SHROPHAM,
Scerepham, Serpeham, Scropham, or as it is now called, Shropham, was a town of more than common note, when the hundreds were
first appointed, as is evident from its giving name to the hundred; at
present it is a common village, not so large by a great deal as many in
this hundred are, though it consists of three ancient villages, the two
last of which have been so far lost, that they are not so much as known
by their original names of Breccles-Parva, and Broadcar, or Bradcar.
Breccles-Parva, or Little Breccles,
At the time of the Conquest, was a separate town, belonging to
Roger Bigot, (fn. 1) having in it nine freemen under him, who held 110
acres of land; the manor was worth 10s. a year, and was then in
Wayland hundred; but being given to the Earl of Arundel by the
said Roger, with his daughter Maud, (fn. 2) he added it to his hundred of
Shropham, which belonged to his castle of Bukenham, and afterwards
infeoffed the Breccleses; who always held it of the Earl of Arundel,
at a quarter of a fee, as of his hundred of Shropham. In Henry the
Third's time, John de Breccles was lord; and in 1345, John de Breccles, his grandson, had it; in 1402, Benedict de Breccles held it, and
soon after it belonged to William de Narburgh, whose daughter Ela
had it, she first married Thomas Shouldham, and afterwards Henry
Spilman, who died seized in 1494, and Thomas Spilman his son inherited, and his son John had it in 1563; in 1567, it belonged to Francis
Woodhouse, Esq. who sold it to Thomas Shelton, Esq. at which time
the manor was extinct, the whole being purchased in; it had then a
fold-course and free fishery, and extended into Shropham, BrecclesMagna, and Hockham; it afterwards came to the Barkers, John
Barker, Esq. the present owner, hath built a seat here, which is the
only house in this place.
The church was a rectory, given by Roger Bigot, lord here, to the
Priory of Thetford, when he founded it, and so it came wholly to that
house, to which it was confirmed by Henry II.; (fn. 3) but it being a very
small place, the monks agreed to take a pension of 8s. a year, from
the rector of Shropham, in lieu of all the tithes. (fn. 4) It was annexed to
Shropham, and the church was demolished before Edward the Third's
time, and the parishioners had the parochial chapel of St. Andrew in
Shropham, which till that time belonged to Bradcar, assigned them
for their parish church, Bradcar being then entirely united to Shropham; and this continued single for some time, though not very long;
for before 1332 the rectory and chapel (fn. 5) was annexed to St. Peter
and Paul's church of Shropham, so that I meet with no institutions
to either of them. At the first settling the vicarage, part of the land
in Little Breccles, which belonged to Thompson college, was to pay
all tithes to the college; but upon the last settlement in 1414, the
vicar was to receive all the great and small tithes of Little Breccles,
so that the vicar of Shropham is rector of Little Breccles at this time;
and in 1514, upon the complaint of the parishioners of Little Breccles
in the parish of Shropham, setting forth that since the settlement the
vicar had neglected serving the chapel, contrary to the terms of the
consolidation, which, notwithstanding the appropriation, was still an
entire rectory to him, the Bishop swore Sir Robert Morley, at his
institution in 1519, to perform service in it to the parishioners of
Little Breccles, as you may see under his institution. This was demolished about Edward the Fourth's time.
Broadcar, or Bradcar,
Was included in Shropham at the Conquest, but was independent of
it some time after, (fn. 6) and had the parochial chapel of St. Andrew for
their church, (fn. 7) till it was resigned to the parishioners of Little Breccles,
when this was united to Shropham; it belonged to Roger Bigot at
the Conquest, (fn. 8) and to Andrew de Hengham in 1235; it was afterwards
added to, and became a part of, Pakenham's manor, and was always
held of the Earls of Arundell at half a fee, as of their hundred of
Shropham, and is that part of Shropham which joins to the river by
Sneterton.
The vicarage is valued in the King's Books at 8l. 13s. 9d. and being
sworn of the clear yearly value of 30l. 2s. 6d. it is discharged of first
fruits and tenths, and is capable of augmentation; it pays 2s. synodals, being endowed with the rectory-house and all the glebe land,
except an acre and half, and all the great and small tithes of BrecclesParva, and all other tithes in Bradcar and Shropham, except the
tithes of corn and grain, which belong to the impropriation. It is in
Norfolk archdeaconry, and deanery of Rockland, and in 1603 had
120 communicants, and now [1737] there are about 250 inhabitants.
It paid 7l. 13s. 4d. to the tenths, and is now assessed at 610l. 5s.
There were three gilds kept in the church of St. Peter and Paul at
Shropham; (fn. 9) the first was the gild of St. Peter and Paul, the second
of St. John Baptist, and the third of our Lady, and there was another
gild in St. Andrew's church, held in honour of that Apostle. (fn. 10) (fn. 11)
The Prior of the monks at Thetford had divers small pieces of land
here, which were taxed at 2s.
The Abbot of Bury, at the Conquest, had a freeman, who held 30
acres of him; this was afterwards appropriated to the use of the infirmary of that monastery, and the keeper of the infirmary received the
profits till the Dissolution, and was taxed at 5s. and so paid 6d. every
tenth.
The temporalities of Bec abbey, and Okebourne priory were taxed
8s. 9d. ob.
The Prior of Bukenham was taxed at 6s. ob. for his temporalities,
which were small rents issuing out of divers lands in this town, paid
to the priory manor of Bukenham, of which they were held.
Rectors and Vicars.
1284, (fn. 12) Will. de Hengham, rector.
1332, 4 kal. July, Ralph de Coggeshale, clerk, was instituted to the
rectory of the church of St. Peter at Shropham, with the chapel of
St. Andrew lately annexed to the same, at the presentation of John,
son of Sir John de Coggishalis, Knt.
1358, 10 Dec. Walter de Elveden, priest, at Ralph's resignation.
John de Cokefield, Knt.; he exchanged his precentorship in
Hereford cathedral, for this rectory.
1360, 7 May, Walter Le-Pestour, priest. Sir John de CoggesHales, Knt.
1371, 29 Octob. Tho. de Berton, priest. Sir Henry de Coggeshale, Knt.
1396, 6 Jan. Sir Thomas, son of Lawrence of Horstede, John
Methelwold. This man was the last rector of this parish, for in
1398 the master and fellows of St. Martin's college at Thomeston
(or Tomson) obtained a bull from Pope Boniface to appropriate the
church of St. Peter at Shropham, together with the chapel of St.
Andrew thereto annexed, to their college for ever, on condition there
should be a vicarage ordained by the Bishop of Norwich, which should
be settled by him and his successours, to their pleasure and liking,
provided that the patronage of the vicarage should belong to the
master and brethren of the said college, and accordingly in
1398, 6 July, Henry Stoket of Eston, priest, was instituted to the
vicarage of the parish church of St. Peter at Shropham, with the
chapel of St. Andrew annexed, at the presentation of the master
and fellows of Thomeston college, who presented all the following
vicars till their dissolution; and in
1410, Alexander Bishop of Norwich, by virtue of the power reserved
in Pope Boniface the Ninth's bull, (fn. 13) and because Bishop Henry LeDispenser his predecessor, who consented to the appropriation, had
appointed no further about the vicarage, but that it should be worth
20 marks a year, besides the vicars dwelling in the rectory-house,
further declared and settled the vicarage in this manner, that the
vicars should have the hall, its chambers, the kitchen, the bake-house,
stable, and the chamber called the guest-chamber, a long house with
a chamber over it, called the priest's chamber, with all the houses
belonging thereto, and the garden of half an acre adjoining thereto,
the whole being the rectory-house and its site together with 24 acres
of arable land (part of the glebe) lying near the house, with the same
liberty of faldage, as the rectors had before the appropriation, and
all the alterage, oblations, mortuaries, and personal tithes, tithes of
calves, chickens, lambs, pigs, foals, geese, ducks, pigeons, wool, milk,
flax, hemp, cheese, apples, pears, curtilages, mills, turf, herbage,
pasturage, wood, fish, fowl, wax-candles offered, and all other offerings to the altars, or images, in both church and chapel, ploughshote,
trees growing on the glebe and churchyards, together with the
churchyards, tithes of hay, conies, and all other tithes whatever,
except the tithes of corn and grain, all which were to belong to the
college; and it was then also settled, that the vicar should pay all
the procurations due for the said church, and all other pensions due
before the appropriation, viz. 7s. 7d. a year to the archdeacon, and 8s.
a year pension to the Prior of Thetford; and that the vicar should
have nothing from the college-land, called Breccles-Holm, and that
the master should pay an annual rent of 20s. a year to the Bishop for
the first fruits, which would cease upon the appropriation, and that he
should be taxed at 10l. for the great tithes, and the vicar at 7 marks
for his vicarage; and this being thus settled, the Bishop, in
1411, 6 April, collated William Helgeye, priest, by lapse, who resigned in
1414, 8 Sept. to William Snell, priest, in exchange for Shipton
Solars in Worcester diocese, to which Helgeye was instituted, at the
presentation of John Solers, lord there, as Snell was to this vicarage, at the presentation of the master and fellows; he held it till
May 5, 1422, and then resigned it; and at his resignation, with the
consent of the bishop and the master, voided by deed, the former
assignation of the vicarage; (fn. 14) and the same day after the avoidance, the
bishop and master settled the vicarage for evermore to continue, as
in the former assignation, except in this, that whereas the College
paid 16 marks in money yearly to the vicar, besides the vicarage, out
of the great tithes, the vicars for the future should have, and receive
in kind, all the corn-tithes, and all other tithes whatsoever, arising
and coming from Breccles-Parva, (fn. 15) together with all the glebe belonging to the rectory, (fn. 16) before the appropriation, except half an acre on
the east side of the rectory-house, and one acre in Breccles Holm,
and in every thing else the first assignation was to be valid to all intents and purposes, and soon after the master and fellows, viz.
1422, 13 June, presented Rich. Blok of Helgeye, priest, who was
then instituted vicar.
1426, 30 Aug. Gregory Dalle, priest, on Richard Helgeye's resignation.
1435, 19 May, John Lalle, priest, on Dalle's resignation.
1449, 24 May, John Chaumberleyn, priest, on Lalle's resignation.
Mr. Will. Bettys, master of the college.
1457, 18 May, Thomas Smale, on Chaumberleyn's resignation. He
resigned for Lerling. (see p. 431.)
1469, 26 March, John Barsham, on Smale's resignation.
1476, 5 Febr. Nicholas Bryon, priest.
1494, 25 Sept. Tho. Fairwell, on Bryon's resignation. Ambrose
Ede, master of St. Martin's college at Thomeston. (fn. 17)
1514, 7 March, Robert Pitts. By lapse.
1519, 17 Febr. the Bishop presented Sir Robert Morley, by reason
of the vacancy of the college, and swore him to perform service twice
in a week, and upon the four principal offering-days in every year, in
the chapel of St. Andrew, (of Breccles-Parva,) which was annexed
to his church, the former vicars having neglected their duty, in serving the parish of Breccles-Parva since the consolidation, and the
parishioners would suffer it no longer, as being contrary to the terms
of the consolidation; and as their parish of Breccles-Parva, notwithstanding the appropriation was in effect, an entire rectory to the
vicar.
1526, 24 June, Will. Johnson, priest, on Morley's death.
Nicholas Marshall, vicar.
1539, 9 Dec. Richard Ramme, on Marshall's death. Robert
Awdeley, master of Thompson chantry.
1554, 16 Sept. George Halsted, (or Haughe,) priest, on Ramme's
death. Anthony Hevenyngham, Knt. and Mary his wife.
1574, 19 June, John Scott, A. M. at Haughe's death. The mayor
and commonalty of the city of Norwich, who have presented ever
since, and are now patrons.
Thomas Stafford.
1587, 15 May, Alexander Westall, A. B. on Stafford's resignation.
1661, 25 July, Henry Moyse, A. M.
1684, 19 June, Will. Warkhouse, A. M. at Moyse's death, united to
Lerling.
1722, 20 Oct. the Rev. Mr. Nicholas Neech, on Warkhouse's cession,
who holds it united to Snetterton.
This Church is a good building, having a square tower and five
bells. (fn. 18) On a brass plate is this,
Hic iaret Agnes Beny.
On an old seat you may read this,
Pray for the Wyllfare of Thomas Beny and Katherine his Wyffe
Anno dni:
Willimo: CCCCCxxviii.
They seated the church at this time, and made the screens between
the church and chancel, and those between the north isle and the
chapel of St. Catherine, at the east end of it. In a north chancel
window is, [T. B. Rectoris] For Thomas Berton, who was the
last rector but one, in whose time the chancel was glazed.
Under the king's arms is this,
God save the King, & send him long to rayne,
In Helth and Peace the Gospel to maintain.
On three marbles in the chancel,
Hic positus est JACOBUS BARKER Armig: (Filius Unicus et Hæres JOHANNIS BARKER de Thorndon in Com:
Suff. Gen:) obijt 15° die Febr. Anno Dni: 1718, Ætatis suæ 58.
MARY, late Wife of GEORGE LE-HUNT, of NewBukenham, Gent, died June 30, 1721, aged 51 Years.
A saltire impaling per fess, a star of eight points, counterchanged.
JOHN HART, Gent. died March 2, 1711, Æt. 67.
There remain in the windows the arms of Coggeshall, (see p. 24.)
Pakenham, quarterly, or and gul. in the first quarter an eagle
displayed vert.
Arg. a lion rampant murrey, with a forked tail, the arms of Thomas de Berton, sometime rector, as appears by his seal in my own
collection.
Breton's or Pakenham's Manor,
Belonged at the Confessor's survey to Anaut, and to Earl Hugh at
the Conqueror's, of whom Richard de Vernun then held it; it was
worth 3l. in Anaut's time, and afterwards 4l.; (fn. 19) the whole of Shropham
was then above two miles long and one broad, and paid 18d. geld;
the superiour jurisdiction belonged then to the hundred, the lord of
which hath the leet (fee 3s.) and it extended into Sneterton, as it now
does. (fn. 20)
The first lord that I meet with, after the Conquest, was Richard de
Kanky. In 1230, Ralf de Jernemuth conveyed it to Richard Le
Presture. In 1308, John Le Veyle of Barningham, granted it to
Peter Le Breton of Shropham; it extended then into Sneterton,
Wileby, Harkham, Lerling, Bretenham, Illington, Rokeland, and StowBydon; afterwards, Stephen Bryttoun had it; after this it divided,
and in 1345, Richard de Cauz held half a fee of it, of John Gernoun,
and the same Richard, Richard Herberd, Walter Goodhale, Henry
atte Green, and Robert of Bokenham, held the other half fee of Robert de Morley, and he of the King, which Peter of Shropham, Roger
Cauz, and others, formerly held. In 1367, Henry de Breton was lord,
who this year left it to his two sisters, his heiresses; Lettice and Agnes,
whose son and heir, Henry de Pakenham, inherited her moiety; it was
then held as parcel of Tateshall barony: Lettice married John Heryng
of Thompson, whose son and heir, John Heryng, was lord of his part
in 1393, and in 1394, Henry Heryng, clerk, brother and heir of John,
held his part by the two hundredth part of Tateshall barony; Henry
Pakenham, Esq. at his death, left his part to Henry, his son and heir,
who lived at Shropham in his manor-house, called Pakenham Hall.
About 1408, he became heir to Henry Hering of Thompson, clerk, and
so the whole of this part was joined in him; the other parts of the
half fee which was divided in 1345, were held in 1442, by the heirs of
Henry Breton, Roger Caus, Richard Caus, and the heirs of Richard
Herberd, Walter Goodale, Robert de Bokenham, and Henry atte
Green.
Henry Pakenham died in 1445, and left Robert Pakenham of
Shropham, Esq. his son and heir, 30 years old, who held it till 1463, (fn. 21)
when he died, and was buried, according to his will, (fn. 22) in the chapel of St.
Catherine at the east end of the north isle of St. Peter's church in
Shropham; he gave his horse to the priest for his mortuary; to the
high altar 3s. 4d.; to repair the church 6s. 8d.; and to repair St.
Andrew's 3s. 4d.; the manor he bequeathed to Henry his son, and
gave Garboldesham manor (see p. 257) to his wife for life, with all his
manors in Staffordshire; and ordered 200 marks to be paid out of
Pakenham manor, to his daughter Margery, and would have a trental (fn. 23)
celebrated for his soul soon after his death; he desired Will. Warner, Esq.
and John Lalle, rector of Rokeland All-Saints, his feoffees, to perform
his will, Will. Berdewell, Esq. Robert Spelman, William Mounteny of
Threxton, and Tho. Beny, senior, were executors; Hen. Pakenham
died seized, in 1495, of this and Honyng manor, and of divers free
tenements and lands in Honyng, Northwalsham, Worsted, Crostweyth,
and Witton, called Drake's, Wales's, and Lombe's. He left two daughters his heiresses; Elizabeth married John Sturges, senior, and had
the moiety of this manor in her right, and purchased the other
moiety of Anne Dobbes, her sister, to whom she sold her moiety of
Garboldesham; and in 1529, John Sturges senior, of Cranworth, and
Elizabeth his wife, levied a fine of the manor of Pakenham's, otherwise Breton's, to Humphrey Wyngfield, in trust; and in 1533, Sturges
had license to alien it to Nicholas Sywhat and his heirs. In 1558,
Philip Appleyard and Mary his wife had it, and not long after it was
united to Bradker, with which it still [1737] continues.
Bradeker, or Bradcar,
Was a distinct manor, belonging to Aluric in the Confessor's, and to
Gilbert the Archer in the Conqueror's time, (fn. 24) it being worth 30s. and
afterwards 40; and the soke belonged to the hundred. In 1235, Andrew de Hingham held Bradekore at half a fee, as part of the fees of
Roger Bigot, which he gave to the Earl of Arundell. In 1250, Henry
de Hengham was lord, and obtained a charter of free warren in all
his lands in Bradeker and Bathele; in 1284, William de Hengham,
parson of Shropham, settled divers messuages and lands in Bradkyr
and Shropham, on Roger Le-Veuze and Alice his wife; in 1285, Andrew de Hengham was summoned to shew cause why he did not pay
the King 96 marks, which were behind, of a certain annual rent of
two marks a year, due to the King out of certain tenements that the
said Andrew held in Shropham. In 1286, Alexander de Hingham had
view of frankpledge, assize of bread and ale, allowed him to this manor;
in 1288, the heirs of Andrew held Bradeker, at half a fee of the Earl
of Pembroke, and in 1295, Andrew de Hengham released to Ralph de
Coggeshale the manor of Bradker, consisting of 2 messuages, 296 acres
of land, 3 mills, 77s. 3d. rent in Bradker, Shropham, Snitterton,
Wilby, and Hocham, together with the advowson of Shropham church.
In 1319, Sir John de Coggeshale had it, who, in 1327, settled it in tail
on himself and Margaret his wife, and their heirs; and in 1331, John,
their son and heir, had it, who, in 1348, settled the whole except one
acre and the advowson, on himself, Margaret his wife, and Thomas
their son, in tail; in 1360, the same John had it, and Henry was his
son and heir, 30 years old; and in 1372, the said Sir Henry de Coggeshale, Knt. Thomas his brother, and Joan, wife of the said Henry,
daughter and heiress of William de Welle, sold the acre of land, and
the advowsons of the church and chapel annexed, together with the
manor of Bradker in Shropham, to
Sir Thomas Shardelow, Knt. and his trustees, who sold him the
manor of Newhall in Boreham, Springfield-Parva, Badew-Parva,
Waltham, and Hatfield Peverell in Essex, by way of exchange, on
condition that Sir Tho. Shardelow, Knt. and his trustees, pay an annuity of 8l. per annum to the said Sir Henry and Thomas his brother,
during their lives. In 1391,
Richard Earl of Arundell and Surrey, chief lord of the fee of
Bradeker manor, for 20l. granted license to John Methewold, John
Coke, rector of West Toftes, Will. Coupere, clerk, and John Bulneys,
rector of Longford, trustees and feoffees of Sir Tho. Shardelowe, Knt.
to settle the manor of Bradekar Hall, with the advowsons and appurtenances, then held of him as of his manor of Hocham, upon
Alexander, master of Thompson college, and the fellows there, and
their successours, for ever; on condition, that during the life of
Phillipa, the Earl's wife, the college should pay her 20s. at every
vacancy, as a relief, in lieu of all services: this is dated at CastleAcre, in the Earl's castle there, the 10th day of June, in the year
aforesaid; (fn. 25) and in 1394, the trustees settled them on the college,
where they continued to its dissolution, and were granted in 1450 to
Edmund Knevet, Knt. together with the whole revenues of the college; and in 1541 he had license to sell Bradcar and the rectory,
and the advowson of the vicarage, to John Flowerdew and his heirs,
who, in 1545, sold them to Edward Billingham, and he, in 1546, to
Tho. Clere, and he, in 1547, to Sir Anthony Hevenyngham, who
aliened them to Sir Ralph Sheltone and his heirs, in trust for Sir Anthony and his wife during their lives; she outlived him, and held it to
1572, and left Sir Arth. Heveningham, Knt. her son and heir, who sold
it to the mayor and commonalty of the city of Norwich, who are now
lords, impropriators, and patrons.
Mudigwell, or Mudingwell's Manor,
Was owned by Eudo the Sewer, of whom Rouland held it at the survey; (fn. 26) it had been worth 60s. but was fallen to 37; it was held of the
hundred, and Lisius and Eudo both claimed against Rouland; in
1198, Julian and Emma, daughters of Richard [de Bradeker] sold it
to Wimar, son of William [of Shropham]; in 1218, Emma and Belisant,
daughters of Hervy de Schropham, added many lands to it, which they
purchased of Thomas de Snetterton, and Maud his wife, and of Simon
de Medelwolde, and Amy his wife. In 1279, Philip, son of Tho. de
Mudigwell of Shropham, at the death of Thomas his father, renewed
the rental, (fn. 27) and after this it was much divided; for in 1293, Roger;
son of Adam of Shropham, purchased a part of Walter, son of Andrew
De-la-Wade, and soon after we find in the Feodary, that Peter [de
Mudigwell] of Shropham, Roger Le Cauz, Will. de Hocham, Rich. de
Sueterton, and Peter Fitz-Osbert, held the whole at half a fee, of
Will. Mareshall, and he of the King, notwithstanding which, the
chief part continued to be a manor; and in 1341, Henry de Mudyngwell was lord; in 1385, Rob. de Ailesham and Alice his wife conveyed it to Sir Miles Stapleton, and Sir Roger de Boys, Knts. and
their heirs; in 1506, John Dade of Witton in Norfolk died seized of
Madingwell manor, in Shropham; in 1561, John Wade, Gent, sold
Modyngwell manor in Shropham, to Sir Tho. Woodhouse, and Will.
Woodhouse, Knts. since which time it hath been divided into so many
parcels, that it is now extinguished.
The manors of Sneterton, and divers other adjacent manors, extended into this town. Shropham manor is fine certain at 6d. an
acre.