MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES.
Alsi had
in 1066 an estate called DURLEIGH which by
1086 was held as a serjeanty by Ansger the cook. (fn. 6)
Ansger's estate was perhaps the land which
Geoffrey of Durleigh seems to have held in
1201, (fn. 7) probably in succession to Durand of
Durleigh, possibly his father. (fn. 8) Odo of Durleigh
may have succeeded Geoffrey; he was later said
to have held the vill of the honor of Trowbridge; (fn. 9)
and William Longespée (d. 1226), earl of Salisbury, was said to have held it, apparently in
succession to Durand, for 20 years. (fn. 10) It is therefore probable that Durleigh formed part of the
grant made in 1214 by King John to William
Longespée comprising the lands of the knights
of Trowbridge honor who had rebelled with
Henry de Bohun, earl of Hereford. (fn. 11)
The estate descended like Trowbridge to Margaret, daughter of William Longespée (III) and
wife of Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln (d. 1311).
Henry was said to hold the manor in 1274 and
the capital messuage in 1284-5. (fn. 12) Henry's successor Alice married first Thomas Plantagenet,
earl of Lancaster (d. 1322). In 1319 Thomas
granted the land, but not the fee, to John de
Warenne, earl of Surrey (d. 1347), for his life. (fn. 13)
The fee was granted in 1325 by Alice and her
second husband Ebles Lestraunge to Hugh le
Despenser the younger, who already had the
reversion of the land. (fn. 14) At the same time
Warenne made over to Despenser his 'foreign
court' of Trowbridge and the court of Durleigh. (fn. 15) In 1337, after the Despensers' forfeiture,
the Crown granted the reversion of Trowbridge,
and presumably its members, after Warenne's
death to William de Montagu on his creation as
earl of Salisbury. (fn. 16)
Joan de Bar, wife of John de Warenne, acquired
a life interest in her husband's estate in 1327 (fn. 17)
which in 1348 she leased to Edward, prince of
Wales. On Joan's death in 1361 Edward surrendered his lease to William de Montagu, who thus
acquired both the land and the fee or foreign
court. Durleigh presumably followed the descent
of Trowbridge, which was recovered by Blanche,
daughter of Henry Plantagenet, duke of Lancaster, and her husband, John of Gaunt, in 1365, and
which passed with the Duchy of Lancaster to the
Crown. (fn. 18) It is not certain how much land was
involved: the Duchy received rents from Durleigh
in 1536-7 and a small estate described as in North
Bower and Durleigh, probably in the north part
of Bridgwater parish, was in 1553 held of the
honor of Trowbridge, parcel of the Duchy of
Lancaster. (fn. 19) The estate may by then have been
absorbed into West Bower manor, which was
known as Bower with Durleigh. (fn. 20)
Two estates called CHILTON in 1086 may
have lain partly or wholly in Durleigh. One was
held in 1066 by Godric and in 1086 by Ansketil
of Roger de Courcelles. The other was held in
1066 by Alwine and in 1086 as a serjeanty by
Ansger the cook of the king. (fn. 21) No further trace
of either estate has been found until 1208-9
when a rather larger holding comprising land in
Chilton and Bower was held by Robert of Chilton, (fn. 22) possibly a successor to Jordan of Chilton. (fn. 23)
In 1284-5 another Robert of Chilton was
holding ½ fee in Chilton of Hugh Lovel, whose
barony of Castle Cary the Lovels held in succession to Walter of Douai. (fn. 24)
Hugh Lovel (d. 1291) was followed by his son
Richard, (fn. 25) and Richard in 1351 by his granddaughter Muriel, wife of Sir Nicholas Seymour
(d. 1361). Muriel was followed by her son
Richard, but no further trace of the overlordship
has been found after 1371. (fn. 26)
Robert of Chilton held ½ fee in Chilton in
1284-5 and 1295. (fn. 27) He was said in 1303 to hold
¼ fee. (fn. 28) Another Robert held ¼ fee in 1346. (fn. 29) In
1412 Sir William Besyles held ¼ fee there which
in 1431 was shared between John Besyles, Alice
Northlode, and John Michell. (fn. 30) The holding,
however, had evidently been divided: at least
three small estates held of the Seymours had
emerged in the 1370s: Joan, widow of John
Modesley (d. 1362), Robert de la Mare (d. 1371),
who held in right of his wife Joan, and Edward
(d. 1372), son of Eleanor Cary, all held land in
Chilton and Bower. (fn. 31)
In 1455 William Dodesham bought a substantial amount of land from Thomas Hall, William
Besyles, and William's wife Agnes which included property described as in East Chilton, (fn. 32)
presumably Chilton village and so called in
distinction from West Chilton or Chilton Trivet.
It probably included some or all of the former
Chilton manor, but by 1487 was known as
EAST CHILTON manor and was said to be
held as of North Petherton manor. Dodesham
died in 1480 when his heir was his niece Agnes,
wife of Walter Michell (d. 1487). (fn. 33) Walter Michell was followed in succession by three sons,
William, John (d. 1492), (fn. 34) and Thomas (d.
1503). (fn. 35) Thomas Michell, son of the last, in 1539
murdered both his wife and her sister and then
committed suicide. (fn. 36) Richard Michell, his son
and heir, died in 1563 leaving the manor, then
called simply Chilton, to his son Tristram. (fn. 37)
Tristram died in 1574 and was succeeded by his
brother Bartholomew, later knighted. On the
latter's death in 1616 his heirs were his two
daughters, Jane, wife of William Hockmore (d.
1626), of Buckland Baron (Devon), and Frances,
wife of Alexander Popham. (fn. 38)
William Hockmore died in 1626 in possession
of Chilton manor and the manors of North
Bower, Chilton Trivet in Cannington, Wembdon, and West Stretcholt in Pawlett. (fn. 39) His heir
was his son Gregory, then under age. (fn. 40) Gregory
was still alive in 1676 (fn. 41) and had been succeeded
by 1680 by William Hockmore. (fn. 42) William was
dead by 1714 when his estate was shared between his three daughters, Mary, wife of Brent
Reynell Spiller (d. 1736), Honor, wife of David
or Davidge Gould, and Jane Palmer, widow,
later wife of William Pitt. (fn. 43) Samuel Pitt, only
son of Jane, died without issue c. 1737, and by
1753 the estate was shared between Mary and
Elizabeth Reynell, daughters of Mary, who had
taken the name Reynell, and the six children of
Honor and Davidge Gould. By 1791 Mary
Reynell had devised her share to her nephew
Henry Reynell, (fn. 44) who by 1801 seems to have
become the sole owner. (fn. 45) He died in 1842 leaving
a daughter Caroline, whose husband, the Revd.
David Williams, took the name and arms of
Reynell. David Reynell was the owner of North
Bower, East Chilton, and Wembdon manors in
1839. (fn. 46)
By 1857 the estate had passed through a distant
cousin of Caroline Reynell, Sir Thomas Reynell,
Bt. (d. 1848), to Sir Thomas's widow Elizabeth
(d. 1856) and to Elizabeth's son by her first
marriage, Arthur John Pack, who took the name
Reynell in 1857. (fn. 47) Arthur Denis Henry Heber
Reynell-Pack succeeded his father in 1860 and
sold the estate, then amounting to over 520 a. of
land in Durleigh, Bridgwater, Chilton, Cossington, and Weston Zoyland, in 1911, when the
property was divided. The part in Durleigh
parish included Manor Farm immediately
north-west of Chilton Trinity church. (fn. 48)
In 1066 Godric held REXWORTHY. In 1086
Robert was tenant there of Roger de Courcelles. (fn. 49) In 1499 Rexworthy was held of the Crown,
presumably in right of the Duchy of Lancaster,
as of Durleigh manor. In 1423 Thomas Plush
held land there of East Postridge manor in
Aisholt in succession to Richard Rexworthy, and
Margaret Plush, widow of William Harding,
died holding the manor in 1499. Margaret's heirs
were her daughters Joan, Agnes, and Joan. (fn. 50) In
the 16th century the estate passed to the Malet
family. Sir Hugh Trevanion (d. 1561-2) held it
for life in right of his second wife Anne, widow
of Baldwin Malet (d. 1533), the reversionary
interest belonging to Baldwin's son John Malet
(d. c. 1570) of Wolleigh in Beaford (Devon).
John Malet transferred his interest to his brother
Thomas. (fn. 51)
In 1738 Rexworthy farm was occupied and
probably owned by Thomas Trego, who was
succeeded in 1753 by John Trego. Members of
the Holcombe family held it between 1757 and
1795, and they were followed by John Gooding. (fn. 52) Richard Gooding was owner and occupier
in 1839, and W. B. Broadmead of Enmore owned
it in 1909. (fn. 53)
Land in Everley belonged to Athelney abbey
in the earlier 12th century. (fn. 54) Richard Wasun of
Bridgwater acquired a messuage and land there
in 1256 (fn. 55) which passed to a family called Everley. (fn. 56) At his death in 1461 Sir Alexander Hody
held EVERLEY manor of Athelney abbey in
right of his wife Margaret, the heir of John
Coker. (fn. 57) Margaret still held it at her death in
1489, and tenants in the parish owed suit to the
Hody family at Gothelney in 1540-1. (fn. 58) Fields
east of Durleigh Farm were called Great Everley
and Everley Orchard in 1839. (fn. 59)
St. John's hospital, Bridgwater, held what was
called DURLEIGH manor c. 1480. (fn. 60) Following
the dissolution of the hospital in 1539 the Crown
sold the estate in 1543 to John Smythe of
Bristol. (fn. 61) John was succeeded in 1556 by his son
Hugh, then of Long Ashton, and Hugh in 1580
by his daughter Elizabeth, wife of Edward Morgan. (fn. 62) Edward settled the manor in 1596 on his
son William, who survived until 1634 leaving a
son, another Edward Morgan. (fn. 63) In 1635 Edward
sold the manor to Warwick Fownes, and in 1638
Thomas Fownes died in possession. (fn. 64) Thomas's
heir was his grandson and namesake. (fn. 65)
Charles Brune of Plumber in Lidlinch (Dors.)
succeeded Thomas Fownes in 1746. (fn. 66) He was
succeeded in 1770 by his nephew Charles Pleydell Brune. The latter was followed by his
nephew the Revd. Charles Prideaux (1760-
1833), who took the additional name of Brune
in 1799. (fn. 67) The Revd. Charles Prideaux-Brune
was followed in the direct male line by Charles
(1790-1875), Charles Glynn (1821-1907), and
Charles Robert (1848-1936), the last of whom
sold Durleigh in 1913 to Sidney Denning, owner
until c. 1970. (fn. 68)
Durleigh Farm, standing south-east of Durleigh churchyard, is a square, symmetrical stone
building of the later 18th century, adjoining the
stock yards and buildings of the later 19th
century.
St. John's hospital, Bridgwater, by 1535 also
owned the RECTORY estate, comprising the
tithes of the parish. (fn. 69) The Crown in 1542 leased
the rectory to John Bourchier, earl of Bath. It
was sublet to William Blanchflower and later to
Humphrey Colles. (fn. 70) In 1556 Alexander Popham
of Huntworth in North Petherton owned the
rectory which he devised to his son (Sir) John
Popham (d. 1607), but a Crown grant was made,
probably in error, to Thomas Wood and Thomas Fare in 1560. (fn. 71) Sir John held the rectory c.
1594 and his son Sir Francis seems to have
occupied it by 1603, the outcome of a settlement
made in 1590. (fn. 72)
The rectory descended in the direct male line
from Sir Francis (d. 1644) to Alexander (d.
1669), Sir Francis (d. 1674), and Alexander (d.
1705). Alexander was succeeded by his father's
brother, also Alexander, and that Alexander by
his son Francis (d. 1735). (fn. 73) Francis's son Edward
Popham, who let the estate to Philip Baker of
Bridgwater in 1746, sold it in 1775 to Dr. John
Dunning of Bridgwater, who married Baker's
daughter Susanna. John died in 1821 and Susanna in 1824, when the rectory passed under
her will to Wyndham Goodden (d. 1839).
Wyndham's widow Mary held it until her death
in 1844 and was succeeded by her son John, who
in 1845 sold the tithe rent charge to Robert
Gooding. (fn. 74) Robert Gooding was succeeded in
1854 by his great-nephew William Gooding (d.
1902) and William by his son William Forbes
Gooding of Durleigh Elms, (fn. 75) who held the rent
charge in 1909. (fn. 76)
Land in the parish was held of manors in other
parishes, namely Puriton in 1561, (fn. 77) West Bower
or Bower de la Mare in Bridgwater in the 17th
century, (fn. 78) and Chipley in Langford Budville in
1839. (fn. 79)