10 Jul Lordship Title of Basildon (Vernon) or Basildon or Batildene ID1366
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A younger branch of the Newburgh family held the manor circa 1180, when Henry the son of Robert of Newburgh and grandson of the Earl of Warwick, together with his son Robert, gave to Richard de Vernon and his heirs, in exchange for his land at Radepont in Eure, a moiety of Basildon and a moiety of Ashampstead (q.v.), with the 'messuage of Ashampstede' and the land of William de Puteo there; all to be held by service of half a knight's fee. From the later records it may be inferred that these two moieties, subsequently known as a whole manor, were the southern portion of the estate. The history of the descent of the other moieties of the two places will be traced below. Vernon probably forfeited his lands for the time in 1194, when he was imprisoned for supporting John against Richard I. King John gave the custody of Basildon and Ashampstead (perhaps the whole estate) to William de Fruges free of service, but in 1216 he reinstated William the son of Richard de Vernon, freeing him of all claim from Fruges as long as he remained in the king's service with the Earl of Ferrers, and Henry III in 1219 forbade Fruges to demand homage from Vernon for this land because it is 'of the fee of the lord of Newburgh of the lands of the Normans.' After the death of Henry Earl of Warwick in 1229 Fruges was distrained to render scutage to Thomas his son and heir for his knight's fee in Basildon. Fruges died in or before 1233, and in 1240 the king gave the manor of Basildon to Robert de Gygnes and his heirs to hold by service of one knight's fee until there should be peace between England and France, when Normans might claim their lands again. Robert conveyed the fee to Peter Dansy or de Anesy, who in 1266 obtained remission of claims made by the officers of the Exchequer for 118s. 8d., which he received of the rent of Richard de Vernon from the manor of Basildon. He died in 1276, when it was proved that the king had granted him free warren in his demesne land in Basildon seven years before. The manor remained in the hands of his widow Margery and Matthew de Anesy, probably his son, who about this time seized the lands of Richard de Vernon, declaring that he had taken them wrongfully during the war; but Richard recovered them, pleading that he held them of Robert de Ferrers Earl of Derby, with whom he served, and thus misrepresenting, as it seems, the terms of his tenure. Robert the nephew (nepos) and heir of Peter Dansy conveyed this manor to Christiana 'de Marisco,' who conveyed it to Peter le Boteler; for he and Aveline his wife in 1280 called Christiana to warranty and she proved by charters how it had descended to her from Robert de Gygnes, maintaining also that a yearly rent of 4 marks which she had paid to Gygnes was due to Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells; but the bishop allowed the king's claim to it. Aveline widow of Peter le Boteler conveyed the manor in 1308 to Thomas his son, to whom in 1309 the king granted free warren in his lands in Basildon and Ashampstead. Thomas le Boteler died about 1318, leaving his brother Peter his heir, 40 marks being assigned to Aveline le Boteler for her life. In 1331 Peter le Boteler, together with John and Nicholas atte Crouch, who held the manor (perhaps as trustees), and Edmund atte Crouch, Peter Fraunkeleyn and Stephen de Stekkeby, who held other estates in Basildon and Ashampstead, were sued by Isabel widow of Richard de Vernon for third portions as dower excepting in 16 virgates of the manor, her claim being allowed against Boteler and Fraunkeleyn only. In 1337 Peter le Boteler settled the manor on himself and Beatrice his wife, and in 1342 'a third part of the moiety of Bastilden' (probably the moiety of the whole vill as in the 12th century) was recovered against Boteler by Elizabeth wife of Sir William de Burton 'per considerationem,' perhaps as pledge for a debt. Boteler held the manor at his death in 1349, when all the customary lands were in the lord's hands through mortality in the pestilence. Thomas his son and successor died in 1350 and was succeeded by his brother John, who the next year conveyed his manor to William Holbech, citizen and draper of London, in settlement of a debt of £400. Holbech conveyed it the same year to Amaury de St. Amand. Onethird remained as dower of Agnes widow of Thomas Boteler. St. Amand enfeoffed John de Inkpen for life in 1358, and Sir William de Mulso and others, probably as trustees, in 1368, and died seised of the manor in 1381, Agnes le Boteler surviving him. The whole estate passed to his son Amaury, who died in 1402, leaving a widow Eleanor, to whom a third of the manor was assigned, and two daughters, Eleanor daughter of his first wife Ida, married to Gerard Braybroke, and Ida of his second wife Eleanor, married to Thomas West; but Ida West died without issue in 1416, and her share passed to her sister's son Gerard Braybroke, junior. He died in 1422 holding the two-thirds and the reversion of the dower and leaving three daughters under age. Elizabeth, the eldest, who ultimately became sole heir, was married first to William son of Sir Walter Beauchamp, who became Lord St. Amand. He died in 1457 and his widow married Sir Roger Tocotes. Her estate passed to her son by her first husband, Richard Beauchamp, who was attainted at the accession of Richard III in 1483 and restored to his honours by Henry VII in 1485. He died in 1508 without legitimate offspring, bequeathing his manor of Basildon 'to Antony Seyntamande sonne of Mary Wroughton and his heirs.' It is not known how the manor passed from him to Sir John Hussey and Ann his wife, but they in 1509 sold it to Henry Bridges. His son Richard Bridges, who succeeded between 1537 and 1540, sold the Ashampstead portion in 1542 to William Fettiplace and the next year granted the manor of Basildon to Roger Yonge. Roger Yonge was owner of the manor when he died in 1589, aged ninety-six, 'after he had continued in the commission of peace in the county of Berkshire without any intermission these sixty years.'His son William predeceased him, having married Catherine daughter of William Barker of Sonning. She afterwards married Sir Christopher Lytcott, who died in 1599 at Basildon. Her son and heir Sir William Yonge (Sheriff of Berkshire in 1615), to whom she surrendered the manor in 1605 to be settled on herself, made in 1615 a further settlement of it after her death upon his wife Anne, daughter and co-heir of Richard Paulet, and finally at his death in 1618 he bequeathed it to his uncle Roger Yonge, whose son Humphrey inherited it and conveyed it in 1619 to William Davies. Lady Lytcott survived until 1622, when Davies and the Yonge family conveyed it to John Lambe and Edward Whistler. It does not appear how it passed to Rachel Countess of Bath, who held it about the middle of the century and bequeathed a mortgage upon it in 1680 to Sir Henry Fane, son of her brother Sir Francis. He acquired the manor, and dying in 1706 was succeeded by his son Charles, who in 1718 was created Viscount Fane in the peerage of Ireland and was living here in 1727. After descending to his son Charles, last viscount, who died without issue in 1766, it passed to his sister Mary Countess de Salis, who conveyed it in 1768 to Humphrey Marriott. Soon afterwards it was purchased by Francis Sykes, formerly Governor of Cossimbazar in Bengal, who was created a baronet in 1781 and died in 1804, his son and successor Sir Francis William Sykes surviving him only eight weeks and being succeeded by a son of the same name. He mortgaged the estate in 1820, and in 1838 sold the whole property, including the manor of Basildon and the dependent manors of Breamores and Crooks and Dunts, to James Morrison, a merchant and politician, who died in 1857. It passed to his son Charles Morrison, who died in 1909, aged ninety-two. He bequeathed the Basildon property to his sister Miss Ellen Morrison for life, to pass absolutely to his brother Walter Morrison, who inherited it the same year and gave it to Major James Archibald Morrison, son of his brother Alfred.
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