Blofield Hundred: Poswick

POSWICK.

This town, before the conquest, was divided into several parts, or fees, and held by different persons; Escul, a freeman, had in King Edward's reign 2 carucates of land, 6 villains, 9 bordarers, and 2 servi; a carucate and a half in demean, with 3 carucates among the tenants, paunage for 40 swine, 15 acres of meadow, a mill, 3 runci, 15 cows, &c. with a church endowed with 20 acres, valued at 2s.

Catton was a beruite belonging to this town, with 30 acres of land, and 3 bordarers, with half a carucate among them, 5 oxen, 5 acres of meadow, valued then at 40s. but at the survey at 4l. when Eudo, the sewer, was lord.

Ratho, a freeman, held in the said reign a carucate of land, 3 villains, 5 bordarers, and one servus, there was a carucate in demean, and half a one among the tenants, &c. and 8 acres of meadow; two socmen had also 4 acres of land valued then at 20s. and at the survey at 40s.

Calp, a freeman, had also in King Edward's reign a carucate of land, 3 villains, one carucate in demean, half a one among the tenants, &c. 8 acres of meadow valued then at 15s. but at the survey at 40s.; the whole town was one leuca long, half a one broad, paid 13d. ob. gelt; Lisiws or Leswi had all these fees united and made one manor, before Eudo, who succeeded him therein, and was lord at the survey. In King Edward's time, the soc and sac belonged to the hundred, but Eudo held them at the survey. (fn. 1)

This Eudo was sewer, or steward, of the Conqueror's household, who granted the abovementioned fees, united into one lordship, to him, who was a Norman, fourth son of Hubert de Rie; of whom see in Swanton Morley. (fn. 2) How long Eudo enjoyed it does not appear, but it came, we find, to the descendants and heirs of his 2d brother, Hubert de Rya, governor of Norwich castle; whose grandson, (as I conceive,) Hubert de Rya, dying in the 18th of Henry II. without issue male, left 2 daughters and coheirs, Oliva, and Isabel; this last married Roger de Cressi, after the death of her first husband, Jeffrey de Chester.

Besides this lordship, Eudo had, by the gift of the Conqueror, in the hundred of Shorpham-Rockland, Shropham, Roudham, and Bretenham manors;—in Walsham hundred, Tunstal;—in Humbleyard hundred, Intwood.

Roger de Cressi had in right of Isabel his wife 17 fees and a half, being the moiety of the barony of Rye; by Isabel he had 2 sons, Hugh de Cressi the eldest, who died about the 47th of Henry III. sans issue, and Stephen de Cressi, who also dying without issue, the said King granted this lordship as an eschaet, to William de Valentia, and Joan his wife: William was brother, by his mother, to King Henry III. and Joan was daughter of William (sister and heir to her brother, William) de Montchensy, a great baron of this realm. In the 3d of Edward I. William de Valentia Earl of Pembroke was found to have the lete, and assise, &c. and was succeeded herein by his son, Adomare Earl of Pembroke, who dying sans issue, it descended to Joan, (one of the daughters and coheirs of John Comyn, lord of Badenagh in Tyndale, by Joan his wife, sister and coheir of Adomare,) who being married to David de Strabolgi Earl of Athol, had livery of it on March 27, in the 19th of Edward III. in which family it remained till on the death of David de Strabolgi Earl of Athol, or of Athels, in Scotland, it came to his two daughters and coheirs, Elizabeth, and Philippa.

In the 47th of Edward III. Henry Earl of Northumberland gave the King 760l. to have the custody of the Castle of Milford, &c. in Northumberland, and of the 2 daughters aforesaid of David.—Elizabeth was married to Sir Thomas Percy; and Philippa, to Sir Ralph Percy, two younger sons of Henry Earl of Northumberland.

On a division of the estate, this lordship was assigned to her: she remarried Sir John Halsham of West Greynsted, in Sussex; and in the 19th of Richard II. it was found that John, son of Sir John, was heir to this lordship, in right of Philippa his mother.

Sir Hugh Halsham died possessed of it in the 20th of Henry VI. and Joan (daughter and heir of Richard Halsham his late brother) was his heir. This Richard had been a Celestin monk at Paris, but quitted his order, and married; Joan, their daughter and heir, brought it by marriage to John Lewknor, Esq. of Gring, in Sussex, with the lordships of Filby, Stiveky, West Lexham, and Holkam, and was sold by the feoffees of the said John Lewknor, and Joan, to Sir Jeff. Boleyn of Blickling, alderman, &c. of London.

In the 34th of Henry VIII. Sir James Bulleyn had license to alienate it to Henry Ward, Esq. (fn. 3) whose son Edward died possessed of it in 1583: and Sir Randal Ward, Bart. of Bixley, died lord in 176-, leaving Susan his sister and heir, who after married the Earl of Rosebury, in Scotland.

Under the invasions, we find that Eudo, the sewer, had at the survey, 2 freemen's lands, which they held in King Edward's reign, (whom Eudo's predecessor, Liswi, had seized on,) and were under the protection of Escule, being 60 acres, and a carucate, and 8 acres of meadow, valued at the survey, with its services, at 2s. but before at 5s. (fn. 4) This was joined to the other manors, or fees.