The history and antiquities of Boston, and the villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle; comprising the hundred of Skirbeck, in the county of Lincoln. Including also a history of the East, West, and Wildmore fens, and copious notices of the Holland or Haut-Huntre fen ... sketches of the geology, natural history, botany, and agriculture of the district; a very extensive collection of archaisms and provincial words, local dialect, phrases, proverbs, omens, superstitions, etc. By Pishey Thompson. Illustrated with one hundred engravings.

500 FREISTON.
found elsewhere. Alice, the widow of Thomas Bernak, held rents in Freiston,
23 Edward III. (1349), in right of dower.'
In 1363, upon the death of Margery, the widow of the above-mentioned William de Ros of Hamlake, a jury made a return of the property she held. This
return was to very nearly the same effect as that made twenty years before on
the death of her husband. The meadow land which, in 1343, was called " dry
and gravelly," was, in 1363, described as being " dry and hard." In this latter
return the "spinney " is called a wood; it also appears that William de Ros,
who was the heir of William de Ros, and fifteen years old at the death of his
father, died before his mother, since Thomas de Ros, who was twenty-five
years old when she died, was declared to be her heir.2
When the subsidy was levied upon the clergy in 1377, Simon, the vicar of
Freiston, paid is. as a beneficed priest, and William and Walter paid 4d. each
as unbeneficed chaplains.3 To the poll-tax, which was levied in 1381, of three
groats each upon all persons, of all conditions, above the age of fifteen, 133 men
and 89 women were assessed.4 Among them are found the names of Fendike,
Keel, Roper, Cade, Hammond, Coke, Black, Bowle, Bond, Clements, Cooper,
Hewison, Carter, Webster, Porter, Boucher, Smyth, Pysche, Coleman, Hobster,
North, Ward, Rawson, Lambert, Pygot, Milner, Emery, Orry, Elvin, Tunhird, Mason, Beke, Horne, Piper, Holland, and Bishop.5 Simon, the vicar of
Freiston, and William de Walcot, chaplain, were each taxed 6s. 8d. to a subsidy
granted by the clergy during the same year.6 In 1453, the clergy granted a
subsidy of a tenth to Henry VI. The vicar of the Church of Freiston was
assessed at 241. 13s. 4d. to this subsidy, and paid a tenth, or 21. 9s. 4d.7 Hugh
Tilney held land in Freiston 20 Edward IV. (1480).
The manor of SKiEYNG in Freiston, with that of Fenne in Fishtoft, and
sundry other property in Skreyng, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, and various
other parishes, were purchased of William Essyngton in 1504, by Commissioners on the part of Henry VII., for the endowment of the Abbot and Abbey
of Westminster.8 We do not find any other mention of the manor of Skreyng,
excepting what is connected with this transaction.
We find the name of Raymond de Screyng in 1216, and that of Ralph de
Screyng in 1272,9 and also that Thomas Pawlyn claimed to hold the manor of
Skreyng and land in Freiston, together with Rochford or Fenne Manor, under
a lease from the Dean and Chapter of Westminster in 1590,10 but nothing
further.
The Parliament made a grant to the King in 1523; the only name recorded
in Freiston, as assessed to this grant, is that of John Thompson, assessed 21. 10s.ll
In 1535, the Abbey of Croyland held much property in Freiston, as will be detailed in the history of the priory of St. James. The priory of Sempringham
also held property in Freiston of the annual value of 6s.12 Anthony Tothoste
held, in 1542, a messuage and a garden in Freiston of John Copeldyke, of the
Inquis. post Mortem, vol. iv. p. 446. situated near the windmill in the southern part of
2 Ibid. 37 Edward III. (1363). the parish; part of Crane Hills is called Wyson
3 Subsidy Rolls. Cote, and part of Crane Green was called Carbut
4 See a more detailed account of this Subsidy and Green. In Crane Ing also is a place called Procthe mode of its collection in the account of Boston, tor's Cross, and a house called Hall. Coates; but
under this year, p. 58. none of these names, except the latter, connect
5 Subsidy Rolls. themselves with a manor. In an old deed, dated
6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 1548, what is now called the Crane End is called
s The nearest approach to anything resembling the Skrainge End.
this property in Freiston, is in the Acre Book for 9 Pipe Rolls.
the parish, dated 1785, where various divisions'l Chancery Proceedings in Reign of Elizabeth.
are called respectively Crane Hills, Crane Green, 11 Subsidy Rolls.
Crane Ing, and Crane Dyke. These places are all 12 Valor Ecclesiasticus, vol. iv.