A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



mentioned in 1711, when it was in the possession of 

 John Osborn.'" 



The church of Chicksands, which formed part of 

 the original endowment of the priory, was founded 

 at the same date, c. 1 150,"' by Payn Beauchamp and 

 Rohesia his wife, and at the beginning of the next cen- 

 tury the gift was confirmed by William son of Simon 

 de Beauchamp.'" Chicksands was extra-parochial, 

 and the church was attached to the priory and 

 attended by the canons and nuns solely. In 1253 

 and 1255 the priory obtained grants of protection 

 for their conventual church from the pope.'*' It 



was one of the poorest endowments in the county, 

 and was worth only £z ip. ^. in 1291."" It 

 continued anitexed to the priory until the Re- 

 formation, when it was granted together with the 

 bell-tower and cemetery to Richard and Elizabeth 

 Snowe.'" Richard's son Edward conveyed the 

 church to Peter Osborn in 1587, who died seised 

 of it in 1592."' There is no further mention of 

 the church or chapel, which probably fell into disuse 

 soon after. 



Parish of Chicksands. — There are apparently no 

 endowed charities in this parish. 



CLIFTON 



Clistone (xi cent.). The parish of Clifton includes 

 an outlying portion of the market town of Shefford. 

 Clifton village lies to the south of the parish, near to 

 the road from Sheftbrd to Hitchin^ which forms its 

 southern boundary. The ground rises from the north, 

 where it is about 104 ft. above the ordnance datum, 

 to the south where it reaches the elevation of 202 ft. 

 near Hoo Hill. The parish consists of 1,422*114 

 acres, of which 868^ are arable land, 23 8 J permanent 

 grass, and 7 acres of woods and plantations.' There 

 are 9 acres of water, and the parish is bounded 

 on the east, west, and north by the River Ivel and 

 its tributaries, while the Ivel Navigation Canal passes 

 through the north of the parish. Two mills are situ- 

 ated on this river to the west of the parish, but are 

 divided from it by the river which forms the boundary 

 line. The nearest station is at Shefford, a mile distant, 

 with which the village of Clifton is connected by the road 

 running from St. Neots to Baldock, which, after leaving 

 Clifton, passes by Henlow ; another road connects 

 Clifton with Meppershall in the south. There are 

 no main roads passing through the north of the parish, 

 but two bridle paths connect Clifton with Langford. 

 The population in 1901 was 1,283 > the inhabitants are 

 chiefly employed in agriculture, and a good deal of 

 garden produce is raised. The soil is gravel 

 and the subsoil gault. The following place-names 

 are found in Clifton : — Claybridge Mead, Redcross 

 Meadow, and AUhowe's Farm.' 



At the time of the Domesday Survey 

 MANORS (1086) 3 hides and J virgate in CLIF- 

 TON, which had been held of King 

 Edward the Confessor by Alwin Deule, were held by 

 William de Caron of Remigius, bishop of Lincoln,' 

 and the overlordship continued with the bishop of 

 Lincoln.* 



The land remained with the family of Caron, who 

 were gradually increasing their property during the 

 early part of the thirteenth century,' but on the death 



of Hugh de Caron some time before 1 231, the manor 

 was divided into thirds among his three daughters, 

 Elizabeth, Lucy, and Margery.' In 1 246 Margery,' 

 with her husband Robert de la More, conveyed her 

 share to Elizabeth and her husband, William de Cres- 

 pinges, in return for certain land in Tempsford, so 

 that two-thirds from that time passed to the descen- 

 dants of Elizabeth.'* The heirs of John de Caron 

 were still holding land in Clifton in 1 291,' but Lucy 

 probably gave up her third to Elizabeth, who ap- 

 parently conveyed the whole manor to Henry 

 Spigurnel, who was holding it in 1316.'° On his 

 death in 1 3 2 8 it passed to his son Thomas," after- 

 wards Sir Thomas Spigurnel, who conveyed it to Sir 

 Gerard Bray broke and Isabella his wife in 1340." 



Spigurnel. Gules 

 fretty argent a chief or 

 •with a lion passant gules 

 therein. 



Braybroke. 

 seven voided 

 gules. 



Argent 

 lozenges 



In 1359, on the death of Sir Gerard Braybroke, the 

 manor passed to his son Gerard," and it continued in 

 the possession of the Braybroke family. At the death 

 of Sir Gerard Braybroke in 1427 it passed to Sir 

 William Babyngton, a justice of Common Pleas, one 

 of the executors of Sir Gerard Braybroke's will." Sir 

 William Babyngton died seised of the manor in 1454, 

 leaving a son and heir William," who probably con- 

 veyed it to Sir John Fisher, also a justice of Common 



1*' Recov. R. East. 10 Anne, rot. 100. 



"7 Harl. Chart. 45, I, 7. 



"'Ibid. 45, I, 18. 



"• Cal. Papal Letters, i, 284, 311. 



IS" Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 35*. 



"» Pat. 31 Hen. VIII, pt. 7, m. 10. 



1" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 249, 

 No. 59. 1 Inf. from. Bd. of Agric. (1905). 



' Close, 39 Geo. Ill, m. 11, No. 12. 



» y.C.H. Beds, i, 227. 



* Cole's Escheats, Harl. MS. 760, 59^. 

 fol. 378. 



» In 1225-6 Robert de Lutton con- 

 vejred \ virgate to^ Milei de Caron {Rot. 

 Lit. C/«uj.[Rec. Com.], 145), and the next 



year Stephen Blak conveyed 10 acres to 

 the same Miles (Feet of F. Beds. 12 Hen. 

 Ill, No. 27). 



® There was a suit in 1231 between 

 Amicia de Caron and the three daughters 

 of Hugh. This Amicia was presumably 

 their grandmother, but is merely described 

 as former wife of John, grandfather of 

 Elizabeth, Lucy, and Margery (Maitland, 

 Bracton's Note Bk. ii, 580). 



7 This Margery gave several tenements 

 and lands in Clifton to the Preceptory of 

 Yeaveley (Dugdale, Mon. vii, 384). 



8 Feet of F. Beds. 30 Hen. Ill, No. i. 

 » Testa de Ne-vill {Rcc. Com.), 261. 



276 



" Feud. Aids, i, 20. 



" Chan.Inq. p.m. 2 Edw. Ill (ist Nos.), 

 No. 28. 



" Close, 14 Edw. Ill, pt. I, m. 3 1 d. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 33 Edw. Ill (1st 

 Nos.), No. 31. 



" Blaydes, Beds. N. and Q. ii, 222. In 

 1377 Peter de Holewell remitted to Sir 

 Gerard Braybroke and others whole right 

 and claim in lands in Clifton and Stamford 

 (Close, I Ric. II, m. 25 d.). There was 

 also a settlement of the manor in 1422 by 

 Joan, widow of Gerard Braybroke, to her 

 own use (Harl. Chart. 47, b. 17). 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 38 Hen. VI, No. 23. 



