A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



a son, Edmund Fitz Herbert " whose son Edmund 

 Fitz Herbert in 1377 conveyed his estate in Luton, 

 worth at this time j^8 per annum, to William de 

 Wenlock." In 1389 William Wenlock made a settle- 

 ment of this estate on William Wyvell of Wenlock," 

 but no further mention of it has been found until the 

 following century, when, to- 

 gether with the larger portions 

 of the manor which had accu- 

 mulated in the hands of the 

 Mortimers, it reappears still in 

 the family of the Wenlocks." 



In 1 3 1 8 Cicely Beauchamp, 

 who had acquired the other 

 half of Maud de Kyme's pro- 

 perty, effected an exchange 

 with Hugh Mortimer, hy 

 which, in return for his pro- 

 perty in Sturminster, she gave 

 him her share in Luton 

 manor." Thus of the four 



parts into which Maud de Kyme's share in Luton 

 manor had been divided, by the fourteenth century 

 one-half had gone to Hugh Mortimer, and one-half to 

 the Wenlocks to await subsequent amalgamation in 

 the fifteenth century. 



Agatha Mortimer, a third of the co-heiresses of 

 Isabel de Clare, inherited in 1275 one-sixth of the 

 manor of Luton, which included the capital messu- 

 age of the manor.^ She died in 1306 leaving a 

 son Henry Mortimer," who in 1 3 16 rendered 

 feudal service to the king in Luton," and whose 

 son Hugh, in 1 33 1, claimed a market, view of frank- 

 pledge, and free warren in Luton for himself and as 

 feoffee of Cicely de Beauchamp." In 1344 Hugh 

 Mortimer made a settlement of the manor on his 

 son Henry and his heirs, with remainder to his other 



WiNLocic. Argent a 

 cheveron bet%veen three 

 blackamoor^ heads ratud 

 table. 



sons, and failing them to his daughters Joan and 

 Margaret and their heirs." Hugh Mortimer died 

 in 1372 leaving as his heir his grandson William, son 

 of Henry," who, in an inquisition dated 1391 is 

 described as a fool and idiot, his lands in consequence 

 being in the king's hands." His brother Hugh in- 

 herited his estates, and died in 1403 without issue, when 

 this moiety of Luton manor, in accordance with the 

 settlement made by Hugh Mortimer in 1344, 

 passed to John de Cressy, his second cousin, son of 

 Mabel granddaughter of the aforesaid Hugh.'' John 

 Cressy died in 1407, leaving a son Thomas, aged six, 

 who only survived his father a few months, and left 

 as heir a brother John, aged at the time of the in- 

 quisition thirty-three weeks." He continued to hold 

 the manor until 1467, in which year he alienated it 

 to John Lord Wenlock,™ who fought on the Lancas- 

 trian side at the first battle of St. Albans in 1455. 

 He next, ' with contemptible tergiversation,' joined 

 the Yorkist party in 1459, and was attainted. He 

 fought for them at Towton in 1 46 1 , but again changed 

 sides and was slain at Tewkesbury in 1 47 1 fighting 

 under the Lancastrian banner.'" His estates thus 

 escheated to the crown, and were granted to Thomas 

 Kotherham, at that time bishop of Lincoln, and sub- 

 sequently archbishop of York." This grant must have 

 occurred before 1475, for Thomas Rotherham's will, 

 which is found enrolled at that date, mentions 

 Luton manor amongst his real property." Two yean 

 later, probably in order to consolidate Thomas 

 Rotherham's title, Thomas Lawley of Wenlock, kins- 

 man and heir of John Lord Wenlock, released to the 

 bishop all claim to the Luton manors, formerly held 

 by his cousin Lord Wenlock." Thomas Rotherham 

 died in 1500, and in accordance with his will his 

 Luton property passed to Thomas, son of his brother 

 John," who held the manor till his death in 1504, 



»5 Ibid. 20 Edw. Ill, No. 48. The 

 extent of this fraction of Luton manor at 

 this time included the moiety of a water- 

 mill, ' worth 51. and not more, because for 

 the greater part of the year it cannot grind 

 for want of water,' pleas and profits of 

 court, with view of frankpledge worth 

 201., and a moiety of the profits of market 

 held every Monday, worth 45. 



« Ibid. I Ric. II, No. 54 i Close, i 

 Ric. II, m. 14,/. ; Cal. of Pat. 1377-81, 

 p. 172. Although this alienation included 

 Aymer de Archiaco's portion and, there- 

 fore, strictly speaking, two-fourths of one- 

 sixth of Luton manor, it is still called 

 one-fourth of one-sixth at the time of this 

 enfeoffment, though the inquisition ex- 

 pressly states that the fraction represents 

 the whole of Edmund Fitz Herbert's pro- 

 perty in Luton. 



W Cal. of Pat. 1388-92, p. 151. 

 " Cf. Hist, of the Mortimers' share 

 in the manor (ut hfra), and also later 

 hist, of the manor. 



59 Cal. of Pat. 1317-21, p. 188. Her 

 share included one messuage, 80 acres of 

 land, 4 meadow, 9 wood, 2 pasture, 30J. 

 rent, a moiety of a mill, and profits of 

 market. 



60 Close, 3 Edw. i, m. 8. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 34 Edw. I, No. 38. 

 It is here stated that the pleas and profits 

 of court bring in nothing to Agatha be- 

 cause Cicely de Beauchamp and Joan de 

 Vyvonia had the suits of the tenants. 



^^ Feud. Aid,, i, 22. 



™P/a<-. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 



M Inq. a.q.d. file 271, No. 16 ; Cal. 

 of Pat. 1343-45, P- 372- 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 46 Edw. Ill, No. 

 41. He is described as holding one-third 

 of the manor of Luton. As a matter of 

 fact he held his own sixth, had acquired 

 half of Maud de Kyme's (i.e. one-twelfth 

 of the whole manor), and three out of the 

 five parts into which Isabel de Mohun's 

 portion had been split, therefore slightly 

 more than the third with which he is 

 credited. The extent of the manor in- 

 cluded a horse-mill with a garden worth 

 20J. a water-mill worth 131. ^d. and a 

 moiety of a water-mill worth 61. id. pleas 

 and profits of court, with one leet worth 

 501. 



«=Ibid. 15 Ric. II, pt. i,No. 46. The 

 one-third manor was held at this time by 

 service of 6oj. per annum, and together 

 with the hundred of Flitt was worth 

 ;C44- 



" Ibid. 4 Hen. IV, No. 28. Maud 

 was the daughter of Joan Mortimer. 



«8 Ibid. 9 Hen. IV, No. 1 3. Petronilla, 

 wife of Hugh Mortimer, who died in 

 1403, still held her dower in the manor, 

 and continued to do so until her own death 

 in 1428 (ibid. 6 Hen. VI, No. 51). 



«» Feet of F. Beds. 7 Edw. IV, No. 7. 

 The property is here simply described as 

 Luton manor, without any fraction pre- 

 fixed. John, Lord Wenlock, already had 

 an interest in the manor acquired from 

 two of the co-heiresses of Matilda de 

 Kyme by his predecessors in 1377. 



'° PaMn Letters. 



71 Leland says ;— 'The Lord Wennelok 



352 



left an heire general that was married to 

 a kinsman of Thomas Scotte alias Rother- 

 ham. He had with her Luton in Bedford- 

 shire, and 300 marks of land thereabouts, 

 and a faire place within the paroche of 

 Luton cauUed Somerys, the which house 

 was sumptuously begon by the Lord Wen- 

 nelok but not finischid.' (Leland, Itinerary, 

 vi, 66). Nothing has been found to justify 

 this statement. The following pedigree has 

 been extracted from a close roll (17 Edw. 

 IV, m. 19). 



Thomas Wyvell 

 Agnes = — Lawley 



William Lawley 



Nicholas Wyvell 



William Wyvell 

 alias Wenlock 



John Lord Wen- 

 lock 



Thomas Lawley 



"Close, 15 Edw. IV, m. 26. 

 Other Luton manors mentioned are 

 'Great Hampstead," Sotneries, Fennels 

 Grove, Stopsley. 



7« Ibid. 17 Edw. IV, m. 19. 



7< resta Ebor. (Surtees Soc), iv, 138. 

 Two wills of Thomas Rotherham exist, 

 one bearing date 1475, and a later one 

 made m 1498. The former left Luton 

 to his brother John with remainder to 

 Thomas. The latter leaves direct to 

 Thomas, John having died in the mean- 

 while. 



