SOMERSET.
Inquisition [indented].
Bruton
4 May 1428. [
Gregory
].
[Inquisition: ms is worn and galled down its right-hand side and torn away at the foot on the right.]
Jurors:
Thomas
Blaneford
;
John
Lemyngton
;
John
Lyte
;
Richard
Arnoll
;
William
Chambrelayne
;
John
Brympton
;
Walter
Parsones
;
Richard
Saundres
;
William
Hoskynes
;
George
Rusceley
;
Thomas
Broun
; and
Robert
Bryse
.
He held the following in demesne as of fee of the king in chief.
Exton, ¼ manor with advowson of the church there as 1/20 knight’s fee. The manorial site and advowson are worth nothing yearly. There are 8 tenements, 8 curtilages, and 80 a. land held by tenants-at-will for 40s. rent, payable at the four terms of the year by equal parts; 4s. rent for a water-mill because a quarter of its value pertains to the manor, payable at the four terms by equal parts; 2 a. meadow, each acre worth 16d. yearly; 2d. assize rent from free tenants, payable at Michaelmas; 2 a. wood, its underwood worth 20d. yearly and farmed to
John
Walsshe
, payable at the four terms.
He was formerly seised of the following in demesne as of fee.
Cheddar, 30 messuages, 2 carucates of land, 30 a. meadow, 20 a. pasture, 20 a. timber wood, a water-mill, and £4 rent, held of
John, bishop of Bath and Wells
, service unknown. Long before his death and by deed shown to the jurors, he demised the above, described as all his lands, tenements, woods, meadows, pastures, and rents and services of all tenants, to
Robert
de
Cheddar
of Bristol, now deceased, Joan his wife, and Richard their son, both still living, for their lives, with reversion to
John
de
Berkele
and his heirs, by rent of 20 marks, payable to
John
de
Berkele
and his heirs and assigns at Michaelmas and Easter by equal parts. He thus died seised of the rent in demesne as of fee.
Barrow Gurney, the manor with advowson of the nunnery there, a carucate of arable containing 100 a., 10 a. meadow, 10 a. pasture, 80 a. timber wood, 30 a. underwood, 10 messuages, and 30s. rent, held of
Richard, earl of Warwick
, and Isabel his wife, in right of
Isabel, as of the honour of Gloucester, service unknown. Long before his death and by deed shown to the jurors, he farmed the above, with certain reservations to
John
de
Berkele
and his heirs and assigns, to
Thomas
Norton
of Bristol, merchant, Christine his wife, and their sons, Walter and
Thomas, junior
, all still living, and to another of their sons,
Thomas, senior
, now deceased, to hold for their lives by rent of £11 yearly, payable to
John
de
Berkele
and his heirs and assigns at Hockday and Michaelmas
by equal parts.
Reserved were the following, of which he died seised in demesne as of fee.
Barrow Gurney, the advowson, worth nothing yearly; ½ perquisites of court, worth 20d. yearly; ½ all fines and heriots; underwood; and half each of ‘Wayf’ and ‘Straye’ falling within the lordship of the manor, or
½ profits of the same fees, worth 2s. yearly; and the timber wood of the manor, worth nothing yearly.
He held the following for life.
Sock Dennis, ½ manor, annual value £20, with ½ advowson of the church there, of no annual value, held of William
?Bone..., chevalier, service unknown, by virtue of a fine levied during the reign of
Henry
IV
[on the octave of Candlemas 1411
] and shown to the jurors [CP 25/1/201/34 no. 41].
William
Stourton
and
Thomas
Stanwell
, quer., granted ½ manor and advowson to
John
de
Berkele
and Elizabeth his wife, now deceased, deforc., for their lives to hold of the chief lords of that fee by due service, with remainder to Maurice their son and the heirs male of his body in perpetuity.
He was formerly seised of the following in demesne as of fee.
Low Ham by Langport, the manor with advowson of a chantry of a chapel there, held of the king
in chief as ½ knight’s fee. There is a capital messuage and curtilage, worth nothing yearly; 6 tofts, each worth 2d. yearly; a ?water-mill, worth 8s. yearly; a windmill, worth 6s.
8d. yearly; a dovecot, worth nothing yearly; a garden, worth [at least] 2d. yearly; 22 tenements with 22 ferlings of land, each tenement with its ferling worth 5s. yearly; 12 cottages, each worth ?20d. yearly; 40 a. meadow, each acre worth 16d. yearly; 160 a. land, each acre worth 2d. yearly; 50 a. pasture, each acre worth 1d. yearly; [at least] 3d. assize rent from free tenants, payable at Michaelmas; 2 views of frankpledge held yearly at Hockday and Michaelmas, worth 13s. 4d. yearly; and a court called ‘Halemote’ held every three weeks, worth 6s. 8d. yearly. The advowson is of no annual value.
Ham
Burci
by Langport, the manor, held of the
abbot of Glastonbury
as of his manor of High Ham, service unknown.
There is a toft, worth nothing yearly; a dovecot, worth 20d. yearly; a water-mill with curtilage, worth 6s. 8d. yearly; 2 cottages, each worth 6d. yearly;
100 a. arable, each acre worth ?2d. yearly; 18 a. meadow, each acre worth 20d. yearly; 40 a. pasture, each acre worth 1d. yearly; 7 tenements with 7 ferlings of land, each tenement with its ferling worth 5s. yearly; and 2s. assize rent from free tenants, payable at Michaelmas.
Beer, alias ‘Bere Ryvall’, a toft called ‘Dydehal’, worth nothing yearly; a windmill, worth
6s. 8d. yearly; 10 cottages and 10 curtilages, each cottage with its curtilage worth 12d. yearly;
100 a. land, each acre worth 6d. yearly; and 10 a. meadow, each acre worth 20d. yearly, held of the king
in chief as 1/100 knight’s fee.
Long before his death and by deed dated 1 January 1427, shown to the jurors, he granted the above to
John
Wotton
and
John
Warner
and to their heirs and assigns in perpetuity. The lands and tenements were described as the manor of Low Ham by Langport with buildings, lands and tenements, rents, reversions, services, free and villein, meadows, woods, pastures, ways, lanes, stanks, fishponds, mills, wards, marriages, reliefs, heriots and esheats, and all liberties, customs, and other rights and commodities pertaining to them; as all his lands and tenements in
Ham
Burci
with meadows, pastures, rents and services, free and villein, commons, woods, mills, fishponds and stanks, wards, marriages, reliefs, heriots, and escheats; and as all his lands and tenements with woods, meadows, pastures, and rents and services, free and villein, in Beer.
On 8 June 1427 by deed, shown to the jurors,
John
Wotton
and
John
Warner
farmed the above to
John
de
Berkele
and Margaret his wife, still living, ?for their lives [ms illegible], with reversion to the right heirs of
John
de
Berkele
.
John
de
Berkele
died thus seised and Margaret is still seised.
He held the following in demesne as of fee.
Tickenham, 3 messuages, worth nothing yearly; 3 curtilages, each worth 2d. yearly; 2 cottages, each worth 4d. yearly; 50 a. land, each acre worth 2d. yearly; 15 a. meadow, each acre worth 16d. yearly; 20 a. pasture, each acre worth 1d. yearly; and 2 a. wood, each acre worth 1d. yearly, held of
Thomas
de
Berkele
and Margaret his wife, who was daughter and heir of
Edmund
Saymour
, in right of Margaret as of her manor of Tickenham by knight service.
Date of death and heir as [103](#CIPM-DOC-23-103).