A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



Flltton (q.v.). In 1 552 mention is first made of the 

 manor of Upbury in connexion with that of Beeches." 

 Its origin is not known, but it is invariably mentioned 

 afterwards in conjunction with Beeches manor. 



Thomas Morgan, who acquired the manors of 

 Bilkemore, Beeches, and Blundells in Silsoe (q.v.), 

 settled the manors of Beeches and Upbury on George 

 Fitz, alias Wharton, in 1567," on the occasion of the 

 latter's marriage with Ann, the eldest daughter of 

 Peter Duckett. George Fitz died in 1608," but 

 before his death he made a settlement of the manors 

 to his ovra use for life, and after his death to the use 

 of his niece Ann Briers, wife of Sir William Briers, 

 and her heirs, and then to the use of George Whar- 

 ton. The manors then followed the same descent as 

 the manors of PuUoxhill and Greenfield (q.v.). The 

 last mention of them occurs in 1700, when John 

 Coppin was lord." They were probably sold by him 

 to the duke of Kent at the same time that the latter 

 acquired the manors of PulloxhiU and Greenfield 

 and the advowson of PulloxhiU Church, and as no 

 separate mention of them again occurs they were 

 probably merged in the larger manors of PulloxhiU 

 and Greenfield. The name of Upbury, however, 

 still survives in Upbury Moat, which marks the site 

 where the manor-house formerly stood. 



Another estate in PuUoxhiU, which towards the end 

 of the thirteenth century became known as the manor 

 of KITCHEN, originated in the land held in 1284. 

 by Richard Wiscard of the abbot of St. Albans." At 

 the Dissolution the overlordship passed to the crown, 

 and was afterwards attached to the manor of the 

 Rectory, of which the manor of Kitchen was held in 

 i6o8.« 



In 1284, Richard Wiscard held I hide of the 

 abbot, and this estate, which was of the same extent 

 in 1362 and i486," was known in 1295 as the manor 

 of Kitchen." In that year it was alienated by Richard 

 Wiscard to Master John de Lacy, from whom it 

 passed to Robert de Hakeneye and Katherine his wife, 

 who in 1329 conveyed it to Robert de Bilkemore and 

 Anastasia his wife,'^* the manor subsequently being 

 known by the name of Bilkemore or Kitchens. In 

 1 348 Robert and Anastasia conveyed the manor to 

 David son of Bartholomew de Flitwick to their own 

 use for life, with remainder after their deaths to Sir 

 John de Lyiebone, Sibyl his wife, and their heirs." 

 Robert de Bilkemore was dead by 1361," and the 

 manor passed to Sir John de Lyiebone, who settled 

 it on Henry Pyres and his heirs in 1383.®' 



The claim of the Bilkemore family was renewed 

 by William Snowe, grandson of Matilda sister of 



Robert de Bilkemore, in 143 1, who on these grounds 

 recovered the manor from William Ryman, who by 

 some means had acquired possession of it.™ Laurence 

 Snowe, probably a son of William, sold the manor in 

 1 54 1 to Simon Fitz," who died seised of it in 1 543." 

 From this date its descent is identical with that of the 

 manor of Blundells in Silsoe in the parish of Flitton 

 (q.v.). When in the early years of the reign of 

 Elizabeth, Thomas Sterne and Susan his wife, one of 

 the four daughters and heirs of Simon Fitz, brought 

 an action in Chancery against the tenants of the 

 manor on account of their failure to pay rent, it was 

 stated that Roger Pott had occupied part of the manor, 

 and that on his death it had descended to his son 

 John, then aged six, and in the custody of his mother 

 Katherine, who had married for the second time 

 William Dodd. The latter had an interest in this 

 part of the manor for a certain number of years, but 

 the reversion belonged to John Pott," who was hold- 

 ing in 1590, and who in that same year alienated his 

 share of the manor to Thomas Johnson," who married 

 his daughter Mary." Of this portion no further 

 trace has been found. The other half of the manor, 

 occupied by John Man when the proceedings were 

 instituted, was in 1 590 held by John Man and John 

 Godfrey.'* The latter's daughter Frances married 

 William Newton," and she and her husband in 1 608 

 conveyed the half to Edmund Crouche and others," 

 probably a preliminary to selling it to George Fitz, 

 who in that year made a settlement of the half manor 

 purchased from William Newton and John Man to 

 his own use for life, and then to the use of Anne 

 Briers, wife of Sir William Briers and niece of George 

 Fitz, and in default of issue to George Wharton. 

 Shortly after in the same year George Fitz died 

 seised of the half manor," and there is no further 

 mention of the manor of Bilkemore. It probably 

 passed with the manors of Greenfield and PuUoxhill 

 (q.v.), in which it was subsequently merged, to the Croft 

 family, and was conveyed with them to Thomas 

 Neale. The name still survives in Kitchen End Farm. 

 The manor of the RECTORr of PuUoxhill 

 apparently belonged to Dunstable Priory before the 

 Dissolution, and was taken into the hand of the king 

 when the priory was dissolved. In 1550 the Rectory 

 manor was the subject of a dispute between Thomas 

 Kent and John Robbins," the former alleging that 

 the premises had been leased to his fether, Thomas 

 Kent, by the priory. A former dispute was mentioned 

 which had been settled by the arrangement that John 

 Robbins was to occupy the premises for the term of 

 his life, paying the plaintiff £11 5. In the reign of 



^ Com. Pleas D. Enr. East. 6 Edw. 

 VI, m. 6 d. 



5' Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 10 Eliz. ; 

 Com. Pleas D. Enr. Hil. 19 Eliz. ; Feet 

 of F. Beds. East. 19 Eliz. This George 

 Fitz is called Fitzroy on the brass erected 

 to his memory in the church. He was 

 probably a connexion of the Fitz family 

 who earlier owned the manor, and a 

 descendant of Henry VIII. 



'" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Sen 2), vol. 309, 

 No. 191 ; Feet of F. Beds. Hil. 6 Jas. I ; 

 Blaydes, Beds. N, and Q. iii, 190, 367. 

 'Among many other of his charitable 

 deeds (George Fitz) gave ten pounds to 

 be bestowed for the benefit and good of 

 the poor of this parish for ever.' The 

 proceeds of this bequest is now a rent- 

 charge on The Chequers Inn. 



" Feet of F. Beds. East. 12 Will. IV. 



«» Fmd. Aid!, i, 7. 



" Chan Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 509, 

 No. 191. M Feud. Aids, i, 13, 32. 



15 Feet of F. Beds. 24 Edw. I, No. 3. 



" Ibid. 3 Edw. III. 



«' Ibid. 22 Edw. Ill, No. 7. 



«' Chan. Inq. p.m. 3 5 Edw. Ill, pt. 1, file 

 156, No. 23. He held i messuage, 20 

 acres of land of Woburn Abbey, and other 

 lands of Dunstable Priory. William de 

 Keynes held lands in PulloxhiU of Robert 

 de Bilkemore in 1336. 



«' Feet of F. Beds. 7 Ric. II, No. 2. It 

 was held of Sir John de Lyiebone by 

 William Newport and his wife Mercia for 

 the term of their lives. 



'» De Banco R. Trin. II Hen. VI, m. 

 303- 



71 Com. Pleas D. Enr. East. 33 Hen. 

 VIII, m. 5^. 



'» Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 68, 

 No. 15. In his inquisition it is stated 

 that he acquired the manor of Richard 

 Fermoor, citizen and grocer of London, so 

 that probably the latter acted with 

 Laurence Snowe, 



7» Chan. Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle. 167, No. 

 27 ; bdle. 164, No. 18. 



'< Recov. R. Hil. 32 Eliz. rot. 82 d. 



?» Harl. Soc.Puhl. xix, 119. 



'• Recov. R. Hil. 32 Eliz. rot. 82 d. 



^ Harl. Soc Publ. xix, 1 27. 



78 Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 6 Jas. I. 



f' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), vol. 309, 

 No. 191. 



™ Ct. of Requests, bdle. xvii. No. 

 10. 



378 



