Parishes: Plumptre and Normanton

PLUMPTRE and NORMANTON.

Here were two Manors in Plumptre in the Time of King Edward, before the Norman Invasion, which Vlfac and Godric had rated to the public Geld for twelve Bov. The Land (was then esteemed sufficient for three Ploughs, or) three Carucats. It afterwards was the Fee of Roger de Busli, who had there in Demesne three Car. thirty three Vil. having five Car. There was a Church, and twenty Acres of Meadow. This then kept the old Value 3l. having Soc in Rodintone. In Normentune, Vnfac had a Manor taxed at six Bov. before the Conquest, the Land whereof was three Car. There Roger de Busli had also in Demesne two Car. six Vill. three Bord, four Sochm, with three Car. The Value of this had been in the Time of King Edward the Confessor 40s. but then was but 30s. Here was also a Berew taxed at four Boy. and an half. The Land half a Carucat. There were two Vill. one Bord. having half a Car. It lay in Plumptre, to which more of the Soc also lay in Stantune and Cauord.

Plumptre hath been esteemed a kind of Wapentake, or Hundred, and belonging to Donington Castle, as the Earl of Chester's, concerning which, something is already, noted in the Beginning of this Rushcliff Hundred; but the Manor, or Soc of Plumptre, seems to have been continued to the Posterity of this Godric, with Sprotburgh, in Yorkshire, still united in the Possession of Sir Godfrey Copley of that Place, who inherited them from Chetilbert, who, I suppose, was Son of this Godric, because his Son's Name was Godric; which Godric, Son of Chitlbert, was Lord of Sprotburgh, 5 Steph. and Father of William, who married Albreda de Lisoures, (fn. 1) whose Son and Heir William was called Fitz-William, (fn. 2) which became the Sirname of this Noble Family; and his Son Thomas Fitz-William held this Manor of Plumptree, of the Honor of Tickhill, in the Time of H. 3.

Godric trnuit plurima Maneria temp. Ed. Conf. & Willielmi Conq.

Raph de Nevill, 24 H 2. gave Account of C^s. (fn. 3) for hastening the Duel against William Son of Godric.

Now whether this William was called de Clarofagio; or it was another William so named, who was also Husband to Albreda de Lisures; but before that had another Wife called Avicia, the Daughter and Heir of Will. de Tanai, by whom he had a Daughter named Sibyll, married to Raph Tilli, who had two Sons by her, Raph and Roger, both Benefactors to the Monastery of Hampole in Yorkshire. (fn. 4) I have not yet found Evidence certainly to determine: but certain it is, that in the Year of our Lord 1331. William Fitz-William, Lord of Sprotburgh, in Yorkshire, confirmed the Gift of his Father William, Son of Thomas Lord of Sprotburgh, of 30s. Rent, out of Athewyk, in that County, to the Nuns of Danepole, and the Gift or Donation of the said Thomas his Grandfather, which confirmed the Grant of William, Son of William (or Fitz-William) Father of the said Thomas, and Son and Heir of Albreda de Lizours, which confirmed the Gift of the said Albreda his Mother, and Grandmother of the said Thomas, of the Church of Athewick, and Twenty Shillings Rent, out of her Revenue at Plumtre, near Scroby; which Rent, the said William her Son, granted to find a Lamp continually Burning at the Tomb of Matilda his Wife. He also gave a Mark of Rent to Blyth, (fn. 5) out of the same Plumtre, as in that Place is noted, and there he is called William, Son of William, Son of Godric.

Albreda de Lisures (as in Kneesale, Hodsak, Styrap, &c. may be seen) had another Husband called Richard, (fn. 6) by whom she had John, Constable of Chester, who also confirmed his Mother's Gifts to this Monastery of Hampole, to which they gave Athewyk, Belton, and the very Site of Hampole.

There was a Fine levied, 18 E. two-thirds, between William, Son of (or Fitz-) William, Quer. and Edmund, Parson of the Church or Plumtre, Deforc. (fn. 7) of the Manor of Plumtre, with the Appurtenances, and the Advowson of the Church of the same Manor, whereby it was settled on the said William Fitz-William, and the Heirs of his Body; Remainder to John Son of the said Will. and the Heirs males of his; Remainder to Thomas, Brother of John, in like fort; Remainder to Joan, Sister of Thomas, and the Heirs Males of her Body; Remainder to Agnes, and to Isabel, her Sisters respectively in the same Manner; Remainder to the right Heirs of the said William. (I doubt this should be 18 E. 2.)

There was a Writ dated 12 Feb. 7 Eliz. directed to the Sheriff of Yorkshire, that he should Command Richard Gascoine, Esquire, and Elizabeth his Wife, that justly, and without delay, they restored to Hugh Fitz-William, Esquire, the Manors of Emely and Darthington, with the Appurtenances, which Edmund Deyncourt gave to John, Son of William, and the Heirs Males of his Body; and which after the Death of the said John, and of John Fitz-William, Knight, Son of the said John, and William Fitz-William, Knight, Son of the said John Fitz-William, Knight, and of John Fitz-William, Knight, Son of the said William Fitz-William, Knight, and of John Fitz-William, Esquire, Son of the said John Fitz-William, Son of the said William Fitz-William, Knight, and of William Fitz-William, Esquire, Son of the said John Fitz-William, Esquire, and of William Fitz-William, Knight, Son of the said William Fitz-William, Esquire, and of John Fitz-William, Esquire, Son of the said William Fitz-William, Knight, Son of the said William Fitz-William, Esquire, and of William Fitz-William, Esquire, Son of the said John Fitz-William, Esquire, Son of the said William Fitz-William, Knight, ought by the Form of the Donation (or Formedone) aforesaid to descend to the said Hugh, Son and Heir of John Fitz-William, Esq. Son of John Fitz-William, Knight, Son of William Fitz-William, Knight, Son of John Fitz-William, Knight, Son of the said John, Son of William, as Cousin and Heir of the said John, Son of William. But this Writ it seems, went to the Ground, because the Seizin was laid in the Donee, where it should have been in the last Seizure. Sir William Ingleby was then Sheriff of Yorkshire.

Sir John Fitz-William, Knight, Son of Sir William, and Maud his Wife, Daughter (fn. 8) of Raph Crumwell, died seized of this Manor of Plumtre, and Rents in Chaddesdon, Wodhall, and Braydeston, in Darbyshire, esteemed Parcel of it; and likewise of the Manors of Emlay, and Sprotburgh in Yorkshire, 6 H 5, leaving his Son John Fitz-William his Heir, who died at Roan, and was buried at Sportburgh, 9 H. 5. (fn. 9) He married Margaret, Daughter of Thomas Clarell, Aldewerk; and his Son William Fitz-William, (fn. 10) Lord of Elmeley, died at Hathilsey, and was buried at Sprotburgh, 10 E. 4. Sir William Fitz-William, Knight, of Sprotburgh, Lord of Emely, his Son died, 9 H. 7. buried there also, as was his Son John, who died before him, 5 H. 7.

William Fitz-William, Son of this John, died without issue, and so this Manor of Plumtre, with the Appurtenances in Normonton, Clipston, Ruddington, and Cheworth, fell to his Aunt Dorothy, Daughter of Sir William Fitz-William, and Wife of Sir William Copley, whose Son Phillip Copley, Esquire, was found his Heir by an Inquisition taken at Newark, 29 Oct. 3 and 4 Ph. and Mar. (fn. 11) of this Manor, and half the Manor of Deforth, being then about thirty-four Years old.

Philip Copley, Esquire, by Mary, Daughter of Sir Brian Hastings, Knight, his Wife, had William, Margaret, Francis, Alverey, John, Thomas; William Copley, married Elizabeth, (fn. 12) Daughter of Godfrey Bosvile, Sister and one of the Heirs of Fr. Bosvile, of Cumblethwait, Esq. and had Issue Godfrey and Raph Copley, both without Issue. Alvery Copley, second Son of Philip, had by his Wife —, the Daughter of — Gunby, Esq. William Copley, whose Wife was Dorothy, Daughter of William Routh, of Roumley, Esq. by whom he had Sir Godfrey Copley, created Bart. 17 June, 13 Car. 2, the present Lord of this Manor, and Sprotburgh, in Yorkshire, whose first Wife was Elenor, the Daughter of Sir Thomas Walmesly, Knt. and Mother of Godfrey, his Son and Heir:---His second Wife is Elizabeth, Daughter of William Stanhope, Esq.

(fn. 13) There was a good Freehold in Normanton, the Inheritance of the Eldershawes. This Hamlet is inclosed, to the great Loss of the Church of Plumtre, to which it is Parish, as is also Clipston.

(fn. 14) The Rectory was 30l. Value, and William Fitz-William Patron. Now it is 19l. 19s. 7d. in the King's Book, and Sir Godfrey Copley Patron. The present Incumbent is Vere Harcourt, D. D. Archdeacon of Nott.

In the East Window of the Chancel there is, Lozengy Ar. and Gules, Fitz-William, impaling with Crumwell, quartering Tateshale; and with Chaworth, viz. Ar. 2. Chevrons Or, quartering Caltoft, and with Gules a Bend between 6. Martletts Arg. and with another broken away. Fitz-Williams is in the Church Windows likewise, and Arg. a plain Crosse Gules.

In the Middle of the Chancel, on an Alabaster.—Hic jacet Dominus Thomas Wigfall, quondam, &c. . . obiit 16 Junii, 1534. Cujus animæ, &c.

(fn. 15) Ju. 15 E. 1. Paulinus, the Son of William de Plumptre, then lately deceased claimed divers Lands and Tenements in Plumptre and Normanton, which William FitzWilliam gave to the said William de Plumptre, his Cousin, and to the Heirs of his Body (who is therefore thought to be a Branch of this Family) but the several Persons, against whom he claimed, pleaded that when he obtained the Writ, they had nothing in the Premises, but at the Will of Thomas, Son of (or Fitz-) William (de Plumptre:) whereupon Paulinus came not, and so his Pledges Richard Curson and Roger le Spicer were amerced.

(fn. 16) William de Plumptre, 3 E. 3, claimed Lands in Plumptre, as Son of Henry; Son of Paulinus de Plumptre, who held them in the Time of E. 1. and was sometimes called le Clerc.

[Throsby] Plumtree and Normanton.

The former Lordship contains 1700 acres. The principal and almost only proprietor, is Sir Lionel Copley, of Southampton. Lord Middleton, I believe, owns the manor. It is open field.

The village consists of 36 dwellings.

The church is dedicated to St. Mary; has a nave, two side-aisles, and a heavy tower with three bells. In a foul chancel is remembered Vere Harcourt, D. D. rector, and archdeacon of Nottingham; he died in 1683, aged 77. Rev. Charles Willats, rector, died in 1760. A brass plate, near the altar, informs you that the Rev. John Gee, A. M. rector, and prebendary of Southwell, died in 1713, aged 68. James Green, A. M. rector, died in 1718. An old praying figure lies near the altar, much defaced.

NORMANTON, which parishes to Plumtree, and stands near it, has no chapel.--Its lordship, which is inclosed, is owned chiefly by Samuel Smith, Esq. Mr. Hall, and a Mr. Timm. It contains about 1000 acres, and the hamlet 20 dwellings.

Patron, Sir Lionel Copley. Incumbent, Rev. Mr. Carne. Archiepisc. pro. Syn. 5s. Archidiac pro Prox 7s. 6d. Val. in mans. cum 8 bovat ter & prat. ibid per ann. 2l. in trib. cot. ibid 15s. in un. toft. & 4 acr. ter. in Chipston 8s. in dec. garb. &c. Comes Devon, 1683. Lionel Copley, Esq. 1718. John Moxon, Esq. p. h. v. 1760. King's books 19l. 19s. 7d. supposed value upwards of 300l.

Register begins in 1558. The 5 earliest years bap. 32, bur. 22. In the 5 latest years bap. 65, bur. 52.

End of Rushcliffe Hundred.