10 Jul Lordship Title of Finchampstead Eastcourt ID1481
Posted at 20:04h
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In the reign of Edward the Confessor FINCHAMPSTEAD was held by Earl Harold and on his death at the battle of Hastings it came into the possession of William I, who held it in demesne in 1086. It then rendered no geld, but contributed to the 'ferm' of Reading. The manor was granted by Henry I with Aldermaston to Robert Achard. It remained vested in the lords of Aldermaston (q.v.), under whom it was held by sub-tenants. Apparently Robert Achard enfeoffed three knights in three of his manors, of whom two were Alard Banister and John Banister, ancestors of the two families of Banister found in Finchampstead and Sulhamstead. Alard Banister, a justice itinerant for Oxfordshire in 1174, was possibly son of the above-mentioned Alard. Finchampstead descended to William Banister, who was holding at the time of the Testa de Nevill. William Banister, probably his son, died before 1276, leaving two daughters and co-heirs Constance and Agatha, who married John and Peter Hussey (de la Hoese) respectively. John Hussey appears in Finchampstead in 1276, and the two daughters with their husbands presented to the church in 1299. Thus the manor became divided and the East Court and West Court moieties were formed. EAST COURT was held in 1316 by John Hussey and Emma his wife. In 1328 a John Hussey received a quitclaim of one-third of his moiety from Edward Thornhill and Joan his wife, who probably held in dower, and in the next year John Hussey settled it on himself and Agnes his wife and their male issue with remainder to Matilda, Emma and Alice, their daughters. In 1345 this third part of a moiety was held by John Brome and Alice his wife, possibly one of the three co-heirs, who in that year granted the reversion of this portion after the expiration of a lease for a term of years held by John Oliver, parson of the church, to John Bemo, citizen of London. This third part was in 1347 purchased of John Bemo by Richard Yenyndon (Evendon) of Wokingham. Possibly John Hussey had already parted with the main part of his moiety before the settlement of this third in 1329, for East Court is found about the middle of the 14th century in the possession of the Foxley family. Sir John Foxley presented to the rectory of Finchampstead in 1361. His elder daughter Katherine married John de Warbleton and the younger, Margaret or Margery, married Robert Bullock. He had also three illegitimate sons, of whom Thomas Foxley, the eldest, obtained from Margaret Hartington, daughter of Robert and Margaret Bullock, a quitclaim of her right in the manor of Finchampstead in 1429. At the death of Sir Thomas Foxley in 1436 the manor apparently passed to William Warbleton, grandson of John and Katherine, who with Margery his wife settled it in 1447 on themselves and their issue with remainder to Richard Hay, uncle of William Warbleton, and Matthew his son. Matthew died before January 1451–2, when the manor was granted by William and Margery Warbleton to Hugh Pakenham and Constance his wife, daughter of Sir Richard de la Hay. In 1458 Hugh Pakenham and Constance his wife received a grant of a fair to be held at Finchampstead. Hugh and Constance Pakenham were succeeded by John Pakenham, whose wife's name was Margaret. At the time of their death, which occurred on the same day, 1 October 1485, their son Edmund was only five years of age. The wardship was sold by Sir Thomas de la Mare of Aldermaston, as chief lord, to William Bessells of Bessels Leigh and William Alane. Sir Edmund Pakenham left two daughters, Constance, who married Geoffrey Pole, and Elizabeth, who married Edmund Marvyn. On the division of his property in 1528 Finchampstead was settled on Elizabeth Marvyn, who with her husband conveyed it in 1538 to Stephen Cawood. He, who was a mercer of Wokingham, died a year later and left an infant son Thomas, whose wardship was assumed by the chief lord, Sir Humphrey Forster of Aldermaston, and sold to Richard Staffordton of Wokingham. In 1561 Thomas Cawood sold the manor to Henry Hinde and Thomas Harrison. The former was purveyor to the royal stables in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth. On his death in 1580 Thomas Harrison succeeded to the property. The Harrison family came originally from Cumberland and settled successively in Hampshire and Berkshire. Thomas Harrison died in 1602, having constituted his son-in-law George Carleton trustee during the nonage of his grandson and heir Richard Harrison. He directed that his body should be buried in the porch of the west door of Finchampstead Church. His widow Elizabeth died in 1612. Richard Harrison the grandson, knighted in 1621, was of Hurst. He died in 1655 and was buried in Hurst Church. His son Sir Richard sold the manor in 1661 to Richard Palmer of Workingham, owner of the Luckley estate, who died in 1670. His son and heir Richard Palmer left no children, and was succeeded by his brother Charles Palmer, M.D., of Arborfield, a great benefactor of the town of Wokingham. In accordance with his will several parcels of land were sold, but were bought back by Humphry Fish of Ickwell, his cousin, to whose son Henry the manor was devised on condition that he assumed the surname of Palmer in addition to that of Fish. This Henry resided at Luckley, Wokingham, and the manor-house was let to John Allright. He was succeeded by his son Charles Fish-Palmer, whose son, also named Charles, inherited in 1807. During his time the present East Court manor-house, formerly known as 'Cowdries,' was enlarged and used as the residence of the lord of the manor. Charles Fyshe-Palmer was M.P. for Reading in 1818. He married Lady Madelina Lennox, second daughter of Alexander fourth Duke of Gordon and widow of Sir Robert Sinclair, bart., but left no issue. Sir John Gordon Sinclair, his wife's son by her first marriage, succeeded to the property and sold it in 1849 to Mr. John Walter of Bear Wood, owner of the Times, whose grandson Mr. John Walter is now lord of East Court Manor.
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Listed in the Domesday Book:
Yes