SOMERSET.
Inquisition [indented].
Taunton.
4 November 1444. [
Rogger].
[Inquisition: ms galled and faded, especially at foot.]
Jurors:
Edward
Seynt
John
;
John
Warre
;
John
Welweton
;
Robert
Goolde
;
William
Cloutesham
;
William
Mountagu
;
Thomas
Stowey
;
William
Walrond
;
Henry
Lucton
;
John
Boteler
;
Robert
Bykcome
; and
John
Grobham
.
He held the following by curtesy from the inheritance of Elizabeth, late his wife, with whom he had legitimate issue.
Ashill, the manor, held of
Thomas, earl of Devon
, as 10 knight’s fees. In the manor there is a capital messuage with a curtilage and garden, truly worth nothing yearly; 100 a. demesne or ‘berton’ land, each acre truly worth 2d. yearly; 10 a. meadow,
each acre truly worth 8d. yearly; 28 a. enclosed pasture in a park for animals called
‘Aysshill Parke’, each acre truly worth 6d. yearly; 40 a. growing wood in the park, each acre truly worth ¼d. yearly as pasture, the wood itself worth nothing yearly
except when felled; 12 a. growing underwood in the same park, worth nothing yearly except when felled; 2 a. wood outside the park, each acre truly worth 1d. yearly as pasture, the wood itself worth nothing yearly except when felled; common pasture pertaining to the manor from time without mind for all kinds of animals at all times of year in the royal forest called Neroche, worth nothing yearly because
Thomas
Beauchamp
had no animals in the forest at his death or long before; 12s.
10d. service rent delivered by free tenants in fee at Christmas,
Easter,
Midsummer and Michaelmas, and 1 lb. pepper and 1 lb. cumin service rent delivered by the same at Michaelmas only; £6 8s. 1d. rent from customary tenants according to the custom
of the manor payable at the above four terms; two lawful courts with view of frankpledge held at the terms of ‘hokk’ and Michaelmas, with issues worth 12d. yearly; other courts held every three weeks, issues truly worth 4d. yearly; two fairs,
at the feasts of the Annunciation of the Virgin and of Simon and Jude, with issues truly worth 2s. yearly; and a market every Wednesday in the vill of Ashill, worth nothing because not used for many years.
Atherstone, the manor, held of the king
in chief [service not specified]. In the manor there is a toft of a capital messuage, and another toft of a dovecot with a close adjoining, truly worth 2s. yearly; 32 a. demesne land, each acre truly worth 4d.
yearly; 12 a. meadow, each acre truly worth 8d. yearly; 15d. assize rent from a certain free tenant in fee, payable at Easter only; and £6 8s. 2d. rent from customary tenants according to the custom of the manor, payable at the above four terms.
Long before his death he was seised in demesne as of fee of the manor of Whitelackington, which is held of
John
Chydeok, knight
, by knight service, and of other lands and tenements in the parish of Whitelackington, held of others than the king, service
unknown. He trusted in the faithfulness and industry of
Giles
Daubenay, knight
,
John
Wyse, clerk
,
John
Bolour
,
Thomas
Wyse
, and
Adam
Norton, clerk
, and that they would do as he wished with the manor, lands, and tenements.
Long before his death, on the
morrow of Martinmas 1429, by a fine raised in the king’s court at Westminster [CP
25/1/292/66/91], he and Eleanor his wife quitclaimed the manor, etc., to Giles, John, John, Thomas, and Adam, and the heirs of Adam, from Thomas, Eleanor, and ?the heirs of
Thomas. This clearly appears in the fine, shown to the jurors.
John
Wyse
died, and Giles,
John
Bolour
,
Thomas
Wyse
and Adam, so seised, by assent of
Thomas
Beauchamp
feoffed
Thomas
Este
,
John
Lete
,
George
Clerke
, and
John
Corbryg, clerk
, and their heirs
and assigns of and in the manor, etc., so that, and under the condition that, when they had seisin they would feoff
Thomas
Beauchamp
and Eleanor his wife of and in the same for the term of their lives without impeachment of waste, with remainder to whomever
Thomas should wish to name and in whatever form he should choose.
Thomas wished that the manor, etc., should remain to
Thomas
Thornebury
and the heirs male of his body, with successive remainders to
George
Thornebury
, brother of Thomas, and the heirs male of his body; to
John
Thornebury
, brother of George, and the heirs male of his body; to
Philip
Thornebury
, brother of John, and the heirs male of his body; and to the right heirs of Thomas Beauchamp himself in fee simple. However, this
was under the condition that he reserved the right during his life to assign the remainder in fee simple to another or others whenever he wished, and that in this event the remainder to his right heirs would be null at law; and that
Thomas
Este
and his fellow feoffees should
re-enter the manor, etc., and confer the estate of fee simple to those newly named by
Thomas
Beauchamp
. This liberty of changing the fee simple and assigning it to whom he pleased was always completely reserved during his life.
Thomas
Este
and his fellow
feoffees, long after they had received estate in the manor, etc., from Giles and the others named above, demised the manor, etc., to
Thomas
Beauchamp
and Eleanor for the term of
40 years, on condition that should they die within the term then the term was to cease and be null at law, the other above conditions to be carried out as aforesaid.
Afterwards Thomas Beauchamp was in conversation at Whitelackington with
John
Speke
, the son and heir of
John
Speke, knight
, ?with others present, concerning the right,
hereditary title and possession of the manor of Whitelackington as in the right of Alice, John’s wife. Thomas said and swore to John, not ... but in sane mind and ?truly
understanding and considering the hereditary right, that neither John nor his wife nor any
... [2 words obscured] would ever have anything in the manor or any parcel of it. John, as if angry, said ‘... [1 word obscured] unless I can have more; I will have the stones ?from
the wall if I can.’ Thomas answering aloud said that he ?could and wanted to make an arrangement such that John would never have the stones or anything else. He never revoked these words or changed [his intention] at all, but as [soon as he could]...[at]
Whitelackington in the presence of faithful men, recalling the words between himself and
John
Speke
... in his own [person] assigned the fee simple of the manor of Whitelackington, after the deaths of the above four brothers and their heirs male, to
?
Thomas, earl of Devon
and his heirs and assigns. He never afterwards changed or revoked this assignment but during his whole life affirmed it to all his men, publicly saying that [he wanted] the assignment [to be] put in [writing] under his seal with all haste
... so that by such writing it would be known to all those by whom the remainder in fee simple ought to be conferred, and they would effectually confer it to the earl.
He died on 2 February 1444. Alice, wife of
John
Speke
, is his next heir, aged 17 and more.