Launditch Hundred: Gateley

GATELEY

Was in Edward's time the lordship of Bund, a thane or freeman, and granted by the Conqueror to Hugh de Montfort: there belonged to it in Bund's time 4 carucates of land, 23 villains, 1 servus, and 30 acres of meadow, 2 carucates in demean, and at the survey 4 carucates amongst the tenants, &c. 17 goats, and 5 socmen, with 30 acres of land, and 4 of meadow, with a carucate, &c. valued then at 4l. per ann.; it was half a leuca long, and broad, and paid 10d. gelt, (fn. 1) and Ralf held it under Hugh, a Norman lord, and chief justiciary of England.

Ralph, who held under Hugh de Montfort, the capital lord, was (as I take it) ancestor of the family of De Gatele, lords of this village. Godfrey de Lisewys, who lived in the reign of Henry II. sold lands in this town to Herlewyn, son of William de Gatele, and Thomas, son of Herlewyn of Gatelee, by deed sans date gave to the church of the Holy Trinity of Norwich all his land which he held in capite of Robert Scales, as well by knight's service, as in soccage, by the fifth part of a fee. paying 2s. ward per ann. to Dover castle, and 14d. for soccage; (fn. 2) and the said Thomas, by another deed dated at Norwich 1244, gave to the said church 14 acres of land, &c. in the field of Colekyrke. Edmund de Gatele is said to lord be in the 20th of Henry III. Sir Ralph de Gatele, Knt. confirmed, by deed sans date, to the church of the Holy Trinity of Norwich, all the land which Thomas son of Herlewyn, held of him, paying to him and his heirs 5s. 1d. and for common pasture in the whole village of Gateley one pound of pepper yearly, on the nativity of our Lord; and Alan, son of William de Helgheton, confirmed to the said church, all the land which Thomas, son of Herlewin de Gatele, held of his fee in Gatele, and the said Sir Ralph confirmed the rents granted by William de Kirkeby to the aforesaid church.

In the 36th of Henry III. the jury find that Sir Ralph de Gatele held this lordship in capite, with the advowson of the church of the castle of Dover, by the service of two knights fees, and that Ralph, was his son and heir, who then paid 10l. relief for all the lands he held in capite; he was also a knight, and sold by fine levied in the 44th of Henry III. to Sir Richard de la Rokele, two parts of this manor, held by two fees, and the reversion of the 3d part on the decease of Agnes, widow of Sir Ralph, his father, for 100s. Agnes being present in court, acknowledged that she had no other claim but by way of dower, also all that which John the chaplain of Gateley, Elizabeth de Gateley his daughter, and what Maud and Prudence (Sir Ralph's sisters, who were recluses) held for life in that town, or elsewhere, performing the services due to the chief lord of the fee: but by an inquisition taken in the 3d of Edward I. it was found that Sir Richard bought it of Sir Edmund de Gateley.

Sir Richard de la Rokele was lord of Colkirk also, and Maud, the heiress of this family, brought both these lordships by marriage, in the reign of Edward I. to Sir Roger Atte-Ash, and so they descended to the Baynards, the Thorps, Tilney, Bourchier, Knevet, Hare, &c. as may be seen in Colkirk.

Richard Warner, Esq. died lord 1757.

When Robert Baynard died seized of it in the 4th of Edward III. it was found that he held it of Isabel, Queen Dowager of England, as of her manor of Hawley in Suffolk, by the service of two knights fees, and paying 20s. per ann. castle-guard to Dover; that there was a capital messuage of no value above the reparations, six score acres of arable land at 3d. per acre, six acres of meadow, valued at 6s. per ann. 3 acres of coppice wood, valued at 6 years growth at 40d. per acre, a windmill very ruinous at 5s. per ann. rent of assise payable at Christmass, Easter, and St. Michael, 40s. the winter works of the customary tenants valued at 20d. the price of every work an halfpenny, 15 summer works valued at 15d.; one hundred autumn works valued at 8s. 4d.; thirty days works in digging of turf or flags (opera turbaria) valued at 15d.; 50 hens at Christmas 4s. 2d. each 1d.; pleas and perquisites of court lete, valued at half a mark per ann.

In the 1st of Henry VII. this manor and lands alone were farmed at 10l. per ann.

William de Lisezy's manor of South Rainham, (fn. 3) held of the honour of Hawley, also extended into this town: the said William, with the consent of Godfrey his son and heir, gave to God and the monks of Castleacre, for the soul of his father and mother, himself, his wife and children, all the tithe of his assart lands, woods, and 2 acres of his demeans in Gatele, to erect buldings on all the tithe of the land which he gave to Symon the priest of Gatele, for which grant the monks promised to keep yearly the anniversary of his father, mother, and his own, after his decease; and Godfrey de Lisewys granted to Herlewyn, son of William de Gatele, for 2 marks, all the land late Acelnod's in Gatele, of his fee, paying 14d. per ann. for all services; he also granted to the said Herlewyn all his inclosed park here belonging to his fee of Reinham, to be held by the fourth part of a fee, on his paying of 100s. to him, and one talent to his wife: by this it appears that a talent then was under 100s. and I also find it to be under 6 marks at that time.

This fee came after to the Scales. Robert, son of Sir Robert de Scales, held it in 1280, and then conveyed by fine a messuage, 140 acres of land, 3s. 4d. rent here, in pure alms to William de Kirkby, the prior, &c. of Norwich, who received him into all the benefits of his church; (fn. 4) and their temporalities here in 1428, were valued at 3l. 12s. 4d. per ann. the family of Scales held also lands in the 6th of Edward III. by knight's service.

William de Beaufoe Bishop of Thetford had in his own right and inheritance in this town, a small part of a fee, held under him by a freeman, viz. 6 acres, valued at 6d. per ann. and was in King Edward's time possessed by Bonde, a freeman, the predecessor of Hugh de Montfort: Erfast Bishop of Norwich had invaded or seized on this, and Beaufoe thereupon kept it, but the soc was in Mileham. (fn. 5)

This was afterwards given by Bishop Beaufoe to the see, for ever, and so became a part of the manor of Colkirk, which belonged also to this bishoprick.

Peter de Valoins had also a small fee in this town held under him by Ralph, consisting of 2 socmen, with 34 acres of land: the predecessor of Hugh de Montfort had the soc of one, or right of foldage or sheep walk, and protection, but the soc of the other was in the King's lordship of Muleham: Peter had livery of these socmen, and 2 acres and an half of meadow belonged to it, valued in all at 20s. (fn. 6)

This Ralph abovementioned was ancestor of the family of de Gatele, as I have above observed, and his posterity enjoying it, it was united to his capital lordship. It appears that William de Breton, who was lord of Pattesley, a neighbouring village, and Roger de Breton, &c. were trustees, and settled this manor on Lucia, daughter and heir of Sir Roger Atte-Ashe (married to Robert Baynard) in the reign of Edward II. from whom it came to the Thorps, &c.

In ancient writings I find a place called Colynesnapp, or Tollesnape, said to be in this parish.

The tenths were 2l. 13s. 4d.—Deduct 3s. 4d.—Rem. 2l 10s.

The temporalities of Petreston priory in 1428, 2s.; Langley abbey 4s.; Westacre priory 11s.; Castleacre priory 22s.

Sir Richard de la Rokele gave to that priory 5 acres of land at the request of his master, William de Heliona.

Sir Ralph de Gateley, son of Sir Ralph de Gateley, Knt. granted, as lord and patron, to William, abbot of St. Mary de Pratis of Creak several parcels of land, with the advowson of the church of St. Helen's of Gateley, his brother Sir John confirming the same by deed sans date. Pope Alexander granting license to appropriate it to the said abbey, Simon Wanton Bishop of Norwich confirmed it, and ordained a vicarage to consist in the following things:—all the altarage, tithe hay, heath, or turbary, the tithes arising from the little closes belonging to the houses, 6 acres of arable land, a messuage, and 8 perches in length and breadth, in Serjeant's Croft; the abbot and convent to have all the rest of the profits as rectors, and they to sustain all episcopal and archdiaconal expenses, but all extraordinary charges to be sustained by the religious, and the vicar, according to proportion; the abbot and convent to have the presentation of the vicarage; dated at Thornage, the Ides of February 1264, in the 7th year of his pontificate.

The prior of Castleacre released to Thomas, the abbot of Creke, 6s. 8d. rent per ann. for two parts of the tithes of the land here, called Tollesnape, &c. there being a controversy between the abbot and the rector of Colkirk for tithes of several parcels of land in Shortland Longland, Wyswong, &c. some were adjudged to the rector, and some to the abbot in 1315. (fn. 7)

It appears that the 6s. 8d. above released, was due for tithe of land given by Godfrey de Lisewys, and dated in 1324. (fn. 8)

The appropriate I rectory was valued at 26 marks, the vicarage at 6 marks, Peter-pence od. and the vicarage now at 3ls. 2s. 7d. At the dissolution of Creke abbey it came to the Crown, (which was before the general dissolution of religious houses,) in the 22d year of King Henry VII. who then gave the abbey, with all its possessions, to his mother, the Countess of Richmond, who in the following year granted the same to Christ college in Cambridge, then founded by her.

Vicars.

1306, Robert de Chevere, presented by the abbot, &c. of Creke.

1330, Edmund de Beretone. Ditto.

1334. Ralph de Wortham. Ditto.

1383, Robert Sewstere. Ditto.

John Jakes, vicar.

1417, Thomas Ermelyn. Ditto.

1417, Thomas Bose.

1418, John Burton. Ditto.

1423, John Fox Ditto.

1429, William Fuller. Ditto.

1432, Geff. Spyrk. Ditto.

1433, Thomas Alyson, the Bishop by lapse.

1448, William Wyndell, by the abbot of Creik.

1464, John Stanhow, canon, by the Bishop, a lapse.

1485, Thomas Lenne, canon. Ditto.

1520, Thomas Thompson, by the Master and Fellows of Christ college.

1530, Nicholas Appulby. Ditto.

1554, George Rishton. Ditto.

1561, John Howet. Ditto.

1718, Ralph Anesley, on the death of Robert Withers.

1723, Thomas Atherton, by Christ college.

1732, Thomas Cartwright. Ditto.

1733, Thomas Harwell. Ditto.

1740, Hugh Thomas. Ditto.

1750, Charles Dix. Ditto.

1759, Mr. Joseph Gosling.

The vicar is discharged of first-fruits and tenths.

In the church was the guild of St. Helen, to whom the church was dedicated.

Gat gives name to Gatewick, and Gat in Sussex, Gatton in Surry, on the river Gat.