Coughton.
FOllowing the stream of Arrow I come next to Coughton, which, containing within its Pa∣rish the Hamlets of Samburne and Wike, was in the Conqr•. time possest by Turchill de Warwick, of whom one William then held it; and by the ge∣nerall Survey, wherein it is written Coctune, cer∣tified q to contain three hides of land, having a Mill valued at xxxii d. as also one House in Warwick yeilding viii d. per annum, at which time the Mea∣dows here were estimated at ten acres, and the Woods at six furlongs in length, and four in breadth, wherein there was feeding for 50. Hogs: all which being valued at L s. had been the free∣hold of Untonius in Edward the Confessors days.
That this was part of those lands belonging to the said Turchill, and which were disposed of to Henry de Neuburgh, the first Earl of Warwick after the Conquest, I am induced to believe from consideration of the tenure; forasmuch as it ap∣peareth by sundry authorities to have been held of the succeeding Earls, as I shall have occasion to give instance by and by. From which Earl I sup∣pose Peter de Stodley (sometimes written Peter Corbicon) had it: for it appears r that upon his Foundation of the Priory at Stodley (in H. 1. or King Stephen's time) he gave the Church to that House: but it was not long after, ere that a certain family, who assumed their sirname from hence, were possessors of it: Of which, Ranulph de Cocton is the first that I meet with: who held s also a Knights Fee elswhere of the Monks of Evesham in 12 H. 2. This Ranulph had issue t Simon de Cocton, who towards the latter end of King Iohn's raign was in that Rebellion with the Barons, and of the retinue to u Walter de Beauchamp, for which his lands were seized; but upon his return to obedience he had restitution w of them again. Which Simon gave to x the Canons of Alcester, in this County, a certain place in his Woods here at Cocton, where∣upon to erect a House for Hogs; as also one load of Wood for every week in the year.
To him succeeded another Simon, who in 5 H. 3. confirmed yto the Canons of Studley their right in the advouson of this Church at Cocton: which Si∣mon was a Knight z; but having no issue male left his two daughters his heirs, Cecilie a married to Iohn de la Mare, and Ioan b to William de Spi∣neto: whereby, it seems, that this Lordship came by partition to Spine; for I find that Roger de Spine son c to the said William and Ioan, past d a∣way the inheritance of it to Godfrey Giffard Bishop of Worcester in 17 E. 1. by the name of one mess. and three Carucates of land, but the Bishop kept it not long; for by his Deed e bearing date at Wy∣dinton on the Feast day of S. Luke the Evangelist 21 E. 1. he granted and quit claymed all his right therein, by the name of the Mannour of Cocton, unto William son of William Spine and his heirs, which William, I suppose to have been a younger brother to the same Roger. By what right it was, that Simon son to Rob. de Bruylli came to have an interest here. I cannot directly tell; yet out of doubt it is that some title he had; and if I may guesse thereat (for authority I have none) I should ima∣gine, that he was descended from Cecilie the other coheir of Simon de Cocton before spoken of: but lea∣ving this to further scrutinie, I proceed to what is apparent; viz. that the same Simon in 36 H. 3. held f half a Knights Fee in this place of the Earl of Warwick; and that about the 20 E. 1. he made a grant g of this Mannour unto William de Luda Bishop of Ely: Howbeit I find that within a short time after (for the Deed bears date at Thorpe-Watervill in Northamptonshire the Wednsday next after the Feast of the Nativity of the blessed Vir∣gin 26 E. 1.) Sir William Tuchet Knight h released to the before specified William Spine and his heirs all his right in this Mannour, which formerly belonged to the above mentioned Simon de Bruly.
To this William Spine (the second) succeeded another William, who in 9 E. 2. was certified i to hold the half Knights Fee in this place, before mentioned, of Guy de Beauchamp Earl of War∣wick, and departed k this life in 10 E. 2. leaving William his son l and heir: which William had di∣vers notable imployments in this County for a great part of Edward 3. raign. In 19. he was one of m the Commissioners appointed about the arraying of Archers for the French Wars. In 20, 22, 23, and 26 E. 3. for levying and collecting the Fif∣teenths and Tenths then n granted to the King in the Parliaments of those years. In o 29, 31, and 33. E. 3. for conservation of the Peace, and ta∣king care that the Statute of Labourers should be duly put in execution; and bore p for his Armes Sable a Cheveron Argent betwixt 3. Cressants Or. Which William left issue Guy de la Spine, who be∣ing a Knight q in 11 R. 2. served as one of the Kts for this Shire in these severall Parliaments of that King's time; viz. in that of 11. R. 2. held at Westminstetr; in 12. at s Cambridge; in t 14. and 15. u at Westminster. In which 15. year he was con∣stituted w one of the Commissioners in this Coun∣ty for arraying of men; in 21. Eschaetorx for this County and Leicestershire, being at that time of the Earl of Warwick's retinuey; and in 22 R. 2. Receiver z generall unto Thomas Holland D. of Surrey (who then had the Earldom of Warwick in his hands, as I have elsewhere shewed.)
In 1 H. 4. upon that great change, notwith∣standing the relation that he had to the Duke of Surry, he was made Eschaetor a for Warwick and Leicestershires: So also the b same year, and in c 4 H. 4. a Commissioner for arraying of men in this County; and left issue two daughters, his heirs; viz. b Alice wedded unto William Tracy of Todington in Gloucestershire Esquire, and A∣lianore to Iohn the son of Thomas Throkmorton Esquire, by which marriage this Lordship of Coughton coming to the line of Throkmorton, hath continued therein to this day.