Gallow and Brothercross Hundreds: Tatersete

TATERSETE,

So called, as being seated on a rivulet, or stream, called anciently the Tat, and Gat; of this kind and derivation, is Taterford, Tatenhal, and Tatton, in Cheshire, Tatwell, and Tatershall, in Lincolnshire, &c. In ancient writings, it is frequently wrote Tatersete, alias Gatesend.

Remerus held it under the Earl Warren, the capital lord at the survey; Toke, a great Saxon thane, being deprived of it on the conquest. Fifteen bordarers, and one servus belonged to it, with one carucate in demean, and one carucate, and an acre of the men, 2 mills, &c. there were then two churches, with 40 acres, and 14 socmen held 69 acres; there were six bordarers, with 2 carucates, and an acre of meadow, then valued at 10s. at the survey at 60s. it was half a leuca long, and 4 furlongs broad, and paid 13d. gelt. (fn. 1)

Remerus seems to be the ancestor of the family of De Pinkenye, lords of this town. Ralph de Pencheneia confirmed to the monks of Castleacre the church of St. Andrew, in this town, with the tenement which they held the day they received his father and mother into their church, (to be buried, as I take it,) and gave an acre and an half of his own gift, by deed, sans date, in the reign of Henry II. as it seems.

Pinkeny's Manor.

William de Pinkeni, by deed, sans date, confirmed to Ralph, the priest, his kinsman, son of Hugh Ruffus, and to his brother John, the lands which his grandfather William, and father Ralph, had given them here. Ralph was to pay quarterly 4s. for this land, and 16d. when the scutage was at 20s. and once in the year to attend on, and ride out with, William, at his charge, and to perform 3 days work yearly with his cart, but to have provision then found him, and for one man for 3 days service in harvest.

In the 9th of King John, William Pynkeny sued Ralph, the priest, for giving lands here to Coxford priory: Ralph pleads, that he held them freely; William said, he held in villenage, and that he had sold one of his sisters for 4s.; but Ralph producing the deeds and grants of William, it appeared that he held them freely, and so it was determined.

Sir William de Pynkeny de Thatersett confirmed to William, son of Richard de Anglo, (that is English,) by deed, sans date, a croft:— witnesses, Sir Thomas de Begevile, Knt. John de Sengham. The seal to this deed is of green wax;—a crescent and a decrescent in chief, with one crescent in base.

Hugh de Pinkeny held in the 34th of Henry III. a knight's fee, and was not a knight: and John de Pinkeny was lord in the 10th of Edward II. and, in the 13th of that King, the said John was querent in a fine, and Thomas de Pinkeny, and Catherine his wife, deforciant, of 10 messuages, a mill, 106 acres of land, 3 of meadow, 2 of moor, and 11s. 8d. rent here, and in Sengham, settled on Thomas and Catherine, who granted an annuity of 60s. per ann. to John.

James de Pynkeney was lord in the 9th and 15th of Edward III. About this time, several of this family had an interest here. In the 19th of that King, Sir Hugh Peverel, &c. settled, as trustees, this manor, with that of Brunsthorp, on James de Pynkeney, and Joan his wife, in tail, remainder to Hugh their son, and Isabel his wife, in tail. (fn. 2) In the 3d of Richard II. Catherine Brews, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas de Norwich, a nun, at Dertford, in Kent, was found to hold one fee here, and in Sengham.

After this, it was possessed in part, (and the Dynnes, as I shall show,) by Sir Robert Knolles, who settled it on his college or hospital of Pontefract, as in Sculthorp; and, on the dissolution of that house, was granted, May 17, in the 3d of Edward VI. to Sir William Fermor, and Sir Richard Fulmerston; and Sir William Fermor died seized of this manor, with that of Begevile's, Lucy's, &c. in this town, in 1558; and Thomas Fermor, his nephew, had livery of them, who, in the 16th of Elizabeth, had license to convey them to Thomas Grave, Gent. with two fold-courses, &c. frank pledge, and the advowson of the church.

This Thomas Grave was a merchant of King's Lynn, and mayor of that town in 1567, 1574, and 1584, descended probably from William Grave of this town, who granted, in the 2d of Henry IV. a messuage here to John Scory, and Catharine his wife; and Nicholas Grave of Catfield had lands here in the 20th of Henry VII.

Catharine, daughter and heir of Thomas Grave, brought it by marriage to Henry Vilet of King's Lynn, merchant, and mayor in 1590, and 1599: Henry was son and heir of Richard Vylet, who died at his house in Thames-street, London, July 5, 1578, and was buried in the church of St. Buttolph's Billingsgate, by Dorothy his wife, daughter of Richard Herdman of Worcestershire, Gent. and brother to Robert, Richard, and Mary, who married Henry Pettit, Gent. of Kent.

Henry, by Catharine his wife, was father of Grave Vilet of Pinkeny-hall, Esq. who, by Jane, daughter of William Butts, of Shouldham-Thorp, Esq. and Jane his wife, daughter of — Cocket of Brunsthorp, had Thomas Violet, his son and heir; who, on an inquisition taken October 12, in the 6th year of Charles I. was found to die seized of the manors of Pinkneys, alias Tatersete, Begevile's, Luces, Morehall, and Wiskin's, in this town; and William was his son and heir, aged 17, by Susan his wife, daughter of William Thoresby, Esq. —Grave Violet, son of Thomas, married Frances, daughter of John Brown, of Brisley, Gent.

George Violet, Esq. was the last heir male of this family, and left, by Frances, several daughters and coheirs; Diana, married to Sir Robert Drury, Bart. who died without issue; Anne, married to Charles Wright, Esq. of Kilverstone, and Frances, to John Harris, Esq. of Burnham. The lady Diana Drury died possessed of this town in 17—, and then it came to the Wrights of Kilverstone, and John Wright, rector of Euston, is the present lord.—Sir Richard de Beggevile was witness to a deed, sans date, of William, son of Hugh de Pynkeney, of lands; as was Sir Thomas de Begevile to a deed of William de Pynkeney, and Thomas, son of Thomas de Begevyle, released to William de Hyndringham of Taterset, and Margaret his wife, and their heirs, his right in lands here, in the 6th of Edward II. —Witnesses, Sir Thomas de Snetterton, John de Helgeton, John de Paveley, Thomas de Anglo, &c.

Ralph Messanger of Harleston, by his will, dated February 16, 1417, appoints that his manor of Begeviles, Lucies, &c. with his lands and tenements in Littleport, in the isle of Ely, should be in the hands of his executors, to enfeoff therein William his son and heir, when he was of age; and if his son died before, then to be sold by his executors, and the money to be disposed of in pious uses.

In 1493, John Dynne of Heydon, died seized of the manor of Pinkney-hall, or Taterset, with those of Begevile, Lucys, &c. as did Henry Dynne, Esq. in 1517, and his son Robert conveyed them to Sir William Fermor, November 20, in the 1st of Edward VI. whose nephew, Thomas Fermor, sold them to Thomas Grave, Gent. and so became united to the aforementioned manor.

Walter de Calthorp held the 3d part of a fee in this town of the Earl Warren, in the reign of Henry III. and in the 20th of Edward III. it was in the same family.

In the reign of Henry III. Roger de Aylesham held the 3d part of a fee, and Hamon de Pinkeney, and Alice his wife, held of Roger de Aylsham and Joan his wife, by one knight's fee, a capital messuage, a watermill, &c. valued at 3l. 10s. per ann. in the 33d of Edward I. John de Hyndringham, and Idonea his wife, held this in the 20th of Edward III. John de Hyndringham, in right of his wife, Symon Payn, and Thomas Atte Ganock, held in Tatersete and Sengham one fee of the Earl Warren, and paid suit of court at Sculthorp. (fn. 3)

John de Helgeton had the 3d part of a fee in the reign of Henry III. and one of the same name held it in the 20th of Edward III.

The prior of Coxford had a manor here; and their temporalities in this town, and Brunsthorp, were valued, in 1428, at 6l. 6s. 8d.; 78 acres of land, with a fold-course, were let, 7°. Henry VIII. by the prior, to Henry Fermer of East-Barsham. This was granted May 9, by King Henry VIII. in his 29th year, to Thomas Duke of Norfolk.

The prior of Castleacre had also lands here, with tenements, &c. in the 3d of Henry IV. and in the 7th of Henry VIII. he held a messuage, and 20 acres, by knight's service. This seems to be what was called the manor of Lucys.

Concealed lands granted to John Herbert, and Andrew Palmer, September 22, in the 17th of Elizabeth.

The tenths were 6l. 10s.—Deducted 18s.—Lete fee to the lord of the hundred, 4s.