By an inquisition ad quod damnum (17 Ed. II., 1323), it was shewn that this manor was charged with a payment of £21 13s. 4d. to John son and heir of this Robert de Wilgeby (Willoughby).
Some of the Lords of Kirkby and Tumby seem to have treated the Abbots of Kirkstead with considerable liberality; for which, doubtless, they would receive an equivalent in prayers, if not “indulgences,” granted in their favour. In a cartulary of the Abbey (Vespasian, E., xviii.), now in the British Museum, is a charter running as follows:—“I, Robert, son of Simon de Tumby, have granted to the Church of St. Mary of Kirkstead half the fishery of Troholm, and 5 acres of land in the field of Tumby, and common pasture through all the fields and territory within the bounds of Tumby.” This was early in the 12th century. The witnesses to this deed, it is to be noticed, are his nephew Richard, and Gilbert, “clerk,” i.e., parson, “of Driebe”; hence we should infer that the “de Tumby” and “de Driby” families were one and the same; and this is proved to have been the case by a Final Concord of 12 John (A.D. 1211), which mentions the above grant of “5 acres in Tumby” to Simon de Driby and his heirs. [108] The grant to the Abbots of Kirkstead was confirmed, some years later, by Robert, son of Hugh de Tateshale, who “put his hand to the altar” in testimony of the same (charter of same cartulary, quoted “Architect. Journ.,” xxiii., p. 107).
By a Chancery Inquisition p.m., 8 Ed. III. (1335), and by a similar document, 41 Ed. III., it is shown that John de Kirketon (Kirton) held for life the manor of Tumby, with that of Tateshale. The Kirktons of Kirton, near Boston, were probably kinsmen of the Dribys, as this transfer was made by John de Driby, and the Driby armorial bearings were formerly in the windows of Kirton Church, along with those of the Earls of Lincoln (connected, as we have seen, with Kirkby) and others (“Lincolnshire Churches,” by Stephen Lewin). This local connection may, in aftertimes, have led to the marriage alliance of the D’Eyncourts, who held the manor of Kirton, with the next family whom we shall mention, the Cromwells. [109a] The above Robert, son of Simon de Driby (or de Tumby), had to wife Joan, co-heiress of the Barons of Tattershall; and somehow that connection seems to have brought the Cromwells into possession of the manor of Kirkby. In an Inquisition p.m., 22 Rich. II. (1399), Ralph de Cromwell is described as owning the manor of Kirkby, with that of Tattershall, through his wife Matilda, or Maud de Bernak, sister and sole heir of William de Bernak, Lord of Tattershall. He had lands in 14 parishes in this county, 1 in Derbyshire, and 6 in Notts. [109b] His grandson, Ralph, married Margaret, sister and co-heir of the 5th and last Baron D’Eyncourt. His granddaughter, Maud, married Sir Richard Stanhope, of Rampton, knight. Their daughter, Maud, married Sir Gervase Clifton, of Clifton, knight, “The gentle Sir Gervase,” who was killed at the battle of Tewkesbury, May 4, 1471; and afterwards married Sir Thomas Neville, and then the 6th Baron Willoughby d’ Eresby. Thus we have a number of important alliances of this family of Kirkby proprietors (“Architect. S. Journal,” 1858, p. 228).
At the time when Gervase Holles, in 1630, made his peregrinations round this county, he says that there were in the windows of the rectory house, of Kirkby, the armorial bearings, in coloured glass, of some 20 leading county families, including—Becs, Willoughbys, Percys, Tyrwhitts, Tailbois, Dymokes, &c. These had probably been originally in the windows of the church, and, on the decay of the edifice, had been transferred to the house. Representations of these are given in the Harleyan MS. (6829), now in the British Museum, together with a description of monuments formerly in the church, but now lost. These arms enable us to form an idea of the great families who were connected with this parish. The association with the place of the Tailbois is not quite clear; but Gilbert Tailbois was summoned to Parliament, as Baron Tailbois, in the reign of Henry VIII., when he showed that he was descended from Sir Edward Dymoke, who married Anne Tailbois. This Gilbert was also descended from Henry Tailbois, who married Eleanor Burdon, daughter of Gilbert Burdon, by Elizabeth de Umfraville, sister and heiress of the Earl of Angus (“Dugdale’s Baronage,” vol. i.); who again was related to the de Kymes, kinsmen of the Dymokes; the Kymes also being connected with the old and distinguished county family of the Ayscoughs.
The connection of the Dymokes with Kirkby is seen in the following bequest of “Arthur Dymmocke of Toft Grange, in the p’she of Kyrkebye,” of date May 27, A.D., 1558. “I geve and bequeathe to the Church of the said Kyrkebye one satteyn gown, to make a coope or a vestment. I will that there shall be distributed among the poore people at my buriall xiiili. xiis. viii. I give to the poore people of the towneshipp of Kirkebye vili., to the poore of Tunbye xls.” There are also bequests to “Marum, Willesby, Screuelby, Roughton, Connyngesbye, Tattershall, Haltam,” &c. He adds, “I will that myne executour shall geve to the marriages of poore maydens, at their discretions, xxvjli. I geve to the repayring of fowle and noysome hie wayes xxvjli. I geve to my brother Sir Edwarde Dymmocke, Knight, tenne pound, and my best gelding, with the best jewell he will chuse among all my jewells. I geve to my sister his wif one gold ring wt a turkey (turquoise). I geve to Sir [111] Thomas Olive, p’sonne of Kirkebye one gold ring enamelled.” These, and many more bequests to poor people in the county of Middlesex, &c., &c., show that Arthur Dymoke of Toft Grange, was a man of substance, as well as of generous mind. (“Linc. N. & Q.” July 1897, vol. v., No. 39).
We now get another family resident in this parish, of some importance. We have mentioned Fulsby Hall, of which nothing certain now remains. This demesne would seem to have belonged to the Nelthorpes of Scawby, N. Lincolnshire, but it was occupied by a family named Cressy. The Cressy pedigree is given in a MS. book of “Lincolnshire Gentry,” written by Thomas Beckwith, F.S.A., 1768, and preserved in the Library of Revesby Abbey (“Linc. N. & Q.” vol. ii., p. 166). As far back as A.D., 1216, we find a William de Cressy named, along with Ralph de Haya (an old Norman family), as being “sureties for the faithful service” of Simon de Driby, already named. (Hardy’s “Rolls de oblatis et finibus,” p. 575.) Whether he was of the same family we cannot say, but it is some hundreds of years before the name occurs again.
Also a charter of Hamelin, Count de Warren, and his Countess Isabella, about A.D., 1074, mentions a Roger de Cressy, with whom they unite in granting a wood, and other properties, “to God and the Church of St. Victor, and the Monks thereof,” in Normandy. The same charter also names 3 houses given by Ranulph de Cressy, “for the soul of his brother Hugh,” (“Archæological Journal,” No. 9, 1846.) Thomas Cressy, of Fulsby, is named among the Gentry of Lincolnshire in the “Herald’s Visitation” of 1634, preserved in the Library of the Herald’s College. Canon Maddison in a note to his “Lincolnshire Wills” (p. 141) says that Nicholas Cressy married Frances, daughter of Sir Henry Ayscough, Knight of Blyborough, and left Blyborough for Kirkby-on-Bain, i.e., for Toft Grange. The daughter, Faith, of this Nicholas Cressy, married George Tyrwhitt, a cadet of the Kettleby family of Tyrwhitts; and we have already seen that the Tyrwhitt arms were among those formerly in the Rectory windows. Her sister Jane married Sir Edward Dymoke, Knight, of Scrivelsby. Her eldest brother was named Brandon, from the connection of the Ayscoughs, with Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. This Faith had a daughter named “Douglas”; the Tyrwhitts being related to the Sheffields, and John, 2nd Lord Sheffield married Douglas, daughter of William, 1st Lord Howard of Effingham. His son, again, Edmund, created Earl of Mulgrave, married about 1590, Ursula, daughter of Sir Robert Tyrwhitt of Kettleby. Faith Tyrwhitt, by will, dated 18 Feby, 1669, leaves bequests to Lady Jane Dymoke, to her brother Major Thomas Cressy, to Edward and Charles Dymoke, to Elizabeth Dymoke, her goddaughter; and “to my good child Douglas everything else.” This “Douglas” was baptized at Horncastle, 8 January, 1628–9.
There is some difficulty in connecting the Percy family with Kirkby, beyond the fact that their arms were among those in the rectory windows. But a Chancery Inquisition post mortem of 1381–2 (5 Richard II., No. 47), shows that Mary de Percy, wife of John de Roos, was next heir to Margaret, wife of John de Orby, who was jointly enfeoffed of certain lands in Tattershall, &c.; and that on her decease the Earl of Northumberland (a Percy) held and occupied the same, he having married their daughter Joan, as second wife. The above John de Orby is stated to have been kinsman and heir of Robert de Tateshale, knight. These lands were also held of the Duke of Lancaster, a Gaunt. (“Linc. N. & Q.” vol. vi., No. 47, p. 73). We further find that after the death of Gilbert de Gaunt, his widow the Countess Roheis, in her own right married one “Robertus, Dapifer” who was steward to the house of Percy (“Topographist and Genealogist” i., 303). If this was, as seems likely, a Robert de Tateshale, he would be a landowner in Tumby, and, as steward, also a vassal of the Percys, Earls of Northumberland. As further connecting the Percy family with this neighbourhood, we may mention, that among the Revesby charters, is one of date about 1142, the witnesses to which are Henry de Perci, Gilbert de Bec, and others. The same Henry de Perci is also witness to another of these charters, of date 1155.
The arms of the Willoughbys have been already mentioned as among those formerly in the Rectory. This may be accounted for by the fact that Matilda, or Maud, Lady Willoughby, widow of Lord Cromwell, died in 1497, seized of a greater part of the possessions of her late husband, and, among others, “in fee tail of the manor of Kyrkeby upon Bayne” (“Chancery Inquisition” p.m., 13, Henry vii., No. 34. Quoted “Architect S. Journal” xxiii. p. 132.)
We have now shown links connecting this parish, more or less closely, with most of the families whose armorial bearings formerly existed here. There is only one more name not yet accounted for: that of Gasgoyne. We are unable positively to establish any link in this case. Camden tells us (“Britannia,” pp. 714–731), that the Gasgoynes were an “ancient and virtuous family of Yorkshire, seated at Gawthorpe, probably (he says) from Gasgoyne in France,” to which family belonged the famous Judge, Sir William Gasgoyne, who showed his courage by committing to prison the young Prince, who was to be the future King Henry V.