A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



remainder to his son John and his heirs." Simon 

 held the manor certainly until 1320, when he and his 

 son made a further conveyance by fine,** but by 1346 

 John of Astwick had succeeded him." From the 

 scanty documentary evidence which alone exists for 

 the later fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, it is 

 clear that the Astwicks continued to hold the manor. 

 In 1393 a John Astwick was holding the manorial 

 courts," and in 1 479 William Astwick leased the lord- 

 ship of Astwick to Robert and John Squire for nine 

 years at a rent of I z marks.'" With the next holder, 

 John Astwick, the manor appears to have passed finally 

 away from this family. An inquisition taken at the 

 death of Richard Sheldon states that John Astwick 

 enfeoffed Richard Godfrey and other feoffees of Ast- 

 wick manor to the use of Richard Sheldon," and 

 there is evidence that the latter held the manorial 

 courts from 1487-8 till his death in 1495.'° He 

 left as heir a son Richard, who held a court in 1497," 

 and two years later leased the lordship to Roger Slow 

 for thirteen years.*" Richard Sheldon was still hold- 

 ing courts in 15 12 and 15 13," and probably died 

 without issue before 1539, at which date the manor 

 had passed to John Foley (hus- 

 band of Prudence, sister of 

 Richard Sheldon)," who at 

 that date conveyed it by fine 

 to Edmund Kympton." Up 

 to 1 5 5 1 Edmund Kympton's 

 name appears as lord on the 

 manorial rolls." Elizabeth or 

 Lucy Kympton (afterwards 

 married to John Shipman) held 

 the courts between 1560 and 

 I 564," being followed by her 

 son George Kympton," who 

 held the manor at his death 

 in 1608." His son George sold Astwick in 1620 for 

 j(^2,ioo to John Hodgson or Hudson of London," 

 and in 1652 William Hudson, described as of Mid- 

 dlesex (and probably a son of John Hudson) sold the 

 manor to William Fletcher," who within two years 

 transferred it to Samuel Browne," a justice of the 

 Common Pleas, who was knighted in 1660," and 

 died in 1668, being succeeded by his son Thomas," 

 whose daughter and heir Mary married as her second 

 husband John Schutz," and, together with him, con- 



Kympton. Axure a 

 pelican benveen three 

 jieun de lis or. 



veyed the manor by fine to Samuel Denison in 1784." 

 Lysons, writing before 1804, stated that the manor 

 was the property of Michael Angelo Taylor." The 

 Inclosure Act of 1 804 names John Jackson as lord of 

 the manor," whilst by a fine of 1822 Michael Angelo 

 Taylor conveyed the manor to Robert Jackson and 

 others," since which date no further reference has 

 been found to Astwick Manor. 



In the fifteenth century there are traces of another 

 so-called manor in Astwick. The will of JoTin 

 Enderby, dated 1450, and proved in 1457, mentions 

 amongst his real property lands and tenements in 

 Astwick." In the inquisition taken in 1 47 1 at the 

 death of his widow Maud, who had married a second 

 husband Robert Bothe, this property is called the manor 

 of JSTIVICK alias JOHN DE JONSJ^ Maud left a 

 son Richard Enderby as heir,'"* who at his death in 

 1487 was seised of the same manor of Astwick, worth 

 £\, and held of Richard Sheldon as of his manor of 

 Astwick. He left a son under age at the time of 

 his father's death." Here all traces of the manor as 

 such cease, but at a court held by Richard Sheldon 

 in 1 497 John Enderby, lately come of age, did homage 

 for the lands of Richard Enderby." Sixteenth cen- 

 tury Court Rolls of Astwick also refer to the Piggotts 

 (to whom the Enderby lands had passed) "* as default- 

 ing suitors of the manor."" 



Walter the Fleming had a small holding in Ast- 

 wick at the time of the Survey, when Hugh held of 

 him I virgate and a mill which had formerly been 

 held by Lewin, a thegn of King Edward,"* and this 

 fee was held by his heirs the Wahulls."" 



In the fourteenth century the prior of St. John of 

 Jerusalem successfully claimed the right of view of 

 frankpledge twice a year as of his manor of Lang- 

 ford (q.v.)."" 



At the same time the abbot of Warden claimed 

 view of frankpledge over his lands in Astwick, but 

 judgement was deferred."' The abbot of Warden is 

 mentioned as a defaulter at the manorial court of 

 Astwick."" 



Two mills are mentioned in Domesday ; one, a 

 water-mill, belonged to Hugh de Beauchamp's tenant,"' 

 and appears to have remained appurtenant to Astwick 

 manor (q.v.) ; the appointment of the miller is con- 

 stantly to be found in the Court Rolls. The other 

 mill belonged to Hugh, who held it of Walter the 



»2 Feet of F. Beds. 5 Edw. II, m. i ; cf. 

 also Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 63, 

 where this settlement is mentioned, and 

 the property definitely called a manor. 



8» Feet, of F. Beds. 14 Edw. II, m. 6 j 

 Feud. Aids, i, 1 9. 



0* Feud. Aids, 23. »5 Add. R. 34989. 



'5 Add. Chart. 34975. It is of interest 

 to note that the Squires appear as tenants 

 of the manor in xv, xvi, and xvii century 

 Court Rolls. 



»7 Cal. Inq.p.m. Hen. VII, 471. 



»" Add. R. 34992. 



8^ Ibid. 34993. 



'"' Add. Chart. 34976. The rent at this 

 time was ^8. 



" Add. R. 34926-7. 



« Harl. Soc. Puhl. vol. 8, 19, 27. 



■"Feet ofF. Beds. Hil. 31 Hen. VIII. 

 Some years later George Lucy and Joan 

 his wife (daughter of Richard Barrington, 

 cousin and one of the heirs of Richard 

 Sheldon) transferred to Edmund Kymp- 

 ton all their rights in the manor ; Add. 

 Chart. 34979 ; Feet of F. Div. Cos. 

 Mich. 5 Edw. VI. 



" Add. R. 35001-4. 



*' Ibid. 35005-9. 



« Harl. Soc. Publ. vol. 22. 



*l Add. R. 35010-14 ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 (Ser. 2), vol. cccxvi, No. 27. 



■" Feet of F. Beds, and Recov. R. East. 

 18 Jas. 1 ; Add. Chart. 34983. In 1624 

 Roger Foster and Mary transferred the 

 rights of the latter in the manor to John 

 Hodgson for ^^320. 



■"» Feet of F. Beds. Hil. 1652. 



""Ibid. East. 1654. 



51 Diet. Nat. Biog. vii, 61. 



'' In 1670, together with William 

 Foley (whose daughter he had married), 

 he recovered the manor from Robert 

 Raworth and others ; Recov. R. Trin. 

 22 Chas. II j ibid. Com. Pleas. 



" Burke, Landed Gentry. 



" Feet of F. Beds. Hil. 25 Geo. III. 



"* Lysons, Magna Britannia, i, 41. 



"" Priv. and Local Acts, 44 Geo. Ill, 

 cap. 61. 



" Feet, of F. Beds. East. 2 Geo. IV. 



"8 Add. Chart. 35245. N.B.— John 

 Astwick is a witness of this will. 



204 



" A possible solution of this name may 

 be found in that John Enderby had held 

 of John Astwick. 



"*■ Chan. Inq. p.m. 13 Edw. IV, No. 

 71- 



«" Cal. Inq. p.m. Hen. VII, No. 286. 



"1 Add. R. 34993. 



"» See Edworth. 



"" Add. R. 35001-14. 



«< r.C.H. Beds . i, 250A. 



"" In 1371 Richard Tebault held quar- 

 ter of a fee in Astwick of John de Wa- 

 huU, which was in the king's hand by 

 reason of the minority of Elizabeth and 

 Eleanor, daughters of John 5 Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. 45 Edw. Ill, No. 57. 



«" Plac. de Quo fVar. (Rec. Com.), 59. 



"7 Ibid. 31. Possibly this right in 

 Astwick was appurtenant to the abbot's 

 manor of Henlow (q.v.), for the Valor of 

 1535 brackets the value of the abbey's 

 lands in Henlow and Astwick as 

 fi6 1 3 J. lod. 5 Falor Eal. (Rec. Com.), 

 IV, 193. 



"" Add. R. 34995. 



"9 KC.H. Beds, i, 241*. 



