 

 Earls of Oxford would he explained. 

 Geoflrey'g holding was i hide 12 acres, 

 I.e. about 132 acres. Burun gave to 

 Montreuil 80 acres only. 



" Evidently the land from which a 

 rent of 131. 41/. was due to Bermondsey 

 Priory {Pape Nich. Tax. [Rec. Com.], 

 14). The land was farmed from Ber- 

 mondsey Priory by the Priors of Royston 

 (Duchy of Lane. Ct. R. bdle. 77, no. 999). 



" Mins. Accts. 28 & 29 Hen. VIII, 



no. 85. It is noteworthy that a suit-fine 

 was due to the Earl of Oxford. 



" L. and P. Hen. VIII, xvi, g. 379 (60). 



" Clutterbuck, op. cit. iii, 369. 



^^ Abstract of title communicated by 

 Messrs. Crossman and Prichard ; Cussans, 

 Hist, of Herts. Edivinstree Hund. 26. 



^' Inform, from Messrs. Crossman and 

 Prichard. 



>8 Pat. 4 Edw. VI, pt. ix. 



" cf. the account of Water Andrews 

 below. 



'" Feet of F. Div. Co. 22 Edw. 



IV, 



138. 



no, 142. 



" Guest, Hist. Notices of Rotherham, 

 ^ Cal. Inq. p.m. Hen. Ill, 38. 



28 Guest, op. cit. 147. 



2* Pat. 4 Edw. VI, pt. ix. 

 2» See above. 



26 De Banco R. 281, m. 32 d. 

 2' Sec Assize R. 325. 

 2' Ibid. ; cf. the account of view of 

 frankpledge at Nuthampstead. 



29 De Banco R. 281, m. 32 d. 



33 



™ Feud. Aids, ii, 431. 

 '1 De Banco R. 281, m. 32d. ; Feet 

 of F. Herts. 34 Edw. I, no. 426. 



32 De Banco R. 281, m. 32 d. 



33 Ibid. 269, m. 22. 



s-i Ibid. ; cf. De Banco R. 281, m. 32 d. 

 A John de Lancaster was concerned with 

 William and John of Rokey in a night 

 attack on- the Earl of Pembroke at Bark- 

 way in 1346 or 1347 (Cal. Pat. 1345-8, 

 p. 306). 



35 Duchy of Lane. Ct. R. bdle. 64, 

 no. 805. 



3' This John de Lancaster had a son 

 John (Cal. Pat. 1345-8, p. 306). 



3' Feet of F. Herts. 3 Hen. V, no. 14. 



38 Feud. Aids, ii, 445. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), i, 37. 



« Cal. Pat. 1476-85, p. 365. 



■>! Deed printed by Cussans, op. cit. 

 Edivinstree Hund. 22. 



<2 Feet of F. Herts. East. 2 Eliz. 



<3 Ibid. East. 4 Eliz. 



" Ibid. East. 25 Eliz. 



