BROADWATER HUNDRED 



BENINGTON 



evidently fought on the Yorkist side against Henry VII, 

 for he received a pardon 'for all offences' in 1485-' 

 Before this he had sold the reversion of the manor, 

 provided that he died without issue, to Edward IV ; 

 but after the change of dynasty he conveyed it to 

 trustees to uses unspecified in his inquisition. In 

 I485 he died childless and his aunt and heir Ellen 

 succeeded." One Edmund or Edward Benstede, pre- 

 sumably the nearest male heir, claimed the manor, 

 having seized the deed of entail, which was locked in 

 a chest at the time of William's death." Joyce 

 daughter of Sir Edmund Dudley also put in a claim, 

 stating that William Benstede had left the manor to 

 her for life by will, with remainder to Edward 

 Benstede, but the trustees of William Benstede refused 

 to surrender the manor to her. 1 ' In i486 Edward 

 Benstede released all his right in the manor to 

 Sir William Say. M Next year Ellen Benstede, who 

 was actually in possession, conveyed the manor to 

 Sir William Say," who, on account of William 

 Benstede's sale of the reversion, had to obtain a 

 pardon for acquiring the manor in 1488." In i486, 

 the year previous to the actual conveyance of the 

 manor, Ellen Benstede and Sir William Say seem to 

 have held alternate courts there," probably because 

 the transaction was in progress. 



In 1506 Sir William Say settled Benington on 

 William Blount Lord Mountjoy," the husband of his 

 daughter Elizabeth, but Sir William outlived them, 

 and upon his death in 1530 s7 the manor passed to 

 Henry Earl ofEssex,the husband of his second daughter 

 Mary. In 1539 it was delivered to their daughter 

 Anne and her husband, Sir William Parr, 58 from 

 whom she was divorced in 1543. ia In 1553 Sir 

 William Parr Marquess of Northampton was attainted 

 for doing homage to Lady Jane Grey and his lands were 

 forfeited to the Crown a ; however, as the manor had 

 been settled on him with remainder to his wife, Anne's 

 interests" were safeguarded by a grant made to Robert 

 Rochester and Edward Walgrave for a term of forty 

 years. 61 Afterher deathin January 1570— i^Benington 

 was granted to Walter Viscount Hereford, 6 * who 

 became Earl of Essex in 1 5 72, and was her cousin 

 and nearest heir. 64 Walterdiedin I 576, bequeathing 

 the manor as a jointure to his wife Lettice, M who 

 afterwards married Sir Christopher Blount. She out- 

 lived Robert, her son, whose widow Frances married 

 Richard Earl ofClanricarde* 7 and seems to have held 

 the manor in dower. 69 She joined with her son 

 Robert Earl of Essex in conveying it to Sir Charles 

 Adelmare or Caesar in 16 14. 6 * Charles was the third 



who took the surname of 

 : Adelmare, an Italian 



son of Sir Julius Caesa 

 Caesar from his father Cac 

 physician of Treviso, near 

 Venice, who settled in Eng- 

 land about 1 550. ;l) Sir Charles 

 Caesar and his eldest son Julius 

 both died of smallpox in 

 1642, and the manor passed 

 to the second son Henry/ 1 

 who was succeeded by his son 

 Charles." Charles died in 

 1694," and his son Charles 

 in 1 741," after whose death Ca«sah. Guki a 



the manor was sold by trustees thief grgtnt tuiti tix 

 to Sir John Chesshyre in ><"" emmrttlmrid. 

 1 744. From him it passed 



to his nephew John Chesshyre," who held it in 

 1 774 K and was succeeded by his son," also named 

 John, before 1786." In 1826 the last John Ches- 

 shyre sold Benington to George Proctor, who was 

 succeeded by his son Leonard in 1 840." Leonard was 

 still holding it in 1894, but before 1899 was suc- 

 ceeded by Arthur Procter Pickering, who died in 

 1902. In 1905 Mr. Arthur F. Bott, the present 

 lord of the manor, acquired it by purchase from 

 Mr. Pickering's successor. 8 " 



In 1278 Alexander de Balliol claimed in his manor 

 of Benington sac and soc, toll, team and infangentheof, 

 gallows, tumbrel, view of frankpledge, free warren, 

 and amendment of the assize of bread and ale. bl 

 View of frankpledge in the 15th century was held 

 on the Monday in Pentecost week." 



In 1304 John de Benstede was granted a weekly 

 market on Wednesday and a yearly fair on the vigil, 

 feast and morrow of St. Peter and St. Paul." 

 This grant was confirmed by Richard II in 1380,'* 

 and again by Henry VIII in I 531, the original grant 

 having been lost.* 5 The market has long been dis- 

 continued. The fair is still held on 10 July, the 

 festival of St. Peter before the alteration of the 



The parish church" of ST. PETER, 



CHURCH which stands to the west of the village, 



is built of flint with stone dressings. 



The nave, which is covered with ivy, is plastered 



externally. 



The chancel and south porch are roofed with tiles 

 and the nave with lead. The tower, which is of two 

 stages, has an embattled parapet and a pyramidal roof. 



The present church, which dates from the end of 

 the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century, 



