BEDDINGTON IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD. 9 



or Carru ; the spelling of that name being changed to Carew in Henry 

 the Seventh's reign. Their arms are, Or, three lions passant in pale 

 sable. The Carews can boast , of several distinguished men belonging 

 to their family, among whom ranks the celebrated historian Giraldus, 

 commonly known by the addition of Cambrensis. Sir Nicholas Carew, 

 the first owner of Beddington, was also a personage of some impor- 

 tance, being not only one of the knights of the shire, but also the 

 Keeper of the Privy Seal in Edward the Third's reign, as well as 

 one of the executors of that monarch's will. Other houses with lands, 

 or small manors, — as they were sometimes called when belonging 

 to religious bodies, — had, at different times, become the property of 

 the Carews. Amongst these were the Freres Manor, which formerly 

 belonged to the Hospital of St. Thomas, Southwark, and the Foresters 

 Manor. These came to the same family at a very early period. 

 The manor of Beddington continued in the Carew family until the 

 •reign of Henry VHL, when Sir Nicholas Carew> Lieutenant of Calais, 

 Master of the Horse, and one of the Knights of the Garter, incurred 

 the displeasure of that puissant monarch, and, being attainted of high 

 treason, was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1539, and buried in St. Botolph, 

 Aldgate. All the lands at Beddington were then seized by the king, 

 who appointed Michael Stanhope keeper of the Manor-house. During 

 this time Henry VHI. is said to have frequently resided at the Manor- 

 house, and in 1 541 he held a council there. Subsequently Walter Gorges 

 obtained, for his life, the Manor of Beddington from Henry, and in 

 the following reign the manor, mansion, and church with lands, were 

 granted to Thomas Lord Darcy of Chiche, in exchange for other lands 

 which Darcy had ceded to the king. From Queen Mary, in whose service 

 he was, Sir Francis Carew obtained restitution of all his father's estates, 

 but he prudently did not rest satisfied with the mere grant of the queen, 

 but gave a sum of money to Darcy to cede the lands to him. It was 

 this Sir Francis Carew who rebuilt the mansion of which now the great 

 hall alone remains. The great door of this hall has a curious ancient 

 lock verjr richly wrought, the keyhole of which is concealed by a shield 

 bearing the arms of England. Queen Elizabeth honoured Sir Francis 



