SNEYNTON (Snotinton—Notinton).
This township is adjoining to, and part of St. Maries parish in Nottingham, and in
doomsday book is called Notintone; and in other ancient records Snotinton, and
Snodinton, as Nottingham was Snodengaham, and Snotingcham, and was also the King's
land in the Conqueror's time, which answered the geld for one car. The land of it
was two car. There eleven vill. had four car. and twelve acres of meadow, it was
then valued at 3l.
(fn. 1) King John, in the sixth year of his reign, granted to William Briwerre the manors of Cestrefeld in Derebisyre, with Bruminton, and Wittinton, and the Sok, and the
whole Wapentac of Scarvedale, and many priviledges, and likewise his manor of Snodinton in Notingehamsyre, to be held in fee farm for 8l. per annum in number to the
exchequer, and likewise the manor of Arminster in Devonshire, & the fishing of Kingswere in Somersetshire, and the service of Peter de Sandiacre, which he bought for the
land which he had in exchange for the land of Horseleg, the fee farm rent of all which
was 112l. yearly paid into the exchequer.
(fn. 2) King John, 27 July, 15 Joh. granted to William Briwer the custody of the
land, and heir of Baldwin Wake, with the marriage of Isabell, the daughter of the said
William, formerly wife of the said Baldwin. (fn. 3) In the same year the said king granted to Richard, son of William Briewerre, Cestrefield, &c. and Snotinton, &c. and took
homage of the said Richard for these lands, (fn. 4) which the said William his father held.
(fn. 5) Joan Wake, who was the wife of Hugh Wake, had the custody of the land, and
heir of Hugh Wake, to wit, Cesterfield, with the wapentake belonging, except 16l. land
which William de Percy held in the name of one of the heirs of William de Bruer
and the said Joan with the other heirs of William de Bruer, as well out of the manor
of Cesterfield, as out of other lands in very many counties, held by the service of
three knights fees, as in Cesterfield, Sneynton, Arminster, Kingswere, in the county of
Somerset, and this was of the feoffment of King John.
(fn. 6) Henry de Purpunt, and Annora his wife, in the former part of the reign of Edward the first, were attached to answer Henry Fitz- (or son of) Robert, William
de Blackwell, Richard del Hull, William Arnold, Walter le Chapeleyn, William
de Lyndeby, Ralph and John his brother, Richard le Feuere, and Theobald his brother, Roger Bere, Robert Fraunceys, and very many others, the men or tenants of
the said Henry, and Annora his wife, of the manor of Sneynton, which is ancient demesne of the king's crown, why they, contrary to the king's precept, exacted other
services and customs of the said men, than they were wont to perform when the said
manor was in the hands of king John, viz. whereas they were wont to hold a bovat
of land for 4s. per annum, and suit of court from three weeks to three weeks, for all
services the said Henry, and Annora, exact for the said bovat of land 13s. per annum.
And whereas, they were wont to plead by a writ of right close, and to have their
essoines according to the custom of the manor, the said Henry and Annora, would
not suffer them to plead nor have essoines; and whereas they were wont to be amerced by their equals (or Peers [Pares]) and that according to the quantity of the fault,
they amerced them out of the court according to their own will; and whereas they
were wont to have a common pare (or pound) in the same town, they did not suffer
them to have one. And also the said Henry, and Annora, taxed the said men or tenants one hundred marks, where they were not wont to be taxed, and for the said
one hundred marks took their cattel in Sneynton, and drove them out of the liberty
of Sneynton to Holme. The said Henry and Annora, by their atturney pleaded, that
the said men were not upon the king's ancient demesne, but were their villains.—
The court gave day that the book of doomsday might be searched, wherein Notinton
was found to be the king's land, but in Easter term, 15 E. 1. they got a jury to find
that Sneynton was never called Notinton, but alwaies Sneynton; and that Notinton was a
part of Notingham, on that side towards Arnehall; which surely is the most evidently
false of any thing that ever pretended to be called a verdict, as may be sufficiently
discovered by what is here set down: but it served to get the tenants amerced, and
finally to submit to what had been some while before it seems attempting against them,
for I find that in 4 E, 1. (fn. 7) John de Sutton Bayliff of Henry de Albiniaco, contemned (or refused) to admit of the kings writs, which the kings sokemen of Sneynton
brought to him that year.
(fn. 8) Henry de Perepont, and Annora his wife, 17 E 1. offered themselves against
Robert de Tibetoft, and Eva his wife, that they should warrant to them the third part
of the manor of Sneinton, which Hugh le Dispenser, and Isabell his wife claimed in
dower. This Eva was daughter of Patricius de Cadurcis, vulgo Chaworth. (fn. 9)
There was an inquisition taken at Nottingham the last day of March, save one, 13 H.
6. (fn. 10) before Ralph Crumwell, knt. Thomas Chaworth, knt. Hugh Willoughby, knt
John Bowes & Richard Bingham, & John Cockayn, knt, high sheriff of Nottss. assigned by the king, by his letters patent dated 11 July, 12 H. 6. to enquire of concealments, and other things at which time the jury found that Patricius de Chaworth
was seized of the manor of Sneynton, with the appurtenances, and that he demised it
to William bishop of Sarum for his life, reserving 10l. per annnm rent; and afterwards that he levyed a fine of it in Michaelmas term, 36 H. 3. to Henry de Albiniaco, to whom, and to Hugh, brother of the said Henry, he granted interest in it for
their lives; but afterwards to descend to himself and his heirs, by which means they
would entitle king Henry the sixth to it, as son of Henry the fifth, son of Henry
the fourth, kings of England, son of the lady Blanch, late duchess of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, late duke of Lancaster, son of Maud, daughter of Patricius, son of the
said Patricius, named in the fine: but they found that Henry Perpount, knight, held
the manor, and had received the rents, issues, and profits, twelve years last past, and
that Edmund Perpount, knight, had done so for thirty years, and that other ancestors of the said Henry Perpount had done so since the death of the said bishop, and
Henry de Albiniaco and Hugh. This inquisition is duplicated and called two inquisitions, returned into the chancery the eve of the Ascension, 13 H. 6. Henry Perpount, the second of June following, offered himself to traverse them.
I suppose this trouble was created by the Lord Crumbwell, with whom Sir Henry
Pierpont had great suits, as in Gonaldston may be noted.
The manor of Sneynton was bought by the first Sir Henry Perpont of R de Tibetot,
and hath ever since continued in that noble family, and is now the possession of the
right honourable Henry marquess of Dorchester.
— Warreyn was an ancient and great freeholder here, whose lands, by a marriage of a daughter and heir, came to — Roos, whose heir sold the reversion
to the earl of Kingston, the said marquesses father.
(fn. 11) At the assizes at Nott before William Toirninge, and Richard Sydenham, the
Tuesday after the feast of St. Peter in Cathedra, 14 R. 2. William de Aderley was
cast concerning fourteen acres of land in Sneynton, which was then found ancient
demesne, &c.
At the assises at Nott. 10 H. 4. Sir Edmund Pierpount, and John de Burton, cast
Thomas Ingram, concerning one mess. and four bovats of land in Sneynton.
(fn. 12) In the year 1234, R. the prior of Lenton, and the convent of the same, confirmed
to Robert son of Ingelram of Nottingham, and his heirs, all their land and meadow belonging to it, with tost and croft, all which belonged to the church of St. Stephen of
Sneynton, he paying them 13s. yearly. They granted, released, and confirmed to this
Robert Ingram, knight, for his counsel and service, had and to be had during his
life 21s. 6d. issuing to them out of his lands in Sneynton and Nottingham.
Here were some lands sir John Byrons.
(fn. 13) Queen Elizabeth, 17 June, 41 Eliz. granted to Henry Pierponte all the tythes
of corn in the town of Nottingham, and in the town of Sneynton, yearly coming, late belonging to the priory of Lenton, then valued at xxl. per annum.
[Throsby] Sneynton
Land is chiefly in the hands of John Musters Esq; of Colwick, and C. M. Peirpont, Esq; the county representative. The land is in high cultivation. Here is a
chapel, a member of St. Mary's, Nottingham, dedicated to St. Stephen, where service is performed once a fortnight. In the chapel yard are some tombs and a number
of grave stones: of the former is one to the memory of Edward Williams, a diffenting minister, who was esteemed for his excellent disposition; he died possessed of a
large fortune, in 1787. By his will he highly favoured a Mr. Cope and a Mr. Dennison. Of the latter, one covers the remains of Mr William Frud, eminent as a
dancing master and as a violin player; and esteem'd, in the polite circles of Nottingham and Leicester, for his amiable disposition. He died in 1787, age not mentioned. (fn. 14)
Dr. Haines Vicar of St. Mary's, Nottingham, Curate, 12l. certified value.