Briwere.
THE first mention I find of this Name and Family, is in 26 H. 2. upon a memora∣ble occasion: William Briwere* 1.1 (the Son a 1.2 of Henry Briwere) in considerationb 1.3 of xxxi Marks in Silver (whereof ten were acquitted for his Service belonging to the Land, and the rest paid in Money) then purchasingc 1.4 from Hawise de I••e∣sham, Raphe her Husband, Roger her Son and Heir, and Auger his Brother, the Inheritance of all their Land at Ilesham, and all that Right therein, which they held of him, by the Service of half a Knights Fee. Which Purchase was made in the open County-Court of Devon. and afterward (scil. on Thursday next following the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist) recorded in the Exchequer at Westmin∣ster, in the presence of Richard Bishop of Winche∣ster, Geffrey Bishop of Ely, Iohn Bishop of Nor∣wich, Ranulph de Glanvill, Richard the Treasu∣rer, William Basset, Alan de Furnels, Robert Man∣tell, and other Barons, then there sitting. In which year, being constitutedd 1.5 Sheriff of Devon. he con∣tinued e 1.6 so till the end of that King's Reign.
To this William and his Heirs, King Henry the Second confirm'df 1.7 all the Lands whereof he was then possess'd, to hold as freely as he did in the time of King Henry the First: As also the Forester∣ship of the Forest of De la Bere; with Power to take any Person transgressing therein, betwixt the Bars of Hampton, and the Gates of Winchester; and likewise betwixt the River of Romesey, and River of Winchester, to the Sea; in as ample manner as the Father of this William held the same, in the times of King William, and of King Henry the First.
Moreover, after the death of King Henry the Second, he stood in such high esteem with Richard the First, That, upong 1.8 the going of that King in∣to the Holy Land, in the first year of his Reign, he and Hugh Bardulf were associatedh 1.9 to the Bishops of Durham and Ely, in the Government of the Realm. And, soon after, when King Richard was on his Journey, procur'd from him a special Char∣ter i 1.10, dated at Chinun, upon the twenty fourth of June, the same year, for the Mannor of Sumburne, in Com. Suthampt. and to have a Market once every Week there, in a place called the Strait, with an yearly Rent of xl. s. payable out of the Forest of Bere.
Furthermore, in 3 R. 1. the King beingk 1.11 then in the Holy Land, and doubtingl 1.12 that the Bishop of Ely might not perform his Trust, as he expe∣cted; this William was one of the three, to whom the King, by his special Lettersm 1.13, gave command, That they should assume the Government into their Hands. For which he grew so malign'd by the Bishop (as many other then were, who favouring Iohn Earl of Moreton the King's Brother, had not complied with him) that he procur'd him (amongst others) to be Excommunicatedn 1.14 by the Pope. But notwithstanding the Bishop thus frown'd upon him, in 5 R. 1. when King Richard was brought to W••rmeso 1.15 in Germany, (being made Prisoner by the Emperour, as he return'd through his Coun∣try) he camep 1.16 thither to him, and wasq 1.17 one of the principal Persons in that Treaty held there with the Emperour; whereupon, for a large Ransom, the King was setr 1.18 at liberty: and forthwith sent s 1.19 thence, with some other Persons of Note, to