A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



issue, and the manor passed to his nephew, the son of 

 his sister Florence wife of Mr. Auberon Herbert, the 

 present Lord Lucas and Dingwall, who is now lord of 

 the manor." 



The manor of FLITTON, held in the reign of 

 King Edward by Alwin Horim, was granted hy 



CowpER. Argent three 

 martlets gules and a chief 

 engrailed gules ivith three 

 rings or thereon. 



Herbert. Party axure 

 and gules three lions ar- 

 gent. 



William the Conqueror to Robert Fafiton, and was 

 the only manor which the latter owned in Bedford- 

 shire ; it was then assessed at 5 hides." Nothing 

 further is heard of Robert Fafiton, and the overlord- 

 ship passed in some way, of which no record has 

 been found, to the Mortimers, earls of March, of 

 whom the manor was held as of their honour of Wig- 

 more, from 1284 until 1424, when the last male 

 representative of the Morti- 

 mers, Edmund earl of March, 

 died without issue.** There 

 is no further record of the 

 overlordship until 1 61 5, when 

 the manor was held of Richard 

 Chetwode as of his barony of 

 WahuU," and after 1623 it is 

 not mentioned." Holding 

 directly under the Mortimers 

 was the family of Zouche of 

 Ashby (co. Leic.) ; Roger, who 

 was holding as early as 1232,** 

 died in 1285, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Alan ; " on 

 the latter's death, 1 3 14, with- 

 out a male heir,** an arrangement was arrived at 

 between the two daughters, Ellen, wife of Nicholas 

 de St. Maur, and Maud, wife of Robert de Holand, 

 by which the latter retained her father's estate in 

 Flitton,'' and the heirs of Alan la Zouche continued 

 to hold under the Mortimers until 1424.*° 



The first tenant of Flitton under the Zouches was 

 Philip de Flitton, who in 1232 disputed with the 

 prior of Dunstable about services from a tenement 

 which the former held." In 1284-1302 Peter de 

 Flitton's holding amounted to one fee," but between 

 the latter year and 13 14 it passed to Robert de 



Mortimer. Barry or 

 and azure a chief or tvith 

 fwo pales azure betvjeen 

 fwo gyrons azure and a 

 scutcheon argent over all. 



Kendale, and had been reduced to the third of a 

 fee." It again rapidly changed hands, for by 1 3 1 6 

 John Grey, Lord Grey de Wilton, was lord of 

 Flitton and Silsoe," and on his death in 1323 an 

 inventory of the manor was taken.*' 



The manor has continued in the possession of the 

 de Grey family and their descendants from the early 

 part of the fourteenth century until the present day, 

 following the same descent as that of the manor of 

 Wrest, in Silsoe, in this parish (q.v.), the present lord 

 of the manor being Lord Lucas and Dingwall. 



In 1388 the manor was worth /lo,*° and by 1445 

 its value had decreased to £,-J 13/. 4</. ;" in 161 5 it 

 included three messuages, 144 acres of land, 6 acres 

 of meadow and 1 6 acres of pasture, as part of the 

 demesne lands.*' 



There was another estate in Silsoe which became 

 known in the fourteenth century as the manor of 

 NORWOOD, and in the reign of Henry VIII as 

 Norwood alias Silsoe, at first held of John Peyvre;" 

 the overlordship passed before 1388 to the barony of 

 WahuU,'" and remained vested in the barony until 

 towards the end of the reign of Henry VII it was 

 transferred to the crown." After 1524 there is no 

 further mention of it." 



This manor probably originated in the land held 

 by Henry de Northwood, who in 1203 acquired 4 

 acres of land, 27 roods of meadow in Silsoe from 

 Robert de Bray," and in 1206 he leased half a vir- 

 gate to William, son of Henry de Ryde, at an annual 

 rent of zd." In 1315 Thomas de Northwood, 

 evidently a member of the same family, held half a 

 fee in Flitton and Silsoe of 

 John Peyvre," and in 1360 

 Richard, probably his son, and 

 his wife Alice, alienated the 

 manor of Norwood to Reginald 

 de Grey of Ruthyn, and 

 Eleanor his wife." The de 

 Greys, earls of Kent, and their 

 descendants have continued to 

 hold the manor, which has 

 followed the same descent as 

 the manor of Wrest until the 

 present day. Lord I^ucas and 

 Dingwall now being the lord of the manor, 

 appears to have been a division of the 



Northwood. Ermini 

 a cross engrailed gules. 



There 

 manor 



between 1445 and 1456, when one third was in 

 the possession of Thomas Boughton. Thomas was 

 succeeded by his son Richard, who died seised of 

 this manor in 1485," leaving as his heir his son 

 William ; the third was then worth 100/.'' William 

 probably alienated the property to Richard Decon's 

 father, for in 1 5 2 1 Richard Decon died seised of it, 

 the manor having descended to him as son and heir." 

 It again rapidly changed hands, for Thomas Warren, 

 who died in 1544,*° and Elizabeth his wife were 



*^ G.E.C. Complete Peerage, iv. 



»» V.C.H. Beds, i, 248. 



8' Feud. Aids, i, 6 ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 

 3 Hen. VI, No. 32. 



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



8* Ibid. vol. 476, No. 144. 



"« Close, 16 Hen. Ill, m. 4A ; Feud, 

 Aids, i, 6. '? Burke, Extinct Peerage. 



*^ Chan. Inq. p.m. 7 Edw. II, No. 36. 



83 Cal. Close, 1313-lg, p. 155. 



■"' Chan. Inq. p.m. 27 Edw. Ill (ist 

 Nos.), No. 58 ; Ahbrev. Rot. Orig. (Rec. 

 Com.), ii, 227; Chan. Inq. p.m. 22 Ric. 

 II, No. 34 i ibid. 3 Hen. VI, No. 32. 



36. 



" Close, 16 Hen. Ill, m. 4*. 

 *'^Feud. Aids, i, 6, 13. 

 « Chan. Inq. p.m. 7 Edw. II, No. 

 6. 

 ** Feud. Aids, i, 21. 

 <' MIns. Accts. bdle. 11 19, No. 2. 

 <6 Chan. Inq. p.m. 12 Ric. II, No. 



*'> Mins. Accts. bdlc. 11 19, No. 4. 



*^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 349, 

 No. 172. 



« Chan. Inq. p.m. 9 Edw. II, No. 

 55- 



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



328 



S5 



" Close, 24 Hen. VII, pt. i. 



«» Pat. 16 Hen. VIII, pt. 2, m. 3. 



'8 Feet of F. Beds. 5 John, No. i. 



" Ibid. 8 John, No. 12. 



*' Chan. Inq. p.m. 9 Edw. II, No. 



' Feet of F. Beds. 34 Edw. Ill, No. 



12. 



»? Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. i. 



No. 59. 



«8 Ibid. 



59 Exch. Inq. p.m. y. 

 ^ Brass in church of Flitton. The 

 name is there spelt ' Waren.' 



