FRAMLAND HUNDRED

 

Village Maps & Directory Listings
The letter M after the village name signifies a map of the village is available at that location

 Extract from John Nichols, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester, 1795

At the time of the general survey, LEICESTERSHIRE contained four wapentakes, or hundreds ; FRAMLAND, GUTHLAXTON, GARTRE, and GOSCOTE ; and thus it continued till 20 Edward III. when one of the hundreds was subdivided into GUTHLAXTON and SPARKENHOE ; as another of them was somewhat later into EAST and WEST GOSCOTE ; so that at present the county consists of six hundreds,

 FRAMLAND (i. e. firm, stiff land ¹) occurring first in order of alphabet, the various notices that have been collected of it in general as a Hundred shall first be set down ; and the several parishes it contains will follow in regular arrangement.
On an inquisition taken in 1318, 12 Edward II. it was found that it would be of no damage to the king ², or any other, if the hundred of Framline, with the appurtenances, were granted to Roger Beler ; and it was accordingly granted to him at a meeting of the parliament at York ³, Nov. 12, 1283, for a fee-farm rent of 100 shillings
On the 26th of May following the grant was repeate 1 ; with the specification of some annual rents ⁴, under the names of Palfrey silver of Beauver, Wakyng silver, Shirefs-toth ⁵ , and Frank-pledge ⁶ ; the whole making the fee-farm rent of 12l. 18s. 51/2d.
Feb. 20, 1325-6, it appeared that Roger Beler deceased, and Alice his wife, held the hundred of Framland, alias Framesdene, and the rents in the said hundred, which are called palfry-silver, schyre-scot ⁷, and franc-pledge, of ...... de Wake, by payment of 12l. 10s. 8d. per annum ⁸ ; and the grant was confirmed to Alice, the widow of Roger, during the minority of her heir.
In 1346 the hundred of FRAMLAND, on the aid then granted for knighting Edward of Woodstock, the king's eldest son, was assessed 31l. 0s. 4d. in the whole ; and then contained fifteen knights fees, one half, and three parts of a knight's fee ⁹.
At an inquisition ¹⁰ taken 20 Jan. 1352-3, at Rademyld, co. Leicester, upon the death of William de Roos of Hamelak, it appeared that there was a certain custom or due there, called Palfrey-silver, which ought to be yearly levied of the towns of Bottelesford, Normanton, Herdeby, Claxton, Muston, Howes, Barkeby, Queneby, and other hamlets in the county of Leicester, amounting to the sum of 4l. per annum ; to be paid annually to Roger Beler (holding the hundred of Framland to the king's use) within the farm of the said Roger for the hundred aforesaid ¹¹.
In 1380, Roger Beler, deceased, held the hundred of Framlond, by the gift of king Edward II. to hold to the same Roger and his heirs in fee-farm of the king and his heirs ; paying therefore to the king 12l. 18s. 51/2d. for a sheriff-aid ¹².
Nov 12, 1382, king Richard II. granted liberty to John Seyntoler, knight, and Mary his wife (who had before been the wife of Roger Beler, knight), to alienate this hundred and its appurtenances to Robert de Swillyngton, knight, whose wife Margaret was a daughter of Roger Beler.
In 1391 it appeared that Mary (wife, first of Roger Beler, then of John Seintclere ¹³, deceased) long before her death, or the death of John Seintclere, by licence of the king, enfeoffed Robert Swillington and Margaret his wife (daughter and heir of Roger Beler) in the hundred of Framland (which the said Mary then held in dower, of the inheritance of the said Margaret) ; and that it was held of the king in capite, by the service of 12l. 18s. 51/2d. But who was her next heir the jurors knew not ¹⁴.
In 1418 Margaret Aylesford (wife of Robert Swillington deceased) was seised of the hundred of Framland ; which was held of the king in fee farm, on payment of an annual rent of 12l. 18s. 51/2d. at the Exchequer ¹⁵.
In 1420 Robert Swillington, knight, deceased, was seised of the hundred of Framland, which was held of the king in fee-farm ¹⁶. The same Robert Swillington was also seised of a messuage and two shops in the town of Leicester, and of a certain rent of 4l. called palfrey-silver ; also of another yearly rent of 7l. 2s. 101/2d.. called sheriff's toth ; and a third yearly payment of 2l. 9s. 6d. arising out of the hundred of Framland, co. Leicester ; all which were held of the king, by payment of 12l. 18s. 51/2d. ; and Margaret (wife of John Gray, daughter of Roger de Swillington) and his sister and next heir ¹⁷.
In 1445 a parliamentary commission was issued, to determine what abatements should be made to such of the townships throughout the kingdom, as either on account of having become waste, or otherwise de-pauperated, had occasion for relief. On this occasion the county of Leicester, which had been taxed 6000l. as the proportion of a fifteenth and tenth, had an allowance of 574l. 13s. 7d. which may be seen under one general view among our preliminary articles, and the particular deduction from each parish in its proper place. The hundred of Framland was exonerated of 29l. 18s. 2d.
In 1471, Henry VI. in the 49th year of his reign, or rather in the first year of his re-assumption of the regal power, in honour and recompence for the great services of George duke of Clarence, his cousin, appointed him the profits of many lands, manors, &c. in different parts of the kingdom ;

"&, inter alia, centum solidos per annum de firmâ "wapentachii de Goscote, quos Nicholaus Segrave "solvere debet, pro vite sue termino, & duodecim "libras, decem & octo solidos, quinque denarios, & "unum obolum per annum, de feodi firmâ hundredi "de Framland, cum pertin', in co. Leic', quos Ro- "gerus Bellere solvere debet, pro termino vite sue. "Teste rege apud Westmon. 23 die Martii 18."

 On the death of the duke of Clarence in 1478, the hundred of Framland, with its appurtenances, was given by king Edward IV. to Sir William Hastings, lord Hastings.
In 1483 it appeared that William lord Hastings, deceased, was seised of the hundred of Framland ; and that it was held of the king as of his honour of Peverel ¹⁹.
In the accounts of Richard Scudamore, gentleman, receiver-general to Henry Hastings, earl of Huntingdon, 1569, the hundred of Framland is entered at 4l. 13s. 4d. ²⁰
Sept.22, 1597, Henry Hastings earl of Huntingdon, deceased, was seised of the hundred of Framland ²¹ ; and since that time the hundred court of Framland, to which most of the towns of this hundred owe suit and service, especially all those which belong to the duke of Rutland, has been possessed successively by the earls of Huntingdon, till the death of the late earl in 1789, when it became the property of his nephew, Francis lord Rawdon ; who still receives the various ancient rents under the names of Palfry-silver, Sherifs-toth, and Frank-pledge ²².

1 Such land is still called frem land in these parts. See Littleton, voc. Fram ; Minshieo, voc. Crowland ; and Fremmest, Morton's Northamptonshire, p. 51
2 In Wakefield tower in the Tower of London are the Inquisitions Ad quod Domnum from 1 Edw II. to the end of Henry V. Mr. Tpham's Report, p. 101 - " Ad quod Domnum is a writ that leith to the Escheator, to enquire what hurs it be to the king or other person to grant a fair or market, or a mortmain for any lands intended to be given in fee simple to any house of religion or other body politic. For in that case the land so given is said to fall into a dead hand ; that is, into such an estate and condition, that the chief lords do lose hope of heriots, service of courts, and escheats upon any traiterous or felonious offence committed by the tenant. For a body politic dieth not ; neither can perform personal service, or commit treason or felony, as a single person may ; and therefore it is reasonable, that before any such grant be made, it should be known what prejudice it is like to work for the granter." Cowel de Breve ad quod damnura.
3 "In presenti parlimento nostro Ebor. convocato, de assensu prelatorum de regup nostro ibidem existentium."
4 "Nostrum hundredum de Framland cum pertinentiis in com. Leycestr'. Et concessimus, pro nobis & heredibus nostris, firmas annuas infra hundredum predictum que vocantur Palfry-silver de Beauver, Wakyng silver, Sirefs-toth, & Franck-plegeage ; habend', percipiend', & tenend', una cum hundredo predicto, & omnibus aliis ad dictum hundredum pertinentibus."
5 A tenure by the service of providing entertainment for the seriff at his county-courts. Rot. Plac. in Itin. apud Cest. 14 Hen. VI. In Derbyshire the king's bailiffs anciently took 6d. of every bovate of land, in the name of Sheriff's-tooth. Ryley Plac. Parl. 653. And it is said to be a common tax levied for the sheriff's diet. In a charter Hugh Lupus earl of Chester to his barons, made about 1218, we find this clause : "Et si Vicecomes meus, aut aliquis serviens in curiâ meà, aliquem hominum fuorum inculpaverit, per Thiertnic se defendere poterit propter Sherife-tooth, quod reddunt nifi fecta eum fequatur."
Thiernicht, or Thirdnicht, in Hoveden, p.606, is "truim noctium hospes." Here it seems to signify three nights' charges for the Sheriff's-tooth. See Sir P. Leycester, p. 104.
6 A pledge or surety for the behaviour of freeman ; it being the ancient custom of this kingdom, borrowed from the Lombards, that, for the preservation of the public peace, every freeborn man at the age of fourteen (religious persons, clerks, &c. excepted) should give surety for his truth towards the king and his subjects, or be committed to prison ; whereupon a certain number of neighbours usually became bound to one for another, to see each man of their pledge forth-coming at all times, or to answer the transgression done by any gone away : And whenever any one offended, it was forthwith enquired in what pledge he was, and then those of that pledge either produced the offender within one and thirty days, or satisfied for his offence. This was called frank-pledge ; and this custom so kept, that the sheriff's at every county-court did from time to time take the oaths of young persons as they grew to fourteen years of age, and see that they were settled in one decennary or other ; whereby this branch of the sheriff's authority was called visus franci plrgii, or view of frank-pledge.
7 This seems synonymous to sheriff's-toth above
8 Esch. 19 Edw. II. N^o 98. Leic.
9 Rot. Aux. 20 Edw. III.
10 "There was formerly an escheator chosen annually in the Exchequer for each county ; whose office was to collect all escheats (or extraordinary and dropping dues) for the king's use. And in the rolls that belonged to this charge we have all forfeitures, heriots, wards lapses of advowson, revenues of vacant dignities and livings. The inquisitions taken by these officers, upon the death of any gentleman of estate, afford perhaps the truest draughts of the several counties of England," Bp. Nicholson, Engl. Hist. Libr. p. 208.-" In Wakefield tower, in the Topwer of London, are kept these Inquisitions post mortem, from 1 Hen. III to Ric III." Mr Topham's report, p. 100-" Diom clausit extremum is a writ that lieth for the heir of him that holdeth land of the crown, either by knight's service or in socage, and dieth, be he under or at full age ; directed to the escheator of the county, for Inquiry to be made by him of what estate the party deceased was seised, and who is next heir unto him, and of what value the land is." Cowel de Breve de diem clausit extremum.- "Extenta are the surveys and valuations od estates, made upon inquisition, or the oaths of a jury, impannelled by the sheriff, by virtue of the king's precept." Bp. Kennet's Glossary
11 Esch. N^o 53. Leic.
12 Esch. 4 Ric. II. N^o 14. Leic.
13 Saint Leger, alio exemp.
14 Esch. 15 Ric. II. Pars I. N^o 5. & ex Libro de Lovel
15 Esch. 6 Hen V. N^o 26. Leic. See more in Kirby-Belers and Wigston Magna
16 Esch. 8 Hen V. N^o 71. Leic.
17 Esch. 8 Hen V. N^o 71. Leic. & ex Lib. de Lovel.
18 Rymer, Fœd. tom. XI. p. 703
19 Esch. 1 Ric. III. N^o 32. Leic.
20 Harl. MSS. 3881.
21 Esch. 39 Eliz.
22 From the information of Edward Dawson, Esq; 1791