Hundred of Forehoe: Runhal

RUNHAL.

The Church is dedicated to All the Saints; it hath a round steeple, and three bells, on the first of which is this,

Fac Margareta nobis hec Munera leta.

The nave is leaded, the south porch tiled, the chancel is quite ruinated; there is an imperfect brass plate with this on it,

icia Uror eius quoram animabus propicietur God of his Mercy aquyte hem.

On a black marble,

Stoughton, vert, a cross ingrailed erm. Crest, a bird.

Roger Stoughton Gent. died in 1718, aged 60 years, Isabell his wife July 27 1715, on which day she was 51 years of age.

John Stoughton died April 22 1730, aged 35 years.

In 1416, Margaret, widow of Rob. de Berneye, Knt. was buried in the church, before St. Catherine's altar, to which she gave a picture of St. Catherine; it appears by her will, in Regr. Hyrning, fo. 5, that Roger de Welsham was her first husband, and that she gave her house and lands which she purchased here, to her daughters, Cicily and Katherine; she gave a gold cup to her brother Edmund, and legacies to John Berney, her son, and Elen Bedingfield, her sister.

In 1505, Rob. Tillis of Salhouse was buried here, and gave a legacy to repair the steeple; he gave Catherine his wife an annuity of 12l. out of his manor of Popis in Runhall, which he gave to William, his son.

There is an altar monument in the churchyard, on the south side, for John Castleton, who died May 5, 1687, aged 56, and Mary his wife who died Decemb. 24, 1707, aged 60 years.

Crest, a demi-griffin holding a broken sword.

Castleton, az. on a bend or, three snakes twisted round vert, impaling two fesses, with a crescent for difference.

This church was a rectory at first, belonging to the manor, and so continued till 1198, when it was given by Bartholomew de Runhall, Roger de Reppes, and Gilbert de Runhall, to William Prior of WestAcre, and the canons of the church of St. Mary and All-Saints there, for one gold ring, on condition they were made partakers of all the prayers in the monastery, together with Mabell wife of Roger, and Eustace de Runhall; and soon after they got it appropriated, reserving to the vicar the parsonage-house, an acre of land, and the small tithes, so that the convent got by the appropriation 40 acres of glebe, and all the great tithes, for which they were taxed at 12 marks, besides 14d. for their temporals; the vicar paid 5s. procurations, 6d. synodals, and 11d. Peter-pence; the vicarage is valued in the King's Books at 6l. 18s. 3d. ob. and being sworn of the clear yearly value of 10l. it is discharged of first-fruits and tenths, and is capable of augmentation.

After the Dissolution, the impropriation and advowson of the vicarage were purchased of the Crown by the lord of the manor, with all the revenues of West-Acre priory in this town, and have ever since gone together, and still remain joined at this day.

The Prior of Windham was taxed for temporals here at 3s. 8d. and the Prior of Walsingham for his at 6d.; the parish paid 50s. to every tenth. Here were two gilds, viz. of St. Margaret and St. James, and in the south window were these arms,

Gul. on a chevron arg. three croslets fitchee of the field, impaling arg. six mullets gul.

In a north window. arg. on a chevron sab. a mullet pierced or, in the dexter cheif a crescent sab.

At the Conqueror's survey this town was in two parts, the biggest of which Hakene held in the Confessor's time, but it was in the Conqueror's own hands, who let it to farm to Godric; it was then a berewic to swating, with which it was valued, for at fo. 23 of Domsday Book, we read as under. (fn. 1)

This constituted the capital manor, called afterwards

Whitwell's, Gambon's, or Uphall, in Runhal,

Which came to the Baniards, from them to the Fitz-Walters, and by them was divided, one half being infeoffed in the Gournays, who held it of the barony of Banyard-Castle at half a fee, and the other in the Hakefords, who held their half of the same barony at another half fee, which afterwards was called Popis manor.

In 1195, Gilbert de Runhal was Lord, it coming to that family from William Gournay, who held it in Henry the Second's time; and in 1198, Barth. de Runhall, by gift of Gilbert, he sold it to Richer de Whitewell, from which time it descended with Whitwell's manor in Whitewell, and the manor called by their name in Skeyton; in 1205, Mathew de Gourney, son of William, brought an action against Gilbert de Runhall for the manor; but Gilbert recovered, and so the Whitewells remained in quiet possession. In 1293, Will. de Whitewell died seized, and left this, Whitewell, and his manor in Skeyton, to John his brother, then 40 years old; in 1315, Isabell de Whitewell held it; in 1327, Will. de Whitewell had it, who, in 1330, settled it on Roger de Hetherset, parson of Billingford, and William Fleming, chaplain, (the quitrents being then 42s. per annum,) as trustees for Catherine, wife of Will. de Whitewell, who held it in 1345; in 1393, William Gambon and Cicily his wife had this manor, and half Whitewells manor in Skeyton; and in 1429, Rich. son of Rich. Gambon, and grandson of William, was lord, and John Gambon, his cousin and heir, was 30 years old, which John died seized in 1432 of a free tenement here called Ryfley's, with the manor of Runhall Whitwell's, Uphall, and Brandon Hall in Runhall, Corston, Welbourne, &c. with Skeyton manor and advowson, all which, after the death of Ellen his wife, went to Rob. Sterne his cousin and heir, whose son Thomas became lord at his father's death; but he dying without issue in 1460, it descended to Henry Sterne, his brother, who lived till 1467, and then it went to Henry Sterne, his son and heir, then four years old. In 1548, Roger Woodhouse, Esq. purchased it of James Downes and Elizabeth his wife, and joined it to Popis manor, in whose family it hath continued ever since, Sir John Woodhouse, Bart. being the present [1739] lord, patron, and impropriator, and lord of the leet, in right of the hundred, being also lord paramount of all the town, except that part which always belonged to Cossey, (see p. 407,) as it now does, the paramountship of which belongs to Cossey. The Atlas, p. 307, tells us that the Uffords were lords here, but it is an errour, they were never concerned no otherwise than as lords of Cossey, which extended hither, but is no separate lordship.

Pope's, or Popis Manor,

Was infeoffed as aforesaid in the Hakefords; at the time of the record called Testa de Nevile, Emma Hakeford had it; in 1315, William de Stokesby and others held it; in 1327, Roger de Stokesby was lord; in 1345, Margery de Gelham had it; in 1361, Alan de Illey and Katherine his wife conveyed it to John de Baketon and Margaret his wife; in 1362, the said Alan, Catherine, John, and Margaret, granted it to Reginald de Eccles, William Ode, and John Miles; and in 1367, John de Walton and Margaret his wife conveyed it to William de Worsted of Norwich, and Philip Cosyn, and his heirs; and in 1401, Ralf Bateman and his partners had it, in right of his wife; it came afterwards to the Tillises, and John Tillis died seized in 1490, whose son Robert was buried here in 1505, and left it to William, his son, who died without issue, for in 1521, Henry Richers and Cecily his wife, one of the daughters and heiresses of Robert Tillis, late of Salowes, Gent. and Mary Tillis, another of the daughters and heiresses, sold it to Thomas Woodhouse and his trustees, the quitrents being then 3l. per annum; it was after joined to the other manor, with which it now continues.

Vicars.

1301, Michael de Westacre. Prior of Westacre.

1303, Adam de Wadton

1303, John Ovyton.

1349, Simon de Bauburgh.

1350, Hamon Gerard of Baubergh. Change with Ormesby.

1353, Warine de Runhale.

1394, John, son of Adam Wolvede. R.

1397, Simon de Gosselyn.

1407, John Hull of Broughton.

1410, Rich. Smith of Hokelingham.

1411, John Balle of Thurston. R.

1414, Hugh Lessy.

1421, Tho. Skerning, buried in the churchyard in 1432.

1442, Will. Pinchbek. Lapse.

1444, Will. Betram.

1450, John Borell.

1463, Tho. Benham. Lapse.

Simon Attache. O.

1482, Will Carr.

1513, Rob. Smith. O. The last presented by the Prior.

1542, Sir Edw. Woodhouse. Roger Woodhouse, Esq.

1555, Edm. Barrow. O.

1578, John Crosse. The assignee of Roger Woodhouse, Esq.

1582, Sir Edw. Woodhouse, chaplain. Roger Woodhouse, Esq.

1603, John Cross. (see p. 311.) Tho. Browne, his curate, returned 40 communicants here. Sir Philip Woodhouse.

1620, Rob. Rowse, died rector. Ditto.

1635, Barth. Fenwick. Hen. Edgerly, Gent. by grant from Sir Tho. Woodhouse. He died in the rebellion, and nobody was presented, and it hath been held ever since without institution; the impropriator paying 10l. per annum to the serving curate, who serves every other Sunday; the Rev. Mr. Will. Gordon of Barnham-Broom is the present [1739] curate.