Norwell, Woodhouse and Midlethorpe.

NORWELL. and WOODHOUS. and MIDLETHORPE.

In Nortwell, St. Mary of Sudwell had twelve bov. ad Geldam for a manor. The land was for six plows, or six carucats. (fn. 1) There were two car. in demesne, and twenty two vill. three bordars, having seven car. There was a church and a priest, and one mill 12d. one piscary, 73 acres of meadow, pasture wood two leuc. long, 2 broad (or 1 rather broad.) (fn. 2) In the Confessors time 6l. value, in the Conquerours 100s.— It had soc in Osmunthorp, Wilgebi, Calneston, Ocretune, Udeburgh. There are three prebends belonging to the church of Southwell, (as in that place is said) which have their denomination, and a good part of their provision from this place, viz. Norwell Overhall, Norwell Palace Hall, or Palyshall, and Norwell tertia pars, or other prebend. The first is the chief and the best in that church.

(fn. 3) John Clarell prebendary, 41 H. 3. had free-warren, mercat and fair in Northwell.

John de Throseby, canon of Southwell, prebendary of the pretend of Northwell, 3 E. 3. (fn. 4) claimed free-warren in all his demesne lands at Northwell, and a weekly market every Thursday, and a yearly fair for three days, the eve, day and morrow after the feast of the Holy Trinity, and emendation for breaking the assize of bread and ale.

(fn. 5) Wil. de Melton 3 E. 2. prebendary of Southwell (after viz. 17 E. 2, arch-bishop of York) had free-warren in Northwell Woodhouse, &c. which 3 E. 3. Robert de Woodhouse claimed, as in Southwell is said.

Nicolas Brett, and Joane his wife (whose dower it was) 49 E. 3. (fn. 6) by a fine passed to Nicolas Dymok, the third part of a mess. five tofts, two hundred acres of land, and six of meadow, with the appurtenances in Northwell, and Northwell Woodhouse, and the advowson of a certain chantry of two chaplains in the church of Northwell. By another fine 4 H. 4. (fn. 7) John, son and heir of William Dymok, conveyed to Nicolas Conyngston, one mess. five tofts, two hundred acres, &c. as before: and by another 14 H. 4. (fn. 8) between Nicolas Conyngston, and William Babington, quer- and Thomas Dymok, chr. and William Dymok, and Cecily his wife, and John Lysours, and Joane his wife, defore. the said parcels were settled on the said Nicolas Conyngston, and his heirs.

(fn. 9) William de Northwell, clark, settled by fine, 12 E. 3. on Henry, son of Richard Graving, of Northwell, and on Elizabeth his wife, and the heirs of the bodies of the said Henry and Elizabeth, 7 mess. two bov. one hundred and thirty seven acres of land, twenty four of meadow, with the appurtenances in North Clifton, and South Clifton, Northwell Woodhouse, Ossington, Holme, North Muskkam, Sutton, and Kellum.

John Cromwell, son and heir of William Cromwell, late of Northwell, 1 E. 4. (fn. 10) remised his right in a certain mess. called Parkers Place, and in a tost, and five acres of land, and in a toft and croft and seven acres of land, theretofore called Kendalls lands, and in eight acres and an half of land in the town and fields of Northwell, to Mr. John Porter prebendary of the prebend of Northwell, called Palyshall, and his successors.

(fn. 11) William Clifton, 1 H. 7. prebendary of the prebend of Paleshall, in Northwell, offered himself the fourth day against Elizabeth Banaster, widow, James Banaster, clark, William Banastre, and John Banastre, concerning a plea of one mess. three tofts, one hundred acres of land, twenty of meadow, forty of pasture, with the appurtenances in Wodehouse, near Norwell.

A capital mess. and good demesne called Norwell Woodhouse, was the inheritance of sir Thomas Williamson baronet.

Mr. Laurence Sturtivant is tenant to the prebendary of Palacehall, and Mr. Ed. Lee, son of Gervas, to Overhall.

Middlethorp, Mr. Hacker of Flintham had interest in.

(fn. 12) The two vicarages of Northwell were eight marks apiece, now Overhall is 4l 12s. 6d. and the other 4l. 12s. 11d. in the kings books, and the prebendaries patron, viz. altera pars, or tertia pars, as I think, and not Palacehall.

In the East Window of the North Ile, and in other Windows of Norwell Church are, Azure, Semy de Lis Or, and England. And England, with a File of three Labels, Az. and England, quartering Az. Semy de Lis, Or.

In the other North Window, Chequer Or and Azure.

And in the East Window of the South Ile, Arg. a spread Eagle Sable.

In the Chancel,

England, and that with a File as before, and France and England quarterly, and Az. on a Fesse Cotised Or, three Libards Heads Gules, Lee of Norwell. These Arms within a Border Gobone Erm. and Sab. Octob. 6. 1564, 6 Eliz. were granted by sir Gilbert Dethick, alias Garter, to Elizabeth Lee, daughter of John Lee, of STANFORD LINCOLSH. wife to sir John Lyon, knt. Alderman of London, and her posterity for ever.

On a Monument for Gervas Lee, esquire, in Norwell Chancel,

Az. on a Fesse Cotised Or, three Libards Heads Gules, Lee. Quartering, Sable a Lion Ramp, between three Crostetts Pate Or, Ayloff. and Arg. a Lion Ramp. Gules.

And Sab. a Chevron Gules between three Croslets Flory Or, with a Crest, Pieria, a Demy Queen of Mauritania, party per pale Arg. and Gules, holding in her right hand a Diamond Ring proper.

[Throsby] Norwell and Woodhouse, and Middlethorpe.

The first of these has very little freehold; it belongs to the prebendaries of Southwell. Roger Pocklington, esq; the Revd. Mr. Redgill and Mr. Samuel Curtis hold estates under them Others also are lesses. Norwell is situate about ten miles from Southwell, and Woodhouse about a mile from Norwell, the latter maintains its own poor, but is chiefly the same tenure as Norwell. That capital messuage which formerly belonged to sir Thomas Williamson, bart. afterwards to Samuel Bristow, esq; and now to Mr. Cooper of Sleaford, is freehold. On this was an old moated house. Mr. Bristow has two farms at Norwell Woodhouse.

Middlethorp freehold was sold some time since by — Disney, esq; to the Revd. George Holt.

Norwell church is large, and is dedicated to St. Lawrence, the two vicarages mentioned by Thoroton, are now in one.

In the church are few gravestones; without. many. Lee's monument is here noticed above by Thoroton. Here is an old recumbent figure not noticed by Thoroton, in armour. This is supposed to be for a Whalley. In the chancel windows are the arms mentioned by Thoroton, and also painted glass representing portions of scripture history.

Patron, Prebendary of Norwell, tertia and proper. Patron, Revd. Edward Walker. Value about 200l. per ann. King's book, 4l. 12s. 11d. Bacon clear year ly value 35l. 0s 0d. Syn and prox null. Val. per ann. in mans. cum terr. gleb. & prat. 1l. 4s. 0d in oblat. 12s. in decim. lan. agn. &c.

Mr. Rastall has preserved a curious memorandum or two in the reign of Henry the 4th. as follows:

"Memorandum—That all the tenants of the Lord, in bondage, as well free as natives, in Norwell, Woodhouse, and Willoughby, whereof three only are natives, being charged to declare the truth, concerning the customs and services of their tenements, say, that every one holding a bovate of land, or any messuage in the place of a bovate, ought to plough one day in sowing time in the winter, receiving from the Lord, for that work, wheaten bread and pease to the value of three pence, and to harrow with one horse, receiving, for the same, bread to the value of two pence, likewise he is bound to do the same services, at Lent sowing, at the same price: also to weed with an hoe, for which he is to receive bread to the value of an halfpenny; he ought also, together with his companions, to mow the Lord's meadow in Northyng, containing thirteen acres, for which he and the rest of the mowers of the same meadow, whose number is twenty-four, shall eat in the Prebendal-house as follows:— first, they shall have bread and beer, potage, beef, pork, and lamb, for the first course; and for the second, broth, pigs, ducks, veal or lamb roasted; and, after dinner, they are to sit and drink, and then go in and out of the hall three times, drinking each time they return, which being, done, they shall have a bucket of beer, containing eight slaggons and an half, which bucket ought to be carried on the shoulders of two men through the midst of the town, from the Prebendal-house unto the aforesaid meadow, where they are to divert themselves with plays the remainder of the day, at which plays the Lord shall give two pair of white gloves. On the day following, the mowing shall be made into heaps, for which work they shall have from the Lord four pence only, to drink; and when the hay shall have become dry, all the twenty-four tenants shall carry the same unto the manse of the Prebend, and and there house it, for which they shall have, in bread, to the value of a penny per cart load, and each person assisting thereat (called Treaders) shall have, for his work, bread, in value an halfpenny; and the aforesaid twenty-four tenants shall mow three acres of the Lord's meadow in the Moor, and they, with the Tossers, carrying the hay from the same meadow, shall toss it once, and every one working thereat shall have, from the Lord, bread, to the value of an halfpenny; and the Lord shall dispose of the rest; and every tenant holding an entire bovate of land, shall, with his companions, reap, &c. the Lord's corn, from the beginning to the end of Autumn, with two men, receiving from the Lord, each day, for every one at work, bread to the value of one penny and three herrings: likewise every tenant shall carry two cart loads of corn from the fields of Norwell to the manse of the Prebend, and shall not therefore receive from the Lord, any thing; and, at the end of Autumn, the Lord shall give, to all his tenants so mowing, four pence, to drink, and one pair of white pigeons."

Another Memorandum in the same reign, states the land belonging to the Prebend of Norwell Overhall to be