The escheators and feodaries for Westmorland

A LIST OF SOME OF THE ESCHEATORS FOR WESTMORLAND.

The Escheator was an officer appointed yearly by the Lord Treasurer in every county, to make Inquests of titles by escheat, which Inquests were taken by good and lawful men of the county and certified to the Exchequer.

Threlkeld, William de, 1357.

Sayvill, John, 1375.

Strickland, Walter, 1390.

Thornburgh, Roland, 1405 and 1417.

Crackanthorpe, Robert, 1420.

Thornburgh, William, 1436.

Lancaster, William, 1437.

Strickland, Walter, 1440.

Bellingham, Richard, 1444.

Leyburn, Thomas, 1472.

Fleming, John, 1511 and 1512.

Middleton, Geoffrey, 1516.

Salkeld, Thomas, 1517.

Salkeld, Lancelot, 1518.

Leyburn, James, 1519.

Musgrave, Cuthbert, 1523.

Ducket, Richard, 1524.

Bristowe, John, 1525.

Curwen, William, 1530.

Skelton, John, 1532.

Hutton, William, 1538.

Brathwaite, Robert, 1543.

Tolson, Henry, 1544.

Lancaster, Lancelot, 1547.

Lancaster, Ambrose, 1549.

Ducket, Anthony, 1564.

Buskell, Thomas, 1588.

Richmond, John, 1589.

Dalston, Christopher, 1591.

Senhouse, John, 1593.

Bellingham, Thomas, 1596.

Sisson, Cuthbert, 1599.

Philipson, Miles, 1600.

Sandes, Henry, 1604.

Lamplugh, Thomas, 1605.

Rigg, Richard, 1607 and 1608.

Wood, Christopher, 1610.

Lowther, John, 1611.

Otway, Roger, 1612, 1613, 1615, 1616, 1617, 1618, and 1619.

Senhouse, John, 1619.

Boothe, Joseph, 1621.

Senhouse, Peter, 1622.

Otway, Roger, 1624.

Smith, James, 1626.

Otway, Roger, 1627 and 1628.

Cowper, Henry, 1628 and 1629.

Cowper, John, 1629 and 1630.

Harrison, Henry, 1631.

Branthwaite, Richard, 1633.

Otway, Roger, 1634.

Cowper, Henry, 1635 and 1636.

Harrison, Henry, 1636.

Pearson, Henry, 1637.

Brisco, William, 1638.

Philipson, Christopher, 1640.

Senhouse, John, 1641.

A LIST OF SOME OF THE FEODARIES FOR WESTMORLAND.

The Feodary or Feudary was an officer of the Court of Wards, appointed by the Master of that Court according to the Statute 32 Henry viii (1540) whose business it was to be present at Inquisitions with the Escheator to give evidence for the King as well concerning the value as the tenure and to receive all the rents of the Ward's lands within his circuit. The office was taken away by Statute 12, Charles II, (1660).

Warcop, Reginald, occurs as the Feodary in the year 1571.

Atkinson, William, was Feodary in 1578 and 1580, but Brathwaite, Thomas, was Deputy Feodary in 1576, 1579, 1581 and 1583.

Curwen, Robert, was Feodary in 1609, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1616, 1617, 1619, 1621, 1623, 1626, 1634, 1636, 1637, 1639, 1640, and 1641.

The State Papers (fn. 1) give us two letters, dated 20 January, 1619, and 26 January, 1621, from Robert Curwen. Both are dated from Cartmel and in both he is designated "Feodary of Westmorland." It is therefore probable that Robert the Feodary was the son of Walter Curwen of Mireside Hall near Flookburgh. Baptised in Cartmel Church 19 June, 1575; one of the cup-bearers to queen Elizabeth; he succeeded his father at Mireside in 1602; married Anne, daughter of Thomas Pickering of Cark Hall, 20 January, 1603; purchased Cark Hall in 1615; on the 23 March 1632 he compounded for refusing Knighthood; (fn. 2) in 1636 he purchased from William Thornburgh the manor of Lindale with Hampsfield Hall; in 1640 he was appointed one of the King's attorneys to take possession of the dissolved premises of Cartmel Priory; in 1643 he was one of the Lancashire committee for sequestering the estates of "delinquents, papists, spies and intelligencetrs"; and he died, 2 March 1650, leaving no issue and bequeathing his property to his nephew Robert Rawlinson, the son of his sister Margaret.