Before the Conquest Wyddial was 

 MANORS divided among nine sokemen.' Of 

 these. Sired, a man of Earl Harold, held 

 a manor there, and Alward, a man of Earl Algar, held 

 another.* The remainder of Wyddial was held by 

 seven sokemen of King Edward, who found for the 

 sheriff yearly ()J. or the carrying service of 2 J loads 

 (averae)!' By 1086 Hardwin de Scales had obtained 

 all these holdings, which together formed the manor 

 of WYDDIAL^ The manor was always held in 

 chief.' 



On the death of Hardwin de Scales his lands were 

 divided between his two sons Richard and Hugh.' 

 Hugh obtained his manor of Wyddial ' and from him 

 it descended to his son Henry de Scales.'" Henry 

 was succeeded by his son Hugh"; in 1195 Hugh's 

 claim to Wyddial and various other lands was dis- 

 puted by William de Scales, the grandson of Hardwin's 

 son Richard mentioned above." The case was 

 adjourned in 1 199 for so long as Henry son of Hugh 

 should be in the service of the king beyond the sea." 

 But later it was adjudged that Richard was not 

 seised of the lands which Hugh held at the death of 

 Henry II and judgement was given in favour of 

 Hugh." On Hugh's death Wyddial descended to 

 his son Henry, who settled it on his wife Maud 

 before starting on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. In 

 his absence Maud was troubled in her possession by 

 certain Jews, who endeavoured to obtain payment of 

 her husband's debts out of the manor of Wyddial." 

 Henry died abroad and as he left no issue his lands 

 passed to his brother Geofirey, who did homage for 

 them in 1221." Maud, however, held Wyddial in 

 dower until her death.'' It then reverted to Geoffrey 

 de Scales and he in 125 7 leased it for twelve years to 

 the queen.'' The following year, at her instance, 

 Henry III granted to Geofirey de Scales that his son 

 Geoffrey should perform the services due from his 

 lands, as Geofirey was at this time too old to perform 

 them. In consideration of this Geoffrey granted his 

 son his lands in Reed and Wyddial." The queen 

 also conveyed to Geofirey de Scales the younger and 

 Eleanor his wife all rights in her lease of the manor.'" 

 In 1260 Geoffi-ey de Scales received a grant of free 

 warren in his demesne lands of Wyddial and else- 

 where." Geofirey the younger died before 1 267 and 

 the custody of his son Thomas, a minor, was granted 

 to his mother Eleanor, the tenants of his lands 

 being allowed quittance of suit at the hundred and 

 county court during the minority of the heir." 

 Eleanor de Scales held in custody for her son " until 



EDWINSTREE HUNDRED ^^^^,^^ 



1283, when Thomas came of age," and the following 

 year his mother and her husband Robert Aneot auit- 



claimed his lands to him." They received a grant of 

 Wyddial, however, for the term of their lives.'' It 

 reverted to Thomas de Scales before March 1304-5, 

 probably on the death of Eleanor, for Thomas de 

 Scales then granted ^10 rent out of another of his 

 manors to Robert Angot." Thomas de Scales died 

 seised in 1341.'' The manor then included four 

 customary tenants who were bound to reap 1 2 acres 

 in the autumn when their labour was worth y. From 

 the Feast of St. Michael to the beginning of August 

 their labour was worth \d. a day.'° Thomas de 

 Scales was succeeded by his son Thomas,™ who in 

 1355 settled the manor on his son Thomas and 

 Katherine his wife with remainder to his son John." 

 Thomas died before his father, and on the latter's 

 death in 1364 Wyddial descended to his grandson 

 John son of TThomas.^' He held the manor until 

 1388, when he died and was succeeded by his son 

 Thomas." Wyddial was held in dower by his widow 

 Margery, who took as her second husband Sir John 

 Heveningham, kt." The manor reverted,to Thomas 

 de Scales before 1428 "and he held it until his death 

 in February 1442-3." His son John inherited it," 

 and at his death in 1467 " the male line of the Scales 

 family ended. His lands were divided between his 

 three daughters and Wyddial descended to the 

 youngest of these, Anne the wife of John Harcourt.'' 

 On the death of John Harcourt Anne married as her 

 second husband Giles Wellisbourne, who died before 

 January 1493-4, when she was again a widow. By 

 her second marriage she had one daughter Margery, 

 her heir, for whom she arranged a marriage with 

 Humphrey Wellisbourne, a relation of her husband, 

 who had helped her in settling her debts. By the 

 marriage settlement she gave the manors of Wyddial 

 and Reed to Humphrey and Margery, reserving for 

 herself only an annual payment of 20 marks if she 

 made her home with them or 40 if she lived else- 

 where. Owing to a contract of marriage said to 

 have been arranged between Margery and a certain 

 John Rushton, Anne decreed by the settlement that 

 if Rushton prevented the marriage of Margery and 

 Humphrey, Humphrey should hold Wyddial for life, 

 and that if Margery married Rushton, at Humphrey's 

 death Wyddial should revert to the other heirs of 

 Sir John Chalers or Scales, kt. This appears to have 

 put an end to Rushton's claims, for the marriage 

 between Margery and Humphrey took place, and on 

 Anne's death in March 1493-4 they inherited the 



» V.CH. Hera, i, 340a. 



« Ibid. 



' Ibid. 



« Ibid. 



' See Assize R. 323 ; Cal. Inq. p.m. 

 1-19 Edw. I, 309 ; Chan. Inq. a.q.d. 

 file 52, no. 12; 6 Ric. II, no. 31; 

 1 1 Ric. II, no. 15; Cal. Inq. p.m. 

 Hen. VU, ifZ-j. Part of the manor of 

 Wyddial extended into Anstejr (where 

 Hardwin held land in 1086) and was 

 held of the manor of Anstey. See Chan. 

 Inq. p.m. 13 Edw. II, no. 75 ; Cal. Close, 

 '323-7> P- 273 i also above, p. 14. 



' Ahhrev. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 99 ; see 

 Dugdale, Mon. v, 3. Hugh is here called 

 the son of Richard, but apparently with- 

 out any evidence, for the reference given 

 is to Dugdale's Baronage, where there is 

 00 mention of Richard. 



• See Dugdale, Mon. v, 3. 



10 Ibid. 



" Ibid. 



'2 Abhre-u. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 99 ; Rot. 

 Cur. Reg. (Rec. Com.), ii, 199. 



" Rot. Cur. Reg. (Rec Com.), i, 410. 



W Ahbre-v. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 99. 



15 Close, 4 Hen. Ill, m. 11. 



15 Excerpta e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), 

 i, 69. 



1' Close, 4 Hen. Ill, m. 1 1 ; Feet of 

 F. Div. Co. 12 Hen. Ill, no. 15. 



" Cal. Pat. 1247-58, p. 549. 



19 Ibid. p. 626. 



^ Cal. Inq. p.m. 1-19 Ediv, I, 309. 



'1 Cal. Pat. 1258-66, p. 117. 



M Close, 51 Hen. Ill, m. 6. 



»' Assize R. 323, m. 41 ; Hund. R. (Rec. 

 Com.), i, 188. 



^* Cal. Inq. p.m. 1-19 Edw. I, 309. 



TIC 



'5 Abhre-u. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 206 ; 

 Coram Rege R. 88, m. i (Mil. 13 Edw. I). 

 See Reed in Odsey Hundred. 



*5 Assize R. 325. 



^' Inq. a.q.d. file 52, no. 12. 



2' Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. Ill, file 64, 

 no. 20. 



29 Ibid. 



S" Ibid. 



31 Cal. Pat. 1354-8, p. 301 ; Feet of 

 F. Herts. 29 Edw. Ill, no. 446. 



39 Chan. Inq. p.m. 6 Ric. II, no. 31. 



33 Ibid. II Ric. II, no. 15. 



3* Ibid. 12 Ric. II, no. 104. 



35 Feud. Aids, ii, 44 6. 



36 Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Hen. VI, no. 20. 

 3' Ibid. 



38 Ibid. 7 Edw. IV, no. 28. 



39 Ibid. See Cal. Inq. p.m. Hen. FII, 

 427. 



