Holt hundred: Hunworth

HUNWORTH

Was a beruite to the King's manor of Holt; to it belonged 3 socmen with 16 acres, an acre of meadow, one carucate and a mill, valued in King Edward's reign at 40d. at the survey at 11s. and was one leuca and 2 furlongs long, and half a leuca broad, and paid 12d. gelt, whoever was lord of it. (fn. 1)

It is worthy of our observation here, to consider what advantages the Normans, on the conquest, made of their lands, to what an excessive price and value they raised them, and in so short a space of time; as in the instance here before us, that which produced but 40d. per ann. was raised to 11s. and that in the space of 20 years, and probabably much less, all which was done to oppress the tenants of every degree, most of which were the English, and the example set (as here) by the Conqueror himself.

Worth, betokens its site to be where 2 rivers meet and unite; and Hun, probably, was a name of one of them, a name frequently met with in this county, &c.

Ralph de Havile had lands here in grand serjeanty, for keeping the King's hawks in the reign of Richard I.

After this, it was possessed by the family of de Povere, and in the 14th of King John, a fine was levied between Roger le Povere and Beatrix his wife, and Isabella de Stodey, of 30 acres of land in Ditton, with a mill in Huneworth, called Sherehung, (fn. 2) held by the service of 5s. per ann. and a pound of pepper, of the priory of Norwich, by which Roger and his wife had the mill, and Isabel and her son, Geffrey, the land.

Ditton was a place or hamlet near to Huneworth, as it seems. Gerard, prior of Norwich, granted to Hamon, clerk of Stodey, land at Dittune, which was late Ralph Passelew's, to be held by 5s. per ann.

This land was granted to the church by Ralph Passelew, and confirmed by Pope Alexander III. in 1176.

Robert le Povere had a grant of free warren in the 51st of Henry III. and in the 16th of Edward I. Roger le Povere was found to hold here and in Holt, a knight's fee of Sir John de Vaux. Sir John le Povere, in 25th of that King, conveyed to Thomas de Briston certain messuages, mills, and lands here, and in Stody; and in the following year, by his deed, dated at Stodey, on Sunday next after the feast of St. Luke, to Peter de Birston, parson of Bodham, one acre of land, with the advowson of of this church. These Povers seem to be the same family with the Perers.

In the 9th of Edward II. Thomas de Birston, and Edmund de Stodey, were returned to be lords; and Thomas de Birston presented to the church as lord, in 1318, as did John de Stodey, in 1349, and 1362, but in the year 1378, John de Lndham presented; in 1385, John de Blakeney: and in 1395, Simon Baret, as lords.

For this knowledge we are obliged to the institution books at Norwich, having no other record to assist us, books of inestimable value, great antiquity, well kept and preserved, consisting of above 40 volumes in folio.

In 1414, the Lady Catharine Braunch presented; and the said Lady, relict of Sir — Braunch, held it in the 3d of Henry IV. In this family the lordship continued some years; Robert Braunch, Esq. presented in 1474, and was living at Stodey, and witness to the will of Henry Daniel of Appleton, in October, 1498; and John Braunch, Esq. presented by his assigns to the church of Stodey, in 1534.

Soon after it was in the Bozuns, and John Bozun, Esq. presented to the church of Stodey, of which town he was lord, and of this, in 1551.

Robert Bozune, Esq. his son, inherited it, and conveyed to Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper, who presented to this church in 1585.

It remained in this family till Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart. of Garboldesham, that last heir male of the family, sold it to Edmund Britiff, Esq. with Stodey.—Robert Britiff, Esq. was lord and patron in 1742, and it came to the Earl of Buckingham, who married the daughter and heir of Britiff.

Alan Earl of Richmond had a lordship at the survey, which was held in King Edward's time by Alestan: there belonged to it 30 acres of land, 8 villains, paunage for 111 swine, half an acre of meadow, 2 mills, and 2 carucates; the whole was valued under Saxthorp, and Ribald held it of Alan. (fn. 3)

In the 3d of Henry IV. the heirs of Peter Jecks were found to hold the fourth part of a fee of the Lord Mowbray.

Thomas Fincham, by his will, dated March 1, 1550, died lord of this manor; soon after it came to Sir Nicholas Bacon, who is said to be lord of the manor of Harthill's, sometime Fincham's, and so was united to the other lordship, as will appear.

The manor of Letheringset extended into this town. Walter Giffard Earl of Bucks had 60 acres belonging to his lordship of Letheringset, to which there belonged in the time of King Edward, when Oslak was lord, 2 carucates, at the survey but one, with an acre of meadow, a mill, and the moiety of another, valued at 10s. (fn. 4)

The tenths of this town, with that of Stodey, were 4l. 12s. Deducted 1l. 0s. 0d.

The Church of Hunworth is dedicated to St. Laurence, and is a rectory; the old valor was 6 marks, and Peter-pence 7d. The present valor is 4l.

Rectors.

1301, William de Ingham instituted, presented by Peter de Birston.

1318, Jeffrey Murden, by Thomas de Birston, Margery his wife, and William his son.

1349, William de Stodey, by John de Stodey, citizen of London.

1349, John Atte Parke. Ditto.

1361, Geffrey de Horningtoft. Ditto.

1362, Robert de Stodey. Ditto.

1378, Thomas Sandrers, by John de Ludham.

1385, William Wardeboys, by John de Blakeney.

1395, John Hawnyle, by Simon Barret.

Nicholas Essex, rector.

1414, Richard Barnham, by Lady Catharine Braunche.

1430, William Mason, by John Braunch, Esq.

1474, William Elys, by Robert Braunch, Esq.

1511, Robert Atkinson.

1511, John Lodge.

Edward Scales, rector.

1569, Mart. Claxton, by Robert Bozune, Esq.

1585, Thomas Banks, by Sir Nicholas Bacon.

1593, William Armstead. Ditto.

1610, Christopher Pearte. Ditto.

William Armstead, rector.

Nicholas Pendlebury, rector, in 1613.

1625, Richard Pyle, by Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart.

1654, John Gryle, by Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart.

1710, William Sutton, by Mary Piggot, widow.

1719, John Rust, by Robert Britiff, Esq.

1721, Benn. Harvey, by Ed. Britiff.

1761, John Green, by the Earl of Buckingham.

Here was the guild of St. Laurence; our Lady, and St. Nicholas's lights; the chapel of our Lady in this church, mentioned in 1376.

In the chancel were the arms of Bozun, impaling L'Estrange and Hastings quarterly, and Braunch, argent, a lion saliant, bruised, with a bendlet, sable, crest, a cock's head, azure, combed, and issuing out of a coronet, or, on a wreath, argent, and gules.—Burston's, Heydon, Ufford, and Beke, quarterly, and Bardolf.

Under'a fair gravestone was buried Edmund Braunche and Ann Calthorpe his wife, with their arms. as Weaver says. (fn. 5)

The temporalities of the Lazars at Chosele, were 22d.; of Waborne, 14d.