Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Volume 22, 1422-27

JOAN WIDOW OF JOHN WALEYS

515 [Writ not required.]

BEDFORDSHIRE. Inquisitionex officio. Hockliffe. 14 March 1425. [J Cheyne]

Jurors: John Morton ; William Southwode ; Thomas Morton ; John Hawkyns, senior ; John Clerk of Potsgrove ; John Hardyng ; John Spenser ; John Mason ; John Hawkyns, junior ; Henry Welde ; John Baldok ; Thomas Reue ; and William Laurence .

John de Willie, late parson of the church of Walton-on-Thames , was lately seised of the manor of Woodcroft in his demesne as of fee, held of ‪ Edward III in chief by service of 1/12 knight’s fee. By licence of ‪ Edward III he granted this to Edward de Kendale and Elizabeth his wife and the heirs of their bodies, remainder to the right heirs of Edward. Edward and Elizabeth were seised in their demesne as of fee tail in this form and held the manor of ‪ Edward III by the same service. They had issue Edward, Thomas and Beatrice and died seised. The manor then descended successively to Edward as their son and heir, who died seised without heir of his body, Thomas his brother and heir, who died seised without heir of his body, and to Beatrice his sister and heir, then wife of Robert Turk . By a fine levied afterwards at Westminster, octav. St John the Baptist 1376, without royal licence, between Robert and Beatrice quer. and William Croiser, knight , William Bokkebrigge, clerk , John Malyns , John Josep, chaplain , and John Hynewyke, chaplain , deforc., the deforc. granted the manor to the quer. and the heirs of Beatrice’s body, to hold of the deforc. and the heirs of William Croiser , reversion to the deforc. and heirs of William Croiser , as is apparent more fully in the fine shown to the jurors. Robert and Beatrice were seised in this form, had issue a daughter named Joan and died. The manor then descended to Joan, then wife of John Waleys , as their daughter and heir. By a fine levied on octav. Mich. 1414 [CP 25/1/288/50 no. 790], between Reginald Cokayn and Beatrice his wife, described as Reginald son of John Cokayn of Cockayne Hatley and Beatrice daughter of John and Joan [Waleys], his wife, quer., and the same John Waleys and Joan his wife, deforc., the quer. recognized the manor to be the right of Joan for Beatrice, then under the age of 17 years. The deforc. granted the manor, together with the homage and all services of Thomas Spetille and of all the manorial tenants, to the quer. and the heirs of their bodies, remainder to the right heirs of Beatrice as daughter of John and Joan, to hold of ‪Henry V‬ and his heirs by the services thence owed and by right accustomed. ‪Henry V‬’s licence was first obtained, as is contained more fully in the fine shown to the jurors [CPR 1413–16, p.204, 28 June 1414]. The king was not informed of the estate, right and title of Joan to and in the manor, and in recognition of the king’s deception the same John Cokayn , then Justice of the king,... [uncertain] a writ dedimus potestatem from ‪Henry V‬ directed to him. Thomas Spetille , who held, at the time of the fine, lands and tenements of the manor as part of it – namely a messuage lying next to the messuage formerly William atte Speitlle’s in the vill of Luton, to himself and his heirs in fee by fealty and 7s. rent at two annual terms, Lady Day and Michaelmas – never attorned to Reginald or Beatrice. John Waleys died, and Joan his wife died on 16 November 1420. She held the manor of ‪Henry V‬, and the day she died was tenant of the manor to ‪Henry V‬ by virtue of the gift, by service of 1/12 knight’s fee. Beatrice wife of Reginald, Joan wife of Robert Leuenthorp , Agnes Waleys and Joan Waleys are her daughters and next heirs, aged respectively 26 years and more, 21 years and more, 14 years and more and 10 years and more. The 7s. rent of Thomas Spetille descended after her death according to the gift to John then her son and heir. He was seised at will of the rent until he died a minor on 28 June 1422. After his death the rent descended similarly to his four sisters and heirs, who were and are still seised at will. Thomas Spetille held the lands and tenements from which the rent issued of John son of Joan by the same services, and John held as mesne tenant between the king and Thomas of ‪Henry V‬ by service of 1/100 knight’s fee. Joan wife of John Waleys held in her demesne as of fee a croft of land lying below the garden of Brache in Luton together with an adjacent meadow there, of ‪Henry V‬ in chief by service of 1/90 knight’s fee. She held other lands and tenements called ‘la Brache’ of David Assheby , ‘Brambleangre’ [now Bramingham], ‘Lalleford’, and 1/2 tenement called ‘Pepishule’ in Luton and Caddington, of persons other than the king, service unknown. John her son held the manor and all lands and tenements and was tenant to the king in the above form and manner at his death. If the fine between Reginald and Beatrice his wife and John Waleys and Joan his wife is not a breach of succession of the gift in tail of John de Willie , then Joan wife of Robert, Agnes Waleys and Joan Waleys together with Beatrice wife of Reginald are seised at will of the manor. Annual value of the manor above the 7s. rent, £13 6s. 8d. The rent from Thomas Spetille should be taken annually there at the above feasts. The croft and meadow are worth 3s. 4d. yearly; all the other lands and tenements and the 1/2 tenement are worth £24.

Reginald Cokayn , William Shedefold and Richard Tyler have taken and still take the issues of all the above since the death of Joan, Reginald both as the declared cultivator and in right of Beatrice his wife, William both as bailiff of John son and heir of Joan and as bailiff of Reginald Cokayn , Robert Leuenthorp , Agnes Waleys and Joan Waleys , and Richard as bailiff of Robert Leuenthorp .

E 149/133/2 m.1