10 Jul Lordship Title of Beaches ID1701
Posted at 20:06h
in
County:
Parish:
Title Type:
Previous Lords:
The manor of BEACHES (Beches, Breaches), originally part of the manor of Sonning, was held at the end of the 15th century by William Whitlock. There is a tradition that the estate took its name from the De la Beche family and came to the Whitlocks through the marriage of John Whitlock with Agnes heir of Robert De la Beche. There seems, however, no evidence that any branch of the De la Beche family had lands at Wokingham. In 1327 a Geoffrey atte Beche was assessed for the largest sum among the residents of Wokingham. He probably was a landowner and may have been the ancestor of Robert Beche of Wokingham living in 1441, who perhaps is the so-called Robert 'de la Beche.' William Whitlock, according to a pedigree, was son of a John Whitlock of Wokingham and father of Richard Whitlock. He apparently also had a son William, for in 1549 William son of William Whitlock sued his younger brother Richard for unlawful entry into the manor. Richard is said to have had a son John, father apparently of William who in 1604 and 1620 was dealing with the manor. In 1628 John Whitlock was alderman of the town and possibly held Beaches. Richard Whitlock was in possession of the manor in 1644, and his successor was another Richard, who was holding in 1688. One of the parties to a deed executed by him at this date was Thomas Hawe, and the manor appears to have passed into his family. Richard Hawes, called of Wokingham, was appointed a regarder of the forest in 1695. In 1729 Richard Hawe, brewer, of Richmond, co. Surrey, died, leaving the manor of Beaches to his wife for life with remainder in equal shares to her six nieces. In 1754 John Twigwand and Anne his wife, who was presumably one of these heirs, held a fourth part together with a similar share in an adjoining property called Mays or Mayswith (in Berkshire and Wiltshire), while in 1762 Laetitia Sutton, widow, of Kensington, held another quarter, including the capital messuage called Holt House, and at that date executed deeds for the barring of the entail. The share held by John Twigwand evidently remained in his family, since in 1813 an eighth of the manor was in possession of Thomas Henry Twigwand. Lysons states in 1806 that Jeremiah Crutchley and William Lamplough held six parts of the manor, while in 1809 George Henry Crutchley was returned as coparcener with William Lamplough. The front door of the manor-house of Beaches bears the date 1624 and the initials R. and E.H., which are believed to represent Richard Harrison and his wife. The house is now the property of Mr. Herbert Pearson, who bought it from Mr. F. C.C. Barnett.
Other Information:
Listed in the Domesday Book:
No