Freebridge Hundred and Half: Anmere

ANMERE.

Orgar, a Saxon freeman, was the principal lord of this village, before the conquest, when being deprived of it, it was given to Eustachius Earl of Boulogne, in Normandy, who succeeded Orgar, also, in the lordships of Massingham Parva, in this hundred, and that of Frenge in the hundred of Docking, (or Smethden.) Eustachius was also lord of Witchingham, in the hundred of Einsford, of Neyland in that of Humbleyard, and of Thorp, in that of Depwade, and was probably son of Eustace Earl of Bologne, who married a sister of Edward the Confessor.

It contained two carucates of land, one villain, 6 borderers, 4 servi, &c. two carucates in demean, and half a one among the tenants, a fishery, the moiety of a salt-pit, &c. and was valued at 40s. per ann. Besides this, six freemen held of him one carucate of land, and 2 borderers, a carucate with a salt-pit, valued at 15s. and 4d. per ann. Eustace claimed those freemen by a grant from the Conqueror: the whole was one leuca long, and 5 furlongs broad, and paid 4½d. to a 20s. gelt; and there were 3 socmen who had 30 acres, who were delivered to Osmund, and one socman with 8 acres, valued at 5s. per ann. (fn. 1)

Osmond held it under Eustachius, and Wido Angevin after Osmund, being his nephew.

Out of this arose 2 lordships or manors, called afterwards Anmere Hall manor, and Bereford manor.

Anmere Hall.

In the 6th year of King Henry III. a fine was levied between Hervey, son of Richard de Dokking, querent, and Ralph Picot, impedient, of one carucate of land, in Anmere and Wolferton; viz. of all the land which Sayer de Biskele held of William Picol, father of Ralph, in the said towns, with one capital messuage, and the advowson of the church of Anemere, released to Hervey, to be held of Ralph, and his heirs, by 40s. yearly rent, and doing the service of one knight's fee. This Hervy (son of Richard de Dokking) being lord of Stanhow, assumed that surname. By 2 fines levied in the 9th of the said King, Hervey de Stanho being lord of a manor in Anemere, impleaded William Rustein, and Wymar, son of William, for customs and services due to him out of lands here, which were acknowledged to belong to Hervy; and in the 12th of that King, Ida, widow of Saer de Biskele, conveyed lands here to the said Hervey; but in the 24th year of the said King Henry, Hervey de Stanhow conveyed to Laurence de Flemen, and Maud his wife, several lands, with 3s. and 5d. rent here, and in Wolferton, acknowledging the same, with the advowson of this church, to be as a dower to the said Maud. (fn. 2) After this, in the reign of King Edward I. it came into the family of the Calthorps, as heirs to Sir Hervey de Stanhow; Sir Walter de Calthorp was lord in 1284; and in 1303, Sir William de Calthorp, Knt. presented as lord and patron to the church of Anmere; and in the 5th of Edward III. a fine was levied, whereby it was settled by Sir William de Calthorp of Burnham, on himself for life, remainder to Sir Walter his son, and Alice his wife in tail, after to Oliver and his other sons; and Sir Walter dying sans issue, it descended to Sir Oliver Calthorp, brother of Sir Walter, who presented to the church in 1374: this Sir Oliver built on the south side of this church, a chapel, wherein he founded a chantry, endowing it with 48 acres of land, in the town of Anmer, appointing one of the canons of the priory of Flitcham to officiate therein, and to pray for the souls of his ancestors, and his own; and the prior of Flitcham had a patent for it in the 45th of Edward III.

In 1420, the King presented to this church, on account of the minority of John, son of Sir William Calthorp; in 1432, William Calthorp, Esq. and in 1552, Elizabeth Parker, widow, which Elizabeth was daughter and heir of Sir Philip Calthorp, and married Sir Henry Parker, Knt. of the Bath, of Erwarton in Suffolk, who being afterwards married to William Wodehouse, Esq. they presented to this rectory in 1534, and 1560; and on his death, to Drue Drury, Esq. and they presented in 1567. In the 23d of Elizabeth, Sir Philip Parker had livery of it.

After this, Thomas Norris, Gent. was lord, and presented in 1624, and Cuthbert Norris, Esq. in 1678, who conveyed it (as I take it) to the Coldhams; James Coldham, Gent. was lord in 1705, and in this family it remains, James Coldham, Esq. a captain of the militia, being the present lord.

Bereford Manor.

Wido Angevin, who was ancestor of the family of the Thorps of Ashwell Thorp, was lord under Eustace: Sir Robert, his descendant, wrote himself sometimes de Massingham, and sometimes de Thorp, having lordships in those towns, and held seven fees with those in Anmere, &c. about the year 1200, of the honour of Bologne. In the 21st of Edward I. John de Bereford, and Sir Walter de Calthorp were found to hold one knight's fee here, &c. of William Pygot. (fn. 3) Robert de Bereford, in the 9th of Edward II. was lord. By the escheat rolls, of the 4th of Edward III. John, son of John de Cambridge, was found to hold a lordship in Anemere, of Robert de Thorp; and in the 20th of that King, by the inquisition then taken, John George is said to hold the manor which John de Bereford held.

In the 23d of Henry VI. John Scot and Henry Bataile, clerks, demised to Jerome Wodehouse, Esq. this manor, which they had of the feoffment of William Herford of Lenne, to him and the heirs of his body, remainder to his brothers, Thomas and John; and in the 21st of Edward IV. Richard Southwell, Robert Clere, and Bartholomew White, Esq. appointed Simon White, Robert Wodehouse, and Thomas Wodehouse, Gent. sons of John Wodehouse, Esq. their attornies, to receive their rents due to them from the manor of Bereford, late Jerome Wodehouse's, by deed, dated December 12. Afterwards, in 1496, Henry L'Estrange of Hunstanton died seized of it, as appears by his will; and in the 30th of Henry VIII. by a fine between Sir Thomas le Strange, Knt. John Wodehouse of Horsford, Gent. and Cecilia his wife, Francis Beding feld and Elena his wife, it was conveyed to Sir Thomas, with 10 messuages, and lands in Anmer, Dersingham, &c. and in the following year, Sir Thomas, and his Lady Anne, conveyed it to Thomas Houghton, clerk, and Thomas Houghton died lord in the 35th of that King; and Robert Houghton was then found to be his brother and heir; and George Houghton in 1570 was lord; after this, it came to the Norrises, and was joined to their other lordship, and so to the Coldhams.

William Earl Warren had also a little lordship, to which there belonged one carucate and a half of land, held by 4 borderers, which a free woman possessed in King Edward's time, and his predecessors had only the protection of her; it was valued at 5s. per ann. Wido abovementioned laid claim to this, as delivered to his uncle Osmund, and to the Earl Eustace, but William de Warren's men disseized them.

Part of this was held by the lords of Anmere Hall, and of Bereford; and John de Tithewell, and the heirs of John de Milham, were found to hold in the 20th of Edward III. the third part of a fee in this town, Snelesham, Sharnburne, &c. of the Earl Warren, which John de Thorp, and Alice his wife, formerly held; the heirs of John de Milham were his 2 daughters, Hawis and Elizabeth, who were in the ward of Sir John de Norwich, who held it under the Earl Warren.

The tenths of this town were 3l. 5s. 0d. Deducted 10s.

The Church of Anmere is dedicated to St. Mary.

In the chapel, (on the south side of the church,) built by Sir Oliver Calthorp, were his arms, checque, or and azure, a fess, ermine; also checque, or and gules, a fess, ermine, the old arms of Thorp; and azure, three crescents, argent, the arms of the Thorps.

In the chancel east window, barry of six, or and azure, a bend over all, gules, Stanhow.

In a window of the north side of the church, gules, a cross ingrailed, Ingaldesthorp.

The abbot of Creak's temporalities were, in 1428, valued at 44s. and 10d. per ann.

Rectors.

William de Anemere occurs 22d Edward I.

1303, Reginald de Waterden, by Sir William de Calthorp.

1317, William de Horsford. Ditto.

1327, William, son of Ralph de Irmingland, by Sir William de Calthorp.

1337, Thomas Machen de Hindelston. Ditto.

1349, John de Banyngham Ditto.

George Hoveden.

1374, Thomas Walrond, (on an exchange for Wroxhall Sar.) by Sir Oliver Calthorp.

1385, Hugh Woketon, (an exchange for Stretham Wint.) Ditto.

1388, John Langeton, (an exchange for Horwood Exon.) Ditto.

1420, William Notyngham, by the King, on the minority of John, son of Sir William Calthorp.

1432, Henry Notyngham, by William Calthorp, Esq.

1448, Richard Kygill. Ditto.

1466, John Coket, by Sir William Calthorp.

1472, John Danishall. Ditto.

1491, Roger Welle. Ditto.

1517, Thomas Houghton, by Sir Philip Calthorp, Knt.

1541, Thomas Moore, by the assignees of Philip Calthorp, Esq.

1544, John Watkinson, by ditto.

1552, Lancelot Thexton, A.M. (by Elizabeth Parker, widow,) prebend of Norwich.

1554, Edward Askewe, by William Woodhouse, and Elizabeth his wife.

1556, William Lion. Ditto.

1559, Thomas Howes, alias Athough. Ditto.

1560, John Skelton. Ditto.

1567, Richard Parry, by Druo Drury, Esq. and the Lady Elizabeth Woodhouse, his wife.

1624, Edmund Norris, by Thomas Norris of Anmere, Gent.

1635, John Parvish. Ditto.

1647, William Selby.

Thomas Disciplin occurs rector, 1662.

1678, John Warde, by Cuthbert Norris, Esq.

1705, William Gay, by Henry Eglinton, assignee of James Coldham of Anmere.

1707, Joseph Furse, by James Coldham.

1709, William Houghton. Ditto.

1748, Charles Buckle, by Charles Buckle, Esq. hac vice.

Ancient valor of this church was 12 marks, Peter-pence 8d. The present valor 9l. and is discharged of first fruits, &c.

License to sell the lead of the chancel, and cover the same with tile, October 25, 1692.

Concealed lands here, in the tenure of Jeffrey Cobbe, being 9 acres belonging to the late priory of Westacre, were granted April 4, in the 3d of Elizabeth, to Sir George Howard, Knt