A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



«:t)oo 



OO 



Zoucui, Gukt be- 

 aanty and a quarter er- 

 mine. 



free warren in all his demesne lands in Caddington, 

 and also a cancelled patent dated 1 3 22-3 to 

 Richard Inge, chaplain, granting a licence to alienate 

 his manor of Caddington.'' 

 In 1395 William de la Zouche 

 held ' the manor of Cadindon ' 

 in fee tail of the dean and 

 chapter of St. Paul's. He 

 had inherited it from his father 

 William, and it descended to 

 his son, a third William," 

 who in 1396-7 conveyed his 

 interest in the estate, prob- 

 ably for the purpose of a 

 settlement, to Sir John Lo- 

 vell, kt., his kinsman." The 

 Zouche family continued to 

 be tenants of some estate, probably this manor, 

 in Caddington parish as late as the year IS35>'' 

 but there seems to be no further mention of the 

 manor until the reign of Queen Elizabeth. In that 

 reign Thomas Franck brought an action in the court 

 of Chancery against Richard Marshe of Kensworth 

 for ejectmg him from the manor of Zouches in Cad- 

 dington. Thomas claimed that John, Lord Zouche, 

 about twenty-eight years previously conveyed the 

 manor to Thomas Franck of Hatfield, his father, and 

 to Anne his wife, and to Thomas the present claimant. 

 Thomas the father and Anne died, and Thomas the 

 son held the manor until he was ejected by Richard 

 Marshe. Richard claimed the mano»under the terms 

 of the will of his father Thomas, who, Richard 

 declared, was lawfully seised of the manor. He denied 

 that it was ever conveyed by Lord Zouche to Thomas 

 Franck. In 1573 Thomas Marshe conveyed the 

 manor to Richard Marshe, and it is probable that 

 these are the father and son mentioned above." From 

 Richard it subsequently passed to his brother Henry, 

 who conveyed it in 1 5 83 to Thomas Marshe.** In 

 the following year Robert Barbour and Agnes his wife 

 released to Henry Marshe all claim which they had 

 in the manor for the life of Agnes." Later the manor 

 came to Henry's son Rotherham, who sold it in 1605 

 to John Clerke of London." Gierke died the following 

 year, leaving a son John under age, who at the time 

 of his death, in 1664, was seised of 360 acres of land 

 in the parish." In 1 673 the manor was conveyed 

 by Robert Strode to William Strode," of whose family 

 there is some trace in the court rolls as late as 1703, 

 and in 1750 John Shirley and his wife conveyed the 

 manor by fine to Nicholas Coulthirst," against whom 

 it was recovered in the same term by Robert Joyce." 

 In 1 78 1 Thomas Smith recovered this manor against 

 James Wildman, William Beckford being vouchee." 

 There is a farm known as Zouches in the west of the 



parish which was owned by the Pedley family till 

 1804, when, by a special Act of Parliament, they 

 were enabled to exchange the farm for the estate of 

 Caddington Hall, the possession of the dean and 

 chapter of St. Paul's. Zouches Farm now belongs tc 

 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners." 



MARKrATE priory was founded early in the 

 twelfth century, and in 1 145 the dean and chapter 

 of St. Paul's granted to the prioress and nuns the 

 site of the monastery and the surrounding woods." 

 The house appears to have been surrendered before 

 10 February, 1537," probably to the satisfaction of 

 the lords of Caddington manor, for the last prioress 

 seems to have been an unruly tenant. There arc 

 complaints in the court rolls that she erected a pillory 

 in the liberty of the church of St. Paul, that she 

 refused to do suit for land called Rokett," that she 

 interfered with the fishing rights of the tenants of 

 Caddington in a pool near the monastery,* and finally 

 that she ordered that a great beech tree, ' growing 

 upon the free ground opposite the house of the nuns 

 of Markyate,' should be cut down, to the great loss 

 of the cathedral church of St. Paul's." The priory 

 remained in the king's hands for about two years after 

 the surrender, and on 29 March, 1539, was leased to 

 Humphrey Bourchier of the king's household for 

 twenty-one years." This Humphrey subsequently 

 tried to purchase the estate, but owing in part to his 

 own heavy liabilities, and in part to the fraud per- 

 petrated hy his kinsman, Sir. Francis Bryan, to whom 

 the purchase money was entrusted, the transaction 

 was not completed when Humphrey died without 

 children in 1540." His widow Elizabeth in the 

 following year married George Ferrers, to whom 

 Edward VI in 1548 granted the site of the late 

 monastery with free warren, court leet, view of frank- 

 pledge and of the assize of bread and ale, and other 

 manorial rights." George Ferrers was the son of 

 Thomas Ferrers of St. Albans, and in 1534 published 

 an English translation of Magna Charta and other 

 important statutes. He became a member of Lin- 

 coln's Inn and his oratory gained him a high reputa- 

 tion at the bar. He was elected M.P. for Plymouth 

 in 1542, and in that year he was arrested on his way 

 to the House of Commons. A rather famous dis- 

 pute arose as to the privilege of members of Parlia- 

 ment of exemption from arrest, and he was released. 

 He is said to have served in the war against Scotland 

 and France, but he most probably attended Henry 

 VIII in some civil capacity. Henry showed his 

 attachment for him by bequeathing him 100 marks. 

 At Christmas 1 5 5 1 he was directed to prepare a series 

 of pageants on a very gorgeous scale to distract the 

 young king, who was reported to be sorrowing over 

 the execution of his uncle Somerset. Ferrers assisted 



8» Chart R. + Edw. II, m. 12, No. 40 ; 

 PaL 16 Edw. II, pt. I, m. 22. 



»< The first William is said to have 

 held the manor of the gift of Henry 

 Grene and John Cranesle, probably 

 trustees for a settlement. See Inq. p. m. 

 19 Ric. II, No. 52. 



" Close, 20 Ric. II, pt. 2, m. 11 d. 



W Ct. R. Lib. D. and C. Lond. Press B, 

 No. 12. 



8' Chan. Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle. 68, No. 

 31 ; Feet of F. Herts. Hil. 15 Eliz. 



38 Feet of F. Herts. Mich. 25 and 26 

 Elir. 



»» Ibid. Mich. 26 and 27 Eliz. 



<" The evidence for the existence of the 

 manor is to be found in the conveyances 

 (Feet of F. Herts. Hil. ij Eliz.; ibid. 

 Hil. 26 Eliz. ; ibid. Mich. 26 and 27 

 Eliz. ; and ibid. Trin. 3 Jas. I), but the 

 relationship of the various tenants can be 

 gathered from the court rolls, where they 

 appear as holders of customary lands at 

 Sowches and elsewhere. 



*^ Lib. D. and C. Lond. Press B, No. 

 13- 



« Feet of F. Herts. Mich. 25 Chas. II. 



" Ibid. Div. Cos. Mich. 24. Geo. II. 



" Recov. R. Mich. 24 Geo. II, rot. 

 •35- 



316 



« Ibid. Mich. 22 Geo. Ill, rot. 12. 



" Information given by Rev. T. Bates, 

 vicar of Caddington. 



*! Lib. D. and C. Lond. Press W.D. o 

 foL 145. *' 



« y.CH. Beds, i, 360. 



« Lib. D. and C. Lond. ; Ct. R. 21 

 Hen. VIII, Press B, No. 12. 



=" Ibid. 25 Hen. VIIL 



" Ibid. 28 Hen. VIH. 



"L. and P. Hen. VIII, xiv (i), p. 

 610. 



" Doc. printed {n Hern. Gen. iii, io«- 

 II. 



" Pat. 2 Edw. VI, pt. 2, m. 29. 



