A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



came into the king's hands." William de Ken 

 received a grant of £6 rent th'.re at the beginning 

 of the 13th century. 10 He died before 1224 and hia 

 lands descended to his son William." In the same 

 year they were granted to Fulk de Montgomery for 

 his maintenance in the king's service. 5 ' He held them 

 until 1236, when they were restored to William de 

 Ken. M In February 124.3-4 ne g rante d IO marks 

 rent in Cottered, apparently the extent of the manor, 

 to Walter de Ken. These rents were taken into the 

 king's hands among the lands of the Normans in 

 March of the same year." In 124.8 the king granted 

 all William de Ken's lands in Hertfordshire and 

 Cambridgeshire, including Cottered, to William 

 Chesney," who received a grant of free warren in 

 his demesne lands of Cottered and other lands of his 

 possession in 1258." He died in 1274 and was 

 succeeded by his son Nicholas Chesney," whose 

 holding in Cottered was described as a quarter of a 

 knight's fee in I303. sa He died in 1326 and was 

 succeeded by his son William," who died in 1345, 

 when his lands descended to his son Edmund, 50 who 

 made proof of age in March 1346-7." In 1374 

 Edmund Chesney, kt., settled the manor of Cottered 

 on the heirs of his body with contingent remainder 

 in tail to his brother' Sir Ralph Chesney." Sir 

 Edmund appears to have died without issue before 

 1383, for the manor had passed to Sir Ralph by that 

 year." In [400 Sir Ralph died and was succeeded 

 by his son William, 61 who held Cottered until his 

 death in 1 420," when his lands passed to hia son and 

 heir Edmund, aged eighteen. 8 * The manor of 

 Cottered was settled on Edmund and his wife Alice 

 in tail." Edmund de Chesney died in 1430, his wife 

 Alice surviving him. He left three daughters and 

 co-heirs, Elizabeth, aged six, Anne, aged three, and 

 Cecilia, aged one. 68 Cecilia died the same year as her 



Anne became sole heir. She married Sir John 

 Willoughby, kt., n grandson of Lord Willoughby de 

 Kresby/* and had one son, Sir Robert Willoughby." 

 He was a staunch supporter of Henry VII and took a 

 prominent part in the battle of Bosworth Field. He 

 was rewarded by being created Lord Willoughby de 

 Broke in 1491, taking his title from one of the 

 manors he had inherited from hia grandfather, Sir 

 Edmund Chesney. 75 In 1502 he was succeeded by 

 his son Robert, Lord Willoughby de Broke, who held 

 the manor of Cottered 7$ until his death in 1521." 

 Edward, his only son by his first wife Elizabeth 

 daughter and co-heir of Richard Lord Heauchamp, 

 had died during his father's lifetime, leaving three 

 daughters, Elizabeth, Anne and Blanche.™ He had 

 two sons by Dorothy, his second wife, of whom 

 Henry was aged twelve at his father's death, but they 

 died within a few weeks of one another, and the 

 barony fell into abeyance." His three granddaughters 

 then became his sole heirs. Anne died while still a 

 child, Blanche married Sir Francis Dawtrey, but had 

 no children, and on her death Elizabeth, the eldest 



sister, became one of the riches 

 She married Fulk Greville, the 

 second son of her guardian, 

 Sir Edward Greville of Mil- 



1 England. 



Wa 



ck." 



March 15.41-1 Sir Anthony 

 Willoughby, kt., of Gorley 

 quitclaimed to Fulk Greville 

 and Elizabeth his wife and 

 her heirs all right in the 

 Fulk 



Beiiamy, 



manor of Cottei 

 Greville died in 1559 

 Elizabeth in the following u-wn"; **•"' ' 



year. Their lands parsed to J^tSSw^rt 

 their son Sir Fulk Greville," fi vt ™,J,I, ,M, ,» ,h, 

 and in 1606 to his son Sir trou. 

 Fulk Greville. 85 He in 



January i6zo-i was created Baron Brooke of Reau- 

 champ's Court. 91 In 1628 Lord Brooke was stabbed 

 by a man named Hey wood, who considered that his 

 services had been insufficiently rewarded. M He left 

 no children, and the manor of Cottered passed to his 

 only .-ister Margaret the wife of Sir Richard Verney 

 of Compton Murdock, co. Warwick.' She held it 

 until her death in 1631, when it descended to her 

 son Sir Greville Verney, aged forty. 6 ' He died in 

 1642 and his son Greville in 1648. His lands were 

 inherited by his posthumous and only child, Greville 

 Verney, who held them until his death in 1668. 

 William Verney, his son, died in France in 1683, at 

 the age of fifteen, and his lands reverted to his great- 

 uncle, Richard Verney. The barony of Willoughby 



