Hundred of Forehoe: Marlingford

MARLINGFORD

Was given, according to all the registers of Bury abbey, to that monastery, by Syfled or Syfleda, a famous virago, when she went beyond sea, in the time of Edward the Confessor: in the Black Register, and in the Sacrist's Register, both which are now among Bishop Moor's books in the Publick Library at Cambridge, her will is recited at large, which, it is evident, was made before that Monarch's survey, for then it belonged to the abbey; and contained one carucate in demean. At the Conqueror's, it was also found to be in the hands of that monastery, and to contain two carucates, there being then a walk for 130 sheep and nine goats; it was worth 40s. and was a league long, and three furlongs and an half broad, and paid 6d. ob. gelt; but others held lands here at that time, viz. two socmen which belonged to Cossey manor, as you may see at p. 407, and these socmen and their lauds always passed with Cossey. (fn. 1)

It continued in the abbey till Sampson de Totington, A. M. a monk of this monastery, (fn. 2) was made abbot, who was confirmed at Werewelle, by Richard Bishop of Winchester, 2 cal. of March, 1182, and took possession of the abbey 12 cal. of April in that year, and died 3 cal. Jan. 1211; he it was that infeoffed most of the knights that held of the abbey, and among others, he infeoffed

Osbert de Wachesham in this town, and half Wortham in Suffolk, which belonged to the abbey, and was to be held by him and his heirs, at one fee, he being to pay 20s. to every scutage, and castleguard to Norwich castle; two parts of it laid here, and a third part in Wortham. In 1207, Gilbert de St. Clare, in some records called De Marling ford, released all his right in it to Osbert de Wachesham, which shows that he and his family had held it under the abbey, before Osbert was infeoffed.

In 1234, Giles or Gerard de Wachesham, son and heir of Isabell de Wachesham of Wachesham in Suffolk, had it; he had to wife Elizabeth; and in 1247,

Giles, his son, had it; he was witness to a grant of Theobald, son of Will. de Leyston, by which he gave the manor of Suwode to Bury abbey, and had a charter for free-warren in his manors of Marlyngford, Wortham, Stansted, Wachesham, &c. In 1267, Giles, his son and heir, was 40 years old, and John, his brother, was of age, and had half a fee given him by Elizabeth, his mother; in 1272, Giles the father died,

And Giles the son, and Joan his wife, inherited; in 1290, he was sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and died in 1294, leaving

Giles, his son, his heir, who paid 6l. 5s. for relief of his father's lands, sc. a fee and a fourth part in Stansted, 20s. (fn. 3) for Wachesham in Suffolk, which he held by the serjeantry of jumping, belching, and farting, once in the year before the King, as appears from the Memoranda of the Exchequer, A^o. 21st Edward I. This Giles or Gerard, in 1300, settled Wortham on himself for life, and then on

Giles, his son, and Amy his wife, and their heirs; in 1310, Gerard settled the advowson and part of the manors on

John, his son, and Joan his wife; in 1315, Gerard was lord of Stansted.

In 1317, Walter le Clerk of Gislingham, and Joan his wife, heiress, (I suppose,) of John Wachesham, settled the manor and advowson on

Sir Giles de Wachesham, and so the whole was united again.

In 1345, Sir Rob. de Wachesham was lord and patron; and in 1358, a fine was levied between Sir Robert and Joan his wife, daughter of Simon de Hetherset, and Ralf de Dunton, and others, by which the manor and advowson, with the manors of Wachesham, the advowson of Stansted, the manor of Wortham, and moiety of the advowson, were settled on themselves and their issue, remainder to John de Wachesham and Margery his wife: this Sir Robert left only one daughter, viz.

Elizabeth, married to Sir Thomas Gerbridge, in whom the whole of this town was united, he having in his own right a part of it: for in 2d Henry III. a fine was levied between Jordan de Sackvile and Clemence his wife, querents, and Margaret de Chesneto, tenant, sister of the said Clemence, whereby Margaret releases all her right in this and divers other manors, which were the estate of William de Chesneto, or Cheyney, their father. In 1279, Rob. Fitz-Roger had it, when it was said to be Hugh Cressi's, before it was Cheyney's, and that it contained a carucate and eight villeins ; in 1315, John de Horsford had it; in 1387, Sir Thomas Gerbridge, Knt. settled it on Sir Edmund Thorp, Knt. and Andrew, parson of Mateshale, in trust for Elizabeth his wife, and their heirs, by which it was effectually joined to the Wacheshams manor, and hath been part of it ever since.

They left only one daughter,

Alice, who married Sir Edmund Barry or Berri, Knt. who made his will in 1433, in which he ordered his body to be buried in the Carmelites or White Friars at Norwich; he left two daughters his heirs,

Agnes, married to Sir William Paston of Paston, (afterwards Judge Paston,) and

Alice, to Sir Tho. Bardolph, who, in 1454, released their right to Agnes and William, in the manor and advowson, and in a manor in East-Tuddenham, and in the manor and advowson of Stansted, and it continued in the Pastons (of which family I shall treat under Oxned) till after 1572; about which time it was sold to

Rob. Jermy of Norwich, who gave it to

Tho. Jermy, his second son, who settled here, and married Constance, daughter of Sir John Phippes, who left

Clement, their only son; he married Mary, daughter of William Robinson of Norwich, and left

Edmund Jermy of Marling ford, who married Sarah, daughter of Tho. Buxton of Chanon's Hall in Tibenham, who left it to

Francis Jermy of Marling ford, and Clement Jermy of Bawburgh, who sold it to

Rich. Clark, apothecary in Norwich, who died in 1682, and by Susanna Cotes, his wife, had three children;

Tho. Clark, counsellor at law, the eldest, was lord and patron here, but dying unmarried, in 1731, it descended to

Christ. Clark, his next brother, archdeacon of Norwich, who is now lord and patron. Richard Clark, the third brother, married a Pett, went surgeon in a ship to the West-Indies, and there died issueless.

The fine is certain at 4s. an acre.

The Church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, who had a gild here; the rector had a house and 30 acres of land, valued at 5 marks, but not taxed; the procurations were 3s. synodals 18d. Peter-pence 8d. ob. carvage 4d. ob.; there are now [1739] 24 acres of glebe. The rectory is valued at 7l. 12s. 8d. ob. and being sworn of the clear yearly value of 31l. 6d. it is discharged of first fruits and tenths, and is capable of augmentation ; the town paid 38s. to each tenth.

The church is 35 feet long, and 15 broad, the chancel 28 feet long, and 14 broad, the north isle 22 feet long, and 10 broad; the tower is square, there are three bells, and the nave and chancel are thatched.

Orate pro Anima Thome Davy, ruius Anime propicietur Deus.

On a brass in the church,

In a south window. Arg. a fess, in chief two crescents gul.

On the lattices between the church and chancel,

1. Withe, R. three griffins passant regardant arg. in pale, beaked and armed gul.

2. Arg. and gul. bendy of six pieces.

3. Gul. a cross ingrailed arg. quarters

Bene, gul. a cross recercele arg.

4. Thorp, az. three crescents arg.

5. Sab. a fess between two chevrons arg.

6. France and England.

7. Wachesham, arg. a fess, and two crescents in chief gul.

8. Barry, a chevron between three bears heads cooped sab. muzzled or.

9. Hedersett, az. a leopard saliant or.

10. Paston and Barry quartered.

11. Arg. on a bend cotised az. three martlets gul.

12. Sab and az. lozenge, six flowers-de-lis.

13. Scales.

14. Az. a lion rampant arg.

1466, John Crane was buried in the church.

On a stone over a vault in the chancel,

Clarke, arg. on a bend sab. between three pellets, as many mullets or, impaling

Cotes, per pale or and sab. two dolphins endorsed counterchanged. Clark's crest is a demi-dove.

Hic jacet Richardus Clarke Generosus, Medicus, et Pharmacopeus præstantissimus, utpote Magni Illius apud Norwicenses Æsculapij, Thomæ Browni, Equitis aurati, fidus Minister et Comes, qui postquam per tot Annos resarciendis Corporum morbis diligenter incumbens, non minus prosperam alijs, quam utilem Sibi Medicinam fecerat, tandem Anno Ætatis Suæ 52. Opum et Famæ Satur, pie ac placide in domino obdormivit, A° 1682. Hic etiam jacet Susanna uxor prædicti Rici. Clarke, quæ obijt decimo die Martij A. D. 1722, A^o. Ætat. 93.

Sub marmore Ric: & Sus: Clarke, jacet Tho: Clarke Filius prædict: Ric. & Sus: primogenitus, Conciliarius, unus Magistorum de Banco Hospitij Grayensis Londini, et Thesaurarius, obijt die xxii. Octobris, A^o Dni: 1731, Ætatis Anno lxviii.

Cullyer, arg. a club erected, in pale sab. impaling Jermy.

John Son of John Cullyer, and Mary Jermy his Wife, 1640.

1670, Mary Daughter of Clement, son of John Cullyer and Jane Hutton his Wife.

Mary Wife of the said John, and Daughter of Clement Jermy of Marlingford, Gent. died 30 Aug: 1672.

On a brass plate half gone formerly, and now wholly lost, was this,

Pray for the Sowle of T. t his Wife and Robert Father, on whose Somles A. Dni: M^o. ccccc^o. for.

In the north isle,

Colby, az. a chevron between three escalops in a bordure ingrailed or.

Samuel Colby of Brockford in Suff: Gent. 20 Nov. 1705, Eliz. his Wife 18 July 1697.

On a mural monument,
Life, or, on a bend between three martlets sab. three hearts of the field, impaling

Vincent or Vinsent, az. three quaterfoils arg.;—they were an ancient family. In 1367, Robert Vincent owned an estate here, in 1374, Nicholas his son married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Tho. Leverich, citizen of Norwich.

Juxta hoc Marmor depositæ sunt exuviæ Nathanielis Life Armigeri, et Mariæ uxoris ejus, Filiæ primogenitæ Phillipi Vincent Armig: nuper defuncti, per quam tres filios, totidemque filias habuit, horum unus, illarum duæ supersunt Soboles, obijt ille 20 die Novemb: 1727, Æt. 41, illa 31° die Maij 1728, Æt: 39.

Rectors.

1303, Walter de Hiltone. Sir Gerard de Wachesham, Knt.

1304, Edmund Pundrick of South-Creik. Ditto.

1305, Will. Wymer of Swanton. Ditto.

1311, William, son of Alan de Gyselingham. John, son of Sir Gerard de Wachesham, and Walter, son of Alan de Giselingham.

1316, Tho. de Grundesburgh. Walter, son of Alan de Giselyngham, clerk, and Joan, relict of John de Wachesham of Marlingford.

1332, James Samson. Sir Giles de Wachesham.

1342, Henry de Langham. Sir Robert de Wachesham, Knt.

Change with Sheldesley, Worcester diocese.

Change with Midleton, London diocese.

1349, Hugh Bandon of Joxford. Ditto.

1349, Rob. Brokedysch.

1379, John, son of Henry Mariot of Narburgh. Sir Edmund de Thorp, Sir Robert Corbet, &c.

1390, Rob. Bokkebroke. R. Sir Tho. Gerbrigge, Knt.

1410, John Erle, shaveling. Ditto.

1459, Sir Henry Bozoun, priest, on the death of the last rector. Agnes Paston, widow.

Sir John More, died rector.

1507, Sir John Jermyn. Will. Paston, Esq.

1513, Sir Jeffry Parish. O.

1520, Sir Petar Petit, priest. Will. Paston, Esq. O.

1552, Sir Roger Powle or Powell, died rector.

1568, Sir Will. Mathew, clerk, at Powell's death. Clement Paston, Esq.

1571, Tho. Downes, on Mathew's death; he died rector. Clement Paston, Esq.

1581, Rob. Alleyn. Ditto.

1594, Robert Gobert; united after, to Melton St. Mary. Clement Paston, Esq. In 1603, he returned 66 communicants, and that the patronage belonged to Alice, widow of Clement Paston, Esq.

1664, Euphemy Porter, A. B. by the cession of the last incumbent. The King, by lapse.

1676, Tho. Scamler, on Porter's death. Sir James Rushout, Bart.

1697, Jeremias Revans, on Scamler's deprivation. Susan Clarke, widow, and Tho. Clarke, Esq. United to East-Tudenham.

1700, Tho. Patteson, A. M. on Revans's resignation. Ditto.

1723, David Fleming, on the cession of Patteson. Thomas Clarke, Esq.

1728, The Rev. Mr. James Alanson, clerk, A.B. on Fleming's cession, he is the present [1739] rector. Thomas Clarke, Esq.