GATESTHORP

Is a small village, known by travellers by the name of Gasthorp Gate, which is a publick-house that hath a gate for its sign, contrived at first, I suppose, from the name of the town; it stands on a great road which crosses the river here: it seems to take its name from some owner of it, [Gades Dorp] or Gatesthorp, signifying the village or mansion of some one of that name.

The Church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, and is a rectory, discharged of first fruits and tenths. It hath no parsonage-house, but there are 30 acres of glebe.

The advowson belonged to the Prior of the monks at Thetford, who always presented till the Dissolution, unless in cases of lapse, or when that priory was in the King's hands as an alien.

Rectors.

1289, Sir William, rector of Gatesthorp. Sir Adam de Levermere, then parish chaplain.

1314, kal. Jan. Walter de Fakenham, priest. Lapse.

1327, 3 non. Oct. John de Boys, accolite. The Prior of Thetford.

1349, 16 March, John de Melles of Brampton, priest. Mary Countess of Norfolk, by grant from the King; who holds the advowson, the temporals of Thetford priory, which is an alien, being in his hands during the wars.

1358, 16 March, John de Berkyng, a shaveling, instituted in the person of Sir Nic. de Wrotham, rector of Langford, his proxy. Mary Countess of Norfolk.

1369, 19 Aug. Stephen de Rydon, priest. The Prior of St. Mary at Thetford.

1375. 12 April, David Bonegent, priest. King Edward, during the wars: he had license to plant on the lord's waste, called the Holms, against his rectory-house.

1404, 13 July, Rich. de Wyrham, priest. The Prior.

1409, 5 Aug. John Skarlet, priest. on Wyrham's resignation. Ditto.

1410, 20 March, Walter de Westwalton, priest, Ditto.

1412, 29 Aug. John Covyn, priest, on Walter's resignation. Ditto.

1413, 3 April, Roger Sekot, on Covyn's resignation. Ditto.

1414, 21 May, John Blome of Ixworth, shaveling, on Sekot's resignation. Ditto.

1417, 10 May, Rich. Flaxere, or Flaxby, priest. The Prior. At his death in

1438, 18 June, John-Walter de Elveden, priest. Will. de Elveden, sub-prior, the priory being void.

1459, 13 Dec. Tho. Hunt, chaplain. The Prior.

1482, 29 April. Ric. Cokke. Ditto.

1496, 21 Febr. Will. de Ostelyn. Robert Prior of Thetford.

1510, 28 Jan. Will. Cramfodre, on Ostelyn's death. Ditto.

1414, 27 March, John Baron. Ditto.

1525, 4 May, Tho. Jamys, on Baron's death, united to Gnateshall. Ditto.

1559,---Dec. Thomas Pike, priest. Thomas Duke of Norfolk.

1573, 25 June, Francis Clark, on Pike's resignation. He was buried here Feb. 8, 1616, Tho. Bleverhasset, Will. Dixe, and Will. Cantrell, feoffees for the Duke.

1617, 25 March, Gaudy Bolton, S.T.B. Robert Bolton, this turn; he had Garboldisham.

1634, 22 Dec. Robert Wotton, A.M. Anne, relict of Sir Drue Drury, Knt. and Drue Drury, her son.

1661, 25 Oct. Thomas Newcome, A.M. on Wotton's death. Sir Drue Drury, Bart. united to Gnateshall.

1675, 8 June, George Rayner on Newcourt's death, united to Riddlesworth: Robert Drury, Bart.

1681, 30 June, Thomas Barnes, A.M. on Rayner's death. Sir Robert Drury, Bart. He was instituted to Riddlesworth the same day, and held them by union till the 19th of December following, and then he obtained a perpetual consolidation. See Ridlesworth.

The church stands alone on a hill, it is a very mean building of one isle only, and a chancel, both of which are thatched; the tower is square, having only two bells, a third being sold in 1607, to repair the church; there is not one inscription, nor any thing else remarkable, except several very ancient coffin-stones with crosses upon them, which were laid over some of the rectors, or other religious persons that were interred here. Since the consolidation, Service is performed here but once in a fortnight.

This village was always small, being but half a league long, and half a league broad, and paid but 7d. Danegeld. It belonged to the Conqueror, who committed it to Earl Godric's care; it had then one carucate in demean, and was held by a freeman in King Edward's time, and was in Kenninghall soken. (fn. 1)

The Abbot of Bury had a part here worth 5s. in the Confessor's time, and 10s. in the Conqueror's, when it was held of him by an Englishman. (fn. 2)

The whole town, except the Abbot's part, remained in the Crown, till King Henry II. gave it to William de Albany Earl of Arundel, before 1198, and the year following, at his death, it went to William, his son and heir, who made a feoffment of the whole, to

Warine de Gatesthorp, and his heirs, who were to hold it of him and his heirs, by the service of two knights fees, and this is the reason that all the manors here were afterwards held of Tateshale barony. Soon after this it was divided, for the Prior of Thetford had the advowson and half a fee, and John de Berdewell, and his partners had another half fee, each of which constituted a manor. Gatesthorp's whole fee was afterwards called, West Hall, or Wrotham's; the Prior's half fee, East Hall, or Garleks; and Berdewell's half fee was called Up Hall.

West Hall, or Wrotham's Manor,

Was, after Warine's death, in Sir Adam de Gatesthorp, then in Galfrid de Stanton, and soon after in Adam de Wrotham; in 1346, in James his son, and in 1350, Nic. de Wrotham was lord; in 1364, James de Wrotham, and Alice his wife, owned it; in 1366, James was dead, and the manor belonged to Roger de Felbrigge, John Seckford, Knts. and others, trustees of Alice, his widow, who after married to John Cocket, who was lord. In 1398, Tho. de Redelesworth, (fn. 3) was lord, who left it to Jeffry de Redelesworth, his son, who by will dated 1415, ordered to be buried at Gasthorp, and gave his manor there to Thomas his son, in tail, remainder to Sir William Berdewell, and Robert his son, who was executor, and inherited about 1450, Thomas Redelesworth, son of John, dying soon after without heirs, as did his two sisters, Agnes and Margaret, upon which

Robert, son of Sir William Berdewell, Knt. did homage for it to Ralf Lord Cromwell, as belonging to Tateshale barony, of which it was held by one fee,; and thus it was joined to the other manor, and hath continued so ever since.

East Hall, or Garleck's Manor,

Came, some way or other, very soon from Thetford Prior (who kept the advowson to himself, and part of the demeans, valued in 1302 at a quarter of a fee) to

John de Furneaux, Will. and Roger de Maynwaryn, Hugh de Snitterton, and Nich. de Beaufeau, who were lords in 1280, being Furneaux's trustees; after this it belonged to

Jeffry Bainard, whose son Roger was lord in 1294, and lived at Wramplingham; he settled it on Will. de la Menewaryn, rector of East-Herling, who, in 1336, conveyed it to Sir Walter de Fakenham, rector of Gasthorp, together with the reversion of the dower of Marion, late wife of Jeffry Banyard, who was still living. In 1346,

Aveline, late wife of Roger le Menewaryn, was lady. In 1349,

Alice, late wife of Hugh de Bokenham, had it; and the same year Roger Baniard became lord, who was succeeded by Robert Baniard and Maud his wife, who left a daughter named Margery; she and John, son of Sir John Furneaux, Knt. and Alice Avenaunt, daughter of Rose atte Wyk of Fakenham-Parva, niece to Rob. Baniard, released all their rights to

John Garlek, of Gatesthorp, before 1361; and he, in 1381, settled it on Nic. de Whichingham and others, who in 1388 released their rights to Walter Garlek of Sporle, his son, and Adam Monk of Lerling, who conveyed it to Tho. Jenney, Knt. Henry and Edmund de Pakenham, in trust, and so it continued till about 1398, and then it was purchased of the said Walter by

Sir Will. Berdewell of West-Herling, Knt. and joined to his manor of Up Hall, both which, by will dated in 1391, he settled on Margaret his wife, and Robert his son, in tail, naming Tho. Jenney, Tho. Hemgrave, Knts. Henry and Edmund de Pakenham, his trustees.

Up Hall, or Berdewell's Manor,

Was granted to John de Berdewell, who was lord in 1285; at his death Sara his wife had it; she was daughter to Sir John de Furneaux, and lady in 1290. In 1330, Thomas, her son, was lord; in 1342, Ric. Rob. and Thomas, grandsons of John and Sarah de Berdewelle, were lords. In 1348, John de Berdewelle; and in 1375, James de Wrotham had it, during the life of Alice his wife, by grant from Tho. Berdewelle. In 1399, Sir William Berdewelle, Knt. was lord, whose trustees, John Cokayn, Tho. Derham, and Ric. Alfred, in 1403, settled it on Robert, son of Sir Will. Berdewelle, and Elizabeth his wife, after the death of the said Sir William, and Margaret his wife; and in 1433, Sir William released Up Hall and Garleck's to his son Robert, in whom all the three manors became united, and have passed as West-Herling to this time; for which reason I shall refer you thither.

In the Custom Roll of West Hall Manor, made in Sir John de Gatesthorp's time, this peculiar custom is entered: That every tenant of that manor that marries out of the homage, is obliged to pay the lord a bed, bolster, sheet, and pillow; this was constantly observed, and there are abundance of entries in the rolls of such payments; but in Richard the Second's time the bed was omitted by the lord's kindness, (fn. 4) though the rest were paid in Queen Elizabeth's time, or a composition for them. Every woman that had a bastard paid 2s. 8d. leyrwite, but the widows did not so. The dower of this manor was a third part of all free and copyhold lands, and a moiety of all lands held in soccage.

It was fine certain, and the copyhold descended to the youngest son; the tenants could not plant, nor fell timber, nor waste their copyhold-houses without license. The greatest part (if not the whole) is purchased by the present lord, so that there are but few if any tenants at this time [1736.]

In 1419, the town of Gathesthorp held a piece of pasture called the Rodys, and then the cullet (fn. 5) that went in the lord's flock, and laid in his fold, paid as many small rents as amounted to 4s. per annum.

In 1390, Richard de Boyland's tenants in Wilby were attached to do fealty and homage to East Hall manor, and also the tenants of Wynneferthyng (fn. 6) for the same, and for one pound of pepper annual rent, issuing out of the tenement, and 50 acres of land, which lies between the way called Bokenham Gate, and the tenement of Sir Hugh Le Vere, and abuts on Wynneferthing town, the tithes of which belong two garbs to Thetford monks, and one garb to Shelfhanger rector. This laid in Winfarthing and Shelfhanger, on the road that leads from Shelfhanger to Winfarthing. The rector of Winfarthing paid 20s. to the monks of Thetford for his portion, and Shelfhanger rector 18d.

Kempe's Manor

Was that part which belonged to Bury abbey; in 1288, Adam Kempe had it, and paid 2s. 6d. a year to that abbey; in 1289, Gilbert Kempe owned it; in 1294, Will. Kempe, who gave part of it with his daughter Lettice in marriage to Will. de Norwich; in 1297, he was dead, and he married again to Simon de la Maynwaryn of Herling, and that part fell into East Hall manor; the other part, in 1330, at Emma Kempe's death, came to John Kempe her son; and in 1341 was Will. Kempe's by which time it was so far divided and aliened, that there remained no rents.

This Norwich family was the most ancient of any that I meet with, that lived here; I have a deed without date, by which John de Norwich, who lived at Gasthorp, manumised Richard son of William Godhewe, of Herling-Parva, and all his posterity.

The Leet belongs to the hundred, the lord of which is lord paramount, and hath weyf, strey, and all other liberties, the lords of these manors not claiming any, upon the quo warantos brought for each lord to set forth his privileges. The leet fee is 12d.

Mr. Margaret Gawdie gave 20s. per annum to the poor of this parish, which is now [1736] paid by the parish of Garboldisham.

In 1603 here were 27 communicants; and now there are 9 houses, and about 60 inhabitants. It paid 38s. to the tenths, and is now [1736] assessed at about 150l. to the land tax.

Footnotes