A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



From this family, who continued to hold the manor 

 in an almost unbroken line of succession from father 

 to son for more than 300 years, Hatley acquired 

 the prefix Cockayne. Reginald son of John Cockayne 

 succeeded his father in 1427, and held the manor 

 till his own death in 1433," when the estate passed 

 to his son John, who died in 1492." His son 

 Edmund appears to have left two sons, Humphrey, 

 who died in 1515, the same year as his father, and 

 William, to whom the estate, being entailed on male 

 heirs, then passed. Chad Cockayne, who married 

 Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Nicholas Luke, chief baron 

 of the Exchequer, succeeded to William in 1527," 

 and his son John held the manor in 1 595." 



In 1625 Lewis Cockayne made a settlement of the 

 manor on the occasion of the marriage of his son 

 John to Susan Field." He, however, died without 

 issue, and the manor passed to John Cockayne, 

 son of his brother Richard, who succeeded his grand- 

 father Lewis before 1663, in which year he attained 

 his majority." He married Elizabeth daughter of 

 Sir Richard Cust, and died in 1719, leaving a son 

 Richard, who died in 1 731, having survived all his 

 children. He had one brother, Samuel, with whom 

 he appears to have been on unfriendly terms, for in 

 his will he left him the specific sum of one shilling, 

 and the estate of Cockayne Hatley to his second 

 cousin, Judith Cockayne, with the condition that she 

 should marry a man of the name of Cockayne. 

 Samuel Cockayne, as lineal representative, threatened 

 litigation, but a compromise was effected in 1733, by 

 which Judith in return for ^^1,000 gave up the estate 

 to Samuel." At his death in 

 1 745 Samuel left a will under 

 which the Cockayne Hatley 

 estate passed to his cousins by 

 the mother's side, the descen- 

 dants of his grandfather. Sir 

 Richard Cust. Saville Cust, 

 who adopted the additional 

 name of Cockayne, accord- 

 ingly succeeded to the manor 

 in 1745. He never married, 

 and the estate passed to his 

 nephew Francis, who died un- 

 married in 1 791, being suc- 

 ceeded by his youngest sister Lucy, sole survivor of the 

 family." She, as last surviving tenant in tail mentioned 

 in the will of Samuel Cockayne, had power to disen- 

 tail the estates. This power she exercised by settling 

 them on her nephew Brownlow Lord Brownlow, with 

 remainder to his second son Henry Cust, and his sons 

 in succession. On the death of Lord Brownlow in 



Cust. Ermine a 

 cheveron sable 'with three 

 fountains thereon. 



1807 the estate passed to Henry Cust, who wa& 

 holding in 1857." In 1 852, on the death of Henry 

 Francis Cust, his eldest son, the estate was disentailed.** 

 Cockayne Hatley manor was subsequently sold to 

 Mr. Bradshaw, from whom it was purchased by 

 Mr. Lomax, who now owns the property. 



The Countess Judith held 3 hides 2| virgates as 

 one manor in Hatley in the eleventh century." This 

 manor had belonged to Earl Tosti, and the Survey in 

 mentioning it expressly states that it lay (Jacuil) in 

 Potton, own manor of the countess,*" and as no docu- 

 mentary evidence is obtainable of its further history 

 in this parish it is to be assumed that it early became 

 absorbed in Potton (q.v.). 



Cockayne Hatley contained one mill at the Survey 

 of 1086, which was worth lis., and belonged to 

 Azelina, wife of Ralph Tail- 

 lebois." In 1298 it was 

 granted by William de Port to 

 Roger Bryan," and has since 

 been found appurtenant to the 

 manor." 



In 1308 John de Argentein 

 received a charter of free war- 

 ren in his manor of Hatley," 

 to which also was attached the 

 right to hold a view of frank- 

 pledge." 



The master of the Knights 

 Templars claimed view of frankpledge in the thirteenth 

 century for land which he held in Hatley as appur- 

 tenant to his manor of Langford.** 



The church of ST. JOHN consists of 

 CHURCH a chancel 19 ft. 6 in. by 16 ft. 3 in., 

 nave 36 ft. by 18 ft., with north aisle 

 5 ft. 9 in. wide and south aisle 6 ft. wide, and west 

 tower 1 2 ft. 8 in. by 1 3 ft. 4 in., all internal measure- 

 ments. The plan, owing to successive rebuildings 

 and additions, is one of extreme irregularity, the 

 chancel, nave, and tower being all set at different 

 angles, and only the tower being rectangular on 

 plan. 



The earliest part of the church now existing is the 

 north arcade of the nave, belonging to the latter part 

 of the thirteenth century, and the north aisle probably 

 retains its thirteenth-century width. Before this 

 time there doubtless existed an aisleless nave and 

 chancel, the former of approximately the same dimen- 

 sions as at present, but no details of an earlier date 

 than the north arcade have survived. 



The chancel seems to have been rebuilt m the 

 early part of the fourteenth century, being enlarged 

 in both dimensions, and the irregular angle at which 



Argentein. Gules 

 three covered cups argent. 



^^ Cockayne Memoranda; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 12 Hen. VII, No. II. The manor, which 

 was held by service of half a knight's fee, 

 was at this time worth j^20 per annum. 



» Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), \x. No. 8. 



^ Ibid, xxxi, No. 55. The manor is 

 here called Bury Hatley alias Hatley Port. 

 Cockayne Memoranda. 



^ Feet of F. Div. Cos. Trin. 37 Eliz. 

 A deed of settlement drawn up in 1597 

 on the marriage of Lewis, son of John 

 Cockayne, and Margaret Hare, gives the 

 extent of the manor as 1,056 acres in 

 Cockayne Hatley and adjacent parishes, 

 and includes a manor-house, the Hill 

 house, a windmill, Ave cottages and the 

 advowson. Cockayne Memoranda. 



^ Cockayne Memoranda i Recov. R. Mich. 



22 Jas. I, rot. 7 1 ; Feet of F. Beds. M ich. 22 

 Jas. I. The manor here called Cockayne- 

 Hatley or Hatley Port comprised at this 

 date 6 messuages, i windmill, 8 gardens, 

 700 acres of land, 80 meadow, 500 pasture, 

 150 wood, 40s, rent, and view of frank- 

 pledge. 



** Cockayne Memoranda ; Recov. R. Hil. 

 18 & 19 Chas. II, rot. 45. The extent 

 of the manor is given as 14 messuages, 

 20 gardens, 600 acres of land, 500 of 

 meadow, 200 of wood ; ibid. Hil. 10 

 Will. Ill, rot. 84 ; Feet of F. Beds. Hil. 

 10 Will. III. 



^ Cockayne Memoranda. Judith Cock- 

 ayne, who was probably glad to escape the 

 arbitrary condition of marriage thus im- 

 posed on her, married in 1736 the 



216 



Reverend Samuel Porteous, to whom 

 Samuel Cockayne afterwards presented 

 the family living. 



^ Recov. R. East. 34 Geo. Ill, rot. 291; 

 Lysons, Mag. Brit, i, 92. 



"^ Cockayne Memoranda. In 1857 the 

 estate comprised 1,400 acres, and the 

 gross rental was ,f 1,500 a year. 



» Ibid. S9 y.CH. Beds, i, 249*. 



'" Ibid. n Ibid, i, 261*. 



»» Feet of F. Beds. 27 Edw. I, m. i. 



" Recov. R. Mich. 22 Jas. I, rot. 71; 

 Cockayne Memoranda. 



" Chart. R. i Edw. II, m. 10, No. 29. 



"' Feet of F. Div. Cos. Trin. 37 Eliz. 

 Mich. 22 Jas. I 5 Recov. R. Mich. 22 

 Jas. I, rot. 71. 



»« P/ac. de Quo PVarr. (Rec. Com.), 5, 1 1. 



