CLIFTON HUNDRED 



CAMPTON 



stricken circumstances, leaving a widow and four 

 children. He was buried at Campton. 



At the time of the Domesday Survey 

 MANORS the overlordship of CAMPTON belonged 

 to Walter GifFard," and, as in the case 

 of Millo " (q.v.), passed to Walter Marshal earl of 

 Pembroke, and in the thirteenth century was granted 

 to Henry son of Gerold, hitherto his undertenant, 

 who continued to hold it of the crown in chief" 



Ralph de Langetot held the manor as undertenant 

 at Domesday, but there is no evidence of its existence 

 between 1086 and 1228, at which latter date it was 

 in the possession of Henry son of Gerold, who gave 

 it to Warine son of Gerold." The manor then passe J 

 to the latter's descendant Warine de Lisle (Insula) of 

 Rougemont," who died seised of it in 1296." As 

 his son Robert was then only six years old, Edward I 

 in 1 30 1 granted the custody of two parts of the manor, 

 then extended at ^^12 1 3/. 6J., to Robert de Ispannia, 

 yeoman of Edward Prince of Wales." The other third 

 was held by Alice widow of Warine, as part of her dower, 

 ind the whole manor was held for a knight's fee." Ro- 

 bert came of age and was holding the manor in 1 3 1 6,™ 

 but alienated it in 1334 to his son John and his wife 

 Maud, without licence from the king, for which 

 omission John and Maud had to obtain pardon.*' 

 Robert died in 1 342—3, having become a monk shortly 

 before his death.** John, who was one of the first 



Sir John Dk Lisle, 

 K.G., Lord Lisle of 

 Rougemont. Or a fesse 

 befzveen fwo che'verons 

 sable. 



founders of the order of the Garter, was summoned to 

 Parliament from 1350 to 1354, and died in 1356, the 

 manor then descending to his son Robert,*^ who sat in 

 Parliament in 1357 and 1360. Robert died in 1399, 

 having in 1368 given eighty-six knights' fees to the 

 king.** It is not known whether he left a son, 

 although the visitation of Somersetshire for 1623 

 states that Sir William de Lisle was the son of this 

 Robert. 



This Sir William, who was holding the manor of 

 Campton in 1392,*' was more probably the brother 

 of Robert, who apparently alienated the manor to him 

 before his death,** and he seems to have died without 

 issue, when the manor escheated to the crown, and was 

 probably granted to Reginald de Grey, who was hold- 

 ing in 1428," and it descended to his great-grandson 

 George earl of Kent, who was lord of the manor in 

 1492.*' In 1499 the latter settled the manor on his 

 son Richard Lord Grey and his wife Elizabeth,*' who 

 were holding in 1 504.^° Between that date and 

 1508 the manor was alienated to Giles Lord Dau- 

 beny, who died seised of it in the latter year," and 

 his son and heir Henry probably conveyed the manor 

 to Sir William Compton, who died seised of it in 

 1528," when it passed to the king as the result 

 of a settlement made previously by Sir William 

 Compton in order to ensure the observance of his 

 will.'^ 



Two years later it was leased to John Gostwick, 

 auditor of the king, and Edward Copley, for twenty- 

 one years at an annual rent of £\?* 



In 1 543 Campton was again in the king's hands," and 

 was annexed to the honor of Ampthill. Thomas Vis- 

 count Fenton, steward of the manor, surrendered his 

 office in 1613,'° and Edward Lord Bruce was appointed 

 in his stead." The office continued in the family of 

 the earls of Elgin and Aylesbury, Robert Bruce hold- 

 ing in 1673 ;** it was sold by them to the duke of 

 Bedford in 1738," and the lease of the stewardship 

 was renewed in 1 771 and 1773," the then duke of 

 Bedford still holding in 1839. The manorial rights 

 were afterwards resumed by the 

 crown,*' who holds them at the 

 present day. 



There was another manor in 

 CAMPTON belonging to the 

 priory of Chicksands which 

 probably originated in two 

 hides all but a quarter of a 

 virgate of land, held by Trustin 

 of the king at Domesday.'* 



This land apparently came to 

 the Beauchamps, and, c. 1 1 50, 

 Payn de Beauchamp and Rose 

 his wife confirmed to the priory 



3 virgates of land which had been bestowed on it by 

 Adela wife of Walter de Mareis.*' This grant was 

 also afterwards confirmed by William son of Simon de 

 Beauchamp." By 1 346 the land was held of the king 

 in chief as a knight's fee." The overlordship re- 

 mained vested in the crown until after the Dissolu- 

 tion, the last mention occurring in 1560." 



Beauchamp. Quar- 

 terly or and gules a bend 

 sable. 



" y.C.H. Beds, i, 232. 



13 Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 247. 



" Flat, de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 7. 



15 Close 13 Hen. Ill, m. 15 ; Plac. de 

 Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 7. 



1" Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 7 ; 

 Dugdale, Baronage, i, 738. 



V Chan. Inq. p.m. 25 Edw. I, No. 

 12+. 



18 Cal. of Pat. 1292-1301, p. 582. 



19 Feud. Aids, i, 13. 

 2» Ibid, i, 20. 



21 Pat. 7 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, m. 2. 



22 G.E.C. Complete Peerage. 



M Chan. Inq. p.m. 30 Edw. Ill (ist 

 Nos.), No. 4. 



2-t Close 42 Edw. Ill, m. 6 d. 



2S G.E.C. Peerage. William Lyle of 

 Rougemont, 'dominus de Camelton et 



Shefford ' quitclaimed at Campton 1 7 

 April, 1405, to John Raundes of Shefford 

 the rents due to him for 4 messuages in 

 Shefford ; MSS. of Duke of Rutland (Hist. 

 MSS. Com.), iv, 62. 



^' In 1401 and 1404 Sir William de 

 Lisle resisted the claim of Elizabeth 

 widow of Thomas duke of Norfolk to 

 one-third of the manor of Campton as her 

 dower, to which she had no right, although 

 the Norfolk family had a fee in Campton. 

 (De Banco, 562, m. 330 ; ibid, 572, m. 

 282). 



2' Feud. Aids, i, 46. 



28 L. and P. Hen. VIII, iv (i), 1 309. 



29 Ibid. 8° Ibid. 



81 Chan. Inq. p.m. vol. 25, No. 156. 



82 Ibid. vol. 48, No. 132. 



88 Dugdale, Baronage, u, 401. 



8^ Pat. 22 Hen. VIII, pt. i. 



8* Court R. bdle. 153, No. 15. 



s« Feet of F. Div. Cos. Hil. 10 Jas. I. 



8' Pat. 10 Jas. I, pt. I. 



'8 Blome, Nobility and Gentry, 1673. 



89 Lysons, Mag. Brit, i, 63. 



^"Report on Crown Lands, i, 1787- 

 92. 



•"l Pari. Papers, 1845, xlv, 3. 



« V.C.H. Beds, i, 255. There was also 

 another entry in Domesday which referred 

 to J hide held by Fulbert of William de 

 Ow — it had been held T.R.E. by Alwin, 

 a man of Athelstan ; ibid, i, 234. 



••8 Harl. Chart. 45, I, 7. 



« Ibid. 45, I, 18. 



■■^ Feud. Aids, i, 31. 



« Pat. 2 Eliz. pt. 3 ; Orig. R. 2 Eliz. 

 pt. 2, rot. 20. 



267 



