Hundred of Wayland: Scoulton

SCOULTON

Church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, (though I have met with it called All-Saints,) was taxed at 12 marks, and paid 14d. Peterpence; it is now valued in the King's Books at 10l. 4s. 2d. and being sworn of the clear yearly value of 48l. 18s. 10d. it is discharged of first fruits and tenths, and is capable of augmentation; the town now [1738] contains about 50 families, paid 2l. 10s. to the tenths, and is now laid at 606l. to the tax. It is in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and deanery of Breccles.

Rectors.

1295, Rob. de Bauns. (See vol. i. p. 509.)

1298, Ralf de Bauns, or Bancis.

1305, 6 kal. July, Alexander de Refham, accolite. Sir John de Thorp, Knt. and Alice his wife, for this turn.

1333, 12 kal. Jan. William de Mortimer. Sir Constantine de Mortimer, senior, Knt.; he had license for non-residence.

1337, 20 Dec. Master Adam de Blofeld, priest. Ditto.

1349, 16 July, Thomas Rake of Henyngham. Ditto.

1363, 23 April, John atte Wend of Elingham. Sir Rob. de Mortimer, Knt. He had Ridlington.

1377, William atte Wende, rector.

1381, 26 Dec. John Howesson. Ditto.

1387, Simon rector here. (See vol. i. p. 538.)

1414, 10 Sept. Stephen Noble, priest. Sir John Fitz-Ralf, Knt. Sir Constantine Fitz-Ralf, rector.

1418, 4 Feb. Sir Roger Philpot of Penteneye, priest, on Fitz-Rauf's resignation, in exchange for the vicarage of Wigenhall St. Mary the Virgin. John Fitz-Rauf, Esq.

1424, 10 May, Will. Elyngton, priest, on Philpot's resignation in exchange for Coggeshall vicarage in London diocese. Ditto.

1433, 20 June, Thomas Welde, priest. Ditto.

1449, 2 Nov. Sir Robert Wasseleyn, priest. Sir Robert Coniers, Knt.

1452, 30 Sept. Sir John Hert, priest, on Wasselyn's resignation. Sir Rob. Coniers, Knt. and Maud his wife.

Sir Robert Selot, rector.

1464, 30 April, Sir James Berry, priest. John Conyers, Esq.

Peter Newman, resigned.

1522, 14 Sept. Sir Cuthbert Howys, chaplain. Ela Lovell, widow.

1530, 20 May, Andrew Browne, resigned. Rob. Horner and Will. Hert, who recovered this turn, by quare impedit, against Anthony Gurney, Esq. and Will. Bolleyn, clerk, Ela Lovell, widow, being true patroness, having made a grant of it.

1560, 3 Aug. Thomas Bishop, priest. Sir Rich. Southwell, Knt.

1579, 24 Feb. John Kirby, or Kirkeby, A. M. The Queen. Lapse.

1612, 13 Jan. Thomas Lammas, A. M. John Mathew, clerk, this turn.

1624, 17 Nov. Matthew Brownrigge. Nich. Easton, this turn.

1632, 11 May, Edw. Bulwer, A. M. on Brownrigge's resignation.

1678, 16 Oct. Charles Seppens, A. M. Edw. Bedell, Esq.

1691, 18 Nov. John Watson, on Seppens's death. Isabel, relict of Edw. Bedell, Esq. United to Hingham.

1730, 2 Oct. the Rev. Mr. Edward Chamberlayn, clerk, on Watson's death. Patrick St. Clair, clerk, this turn. He is the present [1738] rector, and holds it united to Cressingham-Magna, the patronage being in the heirs of George Bedell, Esq.

The Church is a small building, its nave being thatched, the two isles and south porch are leaded, there is a low steeple, square at bottom and octangular at top, in which are three bells; at the upper end of each of the isles there was a chapel and an altar in each; in the south chapel windows are the arms of Calthorp and Mortimer; in the north, arg. three inescutcheons or, on each a lion rampant, and the arms of Mortimer of Atleburgh are in many places of the nave and chancel. Against the west end of the church wall there is a monument, on the north part of it thus inscribed,

Near this Place lieth the Body of Elizabeth the belov'd Wife of John Daye of Scoulton, Gent. who departed this Life Sept. 20^th Anno Dom: 1734, Ætatis suæ 44. She was of a most meek Temper, and candid Disposition, endued with the most endearing Qualitys, being pious towards God, charitable towards her Neighbours, an affectionate Wife, a loving and tender Mother.

Disce ab Exemplo.

Et memento te breviter secuturum.

5 of her Children lie by her 2 Sons, 3 Daughters.

And over her grave-stone, under the monument, is a black marble, with this,

Sub hoc Saxo Mortales Exuviæ Elizabethæ Conjugis Charissimæ Johannis Daye de Scoulton Genr. depositæ sunt, obijt Vicesimo die Septembris, Anno Dom: 1734. Æt: Suæ 44.

Ubi est tuus, O mors, Stimulus?

Ubi tua, O Orce, Victoria?

Daye, or on a chief indented az. two mullets of the field. Crest, on a torce or and az. a pair of wings proper.

On the screens are these arms,

Bendy of eight gul. and ar. Arg. three croslets fitchee sab. Arg. three crescents sub. Arg. four chevrons gul.

The instruments of the passion in different shields, as the hammer, scourge, crown of thorns, the spear and sponge, the heart pierced, the nails, the five wounds, and the cross, and the name of Jesus.

Sab. three screscents arg. Erm. a bend sab. Arg. a croslet floree gul. quarterly gul. and arg. Arg. three annulets gul. Arg. an eagle displayed vert. Arg. a de-lis gul. Arg. three croslets patée gul. Gul. three cinquefoils arg. Arg. three cinquefoils gul.

In a north chancel window, quarterly or and gul. a bendlet sab.

There is a fine disrobed marble, which hath lost its inscription, arms, and effigies; it is the grave-stone of John Fitz Rauf, Esq. who was lord and patron, and was buried here in July, 1440. Lady Alice, his daughter, was then a nun at Thetford, his sister Maud was a nun at Brusyerd, Sir Tho. Fitz Rauff, his brother, Sir Tho. Tudenham, Knight, Rob. Mortimer, Esq. Will. Warner of Tomson, Esq. and John Holderness, were his feoffees and executors; Julian his wife was buried by him in 1446; Rob. Hotot, her son, and Maud Coniers, her daughter, are mentioned in her will.

Scoulton, Mortimers, old-Lands, or Ollands.

The advowson at first belonged to Burdeloss's manor, till 1257, and then Robert de Mortimer purchased it of Jeffry de Burdeleys, and ever since, it hath belonged to Roger Fitz-Renard, and came to the Mortimers and passed in that family along with Atleburgh, as you may see in vol. i. p. 506. (fn. 1)

In the 6th of King John, there was a writ to the sheriff to deliver seizin of this manor to Rob. de Mortimer, whom King Richard his father had disseized against his will, and given it to Will. Mortimer. It was held at half a fee of the Earl Warren; and in 1223, John Earl Warren totally released the manor to Will. de Mortimer; in 1259, Rob. de Mortimer was impleaded for two carucates of land here, which were Will. de Mortimer's, who was of the King of France's side, when Normandy was lost; but the jury found he was not then seized. This manor had free-warren, assize of bread and beer, a manor-house, windmill and fishery, and was worth 11l. 7s. per annum in 1282.

In 1315, John de Thorp was lord, in right of Alice Mortimer, his wife, who was mother of Constantine de Mortimer, which Constantine had license to embattle his manor-house here in 1319.

In 1402, on the division of the Mortimers estate, as you may see in vol. i. p. 511, this manor fell to the share of Sir John Fitz Ralf, Knt. in right of his wife, and from that time it went with Elingham Hall manor, as you may see in vol. i. p. 483, till 1540, and then it was sold by Anthony Gurnay, Esq. to Sir Richard Southwell and Thomasine his wife, and their heirs, with the advowson of Trinity church here, and Sir Edward Chamberlain released his right in it. It extended then into Rising, Cranworth, Hingham, Carbrook, and Little Elingham; it went from the Southwells with Carbrook, to the Cranes, and was sold by that family to the Bedells, and Edward Bedell, Esq. was lord; and in 1691, Isabell his relict presented; it now [1738] belongs to the heirs of George Bedell, Esq.

The fines are at the lord's will, and the eldest son is heir.

Burdeloss And Newlands.

This manor belonged to Harold in the Confessor's time, of whom a freeman held it; it had then three carucates, two of which were demean, there was wood for the shackage of 300 swine, the whole manor was worth 50s. and the whole town was about three miles long and two broad, and raised 15d. towards the gelt. It was given to Earl Ralf by the Conqueror, and on his forfeiture, to Berner (the Archer.) (fn. 2)

It belonged to the Picots, and at the death of Eustace Picot, fell to the share of his daughter, Lauretta, who carried it to Hugh de Burdeleys, her husband, who died about 30th Henry II. and she survived him some time, and at her death it went to William de Burdeleys, her son and heir; he bare for his arms, erm. on a chief gul. a lion passant or, and held this manor by grand serjeantry, namely, of being the King's chief lardiner, larderer, or larder; William de Burdeleys, his son, succeeded, and after him Hugh de Burdeleys, in 1245, when it contained a whole carucate in demean: he had it of his brother William's gift in 1232; by a record in 1236, it appears that Jeffery de Burdeleys, an elder brother of the first William, had it some time, but he died without issue, and so it came to William. In 1251, Jeffry brother of Hugh, paid his relief; and the year following had livery of this and a manor in Madingle in Cambridgeshire, &c. and had free-warren allowed him in all his lands. In 1256, it was found upon a quo warranto, that he held it by the serjeantry of keeping the King's larder, on the day of his coronation, and another record says, when he would (ubi voluerit); he died in 1263, and it was found that King Henry had granted him a charter of free-warren in his manors of Scoulton in Norfolk, Sachesden and Bereford in Bedfordshire, Cumberton and Madingle in Cambridgeshire, and that it had been allowed in Eire, and that Sir John de Burdeloys, Knt. was his heir, and had assize of bread and beer, weyf and trebuchet: he married Margaret, daughter of John de Creke, who survived him, and at her death it went to Jeffery de Burdeleys, their son and heir, whose son, John Burdeleys, and Maud his wife, held the manor: in 1333, it it was found that Margaret, widow of John de Burdeleys, held it by the service of coming to the King's larder on the coronation day, with a knife in her hand, to serve the larderer's office. John, son and heir of this John de Burdeleys, died a minor in the King's custody, Aug. 9, 1346; and in 1347 his estate was divided between Thomas Marshall, who married Elizabeth, and Gilbert de Camera or de la Chamber of Epping in Essex, who married Joan, the sisters and heiresses of the said John, and upon the extent then made, the quitrents appear to be 35s. per annum; this was allotted to Joan, and upon her sister Elizabeth's death without issue, it appears she also inherited her part, except what she had aliened since the partition, and that she was at that time married to John Fitz John, otherwise called John de Middleton, her first husband being dead; she died about 1374, for in that year Edmund de la Chambre, her eldest son by her first husband, inherited: all the preceding lords constantly served the office of lardiner: there was 20s. rent, part of this manor lying in Thompson. Edmund de la Chambre, lord here, served the office at the coronation of Henry IV. without contradiction, no one having ever claimed it, besides the lords of this manor. (fn. 3) He died in 1410, and John was his son and heir, who died in 1447, his feoffees being obliged to release this manor to George Chambers, his son and heir, when he came of age, who joined with Mary his wife, and sold it to Hugh Fenne, who died seized in 1476; it after came to George Nevile Lord Abergavenny, who died 14th of June, 37th Henry VIII, and left it with Sutton insoken, outsoken, and burgh, to Henry Nevile Lord Abergavenny, his son and heir, and it continued in the family, for in 1696 the Lord Abergavenny had it, and it had been farmed by the D'eyes of Soulton a long time: at the coronation of James II. George Nevile Lord Bergavenny laid claim to the office of larderer, in which the Lord Maynard claimed a turn: but the Lord Abergavenny served it; the Lord Maynard served at the coronation of Charles II. and of King William and Queen Mary, and the Lord Abergavenny claimed it at Queen Anne's.

The D'eyes or Days of Scoulton are an ancient family; Thomas D'eye of Scoulton married Maud, daughter and heir of Rob. Dowming of Scoulton, and had Robert, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Rob. Futter of Thompson, and died Jan. 1626, leaving Thomas Deye, their second son, but heir, who married Bridget, daughter of James Methwold of Langford, Gent. and died in 1608, leaving Thomas Deye, his second son, but heir, who married Barbara, daughter of Philip Calthorp of Gressenhall, Esq.; he died 1671, leaving Rob. Day, counsellor at law, and justice of the peace, his son and heir, who married Sarah, sole daughter and heir of William Melsop of WestDereham, Gent. who is now his widow, and lives at Scoulton, being lady of the manor of Newlands as it is now called, which name does not so much as occur before 1540; the custom of which manor is, that the eldest son is heir, the fine being certain at 2s. per acre.