RH6/3

Abstract of Feoffment

13 Nov 1700; endorsed 1742

From: 1700 To: 1742

i) Oliver Luke of Cople Wood End William Daniel of Newbury [Silsoe] Nicholas Luke of Cople Wood End esquire Jeremy Pearce of Houghton Conquest yeoman ii) The Honourable Robert Bruce The Honourable James Bruce esquire Thomas Wylde esquire of Houghton Conquest William Gostwick of Willington Sir John Osborn of Chicksand Sir Philip Monoux of Wootton baronet Thomas Brown of Arlsey William Hillersden of Elstow John Harvey of Ickwell John Cater of Kempston William Farrar of Biddenham Samuel Browne of Arlsey esquire George Edwards of Henlow Matthew Denton of Ampthill Thomas Arnold of Ampthill Hugh Smith of Sharpenhoe gentleman iii) Michael Arnald of Ampthill gentleman Recites: Decree made at Bedford 13 April 1659 by: John Harvey Gaius Squire Richard Edwards John Cockayne William Whitbread esquire by virtue of a commission from High Court of Chancery, 26 May 1658, according to a certain statute made 27 October 43 Elizabeth [1601] an inquisition taken 13 April 1659 by oaths of: Francis Beckett John Church Richard Sugar junior John Loe John Farey John Fitz Hugh John Higgins William Mason William Wheeler William King John Cox Richard Dean Francis Clark John Crouch John Parrat senior it appeared that Sir Francis Clarke, late of Houghton Conquest, knight was seised of: - new erected messuage and a pightle and dovehouse by him lately purchased of the feoffees of the Mayor and Citizens and Commonalty of the City of London - manor of Dame Ellensbury with appurtenances - messuage and certain grounds called Sandys lying at Thickthorn, lately purchased of the heirs of Robert Woodward reciting: Indenture 5 June 8 Charles I [1632] Feoffment i) Sir Francis Clarke ii) Richard Conquest of Houghton Conquest Sir Richard Saunders of Marston Edmund Wylde Lewis Conquest Thomas Awdley of Houghton Edmund Wingate of Millbrook esquire Robert Grigg, rector of Houghton John Woodward of the same, yeoman - said new erected messuages etc. for 6 poor people of the said town and a free school and endowing the same for the teaching of the children of the same and of all other inhabitants within the same county - one annuity of £24 issuing out of the said manor, except so much thereof as i) should limit by will to his wife Dame Ann for her life - if said annuity remain unpaid for 28 days at the said new erected messuage in the room appointed for the schoolhouse, then i) and heirs shall forfeit 10s which ii) might distrain said premises to be disposed in manner following; 6 poor inhabitants of Houghton Conquest to be placed in the said new erected messuage, 3 in the lower rooms towards the W. and 3 in the lower rooms towards the E. with convenient yard and garden room to be allotted to each; i) to nominate the persons in his life and after his death the Rector and incumbent of Houghton, the overseer and the churchwardens; if such persons should not be orderly resort to Church on the Sabbath Days, Holidays and Work-Days (having no reasonable excuse) or if any of them prove lewd and vicious, then they might be displaced by such persons as placed them; £8 p.a. (as part of the said £24) to be divided amongst them yearly i) by an Endowment of Sydney College, Cambridge provided that the said College should pay £10 p.a. for the clothing of 10 men, 10 women and 10 children in the said parish of Houghton Conquest and that the said 6 poor people in the alms-house should for ever be 6 of them. Over the 3 rooms on the W. side of the said messuage to be employed for a school-house and the residue of the messuage with the pightle and dovehouse and £16 p.a. residue of the said £24 should be employed for the habitation and maintenance of a schoolmaster to be placed by i) during his life and afterwards by the said master and fellows of Sydney College to be chosen by them of one of the scholars of the foundation of i) that shall have taken the degree of M.A; to be displaced by the said Master and Fellows on good cause to be shown by the incumbent, overseers, churchwardens of Houghton Conquest. The said jurors said that Edmund Wyld was the only surviving feofee, that Lewis Conquest esquire was in his lifetime seised of said manor of Dame Ellensbury by deed 19 August 1659 he acknowledged that £24 p.a. was to issue from said premises. Henry Piggott has been in possession of the manor for over 7 years. John Hind, clerk was placed as Schoolmaster by the Master of Sydney College at Lady Day 1655 and continued there for 3 years until Lady Day 1658; William Carr was placed at Lady Day 1658 and has continued ever since. Henry Piggott confesses that the rent charge is £28 in arrears; he is to pay this and also £6 towards the execution of the said commission. Edmund Wyld is to pay £8 due to John Hind, the late schoolmaster, at Lady Day 1658 and to William Carr £16 due at Lady Day last, also £4 due to the almshouse. Wyld is in 6 months to enfeoff 6 other persons and their heirs; in future when all but 3 feoffees are dead, 6 others are to be appointed. A fair copy of i)’s feoffment with all future feoffments written [on] parchment should be kept in a box to stand in the Chancel of the said Church with 3 locks, the rector for the time being keeping one key, one of the feoffees another and the schoolmaster another. recites; Feoffment 18 February 1659/60 [see RO27/0] recites: Feoffment 30 April 1680 I) Oliver Lake Thomas Christie (only surviving trustees) II) Edmund Wyld esquire Sir [Humphrey]* Monoux, baronet [*supplied from RH6/4] Thomas Hillersden William Daniel esquires Nicholas Luke Lovell Crompton Nicholas Denton Thomas Jones George Stoughton Jeremy Pierce John Riseley yeomen NOW: 1) convey premises to ii) 13 Nov 1700 Endorsed: a copy of the last feoffment for the free school and almshouse at Houghton Conquest, epitomised by Robert Clarke 7 September 1742 Sir Francis Clarke’s will proved in Doctor’s Commons 1632

item

Arnold, Thomas,
Arnald, Michael,
Awdley, Thomas,
Beckett, Francis,
Bruce, Robert,
Bruce, James,
Browne, Thomas,
Browne, Samuel,
Carter, John,
Cockayne, John,
Church, John,
Cox, John,
Clark, Francis,
Clarke, Francis,
Clarke, Robert,
Clarke, Ann,
Crouch, John,
Conquest, Richard,
Conquest, Lewis,
Christie, Thomas,
Carr, William,
Crompton, Lovell,
Dean, Richard,
Daniel, William,
Denton, Mathew,
Denton, Nicholas,
Edwards, George,
Edwards, Richard,
Farrer, William,
Farey, John,
Fitzhugh, John,
Gostwick, William,
Grigg, Robert,
Hillersdon, William,
Hillersdon, Thomas,
Higgins, John,
Harvey, John,
Hind, John,
Jones, Thomas,
King, William,
Loe, John,
Luke, Nicholas,
Luke, Oliver,
Monoux, Philip,
Monoux, Humphrey,
Mason, William,
Osborn, John,
Parrat, John,
Pearce, Jeremy,
Piggott, Henry,
Risely, John,
Smith, Hugh,
Saunders, Richard,
Sugar, Richard,
Stoughton, George,
Squire, Gaius,
Wylde, Thomas,
Wylde, Edmund,
Whitbread, William,
Wheeler, William,
Woodward, Robert,
Wingate, Edmund,
Woodward, John

legal papers, DEEDS, Chancery, Inquisition, Houghton Conquest Dame Ellensbury Manor, HOUGHTON CONQUEST, Houghton Conquest Thickthorne, annuities, Houghton Conquest Free School, Overseers, churchwardens, Cambridge Sidney College, dovehouses, schoolmaster, almshouses