FLITT HUNDRED 



FLITTON 



summoned to Parliament in 1295 as Lord Grey [de 

 Wilton], and died in 1 307-8 seised of the manor, which 

 was then worth £^.^^ 



His son John, who succeeded him, took an active 

 part in the disturbances which marked the reign of 

 Edward II, at first on the side of Lancaster. He was 

 appointed in 1310 one of the Lords Ordainers, but in 

 1322 he espoused the royal cause and sat in the Par- 

 liament at York." Henry his son by his first wife 

 inherited the title of Lord Grey de Wilton, but the 

 estate in Bedfordshire passed to Roger his son by his 

 second wife. A settlement of Wrest Manor was made 

 on the latter in 1 3 1 1 ," and at his father's death in 

 1323, the remaining property in Bedfordshire descended 

 to him.'° In 1324. Roger was summoned to Parlia- 

 ment as Lord Grey de Ruthyn, in 1327 he accom- 

 panied Edmund, earl of Kent, on the Scottish cam- 

 paign, and between i 340 and 1 345 served in Scotland 

 and France. He died in 1352-3, when his son 

 Reginald inherited the manor ;" and at the latter's 

 death in 1388 it was worth j^l 3 a year.'* Reginald's 

 son Reginald was summoned to Parliament in 1389, 

 and in 1 398 he acted for a short time as governor in 

 Ireland, after the death of Roger, earl of March. 

 He was engaged in suppressing the disturbances in 

 the Welsh Marches during 1400 and 1401, but early 

 in 1402 was taken prisoner, remaining a captive 

 throughout the whole year." He died in 1440- 1 

 and was succeeded by his grandson Edmund, his son 

 John having predeceased him in 1439.'' 



Edmund took part in the Wars of the Roses, first 

 siding with the king, but in 1460 at the battle of 

 Northampton he went over to Warwick, and was 

 rewarded by Edward IV with the manor of Ampt- 

 hill. In 1463 he was made Lord High Treasurer of 

 England and was created earl of Kent in 1465." 



At his death in 1489 he was succeeded by his 

 second son George, the elder Anthony having died in 

 1483 " 'George was sent to France in 1 491 to assist 

 the Emperor Maximilian, and died in 1503, leaving 

 as his heir his eldest son Richard by his first wife. 

 Richard died without issue in 1524, when the title 

 and manor passed to his half-brother Henry, the son 

 of George, earl of Kent, by his second wife.'^ Henry, 

 however, declined to assume the titles on account of 

 his poverty, and died in 1562, leaving as his heir his 

 grandson Reginald, eldest son of his son Henry, who 

 had died in 1545." Reginald died in 1573 without 

 issue and the estates passed to his brother Henry,"' 

 who bailt the mausoleum at Flitton and died with- 

 out issue in 1614-15.*° The third brother Charles, 

 who succeeded, died in 1623,*' and left a son Henry 

 who died without issue in 1631. The manor and 

 title of earl of Kent then passed to the last earl's 

 cousin Anthony, son of George, son of Anthony, 



13 Chan. Inq. p.m. I Edw. II, No. 

 54. There was a capital messuage with 

 a dovecot worth p. a. 41. ; 100 acres 

 arable land at 4</. per acre, ^ I 13J. 4.d.; 

 6 acres meadow at u. 6 J. per acre, 91.; 3 

 acres pasture at 11. per acre ; a wood with 

 no underwood, therefore no profit,^i 95. Sd. 

 Rents of Assise, profits and perquisites of 

 court. It. Total ^4. 



" Diet. Nat. Biog. 



15 Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 5 Edw. II, 

 No 16. 



i«Mins. Accts. bdle. in 9, No. 2. The 

 extent of the manor at this time was as 

 follows : — I team of 4 horses for plough- 

 ing, 4 farm horses, 8 oxen, 2 cows, i hei- 



brother of Sir Henry Grey, de jure fourth earl. 

 Anthony died in 1643 leaving a son Henry, ninth 

 earl of Kent, as his successor. He led an active 

 political life, and held the office of chief commissioner 

 after the death of Charles I until the abolition of the 

 House of Lords 6 February, 1649. He died in 1651, 

 and was succeeded by his son Anthony, who married 

 the daughter and heiress of Lord Lucas. His widow. 



<^C)C) 



Dk Grey. Barry 

 argent and azure ivitA 

 three roundels gules in 

 the chief. 



H^y^ 



Lucas. Argent a 

 Jesse between six rings 

 gules. 



known as the ' Good Countess,' did much for the 

 estate, which she found in an impoverished condition. 

 Anthony died in 1702, leaving a son Henry, eleventh 

 earl of Kent, and Baron Lucas in the right of his 

 mother. In 1 706 he was created Viscount Goderich 

 of Halford, earl of Harold, and marquess of Kent, 

 and in 17 10 was created duke of Kent. He was 

 successively Lord Chamberlain, Lord Steward, and 

 Lord Privy Seal, and in 1740 was created Mar- 

 quess de Grey, with special remainder to his grand- 

 daughter Jemima Campbell and her heirs male. He 

 was married twice and had several sons, all of whom 

 died before him, so that on his death in 1740 the 

 manor of Wrest, together with the marquessate de 

 Grey and the barony of Lucas of Crudwell devolved 

 on his granddaughter Jemima, daughter of his 

 daughter Amabel.™ Jemima married Philip Yorke, earl 

 of Hardwicke, and died in 1797,*' when the eldest of 

 her two daughters Amabella, who had married 

 Viscount Polwarth, inherited the manor of Wrest and 

 the barony of Lucas, the marquessate 'de Grey be- 

 coming extinct.™ In 1 8 1 6 she was created Countess 

 de Grey of Wrest, and on her death in 1833 without 

 issue her titles and the manor passed to her nephew 

 Thomas Philip Weddel, the son of her sister and Lord 

 Grantham. This earl was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, 

 and died in 1859 without male issue. His elder 

 daughter Anne, Lady Lucas, to whom the manor 

 descended, married Earl Cowper, and was succeeded 

 in 1880 by her son Francis Thomas de Grey, who 

 succeeded in obtammg the reversal of the attainder of 

 the barony of Dingwall. He died in 1905 without 



fer, 2 calves, 28 wethers, 35 sheep, 12 

 lambs, I boar, 3 hogs, 35 sows, 6 little 

 pigs, 5 geese, 36 quarters of corn, 10 quar- 

 ters of rye, 40 quarters beans and peas, 30 

 quarters of drag, 1 8 quarters of oats in the 

 grange there, with hay and forage, i pan, i 

 shovel, 49 acres sown with corn, 7 with rye, 

 2 portions of cider, \ quarter of salt, i iron 

 plough. 



1' Diet. Nat. Biog. ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 27 Edw. Ill (ist Nos.), No. 58. 



"Ibid. 12 Ric. II, No. 23. 



19 Diet. Nat. Biog. 



21 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iv. 



21 In 1445 the bailiff of Wrest, Thomas 

 Hunte, received 201. for expenses in hus- 



bandry. John Manne, the collector of 

 rents, received 561. i Jrf. for the reparation 

 of houses there ; Mins. Accts. bdle. 

 1 1 1 9, No. 4. 22 j^ict. Nat. Biog. 



2» G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iv. 



^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 134, No. 

 194. 



as Ibid. (Ser. 2), vol. 163, No. 8. 



^ Ibid. (Ser. 2), vol. 349, No. 172. 

 There were then three messuages, 99 

 acres of land, which were parcel of the 

 demesne lands of manor of Wrest. 



27 Ibid. (Ser. 2), vol. 476, No. 144. 



ss G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iv. 



»' Recov.R. Trin. 12 Geo. Ill, rot. 247 



8" Recov. R. Trin. 45 Geo. Ill, rot. 41. 



