Hundred of Wayland: Ovington

OVINGTON.

Uvytone Church is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist was valued at 9 marks, and paid 17d. Peter-pence; Roger Bigot gave the monks of Thetford a portion of tithes here, which was taxed with their revenues in Watton, (fn. 1) here were two gilds, one dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and the other to St. Margaret. There are 16 acres of glebe.

Rectors.

1304, 7 id. Dec. Will. Bozun. Peter Bozun.

1314, 10 kal. Nov. Robert Bozun. John Bozun of Wissingset.

1334, 4 non. Nov. John son of Richard de Lrnyng. Ditto.

1349, 2 Aug. John Galt of Breccles; he resigned. Ditto.

1357, 3 Sept. Peter Styward; change with East-Tudenham. Ditto.

1366, 26 Jan. John de Belton, Super Dam. Will. Bozun.

1398, 22 July, William Hervy. John Bozoun of Wissingset.

1409, 29 Oct. John Hare; change for Keninghall.

1421, 21 Sept. Nicholas Richeman. Rich. Bozoun.

1421, 2 Nov. Rob. Syer; changed for Wood-Norton St. Peter, with

1424, 28 Sept. Andrew Valentine. Ditto.

1445, 20 Apr. William Short; he resigned. Ditto.

1448, 16 Apr. John Elom; buried in the chancel. Ditto.

1458, 8 Nov. Thomas Petty, clerk. John Pecock of Norwich, and Margaret his wife.

Richard Chaterys. Ditto.

1462, ult. Sept. John Fyer; he resigned. Ditto.

1470, 19 Jan. Richard Hayton; he resigned. Ditto.

1494, 28 March, John Danby. Eleanor Bozoun.

1496, 15 March, Robert Pennell. Ditto.

1507, 30 March, Rob. Plume, on Pennell's death. Tho. Cressynere, Esq. in right of Eleanor Bozun, his wife.

1531, 21 March, Thomas Martyn. Eleanor Cressener, widow.

- - - - - Thyrkyl, priest.

1543, 17 Nov. John Baxter, on Martyn's resignation.

1548, 15 April, Ambrose Irby; he resigned. John Bozoun, Esq.

1556, 6 Oct. John Winter. Ditto.

1558, 28 April, Ambrose Irby, on Winter's death. Ditto.

1559, 6 Dec. James Robinson, on Irby's resignation. Ditto.

1566, 24 June, Thomas Brittayne, on Robinson's death. Robert Bozoun, Esq.

1587, 8 Jan. Thomas Woodward. Tho. Lyngwoode.

John Trundell.

1601, 19 May, Henry Rice. Thomas Lyngwoode and Robert Wightman.

1603, 22 Febr. Robert Canham. Ditto.

1626, 27 July, Edward Rye, A. M. on Canham's death. Tho. Wright, Gent.

1632, 5 Febr. Edmund Eade, S. T. B. on Rye's resignation. Ditto.

1655, 21 Jan. Samuel Smith. John Wright. He died rector.

1667, 17 July, Robert Myett. Tho. Wright, Esq.

1682, 11 Sept. John Burrell, A. M. The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge, who are now patrons.

1683, 7 Febr. John Wells, on Burrell's resignation.

1702, 11 Aug. Nathaniel Spalding, on Wells's resignation.

1706, 20 May, Peter Needham, on Spalding's resignation.

1711, 5 Jan. The Rev. Mr. William Ewin, clerk, A. M. on Needham's cession; he is the present [1738] rector.

The church and chancel are thatched; there is a square tower and one bell, but no memorial of any kind; it is valued at 7l. 3s. 6d. ob. and being sworn of the clear value of 37l. 5s. it is discharged of firstfruits and tenths. The temporals of the Prior of Pentney were taxed at 70s. 10d. This village paid 3l. 10s. to the tenths, and is now valued at 403l. 6s. 8d. to the King's tax.

Bozuns Manor.

This town at the survey must be included in Saham, for I have found no mention of it in Domesday, but that one carucate which belonged to Saham was given very early to the Bigots, and by them infeoffed in the family sirnamed De Saham, together with the advowson, to be held at one fee. In 1202, Robert de Saham conveyed it to Roger Bozun; and in 1227, the said Robert granted the advowson which belonged to this carucate, to Peter Bozun, son of Roger, and his heirs, who now was lord and patron. In 1256, it was returned that John Bozun was lord, and held a whole Knight's fee, but was not yet knighted; and in 1263, he had a charter for free-warren in Oviton. There was another half fee here, which was granted from the Crown to the Marshalls; the record called Testa de Nevill tells us, that William Talebot held it of Will. Mariscal, junior, and that it was worth 20l.; this belonged to Baldwin de Rosey, in Henry the Third's time and soon after to Peter Bozun, who, in 1306, held one part of the Earl Warren, the other of the Earl Marshall, and was sole lord and patron. In 1460, Will. Bozun, Gent. gave it, after his mother's death, to John his son, with the advowson, and the advowson of Wissingset, after the death of Alice his wife; he divided it again, and kept the great manor, which was in John Bozun in 1345; in 1432, Rich. Bozun held it of John Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, at one fee, as of his manor of Forncet; in 1450, Richard Bozun of Wissingset gave it to Margaret his wife for life, who married John Pecock of Norwich, and it continued a long time in this family, though sometimes in trustees hands; in 1558, Thomas Townsend of Testerton, Esq. reJeased all his right in the manor and advowson, to John Bozun of Studdey, Esq. who, in 1568, conveyed it to Will. Smith, and he, in 1579, to Richard Wightman and Tho. Lingwood; in 1584, Wightman conveyed his moiety to Ambrose Clench, and Michael Beberton, in trust for his own and his wife's life, remainder to Rob. Wightman, his son, and his heirs; Robert conveyed it to his brother, Nicholas Wightman, who purchased the other moiety of Agatha, daughter and heir of Thomas Lingwood, who died seized in 1605, when it was held of Forncet manor by one fee, and 2d. per annum; in 1606, Nicholas Wightman sold it to Robert Wright, who in the year following conveyed it to Thomas Wright. In 1655, John Wright was lord, and in 1667, Thomas Wright of Downham, Esq. sold it to the Chancellor, Master, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge, who are now lords and patrons.

Woodhouse Manor

Passed as is before observed, till Peter Bozun divided it from Bozun's manor; and in 1324, John Butetort and Maud his wife held it for life, and Tho. Butetort was their son and heir; it after came to Robert de Stutvile; and in 1432, Catherine Queen of England was lady; in 1557, John Jenny sold it to John Ives, with the fold-course, from whom it came to the Calibuts, and was given to Mr. Repps; it was late the lady Potts's, who sold it Thomas Wright of Herling, Esq. whose second son, Robert Wright, Esq. is now [1738] lord.

The Knights Templars in 1221 had lands here, as belonging to the Commandry of Kerbrook, and their tenants here were quit of toll throughout all England, as the rest of their tenants always were, by grant of Henry III.; in 1312, William de la More, the last Master of the Templars in England, died in the Tower of London, several of the knights being sent to monasteries to repent, by the Archbishop and Provincial Synod; and in 1314, their lands here were seized, and given to the Hospitalers of St. John of Jerusalem, and were assigned to their Commandry of Kerbrook aforesaid.

This town (like most of the villages standing on the rivulet) takes its name from it, Uvyton, Eaffington, or Offington, (for it is thus called in old evidences,) being no more than the town of pasture land lying by the water.