Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/104

 A HISTORY OF SURREY

��manor to Sir Bryan Stapilton, kt., with remainder after his death to James Fiennes, afterwards Lord Say," who was in possession of it in 1450, when he was executed by Cade's mob. 51 His lands fell to the king, who bestowed Witley on his brother Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, in 1453." On the accession of Edward IV, the Earl of Pembroke was attainted and forfeited his lands to the king, 63 who granted Witley to the Earl of Kent in tail male, 54 and at the earl's death without heirs male in January 14623 to George, Duke of Clarence," his ill-fated brother. 16 On the duke's execution Witley was again seized by the Crown, the stewardship of the manor being granted in 1478 to Sir George Brown, kt., for life." Jasper Tudor's attainder was reversed in 1485 ; probably he regained Witley. At ,his death in 1495 Henry VII was his heir. Again in 1 5 1 1 the stewardship of the manor was given to William Fitz William and William Cope, and in 1527 to Sir William Fitz William and Sir Anthony Browne.* 8 The demesne lands were held in 1 547-9 by Thomas Jones," son of Thomas, Server of the Chamber to Henry VIII (buried in the church), the manorial rights being reserved to the Crown. 60

In 1551 the manorial rights and the park were given in exchange for other lands to Edward Fiennes, Lord Clinton and Say, 61 who almost immediately con- veyed them to Sir Richard Sackville, Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations.* 1 The latter conferred the stewardship on William More of Loseley. 63 Queen Mary evidently resumed the manor. 64 In 1599 Queen Elizabeth sold the whole manor and park together with courts leet and baron to trustees for Elizabeth Egerton, widow of Sir John Wolley and sister of Sir George More, 65 her favourite maid of honour. Her son Sir Francis Wolley sold it in 1605 to Sir George More his uncle, 66 who in 1613 sold the park to his brother-in-law Sir Edward More, 67 and the manor to Henry Bell of Rake. 68 It was settled on his great-nephew Anthony Smith the younger. 69 It descended in the Smith family till it passed by the marriage of Philip Carteret Webb in 1763 with Mary Smith '" to his family. Mr. Robert William Webb of Milford House sold the manor to Mr. Whitaker

��Wright of Lea Park. Since his death part of the waste has been acquired by trustees, to preserve the open ground for public enjoyment, 71 and other parts separately sold. Mr. G. H. Pinckard of Combe Court bought the quit-rents of the manor.

The lords of Witley seem to have had a PARK park there early in the I3th century," but it is not specially mentioned in the grants of the manor till after April 1247, when Peter of Savoy obtained free warren in his demesne lands of Witley. 73 In 1303 the profits of the park amounted to 33*. 5</., 74 and ten years later Queen Margaret sent five oaks from her park at Witley for making shingles to cover the king's great hall at Westminster. 75 Early in the following year Queen Margaret made complaints against certain persons who had broken several of her parks, including Witley,' 6 and a similar petition was made by Queen Isabella in 1329." In the grant to Mundina Danos in 1378 vert and venison in the park were reserved to the king, while the grantee undertook to pay the parker his wages of ^d. a day. 78 Amongst the charges brought against the tenants of the manor by Mundina Danos and her husband was that of breaking into their warren, 79 while they claimed free warren in the lands of bond-tenants as well as in their demesne lands. 80 Frequent appointments to the office of keeper occur in the Patent Rolls, sometimes in conjunction with that of Ashurst Park. In 1514 Thomas Jones (Johns) and his son Robert had a grant of the office of keeper in survivorship. 61 Sir William Fitz William and Sir Anthony Browne were made masters of the hunt at Witley when they obtained the stewardship of the manor, 8 * but in the survey of Witley Manor dated I 547 Thomas Jones was said to be custodian of the park, which was 6 miles in circuit. 83 It was not always included in the leases of the demesne lands, but in May 1596 was granted in farm to Elizabeth Wolley, Francis her son, and George More her brother, 84 and finally sold to Elizabeth Wolley with the manor, with which it descended till 1613. Sir George More then sold to his brother-in-law, Sir Edward, grounds called Witley Park, which he had

��w> Pat. 21 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 18.

51 Chan. Inq. p.m. 29 Hen. VI, no. n.

sa Pat. 3 I Hen. VI, pt. ii, m. 26. The manor was first granted to Edmund, Earl of Richmond, and the Earl of Pembroke for twelve years, and a few months afterwards the former grant was cancelled and the manor settled on Pembroke in tail male.

58 R. of Part. (Rcc. Com.), vi, 278. 54 Cal. Pat. 1461-7, p. 225.

" Ibid. 226, 227. It seems probable, however, that William son and heir of Lord Say was still occupying the manor in conjunction with his mother Emeline; ibid. 1467-8, p. 116.

56 To whom there is a tablet dated 1468 on the north wall of the church, erected in his lifetime.

57 Cal. Pat. 1476-85, p. 92. It is said that Sir Reginald Bray held the manor for life under Henry VII. B.M. Add. MS. 6167. Perhaps the stewardship is meant.

48 L. and P. Hen. VIII, iv, 1385. In May 1513 William Fitz William granted the sub-stewardship to Christopher More ; Loseley MSS. Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vii, App. 6004.

59 Misc. Bks. (Land Rev.), vol. 190, fol. 129 et seq.

60 Jones's first lease was for 21 years

��(Pat. I Mary, pt. xiii). In 1553 Sir John Gage obtained a lease to date from the expiration of Jones's lease, nevertheless the latter and his nephew William Stoughton obtained renewals of his lease in 1568 and 1588 (Pat. 10 Eliz. pt. iii, no. 3 ; 29 Eliz. pt. iv, no. 5 ; 37 Eliz. pt. ii, no. i).

61 Pat. 5 Edw. VI, pt. vii, no. 14.


 * Close, 5 Edw. VI, pt. v, no. i.

68 Loseley MS. iz, 10.

64 Possibly the object of the transaction with Lord Clinton and Say was to ensure the Crown against any claim he might bring to the manor. The manorial rights seem to have been included in the grant to Sir John Gage.

Pat. 41 Eliz. pt. xii, no. 20 ; Close, 41 Eliz. pt. xxi.

66 Feet of F. Surr. Hil. 2 Jas. I.

67 Close, ii Jas. I, pt. xxxvi, no. 3.

68 Ibid. 12 Jas. I, pt. xxv, no. 23.

M Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), mxxvi, 54 ; Surr. Arch. Coll. xviii, 29.

70 She was great-granddaughter of Thomas brother and heir of the younger Anthony Smith. See an interesting account of the manor by Mr. E. Foster, Surr. Areh. Coll. xviii, 79.

71 See account of parish. Certain parts

6 4

��of the waste were, however, reserved by Mr. Webb, and certain quit-rents were separately sold.

7> In the charter of Gilbert de Aquila, confirming Oxenford to the abbey of Waverley, the following clause occurs : ' et claudent tantum de parco quantum pertinet ad predictum tenementum de Oxenford cum toto exitu suo et non plura sicut ceteri homines mei de H. Witley ' ; Pat. II Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 36.

78 Cal. Chart. R. i, 315.

? 4 Mins. Accts. (Gen. Ser.), bdle. 1015, no* 8.

76 Cal. Close (Rec. Com.), 1307-13, p. 507.

76 Cal. Pat. 1313-17, pp. 135, 137 228.

" Ibid. 1327-30, p. 476.

T 8 Ibid. 1377-81, p. 159.

78 Coram Rege R. no. 511 (Hil. 12 Ric. II), m. 17.

80 Free warren had been granted to Peter of Savoy in his demesne lands in Witley ; Cal. Chart. R. i, 315.

i L. and P. Hen. fill, i, 886.

8a lbid. iv, 1385.

88 Misc. Bks. (Land Rev.), vol. 190, fol. 134.

84 Pat. 38 Eliz. pt. xii.

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