A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



them who occurs is Walter le ChamberlejTi, who 

 received small grants of land in the parish from Peter 

 Fitz William le Grey,'' John Prior of Berden in 

 Essex, and Agnes de Wancy, widow.*' In 1 240 a 

 contract was made for the marriage of his eldest son 

 Henry to Agatha niece of Alexander, Treasurer of 

 St. Paul's Cathedral,*' and in 1278 a presentment 

 was made to the justices in assize as to the encroach- 

 ment committed by him in arching the king's high- 

 way.^ His son may be identified in Henry le 

 Chamberleyn, who made a grant of land in Brent 

 Pelham to be held of himself for a yearly rent *' and 

 who in 1303 was the tenant of the bishop in the 

 fourth part of a knight's fee in the parish.*^ He 

 probably had for his heir John Chamberleyn of Brent 

 Pelham, who in 1345 bequeathed to Sir Alan, vicar 

 of the parish, a red cow to go before his own corpse on 

 the day of his burial. His will makes mention of his 

 late wife Alice, his wife Joan and his son Robert.^' 



The Bezchis, Brent Pelham : South-west Front 



In 1355 this manor of Brent Pelham had passed to 

 Sir Thomas Chamberleyn, kt., and Alice his wife, 

 who then settled it on themselves, Stephen son of 

 Thomas and the heirs of his body.*^ At his death 

 soon afterwards Thomas was succeeded by Thomas le 

 Grey as kinsman and heir of Stephen Chamberleyn. 

 It appears, however, that a claim to the inheritance 



was made by Sir John de la Lee of Albury ; for in 

 1 361 Thomas le Grey went to Albury and asked 

 counsel of Sir John, promising to be guided by him 

 only. Subsequently he re-entered the manor, at this 

 date called Chamberleyns, and furnished it with goods 

 and chattels to the value of j^io. In 1364, however. 

 Sir John with his brother Robert and others of his 

 servants expelled him. Sir John's successor. Sir Walter 

 de la Lee, settled the manor of Chamberleyns in 

 1376,** but in 1406 his sister and co-heir Joan with 

 her husband John Barley and Robert Newport and 

 his wife Margery, another sister, released the manor 

 to John Grey and Joan his wife,*' on whom it had 

 already been entailed in 1405 together with Greys 

 Manor'' (q-^Oj the descent of which it afterwards 

 followed. ** 



BEECHES (Beches, Beaches, Batches), a manor in 

 Brent Pelham held by Simon de Furneus in the reign 

 of Edward I, had probably been part of the 2 hides 



and I virgate of land 

 in Pelham of which 

 Ralph de Furneus 

 was tenant in 1210- 

 1 1.'' In 1 278 Simon 

 had free warren in 

 Brent Pelham.™ In 

 1 2 8 7-8 he distrained 

 Gilbert Sanke for his 

 homage and service 

 and the rent of 

 40/. 6ti. which he 

 owed, together with 

 fealty and suit of 

 court every three 

 weeks at Simon's 

 court of Brent Pel- 

 ham.'' In 1306 an 

 inquisition was taken 

 to discover whether 

 Simon might grant 

 to the priory of 

 Thremhall in Essex 

 certain two messu- 

 ages, 167 J acres of 

 arable land, 4 of 

 meadow, 16 of pas- 

 ture and 2 of wood, 

 together with rents 

 worth 2 1/. 5 \d. a 

 year, in Brent Pelham and Furneux Pelham, held 

 partly of Nicholas le Grey and partly of the bishop. 

 In return the prior and convent would maintain 

 chantries for the souls of Simon and his ancestors 

 within their house and in Furneux Pelham Church.'* 

 In the same year the bishop intimated to the king 

 that he had consented to the proposed grant," and it 



" Add. MS. 5806, fol. 23 d. 



53 Ibid. 15 d. 



ss Ibid. 23 d. 



'» Herts, and Hants Assize R. Edw. I 

 (Agarde's Index), fol. 88. 



"Add. MS. 5806, fol. 15 d. 



^ Ftud. Aids, ii, 431. 



«8 Hist. MSS. Com. Rip. ix, App. i, 

 39. His funeral expenses amounted to 

 63^. 7f(/., of which sum only ^^d. was 

 spent on his coffin. 



" Feet of F. Herts. 29 Edw. Ill, 

 no. 441 ; see Add. MS. 5806, fol. 14 d. 



" Close, 50 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 9, 

 12, 13. 



« Feet of F. Herts. 8 Hen. IV, 

 no. 43. 



^ Ibid. 7 Hen. IV, no. 34. 



^ Feml. Aids, ii, 446 ; Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. 5 Edw. IV, no. 27 ; (Ser. 2), 

 CCCCXX3CT, 125 ; Feet of F. Herts. Trin. 

 2 & 3 Phil, and Mary ; East. 5 Eliz. ; 

 Trin. 29 Elie. ; Trin. 39 Eliz. ; East. 19 

 Geo. II ; Recoy. R. Trin. 2 & 3 Phil, and 

 Mary, rot. 432 ; Hil. 5 Eliz. rot. 503 ; 

 East. 25 Eliz. rot. 87 ; Trin. 25 Eliz. roL 



96 



157; East. 2 Chas. I, rot. 1 7 ; Hil. 8 Anne, 

 rot. 10 ; East. 19 Geo. II, rot. 142 ; Chan. 

 Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle. 192, no. 49. 



® See account of Furneux Pelham. 



'" Assize R. 323. 



^ Chauncy, op. cit. 140. A marginal 

 reference to the Exch. R. for Trin. 16 

 Edw. I cannot be identified. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 34EJW. I, no. 224. 

 See account of Furneux Pelham Church. 



'" London Epis. Reg. Baldock and 

 Gravescnd, fol. 4 j Hiit. MSi. Com. 

 Refi. ix, App. i, 3911. 



