Holt hundred: Stody

STODY.

Part of this town belonged to the King's manor of Holt, who had one socman, who held 2 acres and an half of land, and paid 2s. 6d. per ann. (fn. 1)

The family of De Pever held this in the reign of King John, with the family of De Stody, together with the King's lordship in Hunworth, to which I refer the reader.

The principal lordship belonged to Ralph, brother of Ilgar, out of which a freeman of Herold had been expelled, who had 2 carucates of land, and Ro. held it of Ralph, for a manor; 8 villains, 7 borderers, and one servus belonged to it, 2 carucates in demean, one and a half among the tenants, paunage for 40 swine, 6 acres of meadow, 3 mills, 2 beasts for burdens, 9 cows, &c. 40 sheep, 60 goats, &c. and 3 skeps of bees, and 4 socmen with 26 acres and half a carucate, valued in King Edward's reign at 30s. at the survey at 40s.; twenty-five acres and half a carucate in Laringset was valued with this manor. (fn. 2)

The town takes its name from Stow, a dwelling, and Eia by the water.

Who this Ro. was, that held it at the survey under Ralph, does not appear.

This lordship, with that of Edgefeld, seems to have been soon after in the family of De Edisfeld, lord of Edisfeld. Peter de Edisfeld, son of William, left by Hawise his wife, a daughter and heir, Lœtitia, who brought it by marriage to Sir William de Rosceline, who with his lady conveyed it by fine in the 12th of Henry III. to Roger le Povere and Beatrix his wife, by the service of 3 parts of a fee, then released to Roger and his heirs. John de Povere was found, in the said reign, to hold here and in Hunworth one fee of Robert Fitz Roger; and in the 51st of that King, Robert le Povere of Stodey had a charter for free warren, in all his demean lands in this town, Hunworth, Letheringset, Briston, Fretenham, Belagh, and Attlebrig. Sir John le Povere was lord in the 30th of Edward I. and in 1316, Peter le Povere of Laringsete presented to this church.

Thomas de Schotesham, parson of Holt, released in the 4th of Edward III. to Robert Em of Stody, chaplain, all his right in the lands which he had of the grant of William le Povere of Laringsete, dated July 20; and in the 6th of that King, Sir Edmund de Soterley and Joan his wife settled on Roger his son and Sibila his wife, this lordship; and in the 17th of that reign, the said Roger granted the whole manor of Uggeshale in Suffolk on the Lady Joan his mother for life, provided she claimed no dower in the manors of Stody, and Soterley in Suffolk, by deed dated on Wednesday next after the feast of the decollation of St. John Baptist; and Roger presented to this church in 1344; and soon after, in the said year, John de Stodey, citizen of London, presented; he likewise presented in 1349, and 1374.

It seems that William le Povere conveyed to him, about 1344, this advowson, with an acre of land.

That the Stodeys had an interest here and in Hunworth appears from a fine of lands between Isabella de Stodey, Geffrey her son, and Roger le Povere and Beatrix his wife, in the 14th of King John, and John de Stodey had a lordship in Hunworth in 1315, and seems to be father of John de Stodey, citizen of London, who presented to this church, as I have observed, in 1344, &c. and also to Hunworth in 1349, &c.

In the 28th of Edward III. he, being then a knight, by deed dated at Stody, manumised John Hanes, Alice, and Margery, daughters of Ralph, and granted to them all their goods and chattels whatsoever, to which deed Roger le Perers, William de Gremesby, John de Briston, Reginald de Repps, Peter le Povere, &c. were witnesses; the seal was of white wax, about the bigness of a shilling, the impress worn out: Stow says his arms were, ermine, a cross ingrailed sable, charged with a leopard's head, —: he was sheriff of London in 1352, and lord mayor in 1357, and free of the Vintners company; he gave to them all the quadrant, where the Vintners hall now is built, with tenements round about, from the lane yet called Stodey's-lane, to the lane called Anker-lane, where are founded thirteen houses for thirteen poor people, which hitherto are there kept of charity rent free. (fn. 3) This was probably his own house; that he lived in the Vintry, appears from his will dated, April 20, 1376, and was buried in the new chapel, on the north side of the church of St. Martin's Vintry; he gave many legacies to pious uses, 20s. to the church of Stodeye; 13s. 4d. to that of Hunworth; 10s. to that of Bruningham, and appointed a chaplain to pray for him in the church of Hunworth: released to all of his family living in Norfolk, all debts, &c. except their rents. By Joan his lady he had several children, William, Thomas, and John: Idonea, a daughter, married to Sir Nicholas Brember, lord mayor of London in 1377, Joan, and Eleanor: one of these seems to have married John de Burlingham, whom he calls his son.

Besides this lordship held by Sir John Stodey, in the 20th of Edward III. Roger de Soterle, (fn. 4) held a quarter of a fee, and Raulina de Briston, a quarter of a fee here and in Hunworth, which John le Povere and his tenants formerly held, at the same time John de Kergate, Robert Atte Parke, and Miriel de Coldik held in the said towns half a fee of the heirs of — de Clavering, which John de Povere, &c. formerly held.

In 1381, John de Blakeney, &c. presented as lord, and in 1393; in 1403, John Clere and Sir Simon Felbrigg in 1422, probably as a trustee, by the will of the Lady Catherine Braunch, relict of Sir John Braunche, dated at Castre by Yarmouth, on Saturday after the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, 1420, and proved Sep. 5, in the said year: we find that she was possessed of the manor of Stodey: (fn. 5) gave to this church 6s. 8d. By Sir John she left 3 sons: Sir Philip Braunch, to whom she gave a salt-cote, at Flete in Lincolnshire; to William, the manor of Wigenhale St. Germans; to John her son, this lordship of Stodey, with all the things thereto belonging, which lordship, with that of Hunworth, she held in the 3d of Henry IV. by a quarter of a fee; and in 1430, the aforesaid John Braunche, Esq. presented to this church.

About 1440, Robert Crane and Reginald Rous settled it on Ralph Lampet, Esq. and Margaret his wife in tail, (probably, daughter of John Braunche, Esq.) remainder to the heirs of the said John, and Ralph presented in 1440, and 1446; but in 1471, Robert Braunch, Esq. was lord and patron. (fn. 6) Jane Braunch, widow of the said Robert by her will dated April 17, 1505, bequeaths her body to be buried in the chancel of this church, by her late husband; appoints her daughter Agnes, and her husband Robert Kebyll her executors; mentions John Braunch, her grandson, and son and heir of Henry Braunche; calls Jane Daniel her niece, (daughter, as I take it, of Henry Daniel of Appleton in Norfolk, and Agnes his wife, sister of Robert Braunche, Esq.) and John Heydon, Esq. supervisor of her will, which was proved May 21, following.

John Braunch inherited it, as heir, and was lord and patron in 1534; in the 28th of Henry VIII. he conveyed it by fine to John Bozoun, Esq. with the manors of Taverham, and Bruningham Braunch's.

Robert Bozoun of Stodey, Esq. by deed dated September 20, in the 14th of Elizabeth, sold it to Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper, and Nicholas his son and heir apparent; in this family it remained till Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart, sold it to Edmund Britiff, Esq. who was lord and patron in 1742, by whose daughter and heir it came to the Earl of Buckingham.

The tenths of this town, with that of Hunworth, were 4l. 12s.— Deducted 1l.

The temporalities of Horsfield St. Faith's 4s.;—of the hospital of Choseley, 7d.

The Church of Stodey is a rectory dedicated to St. Mary; the old valor was 7 marks, and Peter-pence 7d.—present valor 6l. 3s. 4d.

Rectors.

Peter le Povere, rector in the 51st of Henry III.

1316, John le Povere instituted, presented by Peter le Povere of Laringsete.

1344, Walter de Somerton, by Roger de Soterley.

1344, John de West Somerton, by John de Stodey, citizen of London.

1349, Mr. Dennis Eggefeld. Ditto.

1359, John Contell. Ditto.

1373, John de Ely. Ditto.

1374, James de Ely, by John de Stodey, &c.

1381, Michael Ruddock, by John de Blakeney.

1393, William Catworth. Ditto.

1403, William Wright, by John Clere.

1422, John Frowyk, by Sim. Felbrigg.

1430, Richard Banham, by John Braunche, Esq.

1440, Adam Suylliard by Ralph Lampet, Esq. of Yarmouth, and Margaret his wife.

1446, William Crowe. Ditto.

1471, William Eston, by Robert Braunche, Esq.

1484, Mr. John Skarlet. Ditto.

William Austin, rector.

1507, John Webster, by John Heydon, Esq.

1534, William Brown, by the assignees of John Braunche.

1551, William Heyton, by John Bosum, Esq.

1568, William Hatton, by Robert Bozum, Esq.

1578, Mart. Claxtone, by Robert Bozum, Esq. and Robert Wegmore, Gent.

1585, Thomas Banks, by Sir Nicholas Bacon.

1593, William Armstead. Ditto.

1610, Christopher Pearte, by Sir Nicholas Bacon.

1613, William Armstead. Ditto.

1654, John Pyle, by Sir Edmund Bacon.

1709, Jos. Furse, by Mary Piggot, widow.

1733, Ben. Harvey, by Robert Brightiff, Esq.

1761, John Green, by the Earl of Buckingham.

Here were the guilds of St. Mary and St. Laurence.

On a gravestone in the chancel were the arms of Braunche, impaling Calthorpe,

In memory of Edmund Braunch, and Anne Calthorpe.

In the windows, Braunche, impaling Winter, checque, or and sable, a fess, argent.—Bozoun impaling Carvile.—Bozoun, impaling L'Estrange, argent, on a cross ingrailed, gules, between three escallops, sable, five bezants, impaling Winter—gules, a cross moline, argent, bore by the Lord Willoughby.