BIGGLESWADE HUNDRED 



TEMPSFORD 



Pungiant, the Domesday holder, and those who fol- 

 lowed him, but the early history of Brayes manor is 

 given in the evidence brought forward by Hugh de 

 Bray to support his claim to a view of frankpledge 

 within the manor in the fourteenth century. He 

 says it was formerly in the possession of William de 

 Bretville, who enfeoffed a certain John Blundell.^ 

 The Bretvilles certainly owned lands in Tempsford; 

 at the beginning of the thirteenth century Geoffrey 

 Bretville alienated land there to John Thurald,^' and 

 again in 1 240 Walter de Carun recognized his right 

 to 1 2 virgates of land in Tempsford." 



Between 1 240 and 1268 what afterwards became 

 Brayes manor passed to the Blundells," whose tenure 

 appears to have been very brief, for in the latter year 

 Roger de la Leye acquired from Richard Blundell 

 his messuage and a carucate of land in Tempsford." 



His grandnephew, Roger de la Leye, held this 

 land at his death in 1324," and according to the 

 evidence of Hugh de Bray he left a daughter Ada, 

 by marriage with whom Hugh acquired possession." 

 He appears to have been in money difficulties, for in 

 1 33 1 he acknowledged that he owed i^ioo to a 

 London merchant, and that distraint should be made, 

 in default of payment, on his lands and chattels in 

 Tempsford." This may account for the alienation 

 of the manor, whose history is difficult to follow at 

 this point. 



It would appear that like Drayton's manor (q.v.) 

 it came into the possession of Robert Scot in the 

 early fifteenth century, for his granddaughter, Mar- 

 garet Sheffield, was in possession of it at her death in 

 1525.'° In 1559 John Colbeck and Bridget his 

 wife, who was possibly a Sheffield, transferred the 

 manor to John Fuller," who in his turn sold it to 

 George Keynsham in 1565," and it thus became 

 joined to and followed the same descent as Tempsford 

 and Drayton's manors (q.v.)." 



The prior of St. Neots acquired considerable grants 

 of land in Tempsford during the twelfth and thir- 

 teenth centuries. In 1 1 29, when Robert de Carun 

 presented Tempsford Church to the priory he also 

 granted I virgate 3 acres ; the gift was confirmed 

 later by Walter de Carun, and other small grants 

 made by the de Bretvilles.*' The priory held this 

 land of the barony of Eaton by service of one-fifth of 

 a knight's fee,*' and in 1287 claimed view of frank- 

 pledge in Tempsford,^' apparently as appurtenant to 

 his manor of Crendon (Buckinghamshire), for Temps- 

 ford is so described in 1535 when the prior's rents 

 from customary tenants were worth £6 6s. '^d.^ 

 This view of frankpledge appears to have remained 

 attached to Crendon till 1573, when Lord Buckhurst 

 resigned it to George Keynsham." 



In 1086 Alwin, a bailiff, held I hide J virgate 

 of the land of the reeves and almsmen of the 

 king, but no further trace of this holding has been 

 found."* 



When the Survey was made in 1086 Tempsford 

 had four mills. Of these two were the possession of 

 Eudo, son of Hubert, and were worth i o/. and 1 2/. 

 respectively.^ The latter was held by William de 

 Carun, and in 1218 Amice de Carun recovered pos- 

 session of it after temporary alienation during the 

 civil war.'' These mills appear to have remained 

 appurtenant to Tempsford manor, and are given as 

 part of its extent in 181 4.** The other two mills, 

 which were worth 40/. and 120 eels, were held by 

 William de Carun of the bishop of Lincoln,*' and 

 remained attached to the manor of Mossbury or 

 Sarnes (q.v.) till the sixteenth century. Thomas de 

 Cernes made a temporary grant of the mills to Thomas 

 Esperun in the thirteenth century,™ and in 1289 

 Nicholas de Cernes alienated them to the abbot of 

 St. Mary, Stratford," who in 1297 made good his 

 claim against Roger de Cantilupe and Miles de Dray- 

 ton." In 1537 William Dale, lord of Mossbury 

 manor, settled a water-mill on his daughter Anne, 

 wife of Alexander Fettiplace,*' and in 1613 Sir 

 Edmund Fettiplace died seised of * two watermills 

 under one roof in Tempsford,' held of the king as of 

 his manor of Biggleswade, by fealty and suit of 

 court." 



The right of free fishery in the Ouse was also 

 attached to Mossbury manor. It was owned by 

 Nicholas de Cernes," and is mentioned as appurtenant 

 to this manor in 1596.'* John Morice also received 

 a charter of free warren in this manor in 1342." In 

 1593 a free fishery is mentioned as belonging to 

 Tempsford manor.'* 



TIN GETS HOUSE, which gives its name to a farm 

 at the present day, probably dates from 1535, when 

 Henry Tingey was bailiff of the manor in Tempsford 

 which Northill College held.'' By 1565 this capital 

 messuage had been transferred by William Tingey to 

 John Fuller,'™ who in that year transferred it to 

 George Keynsham,"' whose wife held it at her death 

 in 1605, together with the manor of Tempsford, in 

 which it appears to be henceforth merged."' 



The church of ST". PETER has a 

 CHURCH chancel 26 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft. 6 in., and a 

 nave 49 ft. by 22 ft. 8 in. with north 

 and south aisles and porches, the total internal width 

 being 45 ft. 2 in. The western tower measures 

 9 ft. 8 in. by 8 ft. within the walls. There is ap- 

 parently no work of an earlier date than the middle 

 of the fourteenth century, to which period the main 

 structure belongs, nor is there any definite evidence of 



65 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec Com.), 67. 

 63 Feet of F. Beds. 3 Hen. Ill, m. 10. 

 7» Ibid. 25 Hen. Ill, No. 13. 



71 In 1259 Richard Blundell recognized 

 the right of John Blundell to a messuage 

 land and rents in Tempsford (Feet of F. 

 Beds. Hil. 43 Hen. III). 



72 Ibid. 53 Hen. Ill, m. 2. 



73 Chan. Inq. p.m. 17 Edw. II, No. 



17. 



74 Flac. de Quo War. (Rec Com.), 67. 

 The property is here first definitely called 

 a manor, 



75 Cal. of Close, 1330-3, p. 411. 



76 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ixxxi, No. 

 220. 



77 Feet of F. Beds. Hil. and East. 2 Eliz. 



78 Ibid. Mich. 7 Eliz. \ Com. Pleas 

 D. Enr. Mich. 7 & 8 Eliz. m.. w d. 



7' Though the descent of these manors 

 is the same they do not appear to have 

 lost their separate identity at any rate 

 before 1814, where they are individualized 

 in a Recovery Roll (Recov. R. Trin. 54 

 Geo. Ill, rot. 20, 141). 



8" Cott. MSS. Faust. A. iv. 



81 Feud. Aids, i, 19, 23, 37. 



83 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 9, 55. 



83 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv, 261. 



8< Feet of F. Div. Cos. Mich. 15 & 

 16 Eliz. 85 v.CH. Beds, i, 263*. 



86 Ibid, i, 235*7. 



87 Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 346^. 



88 Recov. R. East. 54 Geo. Ill, rot. 20. 



89 V.C.H. Beds. !, 227a. 



96 Anct. D. (P.R.O.), A. 5867. 



91 Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 17 Edw. I. 



93 Ahbrev. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 236. 



98 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Iviii, No. 48. 



94 Ibid, cccxxxiii, No. 42. Biggleswade 

 manor had formerly belonged to the 

 bishop of Lincoln. 



9* Chan. Inq. p.m. 22 Edw. I, No. 119. 



96 Feet of F. Beds. Trio. 38 Eliz. 



97 Chart. R. 5 Edw. Ill, pt. 1, No. 78. 



98 Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 35 Eliz. 



99 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv, 196. 



l°» Com. Pleas D. Enr. Mich. 7 & 8 

 Eliz. m. II </. 101 Ibid. 



"•3 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cdxxxviii. 

 No. 147. 



