Clavering Hundred: Aldby, or Aldeburgh

ALDBY, or ALDEBURGH.

Ralph de Beaufoe had a grant of this lordship from the Conqueror, and possessed it at the survey; a freeman of Archbishop Stigand was lord in King Edward's reign, and there belonged to it 2 carucates of land, one villain and 5 borderers, with 3 servi; there were 2 carucates in demean and one among the tenants, 15 acres of meadow, paunage for 20 swine, with one runcus. Fifteen freemen were under his protection, and belonged to his fold, with 40 acres, and 3 carucates of meadow valued at 40s. and there was a church, with 12 acres, valued at 2s. eleven freemen also belonged to it with 2 carucates and a half of land, and 30 acres; of 7 of these his predecessor had the protection in King Edward's time, and Stigand had it of the other 4; and his predecessor had the livery of it with the land; there were 12 borderers, with 5 carucates and a half, and 19 acres of meadow, &c. valued at 33s. but at the survey, at 6l. 10s.—The whole was one leuca long, and half a leuca broad, and paid 2s. and 1d. ob. gelt, whoever possess it. (fn. 1)

Ralph de Beaufoe was a near relation, or son to William de Beaufoe Bishop of Thetford, chancellor to the Conqueror, and left at his death an only daughter, Agnes, who brought it by marriage to Hubert de Rye, castellan of Norwich castle, son of Hubert de Rye, a trusty servant to William the Conqueror, when Duke of Normandy; this Agnes, at the request of Herbert Bishop of Norwich, granted great part of this lordship to the priory of Norwich, founded by that Bishop, with the patronage of the church, which the said Bishop appropriated to the said priory; and a small priory was erected here, as a cell to that priory, dedicated to St. Mary, consisting of a prior and 3 black monks.

King Henry I. by his præispe commands that the church, all the land and men, &c. which Agnes de Belso gave to the monks of the Holy Trinity of Norwich, in Aldebi, be held by them in perpetual alms, and that no injury, &c. be offered them; witnesses, Roger FitzRichard, William de Tankerdville; dated at Rockingham. The said King confirmed the grant of Hubert de Rie, (fn. 2) of tithes in Swanton, Hockering, Deepham, &c. with the church and manor of Aldeby, which Agnes de Belso, his wife, had granted to the said priory, with Richard her son, and Anthony her chaplain, whom they had taken into their society, the tithe of the whole village and hall, 100 acres of arable land, an 100 sheep, a marsh with pasture for 100 sheep, also common of pasture, a carucate of land with 6 socmen, 6 lancheches, (fn. 3) and 40s. rent in Thurketeliart, on the petition of Henry de Rye, son and heir of Hubert and Agnes;—witnesses, William de Tancardiville, Richard Basset; dated at London.

Henry de Rye granted two parts of the tithe of all the lands which his father, or he himself ever held in demean, to the priory of Norwich, (for the health of his own, his father's and mother's souls, (fn. 4) ) as his father and mother had granted, when they laid the second stone, on the foundation of the priory church in Aldebi.

In the 14th of Edward I. William Roscelyne gave the King 10l. for a license, to purchase of William, prior of Norwich, and the convent, the lordship of this town, called in the record, Audeby, excepting 30 messuages, 500 acres of land, 40 of meadow, 300 of marsh, 40 of wood, a mill, 10 marks rent per ann. and the advowson of the church, all which the prior reserved to the convent, and was called the prior's manor, distinct from the other. (fn. 5) This shows that manors have been erected within time of prescription, though some lawyers say otherwise; and what is another proof, in a pleading A^o. 6° Edward II. the jury for the hundred of Middleton, in Kent, present, that in the time of King Richard I. Stephen de Northwode purchased some assarted land, which land was at the time of the presentment called the manor of Northwode Casteneys. In the 14th also of the said King, the prior claimed the assise, view of frank pledge, &c. of his tenants, and in the 35th year, had a grant of free warren;—witnesses, John Bishop of Carlisle, Adomar. de Valentia, Henry de Percy, &c.

Laurence, prior of Norwich, vicar-general to Thomas Bishop of Norwich, appoints John de Bedingfeld, prior of this cell, to take the confessions, to absolve and to enjoin the penances of the prioress, and nuns of Bungeye; dated at Norwich, May 27, 1355.

The temporalities of the priory were valued in 1428, at 7l. 15s. 6d. in the 6th of Edward IV. the Lady Isabel Morley died patroness, as heir to the founders, Hubert and Agnes de Rye: and in the 21st of that King, I find Edmund Salle, Roger Framingham, and William Spink, to be monks in this cell.

William Bexwell occurs prior in 1505, and had the lete; Edmund Drake, alias Norwich, a monk there, was prior, and in 1538, made prebend of the 4th stall in the church of Norwich.—Richard de Eye, prior, A^o. 1st of Henry VI.—Thomas Hethyll A^o. 2d Edward IV. On the Dissolution it came to the Crown, and on the foundation of a dean and chapter at Norwich, by King Henry VIII. in 1538, was granted to them, and so continues.

In 1376, Sir Thomas Savage, Knt. was buried by the south porch in the churchyard of the priory church: all the monks except two, are at the Dissolution said to be desirous of being discharged.

The family of De Rosceline, had an interest in this town, William de Rosceline held here and in Whetacre a quarter of a fee, A^o. 20 of Henry III. of John de Marshal, (Baron of Rye, in right of Alice his wife, daughter and coheir of Hubert de Rye, the last heir male of that family,) by Lætitia his wife; he was father of Sir Thomas de Rosceline, who in the 53d of the said King, was querent in a fine, and William, son of Adam de Audeley, deforciant of a messuage and 40 acres of land here and in Whetacre, granted to Sir Thomas, who covenants to grant to William, for life, competent maintenance in eating and drinking, as one of his Esqs. and the like for his boy; to pay him besides yearly at Michaelmas, ad Jocalia sua emenda, with 2 robes, one of a mark price for William, and one of half a mark for the boy, and if Sir Thomas should die during William's life, then his heirs should pay 5 marks per ann. in full for the same; with a clause of distress in this lordship, and that of Northton; at this time the lord's bailiff would not suffer the King's bailiff to enter into this lordship; and in the 55th year had a grant of free warren and a weekly mercate and fair in this town.

In the 14th of Edward I. William Rosceline claimed the assise of his tenants, view of frank pledge, a gallows, and free warren; in the 26, he and Joan his wife, settled it on themselves and their heirs, having purchased a lordship of the prior of Norwich, in this town, A^o. 14; there being certain differences between the prior and Sir William, about the rights of common, the prior was allowed by Sir William, to take marle out of the great common of Aldeby, called Mekylheyth to marle his lands, by agreement, dated 1310; (fn. 6) to which Sir Robert Baynard, Walter de Bernham, Simon de Dalling, John de Inglose, were witnesses. This I mention to prove that this method and way of improving lands in this county of Norfolk, was then (so many years past) made use of.

Sir William Rosceline and Joan his wife in the 4th of Edward II. settled it on themselves for life; the remainder to William Marshall, Baron of Rye, and his heirs, by fine; and John le Marshall, his son, died lord, whose sister and heir, Hawise, brought it by marriage to Sir Robert Morley, who was lord in 1330; in this family it remained till Alianore, daughter and heir of Robert Lord Morley, (the last heir male of that family,) being married to William, younger son of William Lord Lovell of Tichmarsh, was Baron of Rye, and lord of this manor in her right, and died lord in 1475. Henry his son dying s. p. Alice, his only sister, wife of Sir William Parker, inherited it, and was baron of Rye, whose descendant, Edward Parker Lord Morley, Baron of Rye, was lord in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and conveyed it to his 2d son, Henry Parker of Hornby castle in Lincolnshire, Esq. After this it came to the Calthorps, and by an inquisition taken in 1637, Sir Henry Calthorp of Ampton in Suffolk, 2d son of Sir James Calthorp of Cockthorp in Norfolk, Knt. died seized of it; he was recorder of London, &c. and James was his son and heir, who possessed it in 1660, and James Calthorp, Esq. his son, in 1698; in the said family it remained in 1742.—This was called Alby-hall.

The tenths were 7l. 4s.—Deducted 2l. 4s.

The Church was dedicated to St. Mary, and appropriated by Bishop Herbert, to the priory of Norwich, being valued at 16 marks.

On a gravestone in the chancel,

In memory of Margaret, wife of Edmund Bendish, Gent. who died Sept. 26, 1681.

One,

In memory of William Wall, eldest son of Franc. Wall of Aldeby, Gent. he married Sybil, one of the daughters of Robert Davy of Ditchingham, and died June 23, 1685.

Here lyeth the body of John Denny, Gent. buried Feb. 11, 1680, in the grave of Sydrach Denny, Gent. his father, and Elizabeth his mother, and left John his only son.

John Baspole, Gent. buried in the church 1530, and Thomas Baspole in the south of isle, by his parents, A^o. 1551. This family had a lease of the priory manor.

The family of London lived here, and had a lease of it. Robert London, Gent. by Anne his wife, daughter of Henry Pay of Earsham, was father of Robert London, Esq. a justice of the peace, who by Margaret his wife, daughter of Nathaniel Knyvet, of Denver, Gent. was father of Robert London, who married Anne, daughter of—Philpot of London, and died s. p.; his 2d son was Nathaniel, who married Catherine, daughter of Richard Wythe of Brocdish in Norfolk, Gent. by whom he had Nathaniel, living in 1698.—Their arms were, argent, three cross crosslets in bend, between two cottises, gules.

In the church was a chapel dedicated to St. Furceus; offerings were made to this saint, and certain tithes belonged to it.

At the survey, we meet with a town, of which Ralph de Beaufoe was lord, called Thurketeliart, of which a freeman of Stigand was deprived; 2 carucates of land belonged to it, 12 borderers and 3 servi, and 2 carucates in demean, 2 among the tenants, 15 acres of meadow, a mill, &c. 120 sheep, 5 skeps of bees, and a church endowed with 20 acres, valued at 40d. 15 freemen belonged also to the lord and were under his protection, with 6 carucates and 6 acres of meadow, valued at 4l. before, and the same at the survey. (fn. 7)

This considerable village, as it appears to have been at the survey, is now quite destroyed, and, as I take it, the lands being near to Aldeburgh, are included therein, and are made part of the priory lands there, in the reign of Henry I. as is above observed.