CLIFTON HUNDRED 



STOTFOLD 



de Moubray held Stotfold manor till his death in 

 1 361, at which time it was worth ^^20 per annum." 

 He was succeeded by his son John, who died in 1368," 

 but his wife Elizabeth retained the manor for her 

 lifetime." In 1 3 7 7 her son John de Moubray — sub- 

 sequently created earl of Nottingham — who was under 

 age, succeeded her." He died under age in 1383," 

 and his brother Thomas, who acquired the further 

 dignity of duke of Norfolk, succeeded to the manor," 

 ■ and his wife Elizabeth, who outlived him, held it till 

 her death in 1425.'^ Her grandson John de Moubray, 

 who died in 1 46 1, followed her in the tenure of 

 Stotfold manor," and his widow Eleanor was allowed 

 in 1470 a yearly rent of j^6 ds. from the manor." In 

 1475-6 John de Moubray their son died without male 

 issue,'' and his daughter Anne married in 1477 at 

 the age of five the younger son of Edward IV, Richard 

 duke of York, who in contemplation of such a mar- 

 riage obtained a grant of the dignities and estates of 

 his wife's father.*" 



After the murder of the duke in the tower in 1483 

 the earldom of Nottingham passed to William Viscount 

 Berkeley, and the dukedom of Norfolk to John Howard," 

 whose son Thomas was made 

 earl of Surrey on the same day 

 that his father was raised to the 

 dukedom. The manor of Stot- 

 fold was included in the earl 

 of Nottingham's moiety of the 

 Moubray estates," but after his 

 death in 1 49 1 it passed to the 

 earl of Surrey (whose father 

 had been slain at Bosworth, and 

 his estates forfeited in 1485). 

 By him it was alienated in 1 49 1 

 to Sir Reginald Bray, minister 

 of state to Henry VII." The 

 manor, however, did not long 



remain in this family. Sir Reginald was succeeded by a 

 nephew Edmund Lord Bray, whose son John transferred 

 the manor by fine in 1547 " to Edward Butler. On 

 his death in 1562 " the latter was succeeded by his son 

 George, who died in 1602 in possession of this manor, 

 called for the first time Stotfold Brayes, leaving a son 

 Beckenham Butler.*^ He in 1610 sold the two 

 manors of Stotfold Brayes and Stotfold Newnham for 

 ^^5,044" to Thomas Angell, who in 1620 sold them 

 to Mary Lady Welde.™ She died in 1624 and left 

 as her heir her niece Anne, wife of William Litton of 



Bray. Argent a 

 cheveron between three 

 eagles^ legs sable razed at 

 the thigh. 





M-^. 



Litton of Kneb- 

 woRTH. Ermine a chief 

 indented axure vjith 

 three crowns or therein. 



Knebworth," who on her death, before 1638, was 

 followed by her son Roland Litton,'" who held the 

 manor till his death in 1674." William Litton his 

 son died without issue in 1 704, and left his estate by 

 will to Litton Strode, grandson of his sister Judith. 

 He died in 17 10 leaving the 

 property to his cousin William 

 Robinson, who took the name 

 of Litton." John Robinson 

 Litton, his son, was in posses- 

 sion of the manor in 1 747,'' 

 and died in 1762 leaving a 

 nephew Richard Warburton as 

 heir." In 1795 the two 

 manors of Stotfold Brayes and 

 Stotfold Newnham were pur- 

 chased by John Williamson,^' 

 whose daughter Sara married 

 the Rev. William Alington, 

 who died in 1 849,'" and whose 



grandson Julius Alington (son of John Alington) is at 

 the present day lord of the manor. 



The origin of STOTFOLD NEWNHJM manor, 

 which by the thirteenth century had passed to Newn- 

 ham Priory, is to be found in 

 a knight's fee owned by Hugh 

 de Salford in the twelfth cen- 

 tury. In 1 1 93 Hugh secured 

 his title to this fee as against the 

 claims of William Rufus,'' but 

 five years later he transferred 

 half of the fees to Simon 

 Rufus,'' whose son Robert 

 alienated it in 124410 Newn- 

 ham Priory.'" The other half, 

 together with a capital mes- 

 suage, which remained in the 

 hands of Hugh de Salford, was 



granted by Hugh son of Nigel de Salford, probably a 

 grandson of the former Hugh, to Newnham Priory.*" 

 These two grants went to form the manor of Stotfold 

 Newnham, which was held by the priory until the Dis- 

 solution, when the manor, then valued at a yearly rent of 

 j^l4 *' fell to the king, by whom it was granted in 1 547 

 to Richard Kyrke." The latter in 1551 alienated 

 Stotfold Newnham to Edward Butler,*' who had also 

 acquired the manor of Stotfold Brayes (q.v.) with 

 which its history Is henceforward identical." 



The priory of Newnham claimed view of frank- 



Alington. 

 bend engrailed 

 six billets argent. 



10 Chan. Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. II, pt. 2,m. 

 10. " Ibid. 43 Edw. Ill, No. 207. 



" Ibid. 50 Edw. Ill, No. 53. The value 

 of the manor was then 100 marks. 



" Cal. of Pat. 1381-85, p. 3. John Bray, 

 one of the yeomen of the king's chamber, 

 obtained a grant of 20 marks out of the 

 manor during John de Moubray's minori- 

 ty (Close I Ric II, m. 3). 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 6 Ric. II, No. 58. 

 The manor was then worth £6. 



15 Ibid. 22 Ric II, No. loi. 



16 Ibid. 3 Hen. VI, No. 25. 



17 Ibid. I Edw. IV, No. 46. 



18 Cal. of Pat. 1467-77, p. 191. 



1» Chan. Inq. p.m. 17 Edw. IV, No. 58. 



^Parl. R. (Rec. Com.), vi, 186b, in 

 which Stotfold manor is mentioned. 

 Richard became Earl Marshal, earl of 

 Warenne and earl of Nottingham. 



^ G.E C. Comflete Peerage. They were 

 heirs of John de Moubray through the 

 female line. 



"'Parl.R. (Rec. Com.),vi, 411*. 



^ Feet of F. Beds. 6 Hen. VII j Pari. 

 R. (Rec. Com.), vi, 529^, S3ii. 



»• Feet of F. Div. Cos. Mich. 30 Hen. 

 VIII ; ibid. Beds. Hil. 38 Hen. VIII. 



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

 193. ^ Ibid, cclxxxv. No. 131. 



^7 Close, 7 Jas. I, pt. 41. 



S8 Ibid. 18 Jas. I, pt. 20 ; Feet of F. 

 Beds. Mich. 18 Jas, I. The price was here 

 ^3,294 16s. lod. 



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

 103. 



<" Recov. R. Mich. 14 Chas. I, rot 6. 



»l Feet of F. Beds. Trin. 1659 ; Div. 

 Cos. Trin, 1661 ; Clutterbuck, /f«rc. i, 

 376. *" Clutterbuck, /fsrn. i, 376. 



88 Recov. R. Trin. 21 Geo. II, rot. 275. 

 The extent of the manors at this date is 

 given as 8 messuages, 1 water corn mill, 

 1 5 gardens, 200 acres of land, 40 meadow, 

 120 pasture, 50 furze and heath, common 

 pasture for cattle, court leet, court baro% 



301 



view of frankpledge, goods and chattels cf 

 felons and fugitives, &c. 



*■' Clutterbuck, Herts, i, 376. 



8' Lysons, Mag. Brit, i, 136. 



'6 Burke, Landed Gentry, 1 906. 



87 Pipe R. 5 Ric. II, m. n </. ; S Ric. 

 II, m. 1 5 1/. 



"S Feet of F. Beds. 9 Ric. I, No. 10. 



89 Karl. MSS. 3656, fol. 208 ; Feet of 

 F. Beds. 28 Hen. Ill, m. 28. The charter 

 containing the grant mentions that it 

 came to Simon as dower of his wife 

 Agnes, who must therefore have been a 

 de Salford. « Harl. MSS. 3656, foU 209. 



41 Valor Ecd. (Rec. Com.), iv, 187. 



42 Rot. Orig. 38 Hen. VIII, 6. 



48 Pat. 4 Edw. VI, pt. 3 ; Feet of F. 

 Beds. East. 4 Edw. VI. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cxxxiv, 

 No. 193 ; cccci, No. 103 ; Recov. R, 

 Mich. 14 Chas. I, rot. 6 ; Feet of F. Beds, 

 Trin. 1659 ; Div. Cos. Trin." 1661 j 

 Chan. Proc 1558-79, bdle. 30, No. 31, iScc 



