FULBROOK
Acreage: 872.
Population: 1911, 62; 1921, 72; 1931, 65.
The parish of Fulbrook lies on the west bank of the
Avon, 3 miles south of Warwick, and is divided by the
Warwick-Stratford main road into two unequal portions. The boundaries of the larger are approximately
those of the park inclosed by John, Duke of Bedford,
about 1421. This is known to have extended from the
river (fn. 1) up to the Stratford road (fn. 2) and Rous complains
bitterly that the inclosing of the park converted a
formerly safe highway into a notorious haunt of robbers,
who lay in wait for their victims behind the newly
erected palings. (fn. 3) It was disparked by John Dudley,
Duke of Northumberland, (fn. 4) but renewed and extended
early in the 17th century by Sir Thomas Lucy, who
added Hampton Woods to it. (fn. 5) The Deer Barn, under
Copdock Hill in Hampton Lucy parish, is an indication
of its later extent. Several of the present field-names in
Fulbrook occur in 17th-century deeds in what was
then known as the Old Park. (fn. 6) In the later 17th century
the park was being divided into farms, (fn. 7) and though it
is shown in Beighton's map of 1725 it was by that time
little more than a name. (fn. 8)
The boundaries of the remainder of the parish,
extending from the main road down to Sherbourne
Brook, correspond to those of the Northbrook property
granted to Warwick College in 1461. (fn. 9) A small part of
Briary Land, beyond the brook, is also in Fulbrook.
South of Marraway Farm a green track, a continuation of a lane from Norton Lindsey, crosses the Stratford
road and the southern end of the parish. This is marked
by Ogilby in 1675 as a road to Kineton (fn. 10) and in other
maps down to the middle of the 18th century. (fn. 11) It
probably crossed the Avon at Hampton Lucy, but it
cannot now be traced much beyond Black Hill Farm.
The village of Fulbrook was destroyed to make the
park. (fn. 12) In 1332 there were nine contributors to the
Lay Subsidy here, (fn. 13) but only four householders in
1428. (fn. 14) Since the disappearance of the church in the
16th century Fulbrook and Northbrook have been in
the ecclesiastical parish of Sherbourne. In 1656 a dispute arose as to whether the inhabitants of Northbrook
should pay their poor rates with Norton Lindsey,
Budbrooke, or—as was finally decided—Snitterfield; (fn. 15)
and Northbrook and Briary Land are included in the
constabulary of Snitterfield in the Hearth Tax Returns
of 1670–4. In 1737 the township of 'Fulbrook-park
and Norbrook' had no parish officers except an overseer
of the poor. (fn. 16) There were five farms here in 1730, (fn. 17)
and these, together with a group of cottages on the top
of Sherbourne Hill, comprise the whole population of
the parish to-day.
The medieval village was probably situated near the
brook which gave it its name and which flows between
Lower Fulbrook and Court Farms to join the Avon
a few hundred yards east of the road to Hampton Lucy.
Court Farm (fn. 18) was rebuilt during the last century, but
the lower part of its west wall consists of sandstone
masonry of apparently medieval date, and scattered
over the garden are many stone rick-hoists, some of
them with mason's marks, and stones carved with hearts
and lozenges in panels. Behind the house are the remains of two moats. The larger, immediately to the
south-west, is about 90 paces square and still has water
on three sides, the southern being the best preserved.
This is probably, from its extent, the site of the moated
manor-house mentioned in 1324 (fn. 19) and 1392. (fn. 20) In
the latter year it was said to consist of a hall with solar
and chapel adjoining, a kitchen and byre under one
roof and all within the moat, and beyond the moat a
gatehouse with chamber above and stable below. It
was already falling into disrepair, and some 20 years
later Joan, Lady Bergavenny, built 'a litle lodge or
peace of buildinge in this parke caullyd Bergeiney'; (fn. 21)
she also built a 'sumptuous gatehouse', (fn. 22) the remains
of which may perhaps be those embodied in the present
farm and which was probably built on the site of the
gatehouse mentioned in 1392. The other moat lies a
little to the north, inclosing an area some 50 paces
square. The ramparts are steep and about 12–15 ft.
high. The moat is dry, but running westwards from
its southern side are traces of a cutting, probably the
original trench to carry off the water. Neither site has
been excavated, but about 1841 there was discovered in
the larger moat a globular steelyard weight with four
escutcheons in relief, each charged with a lion rampant.
It dates probably from the reign of Henry III. (fn. 23)
The field now known as Castle Hill is on the south
side of the brook, just above Lower Fulbrook Farm.
This is the site of the 'praty castle made of stone and
brike' (fn. 24) built by John, Duke of Bedford, and probably
the residence of the park-keeper in the 15th century.
There are no remains above ground, but excavations
some years ago are said to have revealed brick-lined
foundations (fn. 25) and recent ploughing has turned up
large quantities of bricks of early type and occasional
fragments of glazed tiles and pottery. The whole site
appears to have occupied less than an acre. These
buildings were all said to be ruinous by 1478, (fn. 26) though
the lodge was apparently still standing in Leland's
time. (fn. 27) The castle, which according to Leland aroused
the jealousy of the Earls of Warwick, was finally demolished by Sir William Compton, then park-keeper,
who received permission from Henry VIII to use some
of the materials in his new house at Compton Wynyates. (fn. 28)
At Northbrook, south-west of the modern house, are
the shallow remains of the south-west angle of another
moat. Here stood the manor-house of the Grants, a
centre of Catholic disaffection in the reigns of Elizabeth
and James I. Edward Grant of Northbrook was described in 1564 as 'an adversary of true religion'. (fn. 29)
He married Anne Somerville of Edstone (fn. 30) and the
house was searched in November 1583 after the discovery of his nephew John Somerville's plot against the
Queen. (fn. 31) His grandson John Grant was drawn into
the Gunpowder Plot through his marriage with Mary
Wyntour, sister of Robert, Thomas, and John Wyntour
of Huddington. Northbrook was the scene of frequent
meetings of the conspirators during 1605. (fn. 32) On the
evening of 6 Nov. Grant, Catesby, and others rested
here on their escape westwards and furnished themselves with the arms that had been accumulated during
the preceding months. (fn. 33) Grant was among those
taken at Holbeach and afterwards executed. When
Northbrook was searched by the sheriff Mass books and
ornaments, a chalice, and a cope were found in a pool
near by and arms and 'a payre of manackles for a mans
necke' in the moat. (fn. 34) The house was probably dismantled soon afterwards. There is some panelling
which bears the arms of Grant, and may therefore have
come from Northbrook, in the Marble House,
Warwick. (fn. 35) The house is assessed at 4 hearths in the
Returns of 1665–74 (fn. 36) and was afterwards occupied
by William Bolding, who disclaimed at the Visitation
of 1682. (fn. 37) A sketch of it before the final demolition
shows an L-shaped building with two apparently
plastered gables at one end and a long timber-framed
hall block with three doors, showing that by then it
had been divided up. (fn. 38)
Manor
In 1086 the Count of Meulan held FULBROOK as 2½ hides; a certain Alfled had
held it in the Confessor's time (fn. 39) . From the
Count of Meulan the manor passed to Henry de Newburgh, and the overlordship descended with the earldom of Warwick.
The manor of Fulbrook was in the hands of the
Crown, apparently by forfeiture, in 1175, when Robert
le Franceis answered for the farm and issues thereof. (fn. 40)
It subsequently came by marriage to William de
Turville, who mortgaged it to Aaron the Jew some time
before the death of that great financier in 1186. (fn. 41) His
son predeceased him and in 1217 Maud de Hastings,
widow of William de Turville the younger, sued
William the elder for the manor as her dower, but he
said that it was the inheritance of his wife Isabel. (fn. 42)
After his death his widow Isabel, in 1220, claimed the
manor against Maud de Hastings (fn. 43) and obtained it in
1222. (fn. 44) The younger William left no issue and his
coheirs were his sisters Cecily, wife of Roger de Craft,
Pernel, wife of Simon de Creulton (or Cuenton), (fn. 45) who
took the name of Turville, and Isabel, wife of Walhamet
le Poure. (fn. 46) Isabel died without issue, (fn. 47) and in 1235
Simon de Turville and Roger de Craft answered for
½ knight's fee in Fulbrook and Woodcote. (fn. 48) This ½ fee
in 1292 was held of the Earl of Warwick by Roger de
Craft and John Mace, who had also succeeded Simon
at Bedworth and Chelmescote (fn. 49) (perhaps as tenant
during a minority). The Turvilles seem to have relinquished their share to Roger de Craft or to his son
Roger, who died c. 1250 without issue, leaving three
coheirs. One sister, Isabel, had married Hugh de
Herdebergh; another, Beatrice, married first William
de Charneles and, secondly, Henry Hubaud; the third,
Cecily de Quattermars, died without issue about 1268.
In the Easter term of 1269 Hugh de Herdebergh (son
of Isabel) sued Henry Hubaud and Beatrice for his
share in the estate of Cecily, his own aunt and sister of
Beatrice, in virtue of which he claimed to hold half the
manor and advowson of Fulbrook. (fn. 50) In 1265 Henry
Hubaud, who had been in the garrison of Kenilworth
Castle, held villeinage lands here worth £6 10s., (fn. 51) and
in 1268 the fees of William Mauduit, late Earl of
Warwick, included ½ fee in Fulbrook held by Henry
Hubaud and (? another) ½ fee in Fulbrook and Woodcote, for which no tenant is named. (fn. 52) Hugh de Herdebergh seems to have acquired the whole manor and to
have given it to William Gernun and Isabel his wife (fn. 53)
(possibly Hugh's daughter). (fn. 54) In 1283 William
Gernun and Isabel conveyed the manor of Fulbrook,
except 2 messuages, a mill, and rent, to William de
Hynkeley and Alice his wife, to hold of them and of
the heirs of Isabel as one knight's fee. (fn. 55) Alice, in her
widowhood, alienated the manor to Nicholas de
Warwick and Joan his wife, (fn. 56) and in 1293 William
Gernun and Isabel conveyed their mesne lordship to
William de Sutton. (fn. 57) In the same year Alice further
conveyed a messuage, 3 virgates, and 10 acres of
meadow in Fulbrook to Nicholas de Warwick, (fn. 58) who
by 1297 had obtained the holdings of three other
minor tenants—Thomas de Mollington and Christian
his wife, (fn. 59) Thomas de Kynton of Warwick and Alice
his wife, (fn. 60) and Walter de Paunton and Alice his wife. (fn. 61)
In 1305 Nicholas obtained licence to hold view of
frankpledge and to have other privileges in his manor. (fn. 62)
Guy, Earl of Warwick, died in 1315 seised of ⅓ knight's
fee here held by William son of Nicholas de Warwick, (fn. 63)
who was returned as being lord of the vill of Fulbrook in the following year. (fn. 64) But by 1324 it had
passed to John de Hastings, Lord Bergavenny, who
died in that year holding it of the Earl of Warwick, by
the service of a knight's fee. (fn. 65) His son Laurence
became Earl of Pembroke in 1339 and lived until
1348. (fn. 66) In 1354 William de Clinton, Earl of Huntingdon, died seised of the manor, held in the right of
Julian his wife, who had received it as dower of her
late husband, the above-mentioned John de Hastings; (fn. 67)
and she held the manor until her death in 1367. (fn. 68)
John de Hastings died without issue in 1389, the
earldom of Pembroke thus becoming extinct, (fn. 69) and
the manor of Fulbrook passed to his kinsman Reynold
de Grey, who conveyed it with other lands in 1400 to
eight trustees. (fn. 70) In 1428 John, Duke of Bedford, held
it as ¼ knight's fee, (fn. 71) and died seised thereof in 1435,
leaving as heir his nephew, King Henry VI. (fn. 72) The
appurtenances at this time consisted of the chapel, a
dovecote, the park, and a mill held by Pinley Priory.
The custody of the King's manor and park of Fulbrook was granted to various royal servants during the
next twenty years. (fn. 73) In 1462 Edward IV granted this
manor to his kinsman, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, (fn. 74) after whose death the park of Fulbrook was
granted to George, Duke of Clarence, first for life in
1472, (fn. 75) and then in tail in 1474. (fn. 76) Upon his attainder
in 1478 it was certified that he died seised of the manor
of Fulbrook, (fn. 77) which again remained in the hands of
the Crown for some 65 years. (fn. 78) In 1545 lands in Fulbrook called 'Beryfurlong' were granted to George
Tresham of Newton Parva, Northants., and Edmund
Twynyho. (fn. 79)
In 1547 John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, obtained
the inheritance of Fulbrook, and on his attainder in
1553 it was granted by Queen Mary to Sir Francis
Englefield, (fn. 80) for his life. The latter in his turn was
also attainted and in 1607 the park was leased to
Nicholas Faunt for 41 years in reversion after Margery
Englefield, widow. Faunt assigned the lease to Sir
Thomas Lucy at some time before 1615. In that year
Sir Thomas purchased the fee simple of the park from
William Willoughby, who with William Brock, then
deceased, had received a grant of it by Letters Patent
in 1610. (fn. 81) By 1658 Richard Lucy was in possession of
the manor; (fn. 82) and since that time it has remained in the
Lucy family. (fn. 83) Sir Henry Fairfax-Lucy is the present
lord of the manor.
A parcel of land called Northbrook was granted by
Edward IV to St. Mary's College, Warwick, in 1461
in recompense for certain rents and portions in Fulbrook which they had lost by the inclosure of the park
forty years earlier. (fn. 84) The College held this property
until the Dissolution, it being valued in 1490 (fn. 85) and
1508 (fn. 86) at £4 15s. 10d., and at £5 6s. 8d. c. 1540–4. (fn. 87)
In 1545, having reverted to the Crown, it was given to
Edward Grant, son of Richard Grant of Snitterfield. (fn. 88)
Edward died in 1592, leaving Northbrook to his
widow Anne with remainder to his eldest son Thomas,
to whom he bequeathed in succession the rest of his
property, consisting of Briary Lands and tenements in
Snitterfield and Droitwich. (fn. 89) Anne died in 1596. (fn. 90)
Thomas married Alice Ruding (fn. 91) and was the father of
John Grant the conspirator. In 1603 John granted a
21 years' lease of Northbrook to his cousin Sir William
Somerville and his brother-in-law John Wyntour. (fn. 92)
After his execution in 1606 the property was forfeited
to the Crown, though his widow was still in occupation
in 1608. (fn. 93) In 1611 it was leased for 21 years to Ellis
Rothwell. (fn. 94) Wyntour Grant son of John Grant recovered his father's estates in 1623 and sold them to
Sir Thomas Puckering of the Priory, Warwick. (fn. 95)
Kenilworth Abbey held property in Fulbrook valued
in 1535 at 10s. yearly. (fn. 96)
A mill worth 12s. is recorded in Domesday. (fn. 97) In
1198 William de Bereford granted two mills in Fulbrook to William de Turville and Isabel his wife. (fn. 98) A
mill worth 100s. belonging to the manor was held in
1220 by the Prior of Thelsford, (fn. 99) probably on lease
as there is no other trace of the priory owning it. In
1254 John Mace and Denise his wife granted a virgate,
2 cottages, and half a mill to Simon de Wauton. (fn. 100) The
mill which was excluded from William Gernun's
grant of the manor in 1283 may then have belonged to
the Prioress of Pinley, who two years later granted an
acre of land, half an acre of meadow, and the moiety of
a mill in Fulbrook to Richard de Henley and others. (fn. 101)
The mill was still held by the priory in 1435. (fn. 102) The
site of a mill is clearly evident on the brook at Lower
Fulbrook Farm, and lower down, on the further side
of the Hampton Lucy road, are the remains of a dam
of what may have been another mill and of a road
leading down to it.
Advowson
During the 14th and 15th centuries
the advowson belonged to the lords of
the manor, (fn. 103) but when the last incumbent was presented to the rectory in 1543 the patronage was in the hands of the Bishop. (fn. 104)
The church in 1535 was described as a free chapel
and included in the park, but tithes to the value of 14s.
from Northbrook and Berrymedowe were being received by Dr. Bell, (fn. 105) probably the Warden of Stratford
College. (fn. 106)
The church was said, both by Rous (fn. 107) and in the
Inquisition of 1478, (fn. 108) to have been already demolished,
though an incumbent was presented as late as 1543. (fn. 109)
It is generally believed to have stood in the field known
as Chapel Close opposite Court Farm. (fn. 110) Skeletons have
been dug up here (fn. 111) and about a century ago a medieval
gravestone was found, (fn. 112) about 2½ ft. high and 5½ in.
thick, with rounded head and carved with a maltese
cross in low relief. This is now at Grove Field Farm,
Hampton Lucy.