A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



some time before 1 3 3 7," his wife Margaret held the 

 manor till her death in 1347." Their son Edward 

 held the manor till 1373, when he was followed 

 by a son, also Edward de Kendale," who died 

 a settlement made during 

 passed after the death of 



before 1376, and under 

 his lifetime the manor 



Kendal. Argent a 

 bend vjrt and a label 



guUr. 



his wife Elizabeth, to Sir William Croyser on 

 whom the manor was settled." William Croyser 

 appears to have held the manor from that time 

 onwards, since in 1379 there is a grant of free 

 warren to him in Wrestlingworth manor." He 

 died some time before 139 1," but Elizabeth de 

 Kendale, who had married a second husband Thomas 

 Barre, survived until 1 421, and in the inquisition 

 taken at her death full particulars are given of a 

 settlement of the manor, which in default of other 

 issue was to pass to the king 

 and his heirs of the duchy of 

 Lancaster." 



Her heir was her grandson 

 John Barre, but in pursuance 

 of this settlement before 1485 

 it had fallen into the king's 

 hands, for in that year Henry 

 VII granted it by Act of 

 Parliament to his mother the 

 countess of Richmond and 

 Derby." 



On her death in 1 5 1 o the 

 manor again became crown 

 property, her heir being her 

 grandson Henry VIII." The 



crown occasionally leased out this manor during the 

 sixteenth century. In 1 591 it was granted to 

 Thomas Lake, having previously been rented by Ralph 

 Sadler,*' and on the expiration of his lease a per- 



Margaret, CountesB 

 of Richmond and Derby. 

 France quartered ivith 

 England in a border go- 

 bony argent and azure. 



George Salter and John Williams." The history of 

 this manor during the next century is very obscure. 



In 172Z it was the subject of alienation by 

 Herbert Bristow to Mary Feery," and shortly after 

 that date came into the possession of Sir George 

 Downing who died in 1 749." By the death of Sir 

 Jacob Garrard Downing, who was cousin and heir- 

 at-law of Sir George Downing, in 1764 this estate 

 passed to his widow Margaret in fee simple, and she 

 at her death devised it to her nephew Jacob John 

 Whittington." He conveyed the estate to Sir Mon- 

 tague Roger Burgoyne in 1807, who on his death in 

 1 8 1 7 left the estate to trustees, 

 and they in 1856 conveyed it 

 to John William Ryder and 

 Edward Smyth in equal shares. 

 John Ryder died in 1875, and 

 left his moiety of the manor to 

 his widow Mary, who in the 

 same year together with Ed- 

 ward Smyth conveyed the 

 whole manor and estate to 

 James Smyth of Norton Hall. 

 He died in 1895, and three 

 years later his son, Mr. George 

 Edward Smyth, of Northfield 

 House, Henlow, purchased 

 the estate from his father's trustees, and is 

 present day lord of Kendals manor." 



The old manor-house still stands on the property, 

 although now converted into several dwellings ; in the 

 meadow behind the house traces of the moat are 

 visible. 



A second manor in Wrestlingworth is that known 

 also as HEREFORD'S MJNOR, whose lords held it 

 partly of the manor of Cockayne Hatley and partly 

 of the manor of Sutton. The first mention that 

 occurs of the Cockayne Hatley overlordship, the 

 earlier of the two, is in 1 3 1 o when Alexander de 

 Crokedayke held a messuage, land and rent in Wrest- 

 lingworth of the lord of Hatley." After 1 341 when 

 the Latimer overlordship appears, the portion of land 

 held of Cockayne Hatley began to be differentiated 

 by the name Shellelond," and in 1499 when the last 

 mention occurs it is called Shelley manor.'" The 

 first trace of the Latimer overlordship is to be found 

 in 1328 when Maud de Botetourt (of whose previous 

 holding in Wrestlingworth nothing has been found 

 recorded), gave to William le Latimer and Elizabeth 

 his wife part of a knight's fee in this parish." The 

 lords of Wrestlingworth are subsequently found hold- 



Smtth. Axure three 

 horseihoes or set fesseviays 

 betvjeen three horsed 

 heads razed argent. 



at the 



manent grant of Wrestlingworth manor was made to ing as of William le Latimer's manor of Sutton," 



^ In this year Edward son of Robert 

 de Kendale granted to his sister Isabella, 

 a nun of Barking, a rent of 50;. from the 

 manor of Wrestlingworth (Cal. of Pat, 

 1334-8, p. 557). 



i-" Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. Ill, No. 19. 



" Ibid. 47 Edw. Ill, No. 21. The 

 manor at this time included 201 acres of 

 arable land of which two parts were 

 worth 14s. Sd. and the third part lay fal- 

 low every year, a windmill, rent of assize 

 of free tenants worth £^ 51. and pasture 

 worth gd, 



^^Abbrev. Rot, Or/j-.(Rec. Com.) ii, 328; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. 49 Edw. Ill, No. 74. 

 In 1376 Beatrix de Kendale wife of 

 Robert Turk of Aspedon, Kent, alienated 

 by iine any rights in the manor to William 

 Crcyser. (Feet of F. Div. Cos. 50 

 Edw. Ill, No. 150.) 



'" Chart. R. 3 Ric. II, m. 25, No. 23 ; 

 ibid, m, 8, No. 7, 



'8 In which year his wife, who had 

 married John Grey, recognized Elizabeth 

 de Kendale's right to the manor for her life 

 (Feet of F. Div. Cos. 1 5 Ric. II, No. 48). 



'' Chan. Inq. p.m. 9 Hen. V, No. 47. 

 The inquisition states that the manor in- 

 cludes 301. rent of assize of free tenants, 

 ^4 5j. rent of free tenants at will and 

 bondmen, a dovchouse worth 2j., 201 

 acres of arable land, two parts worth 

 44J. jd. and not more, because a third 

 part lies every year fallow in common, 

 one acre of meadow 2j., pleas and per- 

 quisites of court 35., the whole value of 

 the manor being £% ys, 



^ Rolls of Pari, yi, 311 J. 



^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2) xxv, No. 163. 



^ Pat. 34 Eliz. pt. 10. 



256 



23 Ibid. 7 Jas. 1, pt. 16. 



>* Feet of F. Beds. Hil. 8 Geo. 1. 



" Information supplied by Mr. Geo. 

 Smyth. 



^ Ibid. ; Lysons, Magna Britannia, i, 

 155 i Feet of F. Div. Cos. Mich. 30 

 Geo. III. 



^' Information supplied by Mr. Geo. 

 Smyth. 



ss Chan. Inq. p.m. 3 Edw. II, No. 32 ; 

 16 Edw. II, No. 73; 21 Edw. Ill, No. 27. 



*> Ibid. 5 Hen. V, No. 24. It was 

 held by service of yielding a needle and 

 thread ; ibid. 15 Hen. VI, No. 51. 



s» Ibid. (Ser. 2) xiii, No. 72. 



'1 Cal, of Pat. 1327-30, p. 337, 



«2 Cal, of Close 1346-9, p. 313 ; Chan. 

 Inq. p.m. 15 Edw. Ill, No. 32; 21 

 Edw. Ill, No. 27 i 8 Hen. IV, No. 59 5 

 5 Hen. V, No. 24 ; 15 Hen. VI, No. 5. 



