10 Jul Lordship Title of Appleton ID1346
Posted at 20:03h
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The other moiety, afterwards the manor, of Appleton had passed by the beginning of the 13th century to a family taking its name from the place. A return of king's escheats at that time mentions 57 solidates of land which Mabel de Appleton held of the king in Appleton. This was evidently the land formerly belonging to Geoffrey de Appleton, whose heir should have been in the king's custody, but the land was then in the hands of Walter de Tywa. Geoffrey de Appleton's land was granted by the Crown in 1215 to Roger de Haya. Thomas de Appleton held land here in 1240, and in 1269 granted 'the manor of Appleton and Eaton' to Denise de Stoke (Stokes) with the advowson of the church. She and Master Robert her son held three knights' fees of the honour of Wallingford in 1293, when, having alienated them to the king, they received a regrant for life. Denise was dead in 1307, when Edward II granted the reversion of this manor and the advowson of the church after the death of Robert to Giles de la Mote and Alice his wife and their issue with reversion to the Crown. They received in 1309 a further grant of the fees of the manor. Robert was dead in 1310. Giles died seised of Appleton Manor in or before 1334, leaving a son and heir Richard, who in 1340 by royal licence enfeoffed James de Woodstock and Joan his wife. James died seised before February 1340–1, leaving a brother and heir Stephen de Woodstock or Crotebrigg, whose son Thomas in 1345 granted the reversion on the death of Joan widow of James de Woodstock to Sir William de Shareshill, afterwards lord chief justice. Thomas de Missenden, to whom Joan had conveyed the manor, granted it to Sir William, and the king quitclaimed all right in the reversion on account of the fruitful and laborious services of the new grantee. As Giles, Thomas, Nicholas, William, Roger, Isabel and Margaret, all children of Giles de la Mote and Alice, were still alive, reversion to the Crown did not seem probable. Richard de la Mote, who had taken holy orders, quitclaimed the manor to Joan and Sir William in 1345 and William brother of Richard likewise made a quitclaim in 1347. It may be suggested that these transactions were collusive with the intention of freeing the land from possible reversion to the Crown. Appleton was inherited by William de Shareshill, son of Sir William, but long before his death in 1400 it had reverted to the Motes. Thomas, last of the sons of Giles and Alice died childless in 1375, when seisin of the manor and advowson was given to John Fitz Warin and Margaret his wife, daughter and now heir of Giles and Alice. John died in 1401, Margaret having predeceased him. On the death of their son William in 1435 the manor passed to his daughter Alice wife of John Gerald. She married secondly Roger Caston (Kiston), by whom she had a son and heir John, and, thirdly, John Crofton. She died in 1446, and the manor was delivered to her husband, by whom she had a son William, who predeceased her. Her son John Caston died seised of the reversion in 1452, when his interest descended to William Petyt, son of Philippa granddaughter of John and Margaret Fitz Warin. William seems to have died before 1456 when the wardship of his son Thomas Petyt as grandson of John Petyt lord of Evenlode (co. Worcester) was granted by the Prior and Convent of Worcester to John Gloucester. Thomas died young and was succeeded by William his brother whose custody and land in Berkshire were seized in 1460 by the Prior of Worcester as overlord of Evenlode. William Petyt belonged to the Yorkist party and received some favour from Edward IV. He sued John Crofton for refusing to settle the reversion of the manor on himself and his wife Eleanor daughter of John Gloucester. William stated that John pleaded disseisin of the manor at the hands of a bastard called Edward Talbot alias Sprengeys, John Isbury and Thomas Denton. The Dentons sprang from a family established at Fyfield, and John Denton, who died seised of the manor and advowson of Appleton in 1497, is described as of Wittenham (Wightam), Berks. Thomas son and heir of John was succeeded by a son John, who in 1564 with Magdalene his wife conveyed this manor to John Fettiplace of Bessels Leigh. The manor then descended with the lordship of Bessels Leigh (q.v.), with which in 1634 it was conveyed to William Lenthall; it was in the possession of John Lenthall in March 1695–6. The next mention found is in 1716, when Nathaniel Cooke and Mary his wife settled the manors of Appleton and Tynteyns on themselves. In 1772 John Cooke and Elizabeth his wife conveyed the manors to Robert Southby. The Southbys had long been resident at Appleton, possibly from the time when Richard Southby of Carswell (in Buckland parish, q.v.) married Jane eldest daughter of Edward Keate of Lockinge, owner of a capital messuage here in 1624. Richard's third son Robert, described as of Appleton, was buried here in 1679. His eldest son Robert died unmarried in 1717 and was succeeded by his nephew Robert, father of the Richard who was buried here in 1762 and left six sons. The eldest Robert Southby, LL.D., who lived in Bedford Place, Bloomsbury, purchased the manor in 1772; he was a deputy lieutenant for Berkshire and died in 1824. His only child Anne had died in 1806, and he bequeathed Appleton to Robert James Southby, second son of his brother Richard. Robert son of Robert James sold the estate, including the Manor House, in 1880 to Mrs. Weaving, whose trustees in 1912 sold it to the Rev. Charles Frederick Reeks.
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Listed in the Domesday Book:
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