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Spooner / Wendover / Lowndes property, 1559-1639
Centre for Bucks Studies D/97/104/2
This group of copies of court roll entries in Latin has been sewn together and refers to various related holdings. It presumably survived because the property came into the Lowndes family. The first document shows that the manor of Winslow was taken into direct royal administration after the death of Margery Breame, who held the manor for her life after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, in 1557 or 1558. George Boston was the son of John Boston, Winslow's leading resident until he died in 1558.
1. View of frankpledge with court of the Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God queen of England, France & Ireland, defender of the faith, etc., held on 16 October in the first year of her reign [1559], enrolled thus:
To this court came George Boston in person and in the full court surrendered into the hands of the lady queen a messuage and all his tenements, meadows, pastures, feeding grounds & pastures lately Richard Wyllott’s in Winslowe & Granborough for the benefit and use of Nicholas Lunt alias Sponer, his heirs and assigns, to whom the lady queen through her seneschal granted seisin thereof by rod, to have and hold the aforesaid messuage & other premisses to the aforesaid Nicholas, his heirs & assigns according to the customs of the manor, by accustomed rent & services previously due and accustomed therefor. And he paid the lord [sic] as a fine for having his entry thereto 105s[??] 6d. And he did fealty, and was admitted tenant, etc.
By Thomas Chalfount, deputy of Thomas Bright, seneschal there.
Richard Wyllyotte held a messuage and half-virgate of land in Winslow in 1556. Richard’s will, made on 28 April 1559, named George Boston, apparently his godson, as one of its overseers.
2. At a view of frankpledge with court baron of John Fortescue, knight, one of the private counsellors of the lord queen and Chancellor of his Duchy of Lancaster, & of Alice his wife, held there on 22 September, in the year of the reign of our lord James by grace of God King of England, Scotland, France & Ireland, defender of the faith, etc., of England, France & Ireland the 4th and of Scotland the 40th [1606], among other things was enrolled thus:
To this court came Henry Wendover & surrendered into the lord’s hands half of a messuage with appurtenances & half of two cottages with appurtenances & half of 120 acres of land, meadow & pasture with appurtenances in Winslowe, held of the lord of the manor by copy of court rolls of the same manor, with the intention that the lords [i.e. lord and lady] would deign to re-grant the aforesaid premisses to Henry & Elizabeth his wife & Henry’s own heirs. To them the lords through their seneschal granted seisin thereof, to hold to the same Henry & Elizabeth & Henry’s own heirs by rod at the lords’ will according to the custom of the manor by annual rent of 19s 5½d and other services therefor previously due and rightly accustomed. And they did fealty & were admitted tenants, and their fine was assessed at 30s, to be paid the following Christmas, etc.
Executed by me, John Style, seneschal there.
This was evidently a marriage settlement. Henry Wendover married Elizabeth Lowndes (nee Hughes, the widow of Robert Lowndes, d.1602) on 5 Nov 1604 (his first wife was buried on 30 Aug 1604), and the arrangement would give her more if she was widowed than she would get by right of dower. He died intestate in 1625. His daughter Frances married her stepbrother William Lowndes, son of Elizabeth and Robert, in 1612; they were the grandparents of William Lowndes of Winslow Hall.
3. Winslow with members. The court held there on 7 October in the 12th year of the reign of our lord James etc. [1614] before Richard Hoskins gentleman the seneschal there. Among other things enrolled thus:
To this court came Henry Wendover and surrendered into the lord’s hands a messuage and three acres of land with appurtenances in Winsloe now in the occupation of William Uddin, with the intention that the lord would deign to re-grant the same to himself, the aforesaid Henry, and Elizabeth his wife for the term of their lives and that of the one of them living longer, and after their decease to Robert Lownes, son of the aforesaid Elizabeth, and the heirs of the same Robert legitimately begotten of his body. And for default of such issue, to the heirs of the body of the aforesaid Elizabeth, and for defect of such issue to the rightful heirs of the aforesaid Henry. And the lord through his seneschal granted to Henry and Elizabeth the aforesaid tenements with appurtenances, to hold to them and to revert in the aforesaid form, at the lord’s will according to the custom of the manor, by annual rent of 18d, heriot when it arises, and other services previously due and rightly accustomed therefore. For which grant he paid the lord as a fine 6s, and the aforesaid Henry and Elizabeth did fealty to the lord and were admitted tenants.
[another hand] Executed by Richard Hoskyns, seneschal there.
Robert Lowndes was the posthumous son of Robert the elder, b.1603. In 1627 he married Alice Spooner, the same year that William Spooner married Elizabeth Wendover, younger daughter of Henry.
4. Court halimote of the honourable Francis Fortescu of the Order of the Bath, knight, held there on 7 April in the 15th year of the reign of our lord James by the grace of God king of England, France & Ireland, defender of the faith, etc., & of Scotland the 50th, before Richard Hoskins, gentleman, chief seneschal there [1617].
To this court came Henry Wendover and Elizabeth his wife, and the aforesaid Elizabeth was examined alone by the seneschal, and in full court surrendered into the lord’s hands a tenement with appurtenances lying near the house of the vicar of Wynslowe together with an adjacent close containing by estimation one acre of pasture with appurtenances, to the use of William Spooner alias Lunt and his heirs, to whom the lord through his seneschal granted the tenement with appurtenances, to hold to himself and his heirs, at the lord’s will, according to the customs of the manor, by annual rent of 18d, heriot and other services previously due and rightly accustomed therefor. For which grant he paid the lord as a fine 5s and did fealty to the lord, and was admitted tenant thereof, etc.
[another hand] Executed by Richard Hoskyns, seneschal.
William Spooner alias Lunt was the son and heir of Nicholas (no.1 above), who died in 1591. The tenement near the vicar's house was probably in Horn Street.
5. View of frankpledge with court baron of the most noble George Marquis and Earl of Buckingham, held there on 1 April in the 21st year of the reign of King James of England etc. [1623]
To this court came Emma Stutsburie widow and in full court surrendered into the lord’s hands through the hands of the seneschal of the aforesaid manor according to the custom of the manor three selions of land containing one acre, lying together at Hawslowe in the fields of Winslowe with appurtenances, the land of Henry Wendover to the north. For the benefit and use of William Spooner alias Lunt and his heirs forever. The aforesaid William present in court sought to be admitted to the premisses. To him the lord through his seneschal granted seisin, to hold to William and his heirs by rod at the lord’s will according to the customs of the manor, through annual rent therefor of 3d, suit at court, heriot and other services therefor previously due and rightly accustomed. And he paid the lord as a fine 2s, and for heriot as is set out in the rolls, and he did fealty and was admitted tenant thereof.
[another hand] Executed by Richard Lane, seneschal there.
Emma was the sister of William Spooner alias Lunt (no.4) and daughter of Nicholas (no.1).
6. Winslow with members. At the view of frankpledge with court baron of the most noble Randel Macdonel Lord Dunluce and the most illustrious Katherine Duchess of Buckingham held there on 27 September, in the 12th year of the reign of King Charles of England etc., AD 1636, thus enrolled:
It was found at this court by the homage that William Spooner now deceased, lately one of the customary tenants of this manor, since the last court surrendered into the lords’ hands through the hands of Nicholas[?] Brinsall and William Norman, two of the customary tenants of the manor, out of court according to the custom of the manor a tenement with stable and backside as now divided, now in the tenure of Walter Kerbie and Anne Oxeley, and a close of pasture lying over the backside of the tenement as now divided, lately in the tenure of the said William Spooner. And six acres of land with appurtenances, namely 4 roods of land lying at Dudslow, 2 roods at Long Meade Leyes, 2 roods at Berry Hedge and 4 roods at Stone. To the benefit and use of Robert Lownds and Alice his wife for the term of their lives and the life of the one living longer, and after their decease to the benefit and use of the heirs begotten and to be begotten of Alice’s body. And in default of such heirs to the use of the rightful heirs of the aforesaid William Spooner forever. And now to this court came the aforesaid Robert and Alice and sought to be admitted to the premisses, to whom the lords through their seneschal of the manor granted seisin thereof, to hold to the aforesaid Robert Lownds and Alice his wife for the term of their lives and the life of the one living longer, and after their decease to revert to the heirs begotten and to be begotten of Alice’s body, and in default of such heirs to revert to the rightful heirs of William Spooner himself forever, by rod at the lord’s will according to the customs of the manor, by annual rent of 3s 4½d, suit of court and other services previously due and rightly accustomed. And he paid the lord as a fine 12s, and for heriot nothing because he has other lands. And they were admitted tenants.
Executed by William Rushton, deputy of Richard Lane the seneschal.
William Spooner was buried on 18 Nov 1635, and evidently died intestate. His daughter Alice, who married Robert Lowndes (see no.3) was born in 1602.
7. Winslow with members. At the view of frankpledge and court baron of the most noble Randel Earl of Antrim and the most illustrious Katherine Duchess of Buckingham, held there on 12 September in the 14th year of the reign of King Charles of England etc., A.D. 1639, thus enrolled:
To this court came Robert Lowndes and Alice his wife, Alice having been examined alone and secretly by the seneschal, and in full court surrendered into the lord’s hands a messuage and three acres of land with appurtenances in Winslowe now in the tenure of William Udden, to the benefit and use of Robert Elliot and his heirs forever. And now to the court came the aforesaid Robert and sought to be admitted tenant to the premisses, to whom the lord through the seneschal granted seisin thereof, to hold to the aforesaid Robert Elliott and his heirs by rod at the lord’s will according to the customs of the manor, by annual rent of 18d, suit of court, heriot and other services previously due and rightly accustomed therefor. And he paid the lord as a fine 6s. And for heriot nothing because he has other lands. And he did fealty.
And afterwards to the same court came Robert Hunter in his own person and made a complaint against the aforesaid Robert Elliot on a plea of land.
Fictitious legal proceedings follow, which mention George Sha a tenant and Peter Fige, gentleman, bailiff of the manor. Afterwards Robert Hunter and Robert Elliott surrender all claim to the messuage and three acres to Robert Lowndes, who is to hold to himself and his heirs, i.e. the proceedings broke Alice’s joint tenancy and the entail to her heirs.
[signed] Executed by William Rushton deputy of Richard Lane the seneschal
Robert seems to have died intestate, so his property would have passed to his eldest son Peter Lowndes (d.1712).