A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



their lives, and to their heirs for twenty years after 

 their deaths, the manor called St. Thomas' Chapel in 

 Meppershall, together with Hawnes Grange for an 

 annual rent of X^°°' ^7 ^ subsequent agreement 

 John and Bartholomew annulled the deeds of the de- 

 mise of the manor on payment of j^i,2O0, and having 

 received ;£3O0 as the first instalment, they released to 

 the prior their right and claim in the manors in 

 1325.*' In 1330 the prior, called upon to show by 

 what right he claimed free warren and view of frank- 

 pledge over tenants in Meppershall, produced the 

 charter of Edward I, and on payment of I mark he 

 was confirmed in the same." 



When the lands of the monastery were taken into 

 the king's hands at the Dissolution, the priory of 

 Chicksands had possessions in Meppershall to the value 

 ofj^i5 10/." The manor was leased for a short time 

 to Henry Stringer, and in 1 542 Henry VIII granted 

 it to Sir Henry Grey of Wrest and Anne his wife." 

 The manor remained in the family of the Greys for 

 167 years. After the death of Sir Henry, it passed 

 to his son Henry, whose two elder sons died without 

 issue, and the youngest son, Charles, inherited the 

 manor. At the latter's death in 1623 his son Henry 

 succeeded him, but died without issue in 1639 ; the 

 manor then passed to Henry's sister and co-heir Susan, 



TTTTT) 



Grey of Wrest. 



Barry argent and az.ure 

 •with three roundels gules 

 in the chief. 





LONGUEVILLE. Guhs 



afeise dance tty ermine be- 

 (•ween six crosslefs argent. 



Christ's Hospital. 

 Argent a cross gules luith 

 a sluord gules upright in 

 the quarter and a chief 

 a^ure having therein a 

 Tudor rose between two 

 jleurs de lis or. 



who had married Sir Michael Grey Longueville. 

 Their eldest son Charles died in 1643 without issue 

 male and the manor was inherited by the younger son 



Grey Longueville." In 1678 Grey Longueville died, 

 and by his will, left the manor to his wife Lucy for 

 two years and then to his sons.*' The elder son 

 Grey died without issue, and the manor descended to 

 the second son Henry, who left it at his death in 

 1705 to his wife Anne and their son Grey ;" Anne 

 and Grey sold the manor in 1709 to Christ's Hos- 

 pital, London, in whose possession it still is." 



The manor of WOODHALL probably originated 

 in the grant of 100 acres of land and 22 acres of 

 wood in the parish of Meppershall to the abbot of 

 Warden by Gilbert de Meppershall, confirmed by his son 

 John in 1 200." In 1 244 this land was taken into the 

 king's hand as land of his serjeanty alienated without 

 licence, and was held by the monks of Warden from 

 that time of the king in chief in free alms," and 

 the abbot of Warden obtained a charter of confirma- 

 tion from Henry III." In 1252 Henry III granted 

 to the priory free warren in the woods belonging to the 

 grange of Woodhall ; " this charter was confirmed by 

 Edward I, and in 1330 the abbot made good his 

 claim to free warren." The value of the manor 

 amounted to £,z 4/. 3</. in 1291," and it continued 

 in the possession of the abbey of Warden to the 

 Dissolution, and in 1535 was worth [^i ()s, 8</." It 

 was then leased for a short time to Thomas Stringer, 

 sen., and Thomas Stringer, jun., and in 1542 was 

 granted to Sir Henry Grey of Wrest and his wife 

 Anne." Since this date it has remained in the pos- 

 session of the Greys earls of Kent, and has followed 

 the same descent as the manor of Wrest in Flitton, 

 (q.v.)," parsing with the title to Anthony in 1639 

 instead of devolving on Susan Longueville. The 

 manorial rights are at present vested in Lord Lucas 

 and Dingwall, as representative of the de Grey family. 



The manor of POLEHJNGER in this parish 

 possibly originated in the grant of view of frankpledge, 

 together with other manorial rights in Meppershall, 

 to the prior of the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem 

 by Henry III in 1258 and confirmed by Edward I 

 in 1280." This charter was also confirmed later by 

 Edward II and Edward III," and in 129 1 the value 

 of the prior's possessions in Stamford and Polehanger 

 was £1 5/.™ The manor was subinfeudated by the prior, 

 and in 1335 was in the possession of Thomas, son of 

 John de Meryng and his wife Idonia, in right of the 

 latter," but it must shortly afterwards have been alien- 

 ated to the Meppershalls, for in I 361 land described 

 as I messuage, 1 8 acres was held by John de Mep- 

 pershall of the prior of St. John of Jerusalem by the 

 service of 3J. a year,*' and this property was held by 

 the descendants of John de Meppershall (lords of the 

 manor of Meppershall q.v.) of the prior of St. John 

 of Jerusalem. Other land in Meppershall was held 

 by the Butlers of the prior of St. John of Jerusalem,® 

 and by the marriage of Joan Meppershall and John 

 Butler, these properties were united and were described 

 in 1482 as the manor of Polehanger, held of the 

 prior of St. John of Jerusalem." The manor then 

 followed a like descent to that of Meppershall (q.v.) 



■" Cal, of Close, 1323-7, p. 293. 



« Plac. de Quo War, (Rec. Com.), 32. 



« Mins. Accts. 31 Hen. VHI. 



''■' Pat. 34 Hen. VIII, pt. 4, m. 12. 



■•* G. E. C. Peerage. 



■■« F. A. Blaydes, Gen. Bedfordiensis, 



355- 

 <? Ibid. 



« Add. MSS. 5152. 

 « Feet of F. Beds, 2 John, No. 2. 



5» Cal. of Chart, i, 279. 



" Abhre-v. Rot, Orig. (Rec. Com.), i, 6. 



'» Cal. of Chart, i, 385. 



^' Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 

 3'- 



" Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec Com.), 129. 



65 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv, 193a. 



" Pat. 34 Hen. VIII, pt. 4, m. 12. 



'" Feet of F. Div. Cos. Trin. 43 Eliz. ; 

 Recov. R. Trin. 43 Eliz. rot. 92 ; Recov. 



290 



R. Trin. 12 Geo. Ill, rot. 247 ; Recov. R. 

 Trin. 45, Geo. Ill, rot. 41. 



^ Plac. de Quo War. (Rec Com.), 233. 



"Ibid. 19. ' 



«» Pope Nich, Tax, (Rec Com.), 50. 



" Feet, of F. Beds. 9 Edw. Ill, No. i. 



8' Chan. Inq. p.m. 43 Edw. Ill, vol. 

 2, No. I. 



«» Ibid. 38 & 39 Hen. VI, No. 50. 



«^ Chan. Inq. p.m. 22 Edw. IV, No. 30 



