RYBURGH MAGNA,

So called from its site, by the river, as Rysing, &c. was at the survey the lordship of Peter de Valoins; Goerth, the Saxon lord, in King Edward's reign, being deprived of it at the conquest; here were 2 carucates of land, held by one villain, and 11 bordarers, and 4 servi, 2 carucates in demean, and one among the men, paunage for 40 swine, 6 acres of meadow, a mill, &c. and Ralph Facto was enfeoffed of it by his lord, Peter de Valoins. A beruit belonged to it, Toftes, and valued with that, was worth in King Edward's time 4l. per annum, now at 5l. Ryburgh was 7 furlongs long, and 5 broad and paid 9¼d. gelt. (fn. 1)

Guert, was Earl Guert, brother of King Harold, and slain with him at Hastings.

Ralph Facto, or Facatus, was living in the reign of Henry I. and gave to Bynham priory, on the foundation of it by his lord, (fn. 2) (to tes tify his respect to him, and according to the practice of that age,) two parts of the tithes of his lordship, and leaving an only daughter and heir, Agnes, she brought it by marriage to the ancient family of Monpinzun; and in the 12th of Henry II. Fulguonus, or Fulke de Monte Pincernon, and Agnes his wife, were found to hold five fees of Robert Lord Valoines.

Ralph de Monpinzun was son of Sir Fulke, by Agnes, and left 2 sons, Peter, and Fulke, and Amabilia, a daughter, married to William de Cley.

Peter was father (as its said) of John de Munpinzun, who in the 56th of Henry III. granted to John de Ryseby, by fine, a messuage, 47 acres of land, one and an half of meadow, with a free fold in all his land, and common of pasture all the year, in all the pastures which lie between the pasture of Testerton, and the ditch of John de Munpinzun, on the south of the well, called Byvereswell, with liberty to dig turf, and cut grass in the moors, in the same bounds, and a free boat in all the waters lying before the said common, and the well called Rygenewell.

But it appears rather, that Giles de Monpinchun was father of Sir John, and probably a son of Ralph, the said Giles holding, in the 3d of Henry III. two knights fees here, and in Naring, that is, in Snoring Parva.

John de Munpinzun had a charter for free warren here, and in Ingaldesthorp, in the 9th of Edward I. and John Gyles de Montpinzun was his son and heir, and lord in the 18th and 27th of the said King, and father of William de Munpinzun, who in the 7th of Edward II. conveyed by fine this manor, with that of Ingaldesthorp, and the advowsons, to Robert de Walkfare, (certain lands being excepted, and messuages held by Fulco Monpinzun, and the 3d part of the said manor held by Christian, widow of Sir Gyles,) and in the following year he had a grant of free warren, in this town, Ryburgh Parva, Snoring Parva, Gately, and Testerton.

In the 18th of the said King, it was forfeited by Robert de Walkfare, (probably on his taking part with the Queen Isabel, and many of the barons, &c. against her husband King Edward II.) and in the said year a writ was granted, May 6, by the King, to enquire who gave the annual rent of 2 marks per annum out of the mills here, to the prior of Binham, which was of the gift of the ancestors of Sir Gyles de Montpinzun, this manor being seized by the King, on the rebellion of Robert de Walkfare; and Walter de Calthorp, with John de Claver, were assigned commissioners, and the inquisition being made in the 20th of that King, it was found that Sir John de Mounpinzun paid it, as did Sir Gyles his son; after whose death, the Earl Warren had the custody of this manor, and paid it also during the nonage of William son and heir of Sir Gyles; but they knew not whether Robert Walkfare paid it, because he was of the prior's family.

It appears that the said Robert was restored, most likely on the accession of King Edward III. and in his 6th year had a charter of free warren in Baladon, and Farnham in Essex, and Iselham in Cambridgeshire; he was son of John de Walkfare, and died before the 20th of the aforesaid King, when Margaret, his widow, held two fees in the Riburghs; Sir Richard de Walkfare was his son and heir, who by Euphemia, his wife, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Morieux, of Suffolk, had Alianore, a daughter and heir, and also Joan, a daughter and coheir, (as it seems,) married to Sir Thomas Felton; (fn. 3) for in the 47th of Edward III. a fine was levied between Sir Arnold Savage, Sir Nicholas Gernun, Sir William Wingfeld, Knts. &c. querents, and Sir Thomas Felton, Knight of the Garter, deforciant, of the manors of Dersingham, and Ingaldesthorp, (which were found to be held by Sir Richard de Walkfare, by the eschaet rolls, in the 35th of that King,) also of the manors of Wilby in Norfolk, and of Barton in Suffolk, settled on them in trust. In the 8th of Richard II. a fine was levied between Joan, widow of Sir Thomas Felton, (who died in or about the 4th of that King) and Sir John L'Estrange, Knt. and Alianore his wife, daughter of Sir Richard Walkfare, of this manor, those of Dersingham, and Ingaldesthorp, who for 500l. conveyed the same to the Lady Joan, appearing by this to be a moiety of the said manors, &c.

Sir Stephen de Hales aliened to the prior of Walsingham his right in this manor, in the 8th of Richard II. for the founding a charity for Sir Thomas Felton.

In the 6th of Henry VI. this lordship seems to be in the Cokerells; and Catherine, widow of John Cokerell, senior, of Ashfield in Suffolk, possessed it; whose son John dying before her, left a daughter and heir, Catherine: she died possessed of it, and the advowson, in the 10th of the said King, and on an inquisition then taken, her heirs were said to be unknown.

I find that Catherine, daughter and heir of Thomas Ickworth, Esq. of Ickworth in Suffolk, who bore quarterly, or, and gules, on a bend, over all vert, three martlets of the first, was married to John Cokerell, Esq. of Orford in Suffolk, who bore,—argent, a cross between four cockerells, gules.

Thomas de La Grene, cousin and and heir of William de la Grene, vicar of East Dereham, in the 12th of Henry VI. released to Hugh, prior, and the convent of Walsingham, all his right in the manor of Ryburgh Magna, and Parva, with the advowson of the church of Ryburgh, and this manor and advowson, with a windmill, called Southmill, and liberty of foldage; with a manor in Riburgh Parva, lands and messuages there, and in Geist, Geistdale, North Elmham, Gateley, Snoring, Testerton, Pencethorp, and Styberde, on the payment of 4l. 7s. 1d. per annum.

On the Dissolution, King Henry VIII. on the 10th of March, in his 30th year, granted it to Sir William Butts, Knt. and Margaret his wife, daughter and heiress of — Bacon, of Cambridgeshire, for life. (fn. 4) He was doctor of physick, educated at Cambridge, chief physician to the King, one of the founders of the college of physicians at London; in whose records he stands highly characterized for his eminent learning and knowledge, singular judgment, and great experience, and is much extolled for his learning, by many authors, who lived, in his time, was knighted by the name of William Butts, of Norfolk, and dying 17th of November 1545, was buried in the church of Fulham, by London. He left 3 sons; Sir William, the eldest, was lord of Thornage, in Norfolk, who married Joan, the eldest daughter and coheir of Henry Buers of Aketon, or Acton, in Suffolk, Esq.; he was eminent for his valour, and had an augmentation of honour on a canton in his arms, and was slain at Musleburgh field, in the 1st of Edward VI. Thomas Butts, Esq. the 2d son, was lord of this manor, and married Bridget, second daughter and coheir of Henry Buers, Esq. aforesaid, but dying without issue, as his elder brother Sir William did, Edmund Butts, Esq. of Barrow, in Suffolk, the third brother, was his heir, and lord of this town; and by Anne, third daughter and coheir of the aforesaid Henry Buers, had Anne, his only daughter and heir; who brought this lordship by marriage, to Sir Nicholas Bacon, of Redgrave in Suffolk, eldest son and heir of Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper of the great seal, by Jane his 1st wife, daughter of William Fernley, Esq. of Cretynge, in Suffolk, who was created the first Baronet of England, May 22, 1611, and Sir Edward Bacon, Bart, his descendant, died possessed of it.

[Bacon pedigree]

Sir Edmund Bacon bore, gules, on a chief argent, 2 mullets sable; his crest, a bore passant, ermine; motto, Mediocria Firma.

Butts bore, azure, on a chevron, between three estoils or, as many lozenges, gules.

Buers, ermin, on a chief indented sable two lions rampant, or. Lord Wotton, argent, a cross ingrailed sable. — Peyton, sable, a cross ingrailed or, and a mullet in the first quarter, argent. — Crane, argent, a fess between three cross crosslets, fitché, gules.

Munpinzun, argent, a lion rampant sable, on his shoulder, a martlet, or.

Walkfare, argent, a lion rampant sable, on his shoulder, a mullet, or.

Morieux, gules, on a bend argent, nine billets sable.

Chandler, fess wavy, between three de-lis, —— rather cheque, argent and gules, on a bend, engrailed over all, sable, three lions passant, or.

Besides the great lordship of Walsingham priory, in Ryburgh Magna, abovementioned, it appears that they had also another little lordship, or lands, which Fulco, son of Ralph de Monpinzun, and Amabilia his sister, wife of William de Cley, gave to them in Ryburgh Parva, and here. (fn. 5)

In the 39th of Edward III. the prior had a lordship here, and in the reign of Henry IV. is said to hold two parts of a fee of the barony of Valoins, and to do homage to the Earl of Arundel, for his manor of Ryburgh Magna, to pay an 100s. in the name of a relief, and for the manor of Wood hall, in Riburgh Parva, to pay 6s. for a relief, to the prior of Binham but no homage to be done, they being manors purchased by the prior of Walsingham, and worth 40 marks per annum.

All this was included in King Henry the Eighth's grant to Sir Will. Butts.

William Andrews of Ryburgh Magna, Gent. took a lease, dated October 4, in the 31st of Henry VIII. of all the lands lately belonging to the priory of Hempton in this town, for 18 years, at 20s. per annum granted him by Fran. Bedingfield, Esq. The temporalities of this priory here, were valued, in 1428, at 34s. 3d. ob. per annum.

Alan de Mundham gave King John a mark, that the plea for one carucate of land in Rieburc, which he brought against William de Sperham, should be removed to Westminster, (fn. 6) which seems to imply, that such actions were tried in the county court usually, at that time.

The temporalities of St. Lazarus in this town, and Ryburgh Parva, valued in 1428, at 6s. per ann.; that is the hospital of Burton Lazers in Leicestershire.

The tenths of this town were 5l. 6s.—Deducted 1l. 6s. 8d.—Lete fee 2s.

The Church of Ryburgh Magna is a rectory, dedicated to St. Andrew; the ancient valor was 28 marks, Peter-pence 12d. and the prior of Binham had a portion of tithes valued at 6 marks, in 1428, being 2 parts of the tithes of the lorsdhip, granted by Ralph Factor, in the reign of Henry III.; the present valor is 14l. 17s.

Adam de Mota, prior of Binham, with the consent of the abbot of St. Albans, demised to Sir Edmund de Munpinzun, and his successours, rectors of Ryburgh Magna, with the consent of Sir John de Munpinzun the patron, 2 parts of the tithes of certain lands, &c. paying to the prior and convent 6 marks per annum at two payments, and it was confirmed by Roger Bishop of Norwich, and the chapter, in 1267. (fn. 7)

On the north side of the chancel, an altar tomb, with several arms, but no inscription; on a grave-stone near it,

Sir Robert Bacon, of Redgrave, in the county of Suffolk, Bt. deceased Dec. 16, 1655, and Dame Anne, his wife, the 27, of Sept. 1640.

Rectors.

1309, John de Thefford, presented to this rectory, by John Earl Warren, &c.

1318, William de Redmeld, by Sir Robert Walkfare, Knt.

1322, Richard de Worcester, by the King, the lands of Sir Robert being in his hands.

1322, William de Langhale. Ditto.

1331, John de Brunsop, by Sir Robert Walkfare.

1334, John Lange, by Lady Margaret Walkfare.

1356, William Atte Grene, by Sir Emeric de Wellyngton, Knt. and William, rector of Ingaldesthorp.

1373, Henry Fityng, by Thomas de Thefford.

1375, Robert Wolsey, by Hugh Falstoff, &c.

1380, William Oxwyk, by Sir Thomas Felton, Knt.

1390, John Lenot, by Joan, relict of Sir Thomas Felton.

1434, Thomas Hunter, by the Bishop, a lapse.

1435, John Coverdale. Ditto.

1449, Robert Salle, by the prior and convent of Walsingham.

1457, John Gedney. Ditto.

1458, John Southwell. Ditto.

1465, John Sherewyn. Ditto.

1471, Richard Hadylsey. Ditto.

1482, Thomas Palmer. Ditto.

1494, John Farewele. Ditto.

1512, Robert Newman. Ditto.

1543, Roger Overey, by William Butts, Esq.

1554, William Startweyte, by Thomas Butts, Esq.

1568, Richard Harris, by the Queen.

1572, Christopher Wilson, by Thomas Butts, Esq.

1576, Thomas Waterman. Ditto.

1624, William Withers, by Robert Bacon, Esq.

1628, Nath. Bacon. Ditto.

1647, Thomas Underwood. Ditto.

1687, John Spenser, by the Lady Elizabeth Bacon.

1720, William Perkins, D. D. by Sir Edmund Bacon, Bart.

1722, Samuel Rye. Ditto.

1745, Franc. Burton. Ditto.

1758, Edward Smallwell, by Mrs. Mary Bacon, on the death of Mr. Burton, rector.

1760, Charles Mordaunt, on Smallwell's resignation, by Mary Bacon, spinster.

Here were the gilds of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and his chapel; St. John Baptist, with their lights, and those of St. Mary, St. Erasmus, St. Laurence, St. Catherine, Jesus, St. Peter.

Footnotes