A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



hands. 8 Certain timber which Falkes had felled at 

 Knebworth was then granted by the king to William 

 Earl Marshal for building purposes. 10 The manor 

 was restored to Margaret, being part of her own 

 inheritance. Baldwin, Earl of Devon, her son, died 

 in February 1244-5, and his son Baldwin in 1262," 

 leaving no issue. In 1267 there was a process con- 

 cerning Knebworth between Margaret his widow and 

 her sister-in-law Isabel, the wife of William de 

 Fortibus Earl of Albemarle and heir of Baldwin. >- 

 Isabel died without surviving issue in 1 2 93, 13 where- 

 upon the descendants of Warine Fitz Gerold became 

 extinct. The overlordship of Knebworth then passed 

 to the descendants of Henry Fitz Gerold, brother of 

 Warine. Henry's daughter and heir Alice, wife of 

 Robert Lisle, had two sons, Robert and Gerard. 11 

 Robert Lisle, the grandson of the elder son Robert, 

 therefore became heir of the Fitz Gerold property 

 in 1293. 15 He was summoned to Parliament as 

 Lord Lisle of Rougemont from [3! I. 16 He was 

 succeeded by his son John, 17 of whom Knebworth 

 was held in 1 J46. 16 He died in 1356, and was 

 succeeded by his son Robert 

 Lord Lisle, 18 who probably 

 died without issue about 

 1 399, 20 when Knebworth 

 presumably passed to Thomas 

 Lord Berkeley, husband of 

 Margaret, a descendant of 

 Gerald Lisle, younger son of 

 Alice Fitz Gerold and Robert 

 Lisle.- 1 The overlordship of 

 Knebworth would thus pass 

 through Elizabeth daughter of 

 Thomas Lord Berkeley and 

 wife of Richard Earl of War- 

 wick to her daughter Mar- 

 garet Countess of Shrewsbury, 

 was created Lord and Baron 

 of Lisle and died in 1453. 

 His granddaughter and heir 

 Elizabeth Talbot married Sir 

 Edward Grey, who was also 

 created Lord Lisle, 23 and 

 Knebworth was held of him 

 in 1482." His son John 

 died in 1504 without male 

 heirs, when the overlordship 

 escheated to the Crown, for 



Gain 



*rd t ,gen, 



a John Talbot 



1517 and after it 1 



; held 



Lord Liil 



of the king as of the duchy Barry argent and a**rt 

 of Lancaster, of the fee of mVA tkra rtaauUh rain 

 Lisle, by knight's service and '" * ehUf tnd a label 

 suit of court of the duchy at ar ^ c " ' 

 Walbrook. 21 



The sub-tenant of Knebworth in 1086 was 



Humphrey d'Ansleville" or Andeviil, whoie imme- 

 diate heir is not known. Thomas de Andeviil held 

 lands of Eudo Dapifer's fief in 1 i66, M and Richard 

 son of Thomas de Andeviil seems to have been 

 lord of the manor of Knebworth in izi+. r This 

 Richard held the lands in Cambridgeshire which 

 belonged to Humphrey d'Ansleville in 1086, and so 

 was apparently his descendant. M In 1214-1; 

 Richard settled the advowson of the church on 

 Hamelin de Andeviil. a * In 1215 10 librates of 

 land in Knebworth, 'which were of Hamon de 

 Ablevill,' were granted to Hugh of Bath, clerk, 

 to hold as long as the king pleased. 50 This was 

 possibly owing to a forfeiture, for Richard de 

 Andeviil was holding Knebworth before 1224, and 

 received seisin of it again in that year, with corn and 

 timber, &c, for a payment of £50, after the king 

 had taken it into his hands at the banishment of 

 Falkes de Breaute. 81 The successor of this Richard 

 is not known, and Knebworth next appears in 119a 

 in the possession of Robert de Hoo, 3 * who seems to 

 have held the Andeviil lands in Cambridgeshire as well. 

 He was still holding Knebworth in 1303,'* but died 

 before 1316, when his widow Beatrice conveyed the 

 manor to Richard and Joan de Percrs, who were to 

 pay her 50 marks annually during her life, and after- 

 wards a rose at Midsummer to her heirs. Failing 

 the heirs of Richard and Joan de Perers, the manor 

 was to return to Beatrice de Hoo and her heirs. 3,1 

 Richard and Joan, who appears to have been Beatrice's 

 daughter, 113 had a son Richard, who died before 1 346, 

 leaving a son Edmund, who enfeoffed Walter de 

 Mauny and his heirs of the manor and died 

 without issue. 30 In 1346 Knebworth was said to 

 be held by Walter de Mauny and Thomas de 

 Hoo 87 (grandson of Robert and Beatrice), 88 who 

 possibly had a life interest. The heirs of Edmund 

 de Perers were his three sisters, Isabel, Margaret 

 wife of John de la Ryvers, and Joan, sa and in 1348 

 they confirmed Knebworth to Walter de Mauny, 40 

 who died seised of it in 1372. 41 After his death 

 it seems to have been acquired by Guy de Bryan, 

 who in 1388 conveyed it to Thomas Beauchamp 

 Earl of Warwick.* 8 The latter forfeited his lands in 

 1397, about which time Knebworth was conveyed 

 by his brother Sir William Beauchamp" and other, 

 to Richard Forster, who held it jointly with Thomas 

 Thorneburgh, John Onyng and John Shordich." 

 In 1 398 an action was brought against Richard 

 Forster by William de Hoo, who stated that he was 

 son of Thomas grandson of Beatrice de Hoo, and 

 claimed the manor by the terms of the fine of 1 3 16 

 (see above), by which Beatrice had conveyed Kneb- 

 worth to Richard and Joan de Perers, with reversion 

 on failure of their heirs. Edmund de Perers and his 

 three sisters, the grandchildren of Richard and Joan, 



3 Fine R. 8 Hen. Ill, m. z. 



10 Rot. Lit. Clous. (Rec Com.), i, 61 lb. 



11 G.E.C. Complete Parage. 



u Ibid-iAbhrev. Plac. (Rec Com. ), 1 60. 



" G.E.C. CempUu Peerage. » Ibid. 



LS Chan. Inq. p.m. ; Edw. II, no. 60. 



16 G.E.C. Complete Peerage. 



" Ibid. ls Feud. Aids, ii, 437. 



la G.E.C. Complete Peerage \ Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. +1 Edw. Ill (znd no!.j, no. 53 j 

 46 Edw. Ill (ist net.), no. 38. 



" _ e G.E.C. CompUu Pee, 



» Ibid. (Ser. z). 



Si Ct. of 



" Ibid. 

 "Chan 



■<"i- P-™ 



°Ibid 



1 Edw. I 



'■39- 



« V.C.Ji. Htm. i, 328*. 



'' Red Bk. Exth. {Rolli Ser.), i, 355. 



" Feet of F. Herts. 16 John, no. 131. 



* Tata de Newll (Ret. Com.), 273. 



'» Feet of F. Herts. 16 John, no, 131. 

 10 Rot. Lit. Clam. (Rec. Com.), i, 241*. 

 ;1 Fine R. 8 Hen. Ill, m. e.. 

 3 Chart. R. 2. 

 J Feud. Aid,, 



* Feet of F. Herts. Edw. II, no. 221. 

 a De Banco R. Eilt 21 Ric. II, 

 279. * Ibid, 



II 4 



' De i 

 Z79. 



R. Ei it. 



Ric II, 



no. 34. 



" Feet of F. Hem. 21 Edw. Ill, 

 no. 350 ; De Banco R. 355, m. 199. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 46 Edw. Ill (lit 

 no..), no. 38. 



Feet of F. Heru. iz Ric II, no. to(. 

 Guy was an executor of this Ctrl') Esther. 

 who died in 1369 (Dugdale, BamtgH 

 1,134). "Ibid. 138. 



" De Banco R. 21 Ric II, m. 1 > 



