55 He was granted several wardships, including that of his niece Mary Wise.
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Wardships provided further avenues for enrichment. In July 1539 Holcroft obtained the wardships of William and Anne Radcliffe of Winmarleigh. The associated annuities totalled £23 2s.2d, although Holcroft seems to have been interested largely in profiting his family through their marriages. William was married to Holcroft's own daughter, Anne, but died in 1561, only a year after Holcroft himself.
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The perceived abuses of William II were to be abolished. The corruption and larceny of reliefs, wardships, marriages, murder fines and so forth, was to end. Debts and past offences were to be forgiven.
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Related in the "Annals of Dover Priory", British Library Cotton MS Julius D V, fol. 29 r. As a result, he was dismissed, and in November he was deprived of his wardships by the king's orders,Vincent, Peter Des Roches, pp. 268-69, 318-19, and sources there cited.
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Chapter 6 made it unlawful for tenants to enfeoff their eldest sons in order to deprive their Lords of their wardships. It also subject lords who maliciously used this provision in court to amercement and paid damages to feoffees wrongly sued. It was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863.
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Amongst the material rewards she received from Elizabeth were two wardships and she acquired lands in Herefordshire, Yorkshire and Wales. Records show frequent gifts of clothing previously worn by the queen. She gave Elizabeth presents of silver, including a double porringer and four silver boxes with silver gilt covers.Arthur Collins, Jewels and Plate of Elizabeth I (London, 1955), p. 575.
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He was the 5th son of John Eveleigh of Holcombe in the parish of Ottery St Mary, a Justice of the Peace for DevonPole, p.148 from 1564, and a feodaryPole, p.148 (an officer of the Court of Wards) for Devon, in which capacity he served on several commissions and patents regarding wardships and inquisitions post mortem, on many of which he was joined by William Peryam.Zmarzly (2007), p.
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On a charge of interfering with the king's prerogative concerning wardships, he was cast into the Fleet Prison in 1516, possibly only so that Wolsey might obtain the credit of getting him out. He was examined in the Court of the Star Chamber, and soon set free. Northumberland was friendly with George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, and they arranged to go together on a pilgrimage in 1516.
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His mother endeavoured to improve his estates by the conventional methods of their class and time, through his marriages and purchase of wardships. He also found favour with Edward, fighting in the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Grey became Lord Harington and Bonville by right of his second wife Cecily Bonville. In 1475 he was created marquess of Dorset, and he was also a knight of the Garter and a privy councillor.
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Elizabeth Aske, baptized in August 1505, was the granddaughter of William Aske (d. 23 August 1512) and Felice Strangeways, and the daughter of Roger Aske (d. before 1510/11), esquire, of Aske, North Yorkshire, by Margery Sedgwick, the daughter of Humphrey Sedgwick of Walbrun, Yorkshire. While they were still children, she and her sister Anne were coheiresses to their father, mother and grandfather. Their wardships were sold in 1510 to her future husband's father, Sir Ralph Bowes (d.
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The powerful Welsh Prince Llywelyn posed a major threat in Wales and along the Welsh Marches.; Despite his success in winning the war, William had far less success in restoring royal power following the peace. In part, this was because he was unable to offer significant patronage, despite the expectations from the loyalist barons that they would be rewarded. William attempted to enforce the traditional rights of the Crown to approve marriages and wardships, but with little success.
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Neville's new proximity to the royal family through his marriage to the Richard II's cousin, and his loyalty to the Crown during the crisis of July 1397, led to his elevation to the peerage as earl of Westmorland in 1397. Joan and Ralph were granted numerous offices, lands, wardships and pensions. They continued to enjoy royal favour until the death of King Henry IV in 1413. The Neville patrimony included lands in Yorkshire, Durham, Westmorland and Cumberland.
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Waugh joined the Department of History at UCLA in 1975. He is Professor of History. He is the author of two books about the Middle Ages in England. His first book, The Lordship of England: Royal Wardships and Marriages in English Society and Politics, 1217-1327, published in 1988, was reviewed by John Maddicott in Albion, by J. R. S. Phillips in The English Historical Review, by Richard W. Kaeuper in Speculum, and by Robert Bartlett in the Journal of British Studies.
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The systems for the exploitation of royal feudal incidents fell into decay by the 15th century, but following the accession of King Henry VII (1485–1509) in 1485, and in order to replenish the royal treasury, a new importance was placed on fully exploiting such rights. Surveyors, commissioners and from 1514 county feodariesRichardson, 1952, p.293 were appointed to actively search for and spy out potential royal wardships, and in each county there were established over wards retained by the king a master, receiver-general, auditor and particular receiver.Richardson, 1952, pp.
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168–9 Liberal rewards were paid to anyone providing information allowing the discovery of a new crown ward.Richardson, 1952, p.295 Over all was appointed a "Master of the King's Wards", to be held at the king's pleasure, first established in late 1503, to supervise royal wardships and administer the lands and revenues of wards during the period of crown control, and to sell those not to be retained. The revenues were paid to the Treasurer of the Chamber, that is to say the king's private funds, not into the Treasury.
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Cosyn also managed to purchase a wardship of a young heiress in 1511 for £5. Wardships were among the most common means of patronage, as wards were heirs to property under the age of twenty-one whose estates were in theory managed by the crown, but in practice the crown sold the right to manage the estate and collect the profits to various clients.'HMC, Calendar of the MSS of Wells, II, p. 229; S. J. Gunn, Early Tudor Government, 1485–1558 (New York, NY: 1995) pp. 125–128.
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He also supported Henry in his military campaigns, participating in the invasion of Scotland in 1400 and assisting in the suppression of Archbishop Richard Scrope's rebellion five years later. In return for his loyalty to the new regime, Ros received extensive royal patronage. This included lands, grants, wardships and the right to arrange the wards' marriages. Ros performed valuable service as an adviser and ambassador (perhaps most importantly to Henry, who was often in a state of near-penury; Ros was a wealthy man, and regularly loaned the crown large amounts of money).
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Court of Wards and Liveries: land inheritance 1540–1645 When an heir came of age, he or she passed out of wardship but could not enter upon their inheritance until, like all heirs of full age on inheritance, they had sued out their livery. In either case, the process was complicated. Eventually a warrant was issued for the livery to pass under the Great Seal. From its inception in 1540, The Court of Wards and Liveries administered the funds received from the wardships, marriages and the granting of livery; both courts and practice were abolished in 1646Friar Sutton Companion to Local History p.
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They did include both regular income from the royal lands and judicial profits, as well as more occasional income derived from feudal levies, wardships, and ecclesiastical vacancies.Mortimer Angevin England p. 42 Another source of income recorded in the rolls was from feudal reliefs, the payment made by an heir when inheriting an estate.Bartlett England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings p. 164Coredon Dictionary of Medieval Terms pp. 237–238 A major source of income in the roll of 1130 is from the forests, under the Forest Law,Bartlett England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings p.
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SirSo styled in 1248 Inspeximus of charter of Robert de Guysnes, Calendar of Charter Rolls: Henry III, 1226-1257 (HMSO 1903), pp. 340-41. He is 'miles' in the 1229 Tunstall attestation (see below). Bertram de Criol (Criel, Crioill, Cyroyl, or Kerrial, etc.) (died 1256) was a senior and trusted Steward and diplomat to King Henry III. He served as Constable and Keeper of Dover Castle, Keeper of the Coast and of the Cinque Ports, Keeper of the receipts, expenses and wardships of the archbishopric of Canterbury, Constable of the Tower of London and Sheriff of Kent.
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163 As a reward for his service, Warenne was given custody of a number of lands confiscated from Prince John, including the Honour of Gloucester, which Warenne administered for the royal government from 1194 to 1196 during the captivity of King Richard I. He also received as a further mark of royal favour the wardships of various minor heirs. In 1194 Warenne was given custody of the heir of Hugh de Chandos, in return for which he gave the king 40 marks.Turner English Judiciary p. 115 footnote 36 Warenne's career was closely tied to Hubert Walter's, who promoted his career as a justice.
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The king also made him a privy councillor and granted him various lands and some wardships which fell vacant. Among the former was the manor of Higham in Sussex. His forte lay in the control of artillery and fortifications, engineering and shipbuilding, for which various payments to him are recorded. The lands he won from the sea were called Guilford Level. In 1486 he received payment for the making of a ship in county of Kent; on 8 March 1487 he was paid as master of a vessel called the Mary Gylford, named probably after a daughter, who, in Henry VIII's time, was married to one Christopher Kempe.
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Generally the marriages of such wards were purchased by wealthy men as husbands for their own daughters, and a marriage contract was drawn up at the direction of the bride's father which entailed the ward's future estate onto the progeny of the marriage. Thus the wealthy purchaser's grandchildren became the inheritors of the ward's estate. If the deceased tenant-in-chief left a minor daughter, that is to say one aged under 14, or one younger who was not contracted in marriage, as sole heiress (or more as joint-heiresses), her wardship and marriage likewise escheated to the king. Such wardships constituted a significant part of the royal revenues in mediaeval times.
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The king generally sold such wardships to the highest bidder or granted them gratis, generally by letters patentRichardson, 1952, p.495 to a favoured courtier as a reward for services, which saved cash having to be found from the privy purse. On attainment of his majority at the age of 21, a proof of age inquisition would be held, resulting in a certification witnessed by prominent men from his local area who certified that he had reached the age of 21. Such certificate then formed the basis for the king to issue a writ to the custodian of the land in question to release it to the heir, who then obtained seizin.
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It allowed Gerard to acquire wardships, leases and a grant of wine free of duty, and he exercised considerable patronage. Most importantly, it gave him access to a source of wealth and power through the Duchy of Lancaster, which dominated the north- west of England and had been united with the Crown since 1399. The duchy had considerable holdings outside its natural area of influence, and Gerard began by acquiring in 1567 the stewardship of Copt Hall in the honour of Clare, Suffolk, which had been transferred to the duchy by Queen Mary. In the same year he became steward of Rochdale manor, and over the decades increased his stewardships in Clare and became bailiff of the Lancashire hundreds of West Derby and Amounderness.
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The Holcrofts were another rising landed gentry family. Margaret had two brothers: Sir John Holcroft and Sir Thomas Holcroft. Both distinguished themselves in the Anglo-Scottish Wars, served as MP for Lancashire, and profited from speculation in monastic lands at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, although it was Sir Thomas, the younger brother, who had the more successful and varied career, building up a substantial estate around the estates of the former Vale Royal Abbey.History of Parliament Online: Members 1509–1558 - HOLCROFT, Sir Thomas (1505/6-58) - Author: R. J.W. Swales Sir John, heir to the family estates, speculated in wardships,History of Parliament Online: Members 1509–1558 - HOLCROFT, Sir John (by 1498–1560) - Author: Alan Davidson and it was through one of these that Gilbert Gerard's marriage was arranged, to Anne Radcliffe or Ratcliffe.
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A curious testimony to Maynard's reputation at this time is afforded by a grant made in his favour by parliament in October 1645 of the books and manuscripts of the late Lord Chief Justice Bankes, with liberty to seize them wherever he might find them. In the House of Commons he was heard with the profoundest respect, while he advocated the abolition of feudal wardships and other salutary legal reforms. He also prospered mightily in his profession, making in the course of the summer circuit of 1647 the unprecedentedly large sum of £700. As a politician he was a strict constitutionalist, protested against the first steps taken towards the deposition of the king, and on the adoption of that policy withdrew from the house as no longer a lawful assembly (November 1648).
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Where the government and the church were at odds, he condemned both. For example, he reviled monasteries, but equally reviled the Dissolution of the Monasteries – despite also putting forward a "programme for full-scale redistribution of ecclesiastical wealth". Calls for religious reform were accompanied by equally radical calls for social reform, such as "reform of rents, enclosures, wardships, and of the heresy and treason laws; for a stipendiary bar and judiciary; and for the two houses of parliament to be merged". He was also concerned with the state of neglect in medicine, and around 1542, proposed that revenue gained from the Church – this was the time of the Dissolution – should be diverted into medical facilities, stating that phisicyans and surgeons ... to lyue upon their stipend (fixed and regular payment) only, without taking any peny of there pore, upon payne of losing both his earys and his stypend alsoThe Hospitals of Later Medieval London, by Carole Radcliffe.
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In 1279 Edmund was appointed, along with Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford, and Godfrey de Giffard, Bishop of Worcester, to the regency council formed to govern England when Edward and Eleanor, the Queen consort, travelled to France to take possession of Ponthieu. Edmund also lent the king 3000 marks that year, to aid a re-coinage. In May 1280 he travelled abroad with the abbot of Colchester, and in June, with the assistance of Eleanor and Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath, resolved a long-standing dispute with the bishop of Exeter over rival jurisdictions. Between April 1282 and December 1284 Edmund served as Edward I's lieutenant in the government whilst the king conducted a campaign in Wales, mediated the collection of the clerical subsidy towards the costs of the proposed crusade, ensured the exchequer rolls were transported to Shrewsbury, attended a clerical convocation in Northampton in January 1283 as the king's representative, as well as taking custody of wardships and estates on his personal account.
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The escheators were ordered by a writ from the king's chancery to investigate the deaths of tenants-in-chief in order to assess what monetary value was due to the king from his so-called feudal incidents, comprising for example feudal relief, wardships, and marriages. Such revenues which resulted from the deaths of his tenants-in-chief formed a significant proportion of the mediaeval royal revenues. The feudal due which was payable to the king on the inheritance of the lands by the tenant's heir is termed a relief, from Latin levo, levare (to lift-up), plus re (again), signifying the process of re-elevating the heir to the honourable position of the deceased, as a lord of the manor and tenant-in-chief. The scale of reliefs payable to the king by his tenants-in-chief who held under the feudal land tenure of barony had become a fixed sum under clause two of Magna Carta (1215), but the king nevertheless needed to know who the heir was so payment of the relief could be demanded.
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