(sib)+Manors

From THE MANORS OF SUFFOLK.

Here were six manors in this place at the time of the Norman Conquest, one of which was held at the time of the Survey by Earl Alan and the other five by Robert Malet. Alan's manor was held by a freeman named Alwin, who had a carucate of land and 20 acres, with 6 acres of meadow. There were 4 villeins, 16 bordars, and 2 serfs

In Saxon times and later there was one ploughteam in demesne, but at the time of the Survey there were two. The number of the ploughteams belonging to the tenants remained stationary at two, and there was sufficient wood for the support of 60 hogs. The value had not varied, being fixed at 40s. The stock consisted of 1 rouncy in demesne, 8 beasts, and 5 hives of bees. In Saxon times there were 2 sheep and 1 hog, but at the time of the Survey there were 30 sheep and 30 hogs. Maynard then held the manor under Earl Alan, and the King and the Earl had the soc.

Robert Malet's manors were not large. One was held by a freeman with 1 carucate and 20 acres of land, and 4 acres of meadow, having 4 villeins, 10 bordars, 2 ploughteams in demesne, and 2 belonging to the tenants.

There was sufficient wood for the maintenance of 60 hogs, and there were 2 rouncies, 7 beasts, and in Saxon times 30 hogs and 50 goats, but by the time of the Survey the hogs were reduced by 4, and 50 sheep were substituted for the 50 goats.

The value had increased from 20s. to 40s. This manor was held in Domesday times by Walter de Caen of Robert Malet. This Walter held the other manors here of Malet. One of these had been held in the Confessor's day by a freeman with 25 acres of land and 1 of meadow, having 1 bordar and half a ploughteam in demesne, all of the value of 4s. And there was also a church belonging to this manor. Another of these manors was held in the Confessor's time by a freeman with 25 acres of land and 1 acre of meadow. To the manor belonged 3 bordars, half a ploughteam, 1 rouncy, and in Saxon times 6 hogs also, but at the time of the Survey none. The value of this manor was 4s.

A third of Malet's manors here had been held in King Edward's time by Aluric, with 60 acres, and 1 acre of meadow. There were 2 bordars, 2 ploughteams in demesne, 1 rouncy (which had disappeared by the time of the Great Survey), 73 sheep, and 6 goats. The value had varied from 10s. to 16s. In the township and holding of Malet were also two tenancies, one of Edric, holding 16 acres, 1 bordar, wood for 12 hogs, and 2 acres of meadow, valued at 3s., and the other of three freemen and a half freeman, holding 72 acres and 1 acre of meadow, having 1 bordar and 1 ploughteam in demesne, of the value of 10s. The Survey adds, probably referring to the whole township, " It is a league and a half long and a league broad, and renders in a gelt 7.5d. Two churches with 18 acres and 3 acres of meadow."

The remaining manor was that held in the Confessor's time by Blackman, a freeman, with 50 acres, and an acre of meadow. There were two bordars, 1 ploughteam in demesne, 1 rouncy, and 16 sheep, valued at 10s. Blackman was Edric's man and under his commendation, and the King had the soc.

The Survey notes that the wife of Blackman was Bishop Stigand's man (sic), and he (the Bishop) had commendation over the woman. Also it states that William Malet held this land. The only holding remaining unmentioned in Sibton was also part of the holding in chief of Robert Malet, and consisted of 2 freemen having 32 acres of land and half an acre of meadow, 1 bordar, and 1 ploughteam in demesne, of the value of 4s. This was held by Walter de Caen of Robert Malet at the time of the Survey.

MANOR OF SIBTON WITH ITS MEMBERS.

The Manor of Sibton was a different manor from that of Sibton Hall. The former was mainly composed of the Domesday manors of Robert Malet in the holding of Walter de Caen.

This Walter is said to have been a brother of William de Malet, a Norman Baron and progenitor of the ancient and illustrious house of Peyton, his second son, Reginald de Peyton, being the personage who first assumed the name.

This Walter de Caen, Cadomo or Caniseto, was enfeoffed of the Barony of Horsford, in Norfolk, to be held of the Honor of Eye, where he built a castle and had a large park and chase surrounding it, in ancient deeds termed the " Forest of Horseford."

In the time of William II. the manor passed to Walter's son, Robert, who married Sybilla, daughter and heir of Ralph de Cheyney, and is often called Robert Fitz Walter, by whom he had issue three sons, who assumed the name of De Cheyney. The Church of Sibton was built by this Robert in the time of William Rufus, but the north aisle was built by the executors of Robert Ducket, whose will is dated 24th Jan. 1333. This was the old church, for the present church is comparatively a modern structure. The manor on the death of Robert passed to his son and heir, John Fitz Robert, called the Sheriff, and from him passed about 1149 to his brother, William de Canisto or Cheney, Baron of Horsford, who founded the Abbey of Sibton and endowed it with this manor. He is sometimes called William de Norwich. He gave Friers manor, in Shelfhanger, in Norfolk, formerly the possession of Edric the falconer, his great-grandfather, with which Robert, Lord Malet, enfeoffed his brother Walter de Cadomo. At that period this lordship was very small, but after became augmented by divers other grants.

The revenues of the monastery received considerable additions from the pious contributions of the Lady Margaret de Cressy, one of the daughters and coheirs of the founders, and various other benefactors, all of which donations were confirmed by charters of Hen.II. and Hen.III. Clementia and Sara, the other daughters and coheirs of William de Cheyney were also benefactors to this house; the former married Jordan de Sackville and the latter Richard de Engaine.

The Abbot of Sibton claimed view of frankpledge, bortrem, and assize of bread and beer here in the time of Edw.I And a Book of Extents and Accounts of the Abbey,18 Edw.II. to 46 Edw.III., is mentioned in the 10th Report of the Historical MSS. Commission, part v. 458.

In 1536, two years prior to the Act for dissolving the greater monasteries, the abbot and convent by deed dated 31st July, 1536, conveyed to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, Anthony Rouse, and Nicholas Hare the site and all the estates belonging to this monastery, which grant was confirmed to the Duke by Statute of the 31st Hen. VIII.

The annual revenues of the abbey were then valued at. 15s. 7. .5d. per annum. Sibton Abbey was granted at the Dissolution to Thomas Godsalve by Thomas, Duke of Norfolk. His son, Sir Thomas Godsalve, died seised of it in the time of Philip and Mary. He was a person of some note, and at the coronation of Edw.VI. was created a Knight of the Carpet, and afterwards appointed Comptroller of the Mint.

On the attainder of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, the manor passed to the Crown, and the King held a first court for it in 1547. The same year however Hen. VIII. granted the lordship to Sir Anthony Denny, Knt. Subsequently it was restored to the Duke, for though it is true the manor is mentioned in the inquisition p.m. of Sir Anthony Denny, who died 5th Sept.1549, leaving Henry his son and heir, yet we find Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, holding a court for the manor in 1553, said to be the first court after his imprisonment, and another court was held in 1569 by Sir Thomas Cornwallis, Knt., Sir Nicholas Le Straunge, and other feoffees of the said Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, and stated to be their first court.

In 1572 we learn from a court held by the trustees that year that an assurance had been made of the manor to John Blennerhasset, William Dixe, and others by the then late Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, and in trust for Philip, Earl of Surrey, and Thomas and William, sons of the said Duke. Thomas, Earl of Arundel and Surrey (being joined in the sale by Lord William Howard, of Naworth [Belted Will)) 30th Nov. 1610 sold the manor for 50 to John Scrivener, who built a commodious house adjoining the ruins of the abbey, and resided here in 1655. He was the 6th son of Ralph Scrivener, of Bildeston, Port Reeve of Ipswich, and barrister-at-law, to whom arms were granted 29th Jan. 1576.

John Scrivener by deed 10th Dec.1641, settled the manor on the marriage of his son and heir apparent, Thomas, with Elizabeth, only child and heir of William Grudgefield, of Fressingfield, on the said Thomas and Elizabeth and the longer liver of them, with remainder to their heirs male. John Scrivener died in 1662, when the manor passed to his son, Thomas Scrivener, who was living at the Herald's Visitation of Suffolk, 1664. He was a great sufferer in the royal cause, his estate having been sequestered, and he himself confined in various prisons in the county. He died in 1667, and was buried at Sibton, when the manor passed to his son and heir John.

By deed dated 17th March, 1719, this John Scrivener and Dorothea Scrivener, his sister, settled an estate in Sibton and Peasenhall to the following uses, viz., that one-half of the rents should be paid to the vicar of this parish to read morning service in the church every Wednesday, Friday, and holy days in the year, and that the other moiety should be employed for erecting a schoolroom in the parish of Sibton for teaching poor children, whose parents dwelt within the same, and were not able to bear the charge thereof, in the English tongue, writing and arithmetic, and in the principles of the Church of England, and for putting out apprentices.

The property comprises a building used as a schoolroom and 32a. or. 3p. of land, which formerly let at a year, one-half of the rent being paid to the vicar and the other half applied for the support of a school. John Scrivener died in 1720, and the manor passed to his brother, Charles Scrivener, LL.B., born 25th April, 1660, who married Anne, daughter of Thomas Wharton, and died 8th August, 1737, when the manor became vested in his son and heir, Charles Scrivener, who married Margaret, daughter of Francis Bedingfield, of Bedingfield, and died without issue in 1751.

His sister and heir, Anne Scrivener, married the Rev.Thomas Freston, LL.B., vicar of Cratfield, 6th son of Richard Freston, of Mendham, and dying 7th Nov. 1764, left a daughter Ann, married to Edward Howman, and a son, John Freston, to whom, on the death of Charles Scrivener in 1751, the manor passed.

John Freston, of Sibton Abbey, took the name and arms of Scrivener. He married Dorothea, daughter of Roger Howman, M.D., of Norwich and died in 1797, aged 67, leaving an only surviving daughter and heir Dorothea, to whom the manor passed.

She married John Fisher, D.D., Bishop of Exeter, and afterwards of Salisbury, Preceptor to Princess Charlotte of Wales (eldest son of the Rev. John Fisher, M.A., Rector of Calborne), and by him (who died in 1825) left at her death 5th Sept. 1831, a son Edward, who died unmarried in 1836, and two daughters, Dorothea, married 9th April, 1839, to John Frederick Pike, who assumed the additional surname of Scrivener, and Elizabeth, married to John Mirehause, of Brownslade, co. Pembroke. The manor passed to the elder daughter, Dorothea,who surviving her husband died in March, 1889, when it passed to her great-nephew, Egerton Bagot Byrd Levett-Scrivener, R.N., 3rd son of Col. Richard Byrd Levett, of Milford Hall, co. Stafford (who died in 1888) by Elizabeth Mary Levett, his wife, daughter of John Mirehouse and Elizabeth his wife.

Egerton B.B. Levett-Scrivener, the present lord, assumed the additional surname of Scrivener by Deed-Poll in 1889, under the will of his great-aunt, and married 1st in March, 1884, Mabel Desborough, 2nd daughter of Sir Harry Smith Parkes, K.C.B., G.C.M.G., and by her who died in 1890 had issue Evelyn Harry Byrd Levett-Scrivener, born Jan. 1885. Mr.E.B.B.Levett-Scrivener married 2ndly in Sept. 1891, Mary Milicent, only daughter of Henry John Mirehouse of St. George's Hill, co. Somerset.

Arms of SCRIVENER : Erm. on a chief indented Az. three leopards' faces, Or.

MANOR OF SIBTON HALL.

This was held by Alwin in the time of the Confessor, and by Alan, Earl of Brittany, at the time of the Domesday Survey. We do not find any information respecting this manor till the end of the 15th century, when in 1499 Thomas Heveningham died seised of it, being succeeded by his son and heir, Sir John Heveningham, who died 5th Aug. 1536. Sir Anthony Heveningham, Sir John's son and heir, next held the lordship. He married 1st Katherine, daughter of Calthorp, who died before 1546.

In I546 he settled the manor by fine on himself and Mary his 2nd wife daughter of Sir John Shelton, the elder, of Shelton, Knt., and on their heirs, and died in 1558, and according to his will is buried by his last wife under a tomb on the north side of the chancel of Heveningham, but the tomb has lost its inscription, though the arms of Heveningham with helmet crest and supporters, and those of Shelton with a helmet and crest and two talbots, Arg. collared and chained Gu. for supporters, and the same two coats impaled, remained in Blomefield's day.

He was lord of Gissing-cum-Dagworth, in Norfolk, and settled 3 acres of land upon the churchwardens towards the maintenance of the poor, and ordered that Bartholomew Kempe and his heirs should pay 3s. a year to the same use out of his estate.

By his first wife he left one son only, Henry, married 1st to Anne, daughter of Sir Edmund Wyndham, Knt., and 2ndly to Anne, daughter of Eden of Sudbury, but leaving no issue the Manors of Gissing with Dagworth, and the Manor of Gissing Hall, in Roydon, which was held of the Queen as of the Honor of Eye, at a quarter of a fee, descended divisible between his three sisters Mary, then married to John Smith, Anne to Edward Everard, and Jane, married to Edward Suliard, who bought in all the parts and then sold them to Sir Arthur Heveningham, who died in 1630. From this time to the present, the manor has devolved in the same course as the Manor of Heveningham, and is now vested in Lord Huntingfield.