Wormingford, Essex - and Smallbridge, Suffolk
Wormingford is a village in Essex that is the location of Smallbridge Hall, the seat of the
Waldegrave family.
Wikipedia says:
There is a lot of background on Wormingford on the Wikipedia page. Some of the information is from the BHO page
A History of the County of Essex: Volume 10, Lexden Hundred (Part) Including Dedham, Earls Colne and Wivenhoe,
edited by
The ancient parish of Wormingford on the south bank of the River Stour, 6 miles (9.7 km) north- west of Colchester and 8 miles
(13 km) south-east of Sudbury, Suffolk, covered 2,322 acres (929 hectares). The Stour forms the northern boundary, and the eastern,
southern, and western ones follow mainly field boundaries, but sometimes cut through fields.
Detached fields totalling 15 acres (61,000 m2) in Little Horkesley, were transferred to that parish in 1889.
Top
Smallbridge Manor - The Manors of Suffolk page 75/76
Smallbridge Manor was the seat of the Waldegrave Family.
SMALLBRIDGE.,
This manor was probably carved out of the main manor in the time
of Henry III. Sir Robert de Aguillon was lord and having two daurs. Isabel
and Margaret the main manor became divided between them. One married
Sir Michael de Poynings and became lord of Smallbridge Manor.
A fine was levied of the manor in 1310 between Michael de Poyning and
Margaret his wife against Thomas de Poynings.8 In the latter part of
the I4th century the manor belonged to William Brande who died in 1375
seised of it without issue. Sir Richard Waldegrave Knt. was the next
lord with whom we meet ; he was the great grandson of John de Walgrave
Sheriff of London in 1205, being the son of Sir Richard de Walgrave by
Agnes Daubenny his wife, which Sir Richard was son of Walter and Elizabeth
his \vift-. daughter of Sir James Nevil, which Walter was son of John de
Walgrave and his wife, daughter of Sir Henry Hastings, which John was
son of Gwaryne de Walgrave and his wife daur. of Riston. Weever in
his Funeral Monuments states that the following story having reference to
the Waldegrave family was collected by John Raven, Richmond Herald,
out of the pedigree of the Waldegraves : —
"On a time a gentleman of Northampton being at the sign of the
Crown in Sudbury, and having conference with Master Edward Waldgrave of Bilston in Com. Sufi*. Esq.,
did make with him a very credible report of one Waldgrave in Northamptonshire, affirming that he heard
it reported of old time that these Waldgraves were of very ancient
antiquity, before William the Conqueror's reign, and that his name should
be John ; who having one only daughter, and meeting with one Waldgrave which came
out of Germany, and was employed in the Conqueror's services, the said German Waldgrave related with Waldgrave
of Northamp-
tonshire concerning the marriage of his said daughter ; and told him that
he would give his consent that he might have his daughter in marriage,
that then he would procure him a pardon from the Conqueror, for the
quiet enjoying of his lands and livings. By which means he obtained
the Conqueror's grant, with his own hand and seal for confirmation of
all his lands unto him and his posterity. The which pardon and grant
remaineth to be seen at this day, 1612, in the French tongue and is in the
possession of the Lords of that Manor."
Sir Richard Waldegrave lived at Smallbridge and represented Suffolk
in Parliament in the reigns of Edw. III. and Rich. II. and was chosen
Speaker of the House of Commons in the latter reign. In 1383 he obtained
a licence to crenelate his manor house.1
He also had this same year a grant of free warren in Bures.* He married Joan daughter and heir of
Silvester of Bures and according to Weever's copy of the inscription on
his tomb, died in 1400, but this inscription states that his wife Joan died
in 1406, vet in Sir Richard's Will dated the 22 April 1401 he directs his
body to be buried on the north side of the parish church of St. Mary of
Buers near Joan his wife. Joan died the loth July 1397 and Sir Richard
the 2nd May 1401. The inscription as given by Weever is this
Hie jacet Richardus Waldegrave miles qui obijt 2 die Maij.
Anno Dom. 1400 et Joanna uxor ejus que obijt 10 Junij
1406 Quorum animabus propitietur Deus.
Amen.
Qui pro alijs orat, pro se laborat.
By his Will Sir Richard gives 205. to the high Altar, 35. 4^. to the Chapel
of the Virgin Mary, and 35. 4^. to the Chantry and I2d. to every priest
praying for his soul on the day of his burial ; to his son Richard he gave a
missal with a vestment and chalice ; to the parish church of Walgrave a cope,
to the Chapel of St. Stephen in the parish of Buers, a missal, then in London
Chantry of Polstede a vestment and to the Friars of the Convent of
Sudbury cs. to pray for his soul and the soul of Joan his wife and the souls
of his benefactors, and he appointed Master William Candysh Rector of
Ji. of Bulmere and Nicholas Blundel his executors. He was
succeeded by his son Sir Richard Waldegrave who is styled Lord of Bures
and Silvesters. In 1420 he granted to Sir William Bardwell, Sir John
Hevenyngham and others his manors of Smallbridge and Bures, and also
Pat. Rolls, 7 Rich.
Wiston and Wissington
Wiston and Wissington are located between Nayland and Bures, not far from Wormingford and Smallbridge Hall.
WISTON OR WISSINGTON MANOR.
This does not appear under the head of Wiston in the
Domesday Survey, though Mr. Page says that at that
time the church and a manor here belonged to the great
Suane of Essex, whose chief seat was at Raley (or Raleigh)
in that County, under whom the Godebolds held in Edward
the Confessor's reign. He also adds that in the time of
Hen. I., Robert, son of Godebold, founded a Priory at Little
Horkestem" in Essex to the honour of St. Peter for Cluniac monks. He and
Beatrix his wife gave to the Cluniac monastery at Thetford all their churches
upon condition that the Prior at Thetford should send as many monks
to serve God in the Church of St. Peter at Horksley as the place could conveniently maintain. And
for their better subsistence they assigned certain
other churches to this Priory amongst which the Church of Wiston is
included.
The endowment was considerably augmented by a grant of
land in this place in 1378 ; when there is a licence for alienation in mortmain
by John Somenour, John Olyver, Thomas Scorby, and William Pek vicar
of Wiston, of a toft, 80 acres of land and 4 acres of wood in Wiston not held
in chief to the Prior of the Church of St. Peter Little Horkesleye for celebrating.'
The Manor of Wiston was, as already stated, part of the Honor of
Raleigh, or Rayhelia, or Rayley, as it is variously written, the head of the
great Barony of Suane.
Blunt in his" Fragmenta Antiquitatis mentions a
peculiar Court which was held by the Lord of this Honor. It was held on
King's Hill in Rochford, Essex, every Wednesday morning next after
Michaelmas day at cock crow by ancient custom, and was vulgarly called
the Lawless Court.
The steward and suitors whisper to each other, and
have no candles, nor any pen and ink, but supply that office with a coal ;
and he that owes suit or service thereto and appears not forfeits to
the lord double his rent every hour he is absent. The Court is called
Lawless, because held at an unlawful or lawless hour, or quia dicta sine
If ge.
The title of the Court Rolls runs thus and was certainly so in 1679 :—
KING'S HILL ) ( Curia de Domino Rege,
IN ROCHFORD. / \ Dicta sine Lege,
Tenenta est ibidem
Per ejusdem Consuetudinem ;
Ante ortum Solis,
Luceat nisi Polus,
Nil scribit nisi colis.
Totius voluerit,
GaJlus ut Cantaverit ;
Per cujus solum sonitum1
Curia est summonita.
Clamat clam pro Rege,
In Curia sine Lege,
Et
nisi cito venerint
Citius paenituerint ;
Et
nisi clam accedat
Curia non attendat ;
Qui venerit cum Lumine
Errat in Regimine,
Et dum sunt sine Lumine
Capti sunt in Crimine ;
Curia sine Cura
Jurati de Injuria,
Tenta ibidem Die Mercurii (ante Diem) proximi (v. proxime or proximo)
post Festum Sancti Michaelis Archangeli, Anno Regni Regis, &c.
