Feudal England: Historical Studies on the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries

by John Horace Round

In the case of this last Hundred our survey records a conflict of testimony and, in so doing, mentions incidentally (as would Domesday) the witness of the Hundred-court. Henry de Ferrers in the Domesday Survey, is credited with 21½ car. in 'Tunge cum omnibus appendiciis', and with four in 'Werditone' (i. 233). But here Tong, 'cum appendiciis', is reckoned at twelve car. only. There remained, therefore, to be accounted for a large balance of car., and these the men of the Hundred assigned to his Manor of Worthington. It is desirable to analyse some of the fiefs in our survey, and, by comparison with Domesday, to trace their descent or origin.

Roger de Mowbray's fief
(1124-29)		(1086)
	car	[Geoffrey de la Guerche]
Picwell and Lucerthorp	15	Pichewelle and Luvestorp	14
East Norton	4¾	East Norton	4½
Newton Burdet	8	Newton Burdet	6
Thrussington	1¾
		[Robert de Buci]
Wileges	2	Wilges	2
Rachedale	6	Ragendele	6
		[Geoffrey de la Guerche]
Somerby	6	Dalby	4
Dalby	1⅞	Dalby	2½
Gillethorp	3	Godtorp	3½
Burg	1	Burg	1
Eastwell	6	Eastwell	6
Melton	15	Melton
Burton	11⅞	Burton	11⅞
[Fredebie	95⁄16	Fredebie	10]
Chirchebia	24	Cherchebi (17 + 7)	24
Kettleby	9(?)	Chettlebi	8
Sixtenebia	4½	Sistenebi (2½ + 2)	4½
Alebia	9	Alebia	7¾
Wyfordebia	1½	Wordebia	1½
Goutebi	6	Goutebi	6
Stacthirn	8	Stachetone	8¼

Anschitel's fief
	car		car
Scanketon'	2	Scantone	2	Robert de Veci.
Chiburd	12	Chiborne	12	Robert de Veci.
Edward of Salisbury's fief
Dalby on the Wolds	9	Dalbi	9	Ralf fitz Hubert.
William Meschin's fief
Seustern	5	Seustern	5	William Lovet.
Henry de Albini's fief
Scegla	2	Sela	2	Nigel de Albini.
Gilbert's son's fief
Sproxcheston	2	Sprotone	2	Godfrey de Cambrai.
William Chamberlain's fief
Great Dalby	1	Dalby	1	Hunfridus Camerarius.
Thomas's fief
Thrussington 10¾ Hoby 7¼	18	Thrussington	18	Guy de Raimbercurt.
Count of Mortain's fief
Broctone	12	Broctone	12	Rex.
Knipton	8¾	Cnipeton	8¾	Rex.
Croxton	24	Croxton	24	Rex.
Harestan	12	Horstan	12	Rex.
Alan de Craon's fief
Stoneby	8	Stoneby	8	Guy de Craon.
Waltham	2½	Waltham	2½	Guy de Craon.
Sproxton	3	Sproxton	2	Guy de Craon.
William de Albini's fief
Cold Overton	12	Cold Overton	12	Dru de Bevrere.
Knipton	3¼	Knipton	3¼	Robert de Todeni.
Herdebi and Plungar	17	Herdeby	17	Robert de Todeni.
Stacthirn	8½	Stacthirn	9¾	Robert de Todeni.
Bottlesford	32	Bottlesford	24(?)	Robert de Todeni.
Henry Tuchet's fief
Claxton	10⅞	Claxton 6 Howes 4½	10½	Robert Hostiarius.
				Robert Hostiarius
Richard Basset's fief
Langton	3¼
Chiburd	1
Skeffington	3½	Skeffington	3½	Rex.
Lodington	12	Lodington	12	Robert de Buci.
Sileby	2	Sileby	2¼	Rex.
Gaddesby	½
Reresby	5	Reresby	1¾	Robert de Buci.
Grimstone	3	Grimstone	3	Robert de Buci.
Overton	4	Overton	4	Robert de Buci.
Kettleby and	9	Holwell	5 6	Robert de Buci.
Holwell		Kettleby
Goatby	6	Goatby	6	Robert de Buci.
Scaldeford		Scaldeford	½	Robert de Buci.
Wymondham	3½	Wymondham	3½	Robert de Buci.
and Thorpe
Hardebi	1	Hertebi	1	Robert de Buci.

The fief of Richard Basset is that of a typical man, of one of those trusted officials who flourished under Henry I. We know not the fate of Robert de Buci, a Domesday baron in Leicestershire and Northants; but as two, at least, of his Leicestershire estates passed, we have seen, to Mowbray, it was, we may infer, forfeiture or escheat that brought his fief into the king's hands, and enabled him to divide it among his own favourites. We learn from the evidence to which I am coming that the eight carucates in Swinford and Walcote, and the two in little Ashby which Robert de Buci had held in 1086, were in the hands of Geoffrey Ridel ninety years later. We may then infer, though they are not included in the sphere of our survey, that they had been obtained, like the rest, by Basset temp. Hen. I.[⁵⁶]

The elaborate fine made at Leicester, June 31, 1176,[⁵⁷] has an important bearing on the Bassets' Leicestershire possessions. Not only does it specify the lands they held at Swinford (with Walcote), Ashby, and Fleckney, but it mentions their fee of Madeley, Staffordshire. Now the descent of this Staffordshire fee can be traced by charters on the same roll.[⁵⁸] One of these (No. 12) is a confirmation, by Robert de Stafford, of Madeley to Geoffrey Ridel, to be held as his 'antecessores' had held it. This was Geoffrey, son of Richard Basset, by Maud Ridel, as is shown by the fact that the first witness to the charter is Hervey de Stretton, who held two knights' fees of Stafford in 1166,[⁵⁹] and that another is Robert Bagot, who held a quarter of a fee,[⁶⁰] while Geoffrey Ridel himself then held one, namely, Madeley.[⁶¹] But the enrolling scribe confused him with his (maternal) grandfather and namesake (d. 1120), and thus wrongly assigned this charter to the reign of Henry I, and threw the whole descent into utter confusion. The right clue is found in a charter of Robert 'de Toni' (i.e. de Stafford), 'conceding' Madeley to Robert 'de Busa' (alias 'de Busci'), 'per servitium unius militis'.[⁶²] This fee, therefore, must have come to the Bassets with the rest of the Buci estates; and we thus learn that this must have been late in the reign of Henry I, for the names of the witnesses to this charter prove that it must be subsequent to 1122.[⁶³]

As Robert de Buci was then in possession, it cannot have been, here at least, till later that Basset succeeded him.

Among the points to be observed in the descent of the above fiefs are Edward of Salisbury's succession to that of Ralf fitz Hubert,[⁶⁴] the appearance of Henry de Albini, founder of the Cainho line, as successor to Nigel, and the portions of the great Belvoir fief, held in Domesday by Robert de Todeni, now owned by Robert de L'Isle and William de Albini 'Brito'. In the midst of great but vanished names, it is pleasant to meet with one, at least, still surviving in the male line: William de Gresley, holder of Linton (a Derbyshire hamlet close to Gresley), had succeeded, there and at 'Widesers', Nigel, a tenant of Henry de Ferrers in 1086 (D.B., i. 233b).[⁶⁵] In this 'Nigel', therefore, it would seem, we have Nigel de Stafford, Lord of Drakelow (D.B., i. 278).

I will close with the names of those who had succeeded the Domesday tenants-in-chief.

		HEIRS
Count of Meulan		Earl of Leicester
Earl Aubrey		(Escheat)
'Countess' Godgifu
'Countess' Ælfgifu		Earl of Chester (Donnington)
Earl of Chester		Earl of Chester
Hugh de Grentmesnil		Earl of Leicester
Henry de Ferrers		Robert de Ferrers
Robert de Todeni		William de Albini
Robert de Veci		[Anschitil]
Roger de Busli		[Honour of Blyth]
		Walter de Beauchamp
Robert Dispensator		Robert Marmion
		Henry Tuchet (10⅞)
Robertus Hostiarius, (10½)
Ralf Mortimer
Ralf fitz Hubert		Edward of Salisbury
Guy de Raimbercurt		[Thomas]
Guy de Craon		Alan de Craon
William Peverel		Honour of Peverel
William Buenvaslet		Comes War'?
William Loveth		Will. Meschin
Geoffrey Alselin
Geoffrey de 'Wirce'		[Escheat]
Godfrey de Cambrai		the son of Gilbert
Gunfrid de Cioches
Humfrey Camerarius		Willelmus Camerarius
Drogo de Bevrere		Albemarle
Nigel de Albini		Henry de Albini
'Countess' Judith		King David

[¹] Q.R., Misc. Bdle. 558, I.P.R., 8113; Knight's Fees, Com. Leic.