CLIFTON HUNDRED 



MEPPERSHALL 



late as 1493;* in 1607 it was held of the king in 

 chief by knight service.' 



John's son and heir Ranulf was a minor at his 

 father's death in 1230, and the king appointed 

 Nicholas de Neville guardian until he should be of 

 age.'" Ranulf died in 1262, and was succeeded by 

 his son Nicholas, who was then twenty-two years 

 old." Nicholas was stated in 1 3 16 to be lord of 

 Meppershall," and died three years later ; " his son 

 Robert, who succeeded him, died in 1 33 1, leaving a 

 widow Sarah and a son and heir John." John was 

 followed by his grandson, John son of Nicholas, who 

 was only seven years old, in 1369." The custody of 

 the heir and lands was granted at first to John de 

 Elton, falconer," and in 1375 to John Basset." In 

 1386 John conveyed the manor in the trusteeship to 

 John de Broughton and John Astwick, the former of 

 whom was the father of his wife Katherine.'' John 

 and Katherine had one daughter Joan, to whom the 

 manor descended on the death of her mother in 1453, 

 her father having died previously." Joan married 

 first John Butler, by whom she had a son John, and 

 took as second husband Henry Godfrey, by whom she 

 had a son Richard. She died in 1460, and was suc- 

 ceeded by her son John Butler," who died in 1482, 

 leaving two daughters, Florence Ashfield, widow, and 

 Joan the wife of John Stanford." A partition of 

 lands was made between the sisters, but Florence pro- 

 bably died without issue, as her shjre is found later as 

 the property of Joan. John Stanford was the second 

 husband of Joan, and by him she had a son John 

 and two daughters, Elizabeth wife of William Corn- 

 wallis and Mary wife of 

 George Harvey. By her first 

 husband, John Leventhorpe 

 junior, she had issue Thomas 

 Leventhorpe. She died in 

 1489, and John Stanford her 

 husband was seised of the 

 manor for his life as tenant by 

 courtesy.'^ On his death in 

 1493 the manor came to his 

 stepson Thomas Leventhorpe, 

 son and heir of Joan Stanford." 

 Thomas died seised of the 

 manor in 1498, leaving a son 



John three years old." John conveyed the manor in 

 1 5 5 7 to Richard West," evidently as trustee,for in 1 5 74 



Leventhorpe. Ar- 

 gent a bend gobony gules 

 and sable. 



Richard West conveyed the manor to George Leven- 

 thorpe son of John.'° George died in 1607," his son 

 Thomas coming of age in February, 1609." Thomas 

 died in 1620, and as his daughter and heir was only 

 four years old,*' the estate was taken into the Court of 

 Wards and Liveries. She obtained livery of the manor 

 in 1633, when she was sixteen years old,™ but from 

 this time onward the history of the manor becomes 

 obscure. 



In 1651 the manor of Meppershall was conveyed 

 to Richard Emery by Richard Stringer, husband of 

 Ann Leventhorpe, Elizabeth Whitehead widow, and 

 Judith Bulthan widow,^' uncle and aunts respectively 

 of Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Leventhorpe. 

 Elizabeth had probably died without issue, and the 

 manor had passed to her aunts as her nearest heirs. 

 Richard Emery left two daughters, Elizabeth and 

 Sarah, spinsters,'' who inherited the manor and who 

 conveyed it by fine to Christopher Deane and 

 Thomas Suckling in 1688 as trustees.^ The manor 

 passed on the death of Elizabeth and Sarah to their 

 aunt Frances Watson, widow, in 1697.^* It is next 

 found in the possession of Henry and Elizabeth 

 Birrell and Thomas and Charlotte Fulwood, who 

 combined to sell the manor in 1744—5 to Bartlett 

 Mason ; ^ Elizabeth and Charlotte were probably 

 the daughters of Frances Watson, widow. In 1805 

 Thomas Poynter was in possession ; and apparently 

 the Poynter family had had the manor for about 

 thirty-three years, having purchased it from the 

 Fulwoods.'* Thomas Poynter left two natural 

 children, daughters according to Lysons, who states 

 wrongly that the manor was purchased from the 

 Fleetwoods and not Fulwoods." In 1854 the manor 

 was in the hands of the trustees of Mrs. Barbara Kane 

 and Mrs. Pen Woodburn, and is so vested at the 

 present day. 



There was a manor in Meppershall, known as ST. 

 THOMAS' CHAPEL MANOR, which belonged to 

 the priory of Chicksands, and in 1285 Edward I 

 granted to the priory free warren in their demesne 

 land of Meppershall.^' In 1 291, the value of this 

 holding in Meppershall amounted to j^io 13/. 6</.," 

 and their possessions were afterwards increased by 

 various grants." Early in the fourteenth century, the 

 prior borrowed a sum of money from John Puisaquila 

 of Genoa, a citizen and merchant of London, and 

 demised to him and one Bartholomew Reckey for 



8 Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), iSib, 

 z^6a, z^ya, 243^ ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 46 

 Hen. Ill, No. 22 ; ibid. 13 Edw. II, No. 9 j 

 Ahbre'v. Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com.), ii, 53*; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. 5Kdw. Ill (ist Nos.),No. 

 54 ; ibid. 43 Edw. III. pt. 2, No. i ; ibid. 

 38-9 Hen. VI, No. 50 ; ibid. 22 Edw. IV, 

 No. 30 ; Exch. Inq. p.m. 4 & 5 Hen. VII, 

 file 3, No. 6 ; ibid. 9 Hen. VII, file I2i8, 

 No. 2. Grand serjeanty consisted of find- 

 ing a man to serve in the king's army 

 for forty days, with breast-plate, iron 

 quarrel, lance, sword, and horse unap- 

 praised. 



9 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 298, 

 No. 12. 



1" Excerpta e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 204 i Cal. of Pat. 1225-32, p. 399. 



11 Chan. Inq. p.m. 46 Hen. Ill, No. 22. 



13 Feud. Aids, i, 20. 



IS Chan. Inq. p.m. 13 Edw. II, No. 9. 



" Ibid. 5 Edw. Ill (ist Nos.), No. 54. 



IS Ibid. 43 Edw. Ill, pt. 2, No. i. John, 

 the grandfather, acquired I messuage 

 18 acres of land in Meppershall, which 



had been forfeited by Henry of Averay for 

 a felony. 



" Abbrev. Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com.), ii, 

 302^. 1^ Ibid. 336A. 



18 Cal. of Pat. 1386, p. 138. 



" Cal. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Com.) iv, 253. 



*> Chan. Inq. p.m. 38-9 Hen. VI, No. 

 SO. 



21 Ibid. 22 Edw. IV, No. 30. 



™ Exch. Inq. p.m. 4-5 Hen. VII, file 

 3, No. 6. 



^ Ibid. 9 Hen. VII, file 1218, No. 2. 



s-i Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Hen. VII, vol. 78, 

 No. 88. 



25 Recov. R. Trin. 4 & 5 Phil, and 

 Mar)', rot. 133 ; Feet of F. Div. Cos. 

 Mich. 4 & S Phil, and Mary. 



^ Feet of F. Beds. East. 16 Eliz. 



27 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 298, 

 No. 12. 



28 Fine R. 7 Jas. I, pt. i, No. 48. 



39 Chan. Inq. p.m. vol. 383, No. 88. 

 8" Fine R. 9 Chas. I, pt. i, No. 46. 

 81 Feet of F. Beds. Trin. 1651. 

 83 Harl. Soc. Publ. xix. 



280 



88 Feet of F. Beds. East. 3 Jas. II. 



84 Ibid. 8 Will. III. 



85 Ibid. Hil. 17 Geo. II ; Recov. R. 

 East. 17 Geo. II, rot. 10 ; ibid. rot. 17. 



86 Add. MSS. 9408. 



87 Lysons, Mag. Brit, i, 116. 



88 Chart. R. 13 Edw. I, 78. 



89 Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 49*. 

 48 Nicholas de Hoo in 1301 alienated 



12 acres of land in Meppershall to the 

 priory (Cal. of Pat, 1301-7, p. 564) ; in 

 1306 Walter de Hoo granted 3 acres (Cal. 

 of Pat. 1301-7, p. 466) ; and Geoffrey of 

 Stotford also 3 acres and Henry of Pot- 

 teshoe 7 acres of land (Cal. Inq. f,m. (Rec. 

 Com.),i, 212, 214) while the prior paid 

 a fine of zos, to the king for licence ta 

 enter into a lay tenement in Meppershall 

 [Abbreii. Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com.) i, 149] 

 In 1347 Robert Blundel of Silsoe and John 

 parson of the church of Haynes alienated 

 to the prior i messuage, 42 acres of land, 

 2 acres of meadow, 26d. of rent in Mep- 

 pershall of los. yearly value [Cal. of Pat.. 

 1345-8. P- 364)- 



37 



