ODSEY HUNDRED 



custody of Thomas, son of the younger Geoffrey and 

 a minor, was granted to his mother Eleanor, and the 

 tenants of his lands were allowed quittance of suit at 

 the hundred and county court during the minority of 

 the heir. 30 In 1268 Thomas de Scales brought a 

 suit against Ralph de Chamberlain for deforcing him 

 of his lands in Reed while he adhered to the king 

 against Simon de Montfort. 31 As Thomas was only 

 five years old at this date B the suit must have been 

 brought by his guardian, and the statement that he 

 adhered to the king must refer rather to his family 

 than to himself. Eleanor de Scales continued to hold 

 in custody for her son until 1283.^ Thomas then 

 came of age and wished to assume possession of his 

 lands, but his mother and her second husband, Robert 

 Angot, opposed this on the ground that he was not 

 yet twenty-one and that as he had been born at 

 Boulogne he could not be admitted to proof of age. 51 

 An inquisition was held by which it was determined 

 that he had reached his majority, 35 and the following 

 year his mother and her husband acknowledged this 

 and restored him his lands. SG They obtained a grant 

 of Reed, however, for the term of their lives. 37 It 

 had reverted to Thomas de Scales by I303, 3S and he 

 continued to hold it till his death in 1341. 39 It 

 then comprised a capital messuage worth nothing 

 beyond repairs, 100 acres of land, of which 70 acres 

 were sown before his death, I acre of meadow and 

 4 of pasture. There were four customary tenants. 



Thomas de Scales's heir was his son, also Thomas, 

 aged forty-two. He immediately granted the manor, 

 with the exception of 30 acres of wood, to John de 

 Scales for life. 40 In 1356-7 Thomas de Scales settled 

 the reversion of the manor on himself and his wife 

 Amice with remainder to his son Thomas in tail and 

 contingent remainder to another son John. 41 Thomas 

 de Scales died in 1 364, and his son Thomas must 

 have died before him, as his heir then was his grandson 

 John the son of Thomas. 42 John died in 1388, and 

 Reed descended to his son Thomas, 43 who held it 

 until his death in February 1442-3." His son John, 

 aged twenty, succeeded him, 43 and was the last of this 

 name to hold the manor, which had been in the posses- 

 sion of his ancestors for 400 years and by this date was 

 called after them the manor of Deschallers or Challers. 

 He died in 1467, leaving three daughters, Alice the 

 wife of John More of More, co. Oxford, Margaret de 

 Scales, and Anne the wife of John Harecourt. 16 The 

 manor of Challers became the possession of Anne. 47 

 On the death of her first husband she married Giles 

 Wellesborne, who also predeceased her. 48 Both her 

 husbands suffered from financial embarrassment, as 

 appears from the marriage settlement she made on her 

 daughter and heir Margery with Humphrey Wellis- 



REED 



burne in January 1 493-4. 4B By this, in considera- 

 tion of this marriage and of the fact that Humphrey 

 had paid several of her debts and of the debts of her 

 two husbands, she granted him the yearly issues of 

 the manor, receiving only for the maintenance of 

 herself and her maid 20 marks a year if she made her 

 home with Humphrey or 40 marks if she lived else- 

 where. 60 Margery seems to have had another suitor, 

 John Rushton, who alleged a contract between them 

 which Anne refused to acknowledge. In the event 

 of John Rushton taking any step to annul the marriage 

 of Humphrey and Margery, Challers was to go by 

 her settlement to Humphrey for life with reversion 

 to the heirs of Sir John de Scales, kt., other than the 

 said Margery." Anne died in March 1493-4, when 

 Margery, her heiress, was aged eighteen. ¥i 



Humphrey Wellis burne died in I 5 16, and by his 

 will left his wife all his lands in Great Wycombe for 

 life and £40. In return for this, and in accordance 

 with a promise she had made him, Margery Welhs- 

 burne in 1 5 16 conveyed the manors of Reed and 

 Wyddial to trustees to be settled to her use for life 

 with remainder to her son Arthur Wellisburne and his 

 heirs, or failing such heirs to her sons Ardewyn, 

 Jasper and Henry Wellisburne and their heirs in 

 succession. 63 Margery married as her second husband 

 Thomas Cheyne, and in 1522 she sold the manor of 

 Reed to Robert Dormer, 54 to whom Arthur Wellis- 

 burne also conveyed his rights in the manor. 55 Robert 

 Dormer held the manor until 1530, when he 

 received licence to alienate it to John Bowles. 66 In 

 1543 John Bowles died and his grandson Thomas 

 inherited his estates. 07 Thomas Bowles was only 

 thirteen, and his wardship and marriage with an 

 annuity of .£20 out of his estates were granted to 

 John Sewester, attorney of the Court of Wards. 68 In 

 1557 Thomas sold Challers to William Hyde of 

 Throcking, 69 who held it till 1567-8, when he sold 

 it to Robert Bell of the Middle Temple and Dorothy 

 his wife. 80 Sir Robert Bell, kt., chief baron of the 

 Exchequer, died in 1576 seised of the manors of 

 Chamberlains and Challers, with fisheries, free warren, 

 court leet and view of frankpledge. 61 His eldest son 

 and heir Edmund Bell of Beaupre, aged fifteen, suc- 

 ceeded to the property in Norfolk 63 which Dorothy 

 Bell nee Beaupre had brought her husband in mar- 

 riage. 63 The property in Reed had been settled in 

 1573 on the second son Robert Bell with remainder 

 to his father Sir Robert Bell and his heirs. 6 * Robert 

 Bell was captain of a company in the Netherlands and 

 died leaving no children. 66 The manor of Challers 

 appears to have reverted to his mother, who took for 

 her second husband Sir John Peyton, 

 the Tower of London, by whom si 



249 



