Minor St Medard Estates , Northamptonshire , Huntingdon
Abbotsley
From Bridges Northants, A Hugh Ridel is given as the son of Richard De St Medard and Mabel Ridel took mothers name [see family tree]. Hugh was of circa 1224.This Ridel family was of Wittering Northamptonshire – see Wittering. The Semark family mentioned below are the Thornhaugh Semark.
The Wittering Ridel in all probability are the same family as the Abbotsley Ridel family – Scottish War and John Balliol link. Descendants of the St Medard male line [Semark].
Source: A History of the County of Huntingdonshire: Volume 2 (1932), pp. 257-60.
The manor of Abbotsley, originally held as one knight's fee, was probably granted by David I of Scotland to Gervase Ridel, who went with him to Scotland. Ridel ended his life as a canon of Jedworth Abbey, and the manor apparently passed to his brother Ralph; both were living in all probability 1130–1158. (Ralph's descendants remained at Abbotsley, and apparently formed a separate branch of the family both from the Ridels in Scotland and those in Northamptonshire. Hugh Ridel, possibly Ralph's grandson, died seised of lands in Abbotsley, before 1224, when his heir was a minor, and was probably the Ralph Ridel who held Abbotsley manor about 1230 and in 1244. In 1258 it seems probable that his son and heir John was in the wardship of John Balliol. John was holding Abbotsley in 1279, 1286, 1303, and died in 1312, when the manor passed to Maud, daughter and heir of Thomas Faldingworth and wife of Henry Tilly. She inherited as the 'cousin' of Ralph, father of John Ridel, but the exact relationship does not appear. Henry Tilly died before 1334, when his widow settled the manor on her son John Tilly and his wife Elizabeth. John died about 1362, leaving two daughters and heirs, Margaret and Maud, in the wardship of Mary, Countess of Pembroke, who in 1366 brought a civil action against Sir Richard Bayous and Richard Kinnesman for the forcible abduction of her wards. The manor was divided into moieties, but whom they actually married does not appear. Later pedigrees state that Sir John Tame married 'Joan' a daughter and heir of Sir John Tilly, and in 1412 Tame appears to have been the tenant of one moiety. Their daughter and heir, Elizabeth, married firstly Nicholas Semark, and secondly, in all probability, John Browe, with whom she levied a fine of a moiety of Abbotsley manor in 1448.It descended through her son, Thomas Semark, to Anne Sapcote, wife of John Russell, first Earl of Bedford. Her son, Francis, Earl of Bedford, sold his moiety of Abbotsley in 1561 to Nicholas Luke, baron of the Exchequer.
Bernak
Of this Manor we find no
future mention in any record till the third year of Hen VI when a fine was
levied of it in the fee simple by Thomas Seymarke. In the ninth of Hen VII John
Vincent was seized of it, of whom the naster and brethren of Browne’s hospital
in Stamford held one messuage, with forty two acres of arable land, and five
acres of meadow in Bernak, by fealty only.This John Vincent was son and heir of
Richard Vincent, of Bernak, grandson of Thomas Vincent, of Swinford, in
Leicestershire [See Semark Vincent]
Etton
The first possessor of
Etton, that we meet with, was Anketil de St Medard, who held it with other
lordships in this Hundred, by knights service, of the Abbatt and Convent of
Burch. Of the knight’s fees which he held, the Conqueror gave the third hide
and half hide in Etton to Eudo, his fewer, commanding, by his writs from
Normandy, the Bishop of Constance, and Robert de Oilly.
In Edw II reign, Etton manor was in the hands of Bartholomew de Badlesmere. His chief feat was at Leeds Castle, in Kent, where Isabel, the King’s consort, purposing to lodge in her way from Canterbury, was denied admittance. Incensed at this affront, the King immediately laid siege to it, Bartholomew having here left his wife and children, and joined the barons who seized on the estate of the Spencers. The castle being surrendered to the King, six of the principal persons in it were instantly hanged, the wife and children of Bartholomew were sent to the tower; he himself, within a few months afterwards, was beheaded at Canterbury, and his lordship, with the rest of the estate, confiscated to the Crown. Sometime before his decease this Bartholomew conveyed the manor and advowson of Etton to John Russell, by whom it was settled on Peter Russell, his brother, and his heirs; which Peter conveyed the premises to Nicholas de St Medard, and his heirs, who reconveyed them to the said Peter for his life, with reversion to Hugh de Northburg, and Hugh his son, who, in the second year of Edw III were certified to be in possession of them. In the following year John de St Medard or Semarc, lord of Thornhaw, gave up all his right to the manor of Etton. 29 Edw 111 , on levying the aid for knighting the king’s son, Hugh de Northburg accounted for half a knight’s fee here, of the six fees which Walter Bayolet, Adam de St Martin, Alice the mother of Geoffrey de St Medard, William de St Medard, and Robert de Stoke had formerly held.
Stibbington or
Sibson cum Stibbington
Lunen was the tenant in 1086, but the manor passed to the de Merc family. Henry de Merc was dealing with the advowson between 1147 and 1167 and was succeeded by his son Eustace. John de Merc was holding two knights fees in Walmesford , Sibson and Stibbington in 1211-12. He was succeeded by William de Merc, who owed scutage in 1217, the service due apparently having been reduced to that of one knight’s fee. Walter de Merc was dealing with lands and a moiety of two mills in Sibson, Stibbington and Wansford in 1219. John de Merc was holding two hides in 1286, and it may have bben he, or a son of the same name, who appeared in a plea of trespass in 1322. He was succeeded by Nicholas St Medard or de Merc, who was living in 1324. He appears to have used the alternative name, and it is suggested that his mother was a daughter of John de Merc who had married a St Medard of Thornhaugh. Nicholas died in 1327, when his heir was his son John de St Medard or Semark (St.Mark), who only survived hom until 1332. He left two sons , John who died without issue, and Nicholas who succeeded his brother [St Medard Tree]
Note regarding Sutton Mill. Few miles South of Thornhaugh
John de St Mark or Medard granted us a certain place adjoining our millpond of Brygmylne for 18 pence a year” John Medard died 1332. From Pytchley’s book of fees.
Walmesford
Walmesford is not
mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but appears to have been a part of the
Kinghts fees which Anketil de St Medard held of Burgh Abbey. In the nineteenth
year of Hen III a fine was levied between Robert de St Medard, demandant, and
Gerard de St Medard, deforciant, of sixty acres of land and two messuages in
Siberton, and of two messuages, with their appertenances in Walmesford, to be
held by the said Gerard during his life, with covenant that the said Robert
should in no way alienate any part of the premises, but that after his decease
they should quietly revert to his heirs for ever.
The manor of Walmesford and Stibington was in the hands of William de Lifours [Hen II]. William was the son of Fulk de Lifours who came to England with the Conqueror, left issue, Alice, his daughter and heir, after the death of her father left in ward to King John.
Wittering, or Whittering, in the Domesday book written Witeringham.
At the time of the general survey, Anchetil held Witeringham of the abbat of Burgh. This Anchetil was Anketil de St Medard, who here, and in the neighbouring lordship, held six knight fees of the abbat of Burgh. To Anketill de St Medard succeeded Richard de St Medard, his son and heir, who by Mabel Ridel his wife had issue, his younger son, Hugh, which Hugh, and his descendants, bore the name of Ridel and were possessed of the manor of Witering.
In the thirty-first year of Hen II Hugh Ridel paid into the Exchequer two hundred marks for holding Witering lordship, in the same manner as he had held it at the decease of Peter de St Medard.
In 1243 Richard
Ridel held 1 7/8 Knights fees in Wittering of Geoffrey de St Medard, in 1314
Hugh Ridel whose lands in Wittering had been seized and given to his son
Geoffrey because of the support which he gave to John Balliol at the beginning
of the Scotch war, made a claim against his son for waste.
Richard Ridel living 1243
Hugh Ridel living 1291, 1314
Geoffrey Ridel anno 1316
29 Edw 1, Wallace de Langeton,
Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, was found to be seized one messuage plus
other parcels. By the inquisition then taken, he was certified to hold them of
Geoffrey Rydell, who held them by service of one knight’s fee, of Nicholas de
St Medard, which Nicholas held them by same service to the Abbat of Peterburgh,
who held them capite of the crown. This grant however doth not appear to have
taken effect, for in the third year of Edw III, William, son of Robert de l’ Eschequer, brought his action against
Geoffrey Ridel, for the recovery of one Messuage which had been settled by Hugh
Ridel.
Hugh Ridel anno 1346
Nicholas Ridel anno 1392
Henry Ridel anno 1452
Wittering passed into the hands of Richard Halley by marriage [not checked] [died 9 Hen VII], John Halley [died 8 Hen VIII] by the end of William III reign, the lordship was purchased by the Cecil family for six thousand five hundred pounds. [Semark – Cecil link] .
Lincolnshire
Estate - Osgodby in Lenton [formly ANGOTEBY]
The St Medard family of Thornhaugh also held an estate known as Angoteby 1153 – 1162. Geoffrey St Medard taken as a member of the Thornhaugh family.
Notification of a grant - ref. 1ANC2/A/1/2 [n.d.] Geoffrey of St Medard to Nicholas de Flore.
Notification of a grant - ref. 1ANC2/A/1/3 - date: nd. [early 13th century] Geoffrey of S. Medard to William of S. Medard and Nicholas his wife. A messuage
and bovate in Osgodby once held by Matilda daughter of Albreda.
Notification of a grant -
ref. 1ANC2/A/1/4 [n.d.] Witnesses: Lord Geoffrey of S. Medard, Robert Tholi, Henry the Carpenter, John son of Albreda, Ralf the
miller, William son of Matilda, William son of Albreda and others.
Notification of a grant - ref. 1ANC2/A/1/5 [n.d.]
Robert Luterell son of Sir
Andrew Luterell, knight to Nicholas of S. Medard, Lord of Osgodby.
Cyrograph of an agreement -
ref. 1ANC2/A/1/7 - date: May 19th
1280 Geoffrey of S. Medard kt. and William de S. Medard
Notification of a grant - ref. 1ANC2/A/1/3 - date: nd. [early 13th century] Endorsement: Cart' Galf' Semark de Molete lande 7 iacet ut continetur in cedula annexa.