Some years since, my attention was drawn to a MS. account of the Collegiate Church at Northill, drawn up by its last steward in the early part of the 17 th century. I transcribed it at the Record Office, but was disappointed to find that its author had left it unfinished. I have since become aware that much of the material which he used is still available at the Record Office. I hoped to be able to go through the whole of it and use its information to fill up the gap, and comment upon that portion of the pamphlet which the steward completed. But the material proved to be considerable, and required more time for transcription and reconstruction than I have yet been able to give it. I have, accordingly, decided to publish this first instalment, and hope to give some account of the rest, and comment upon the whole, in a future volume of the Bedfordshire Records.

The account of the College which has appeared in the Victoria County History of Bedfordshire (iii, 244) will serve for the present as sufficient introduction.

THE BOOK OF NORRELL COLLEGE.

Ann. Dom. 1634.

A booke of The Courte Barron and Leete belonging to Norrell. A Booke of all the Court Rolles and Rentalls that are any wayes appertaineing to the Colledge of Nor rell in Bedfordshire, as alsoe a narration and declaration of all things that any wayes concern the Court; beginninge with the time of 4 R. 2 (An: dom: 1380) and continued unto the year of 10 Jacobi (Ann. Dom: I6I2).

This book is to be layed upp amongst the Courte Rolles and Rentalls in the Boxe of the Courte Rolles and Rentalls.

[fo. 146]. A Booke of the Mannor of Norrell of Bedfordshire] in wch is sett downe all things belonging to the Colledg of Norrell and Mannor of Norrell aforesayd belonging to the sayd Colledge. In this Book is still the originall of the sayd mannor from the time of 4°R.2. An: Dom: 1380 unto the 10th yeare of King James Ann :Dom: 1612. 10. Jac. In this is alsoe a Catalogue of all the Court Rolles and Rentalls from 4° R2 unto 10° Jacob: 1612.

There is no evidence of the presence in England of any Beauchamp earlier than Domesday Book; and the only Beauchamp there mentioned by name is Hugh de Beauchamp of Bedford. But the Walter named as a subtenant of some property in Worcestershire, under Urse d’Abitot and others, may be identified, almost certainly, with the Walter de Beauchamp who married Urse’s daughter and succeeded to his great estates, as also to the title and some of the lands of Urse’s brother, Robert the Dispenser. No evidence of any relationship between Walter and Hugh has been adduced as yet.

Of the origin of the founder of the family nothing appears to be known. His name—de Bello Campo, Belcamp, or Beau Champ—is evidently taken from one of the several places of that name, the “Fair Field,” in Normandy or Picardy. Mr. Round ingeniously suggests that it is to be sought in the Calvados.

The Roman figures after the names of the Beauchamps refer to their position in the family table at the end of this memoir. The B. (standing for Bedford), is added after the figure, in order for the future to distinguish them from their contemporaries, the Beauchamps of Eaton Socon, who often bore the same fore-names; that family, it is hoped, will form the subject of a future article by the present writers.

HUGH DE BEAUCHAMP (I. B.)

was the founder of the line. He appears at Domesday (1086) as holding some 43 manors; these lay almost wholly in Beds.; he had, however, a fifteen-hide manor at Linslade, a four-hide manor at Lathbury, and a small holding in Soulbury, all in Bucks.; as well as the six-hide manor of Bengeo, co. Herts.; the fourhide manor of Hunsdon, in Herts., was also “of his fee.” The method by which he acquired the Bedfordshire lands has been discussed in the “ Notes on Domesday” below. Ralf Taillebois, who there is suggested to have been Hugh’s father-in-law, seems to have been succeeded by Hugh in his public capacity of Sheriff, as well as in his lands. Ralf had been Sheriff of Bedfordshire before 1086, but had died before that date; the inference that Hugh succeeded him as Sheriff is strongly supported by two precepts of William the Conqueror.

In a very interesting note on Eels and Eel-catching in Bedfordshire, Mr. Steele Elliott has criticised my suggested identification of these two manors, on the ground that the mill at Chainhalle paid as part rent in Domesday Book thirty shillings and a hundred eels:

“judging from its comparatively high rental [this mill] must have been one of the most important in the county. Therefore we can reasonably presume the position of this Manor was adjoining the Ouse, and not remote from any important stream.” The actual money rent is no doubt high, but we cannot now gauge the factors which produced that (accessibility, water-power, population, area under grain, etc.). As regards the eels, I venture to think that the criticism is not destructive. In the first place, a hundred eels was not an exceptional number, but about the average paid by eel-rented mills in Beds. (2610 eels ÷ 25 mills); nine out of the twenty-five mills paid less, six paid more. Again, Mr. Elliott does not seem to have made sufficient allowance for the general lowering of the water level all over the county due to the ‘ drayning and imbanking ‘ of the fens. What is now the inconsiderable stream on which presumably the Ravensden Mill stood, would be larger, and the area of which it can be said today “the ground is swampy and often covered by water from the overflow of the streams,” would then offer harbourage enough for eels.

That there was a mill at Ravensden in early times is shown by the inquisition post mortem of William de Beauchamp (II B) in 1262. To clinch the matter, the manor of Putenehou (Putnoe in Goldington), the position of which is not disputed, lay just on the other side of the stream from Ravensden, and similarly paid a rent of a hundred eels. The probable position of these mills is less than three miles from the Ouse.

The Manors of Caddington, then called Cadyndon or Cadendon, and of Kensworth, belonged to the Cathedral of St. Paul, London, when Domesday Book was compiled in the last quarter of the eleventh century. But the possessions of the Cathedral must not be in any way confused with lands held by the Bishop of London. “ Though the statutes of the Cathedral,” says the Editor of the Domesday of St. Paul’s (Archdeacon Hales, Camden Society, 1858), “describe the thirty Prebendaries as forming with the Bishop one body (unum corpus) there is no evidence of his sharing with them any part of the revenue, or living in intercourse with them. The Bishops of London appear to have possessed their manors in Anglo- Saxon times in their own right … no traces of any of the episcopal lands having at any time belonged to the Cathedral.” The volume of the Camden Society, from which this quotation is made, contains a number of varied forms of lease of the Chapter Manors in the 12th century (pp. 122-139), an inquisition of manors in 1181, known as the Domesday of Ralph de Diceto, then Dean, and a Visitation of the Manors in 1222, together with a valuable introduction and commentary. This volume, which is the authority for most of the information offered in the notes below, will be referred to as D.S.P. In it are given a lease of Caddington Manor in the reign of Henry I., a lease of Kensworth Manor in the reign of Henry II., and important fragments of the visitations of both in 1181, with a fuller account of the 1222 visitations.

In another volume, published by the Camden Society, “ Visitation of Churches belonging to St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1297 “ (Ed. W. Sparrow-Simpson, 1895, Camd. Soc. N.S.), will be found a description of the condition of the fabric, furniture, books, vestments, etc., of Caddington and Kensworth Churches in 1297. There are other MS. documents dealing with both parishes in the Library at Lambeth Palace.

The document printed below is the draft of a lease of Caddington and Kensworth Manors by the Dean and Chapter to one of the Canons of St. Paul’s.

i.—RENTALE COLLEGII BEATE MARIE UOCATI NORTHEYUELL.

SCITUS COLLEGII DE NORTHEYUELL.

Dominus Thomas Grene Custos sive magister Collegii predicti et Dns. Johannes Lynne Willelmus Swetebone Magister Johannes Cater Clericus et Dns. Robertas Grene socii eiusdem Collegii tenent et occupant in manibus suis scitum dicti Collegii videlicet cum una Aula Pariareo et quatuor cameris (vocatis le maister Chambers) una libraria cum una Capella infra Parlareum predictum ac cum una le Buterie cum quatuor cameris vocatis le Felowes Chambers ac cum una camera et una le Storehouse subtus lez Felowes Chambers et cum quatuor cameris extra portam auli predicti [sic] et una le Maltehouse cum le Kilne House cum duobus Stabulis et uno le Hay House tribus orreis et quinque cameris pro granis custodiendis et cum uno granario pro braseo custodiendo et omnes iste domus scituate sunt in parte Australi infra precinctum collegii predicti. Et in parte boriali una coquina cum pandoxaria et pistrina et in parte orientali una parva domus pro ancis gallinis et aliis pulleis Et est ibidem unum vetus orreum in le Utter courte. Ac cum uno pomerio continente per estimacionem unam acram cum una Columbaria scituata infra dictum pomerium, et tribus stagnis et uno parvo puteo infra pomerium predictum. Quae omnia valent per annum si dimitterentur xl.s. (Exa).

Et est infra scitum dicti Collegii unum molendinum equinum dimissum Willelmo Wood per indenturam datam die [manca].

[fo. Id] Predicti magister et socii habent et occupant in manibus suis unum clausum prati vocatum le peretre close continentem per estimacionem unam acram terre tres rodas et dimidiam valet per annum si dimitteretur vi.s. viii.d.

[Translation of the Foregoing].

Rev. Thomas Grene, Warden, or Master of the aforesaid College and Dominus John Lynne, Master William Sweetbone, John Cater Clerk, and Dominus Robert Grene, Fellows of the same College, hold and occupy in their own hands the site of the said College, to wit, together with a Hall, Parlour, and four chambers (called The Master Chambers), a Library with a chapel beneath [or within?] the aforesaid Parlour, and with one the Buttery, together with four Chambers called The Fellows Chambers, and with one chamber and one the Storehouse under the F ellows Chambers, and with four chambers outside the door of the aforesaid Hall;