HARDWICK,

Or Herdewic, signifies the place at the wie, or winding of the river, where the herde was usually fed; it was in many parts at the Conquest, the whole being two miles long and one broad, and paid 9d. to the geld. The honour of Eye extended hither, (fn. 1) and there was one part which belonged to the abbey of Eye, (fn. 2) as to the manor of Pulham; and another to Bainard Castle, as belonging to the manor of Hemenhale, (fn. 3) which was held of that honour.

The Capital Manor, called afterwards Barret's, (fn. 4)

Belonged to Roger Bigot at the Conquest, and was always held of the Norfolk family at one fee, as of their manor of Forncet. This manor, in Henry the Third's time, belonged to the Barrets, and was sold by Ivo Baret to Robert Bacun; and in 1308, Bartholomew de Evereux had it; William le Waleys of Shelton was lord and patron here; and in 1308, Margaret relict of Walter le Waleys; and it then passed along with the advowson in the Barrets and their feoffees, till Katherine, daughter and heir of Symon Barret, carried it to Will. Shelton of Shelton, Esq. her husband, in Henry the Fourth's time, and it continued in the Sheltons, till sold to

Thomas father of Peter Gleane (fn. 5) of Norwich, (fn. 6) who was knighted by King James I.; he married Maud (fn. 7) daughter of Robert Suckling of Norwich, Esq. and was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas Gleane of Hardwick-hall, Esq. who married Elizabeth (fn. 8) daughter and heir of Thomas Brewse, Esq. (descended from Sir Ric. Brewse of Topcroft, Knt.) for whom is this inscription on a tomb against the north chancel wall:

In Memory of Thomas Gleane, Esq. eldest Son of Peter Gleane Knt. and Dame Maud his wife; and likewise Elizabeth the wife of the said Thomas, Daughter and Heir of Thomas Brewse Esq. and Elizabeth his wife, interred together in the sacred Cœmeterye of this Church, who together had seven Sons, two only surviving both their Parents, Peter and John; Peter Gleane Esq. eldest son of the deceased, caused this Altar Table heere to be erected. He died 27 Jan. A. D. 1660, aged about 74, she died the 22d of July, A. D. 1634, aged about 45.

No Person upon Earth, can happye bee, Beatitude comes after Exequie.

Gleane impales Suckling. Ditto impaling Brewse, az. crusuly, a lion rampant, G. crowned or. Brewse impaling Brewster, sab. a chevron erm. between three estoils arg.

The two crests of Gleane, a Saracen's head proper, and an otter, as before.

Peter Gleane, their eldest son, succeeded, who was created a baronet 17 Car. II. He served member for Norfolk, in the parliament called 31 Car. II. at Westminster, A^o 1678, and was rechosen to serve in the succeeding parliament A^o 1681; he married Penelope, daughter and coheir of Sir Edward Rodney, of Rodney-Stoke in Somersetshire, Knt. Sir Peter (fn. 9) died about 1694, and his lady Feb. 17, 1689, and are buried within the altar rails of the chancel, under an altar tomb, by which hang two achievements; the first hath Gleane's crest of the Saracen's head, and Gleane quartering Brewse, with the Ulster arms or baronet's badge in the fess point, and this,

Motto, J'ay servy mon Roy.

Rodney's crest, an eagle displayed purpure, on a crown or, and the arms are

Or, three eagles displayed purpure.

Motto, Non Generant Aquilæ Columbas.

Under this Stone is the burying Place of Sir Peter Gleane Baronet, and his Lady Dame Penelope, Daughter to Sir Edward Rodeney, Knt. he served Charles the 1st, in all the Civill Wars, raised and armed two Foot Companys at his own Charge: he served the Crown faithfully above 40 Years, in military Offices, from a Lieutenant to a Colonel of Foot, and in this County of Norfolk, Lieutenant Colonel of the Militia, and was Deputy Lieutenant, and likewise Colonell and Deputy Lieutenant for the City of Norwich. In his Civil Station, he bore the Character of Justice of the Peace, within this County above 20 Years, and had the Honour twice to be chosen one of the Representatives of the same, to serve in Parliament; in which several Services for his King and Country, he spent his Strength and Fortunes, and the Wounds which that received were not healed in this Year 1683.

This Sir Peter was lord also of

Bouton's, or Bolton's Manor

Here, which was held by Wistret, a freeman, of the Conqueror, at the survey; (fn. 10) and it seems to have been in the Crown sometime afterwards. In 1315, Sir John Sturmyn, Knt. had it, and in 1332, Roger de Herdwick; when it was held of Forncet as of the manor of Hemenhale at one fee; it after came to the Boises; (fn. 11) Catherine daughter and heir of Roger Boys, carried it to her husband Jenney, and so it passed along with Intwood, as you may see at p. 40, till it was sold to the Gleanes, by William Gresham of London, Esq. and ever since, these two manors and the advowson have continued together; the style of the court being, The Manor of Boughton's and Barret's in Hardwick.

The lord bath weyf and strey, only upon his own demeans; the eldest son is heir, and the fines are at the lord's will.

Hardwick was sold by Sir Peter Gleane (fn. 12) to Sir John Holland of Quidenham, and given by him to his 2d son Brian for life; and in 1713, I find Waller Bacon, Esq. of Erlham, lord and patron; whose relict Mrs. Frances Bacon, now enjoys it; Edward Bacon, Esq. of Ertham, now member of parliament for King's-Lynn, being her eldest son and heir.

Shelton manor always did, and now doth, extend into this town, and therefore that manor is styled Shelton cum Hardwick.

The church hath a steeple round at bottom and octangular at top, with one bell in it, the nave is leaded, the south porch tiled, the chancel, part leaded, and part tiled; in the windows of which, are the arms of Shelton single, and again impaling Morley; and Fitz-Walter's arms single, and this on a flat stone:

Bacon of Baconesthorp, az. three bars arg. an annulet for difference sab. impaling er. on a bend cotized, an annulet sab. for difference.

Orate pro anima Georgii Bakon Filii Thome Bakon Armigeri, cuius anime propicietur Deus.

In a north window, Shelton impales arg. a fess sab. between three mullets gul.

Thomas Crabbe, hujus Ecclesiæ Rector, ob. 3 Febr. A. D. 1680.

Veni Domine Jesu.

Rand, per chevron, or and ar. a lion rampant gul. impaling

Brock, on a bend, a rope, tassal and ring,

Hic jacet Samuel Rand Clericus A.M. natus apud Harleston in Com. Norff. 15° Die Decembris A. D. 1649, qui per 33 Annos Rectoris hujus Parochiæ, & per 31 Annos Parochiæ de Shelton, proximè adjacentis, munus fideliter adimplevit, obijt apud Hardwick 7° die Junij A. D. 1714, annoq; ætatis suæ sexagesimo quinto. Hic etiam sita est, in eodem tumulo, Maria Uxor prædicti Samuelis, Filia et hæres unica Thomæ Brock de Darsham, nata 1° die Augusti A. D. 1661, denata 5° Aug. 1724, annum etiam agens ætatis sexagesimum quintum; ex Liberis juxtà siti sunt infra Cancellos hujus Ecclesiæ.

Ex septenâ prole tres tantum, Samuel, Brock, et Maria, supersunt, fœlices, si memores humanæ sortis, ita Vitam egerant, uti brevi murituros deceat.

The church is dedicated to St. Margaret. William le Waleys was patron when Norwich Domesday was wrote; the rector had a house and three acres of glebe, though since the terriers have six; it was valued at eight marks and a half, paid 4s. procurations, 7d. synodals, 12d. Peter-pence, 4d. ob. carvage, and 1l. 8s. clear to each tenth. The monks of Thetford had temporals here valued at 10s. and in the register of the sacrist of Bury abbey it is said, that Robert le Gros released his right in the advowson to the Abbot of Bury, but I do not find the abbot ever presented, or had any thing to do here. It stands discharged of first-fruits and tenths in the King's Books, and is capable of augmentation.

5l. Hardwick rect. 40l. clear yearly value.

Rectors.

1308, John le Waleys Margery, relict of Walter le Waleys of Shelton.

1324, Rich. de Berg, res. Simon de Hethersete, Knt. Cecily his wife, and Edmund their son.

1344, Rich. de Norwich, res. Roger de Herdegray, citizen of Norwich.

1345, Ralf de Southwell. Ditto.

1348, William de Barneby. Ditto.

1349, Simon de Walpole. Ditto. (See in Pulham St. Mary.)

1387, Robert Scherwynd. Tho. de Hoxne, rector of Huntingfield, Jeffry Herdegray of Moringthorp, Will. Rous of Dinyngton, and Jeffry Randolf of Causton.

1409, Henry Turnour changed Moringthorp with Scherwind for this. Ralf Shelton, Knt. and John de Honyng, rector of Great Snoryng. He resigned in

1410, to John Clavesberd, (Ditto:) and he the same year exchanged this with

John Spendlove (Ditto) for Kirton vicarage in Holand in Lincolnshire; and in 1411, they re-changed again, and Clavesberd, in 1412, resigned to

Richard Papy. James Child and other feoffees of Sir Ralf Shelton, Knt. in right of his manor called Barret's.

1420, John Hakenshaw, res. in exchange for Carleby in Lincoln diocese, with

Robert Rede of Holwell. Will. Shelton, Esq. by right of inheritance.

1426, Robert Barker of Baketon. Katherine, lady of Shelton, relict of William Shelton, Esq. she presented the eight following rectors:

1426, John Lammot, res.

1430, William Hammond, res.

1440, John White.

1444, John Wright, res.

1445, John Baron.

1447, John Wyllys, res.

1450, Richard Reyner, res.

1452, John Mapes.

1456, John White, again. Lapse.

1460, Master Tho. Mark. Ralf Shelton, Esq. he exchanged in

1460, with Master John Selot, doctor in the decrees, for Cornwall archdeaconry. Ditto. (See p. 399, vol. iv.)

1504, Sir Robert Bunnynge, res. John Shelton, Esq.

1518, William Belconger, ob. Ditto.

1536, James Bothe, res. John Shelton, Knt.

1546, Will. Akers, ob. John Shelton, Esq.

1559, Will. Ward. Lady Margaret Shelton, widow. United to Shelton.

1568, Robert Gawton, res. Lapse.

1573, Will. Mann, ob. Ralf Shelton, Esq.

1576, Reginald Nuthall. Sir Ralf Shelton of Shelton, Knt.

1603, Will. Woodcock, A. B. Ditto.

1614, Thomas Banks, res. Ditto.

1620, Thomas Cronshay. Will. Boswell, this turn. He was turned out Apr. 28, 1644 by the Earl of Manchester, for observing the orders of the church dissuading his parishioners from assisting in the Rebellion, and saying, the parliament are laymen, and have no power to order religion or church government. He had at that time a wife and 10 children, the youngest of which was not above three years old; he was also very poor, and by consequence, when sequestered, was with his numerous family, turned a begging. Walker, Part II. fo. 223.

1658, Rich. Leuthwaite, res. Tho. Gleane, Esq.

1665, James de Franc, S. T. P. res. Peter Gleane, Esq.

1669, Thomas Crabbe on Franc's cession; buried here. Sir Peter Gleane of Hardwick, Baronet.

1681, Samuel Rand, buried here. Ditto.

1714, John Smith. Waller Bacon, Esq. united to Fritton.

1714, Will. Harmer, A.B. on Smith's death. Ditto. 1718, at Harmer's death,

Samuel Shuckforth. Waller Bacon, Esq. united to Shelton. He was also minister of Sething and the two Mundhams, all which he resigned in 1746, being then D. D. and prebend of Canterbury. He hath published, The sacred and prophane History of the World, connected from the Creation of the World, to the Dissolution of the Assyrian Empire, at the Death of Sardanapalus, and to the Declension of the Kingdom of Judah and Israel, under the Reigns of Ahaz and Pekah.

The first volume, octavo, was published at London 1728. He was succeeded in

1746, by the Rev. Mr. Thomas Bott, the present rector, who holds it with the rectories of Spixworth and Crostwick by Norwich, being presented by Mrs. Frances Bacon of Erlham, widow, the present patroness.

Footnotes