Lordship was seized and given by the King, to Roger de Clifford) and imprisoned at Shrewsbury, as appears by the King's Precept for his delive∣rie, directed to the Bayliffs of that town, and dated 9. Ian. 49. H. 3. But the Inquisition upon the extent of his lands says, that Hugh de Turberville had the charge of him, till he had got his redem••ption: yet after this he fled into the Isle of Ax∣holme with young Simon Montfort and others where he continued till he saw all his partie to∣tally vanquisht•• and then submitted to the Di••ctum de Kenilworth, Iames de Audele underta∣king on his behalf.
It seems that his composition did cast him into some distress; for in 53 H. 3. he m••d a L••ase of this whole Lordship, excepting a yard land that one Walter le Plummer sometime held, unto Ro∣bert de Typetot, and Eva his wife, during their lives, for which he received of them 500 li. sterling. Which Robert, having thus got footing therein, procured a Charter of Free warren (inter alia) extending into all his demesn lands here: howbeit, this was but temporarie; for it appears that Iohn de Bracebrigge, son and heir to the last mentioned Iohn, at length enjoying it again•• did in 29 E. 1. obtain another Charter , for Free warren here, as also at Bracebrigge and Wrauby in Lincoln∣shire. Which Iohn, having in 3 E. 2. a speciall Patent from the King, exempting him from ser∣ving on Juries, or undergoing the place of Shiriff, Coroner, or any other Office against his own li∣king, being at that time, a Knight a so bore for his Armes Varre Arg. and Sable a Fesse Gules, as by his Seals and certain old Roules appeareth; and de∣parted this life in 9 E. 2. leaving Iohn his son and heir ten years of age; of whom I have not seen any thing farther, till ••5 E. 3. that he pre∣sented to the Chantrie of Kynebaldley; nor after 31 E. 3. at which time he was a K••••ght .
But the next Bracebrigge that had to do here, after the death of the before specified Sir Iohn, was Raphe, whom I suppose to have been his Brother: which Raphe presented to the said Chantrie in 9 E. 3. and in 11 E. 3. levied a Fine of two parts of ••h••s Mannour. This Sir Raphe (for he was then a Knight) had Summons in 19 E. 3. to fit him∣se••f with Horses and Armes, against the Feast of S. Laurence, to attend the King into France; and in 22 E. 3. had a speciall Patent of exem∣ption from serving on Juries, or undergoing the Of∣fice of Shiriff, Eschaetor, Coroner, &c. In 8 R. 2. he was in Commission for arraying of men in this Countie, and in 19 R. 2. died lea∣ving Sir Iohn Bracebrigge Knight his son and heir, then xix. years of age; which Sir Iohn died soon after; for by severall authorities it appeareth, that Raphe succeeded him as heir, whom one Inquisi∣tion taken in 1 H. 4. calls Frater Iohannis, & propinqui••r haeres praedicit Radulphi: But the La∣die Ioane his mother, was Mistresse here for her life, as it seems; for in 20 R. 2. she obtained Li∣cense from Richard Scroope the B••shop of Co∣ventre and Lichfield, to have Divine service in a private Chapell, within this her Mannour-house.
Of which last mentioned Raphe, I find, that he was a Knight in 10 H. 4. that in 13 H. 4. he married his son Raph (though then but yong) un∣to Ioane the daughter of Sir William Newport Knight; that in 7 H. 5. amongst other persons of note, Arma portantes, de Armis antiquis (as the words of the Writt are) having speciall summons to attend the King in person for defence of the Realm, he was the first in the list of those, which were returned by the Shiriff of this Countie: In which seventh year of King H. 5. he took a Lease of the Mannour-house, Park, and Pooles, at Sutton, of Richard Beauchamp, then Earl of Warwick, to hold for life; one of which Pooles beareth the name of Bracebrigge-Pool to this day; and was afterwards retained with the said Earl, to serve him with ix. Lances and xvii. Ar∣chers, for the strengthening of Calais. To him suc∣ceeded Raphe his son and heir (before mentioned) who is rankt amongst the Esquires of this Coun∣tie, for the subscription of the Articles agreed on in the Parliament of 12. H. 6. And in 14 H. 6. departed this life, leaving Richard his son and heir ix. years of age; of whom I find little memo∣rable, other than that difference which Walt. Arden of Park-Hall, had with him, touching the stealing away of Iohn Arden his son and heir, to marry un∣to Alice his daughter, concerning which I have al∣ready spoke in Curdworth.
Neither after this last mentioned Raphe, was there one of them imployed in any publique affairs of the Countrey; so that having deduced the De∣scent down to the last that possest this place, I have little to observe, farther•• than that, after this Eclipse, Thomas the fourth in succession from the said Ri∣chard, having buried his first wife, who was of an antient & good Family; and marrying a second of mean parentage, became so much alienated in af∣fection, to his issue by the former, that by a Feoff∣ment made of this Lordship unto Sir George Grif∣fith Knight and others, bearing date 16. Aug. 5. E. 6. he utterly disherited them thereof; setling the same, after reservation of a meere estate for life, to himself, and Ioyse at that time his wife, upon Thomas his eldest son by the said Ioyse, with remainder, for want of heirs male of his body, to Iohn, and so to Ankitill, his other sons by that woman. But what successe came of that causelesse disherison of the true heir, I cannot omit to take notice, which (in brief) was this, In November anno 1557. (5 & 4 P. & M. his said wife dies, whereupon his love to those Children that were ere while his darlings, cooled; so that in 2 Eliz. ha∣ving run himself into many debts by extravagant courses, he contracted with Sir Ambrose Cave Knight, then Chancelour of the Dutchie of Lan∣caster, and by a Deed of bargain and sale, passes unto him, the inheritance of the Mannour-house, with the demesns; of which act his son Thomas took such advantage, that he entred upon that, and layd claim to all the rest, as forfeited by vertue of the Feoffment before mentioned: but getting a piece of money of Sir Ambrose, makes good the sale, reserving only an Annuitie of xliii li. per annum to himself and his heirs, and continued his claim to the residue; whereof, after much stri∣ving, he at length had possession: About a year af∣ter which, viz. 1 Martii 11 Eliz. his Father died , so that then, though he had no interruption for enjoyment of it, yet did he so intangle himself with debts, that at last he sold it all to Sir Fancis Willoughby of Midleton Knight, and through his great improvidence, came to die miserably. So that here I am to put a period to my story of this an∣tient Family, having taken notice of the issue male, still remaining in the Pedegree before in∣serted.