The Lords of the Manor
It is considered with some credibility that Hwituc, as an Anglo-Saxon (and his descendants), farmed Whixall sometime after 615AD and before 1066AD. Early translations of the cryptic entry in the Domesday Book (1085-86) (see figure below) states that Whixall was owned by Aeldid, a saxon, and paid one hide as tax with one plough, two ploughmen, eleven neatherds, eleven boors and two smallholders generating eight shillings of income. Later interpretation by scholars expanded this to: “Witehala is held by Ranulf Peveral as under-tenant of Earl Roger. In Saxon times it was held by Aeldid who was a freeman. Here there is one hide geldable. On the demesne there is one plough/ ox team with two ploughmen, eleven neatherds, eleven boors and two smallholders; and one more ox-team might be employed. In King Edward’s time (pre-1066) the Manor produced an income of eight shillings per annum and now it produces five shillings”.
The Domesday entry for Whixall
[hide:a unit of land measure representing the amount of land sufficient to support a homestead, usually taken as 120 acres but is dependent upon the fertility of the land. geldable; liable to the payment of taxes. demesne; piece of land attached to the Manor and retained for manorial use neatherds; cowherd (man) boor; peasant]
Following the invasion of England by William the Conqueror (William I), during the Norman Conquest of 1066, plus on-going concurrent raids by the Welsh and the Saxon revolt in 1071 (by Ralph, Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford and Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northumberland ), fierce punitive measures were taken against Shropshire, Herefordshire and the hilly border Marcher lands, to the extent that by 1086 Whixall was reduced to four working men and one ox-team cultivating approximately 120 acres. This is why the income for the Parish reduced to five shillings.
[Marcher lands – the area around the English-Welsh border controlled by the Normans]
Records of this time indicate that Ranulp/Rannulf Peveral held Whixall (as demesne Lord) under Roger de Montgomery (c1030-1094). Roger, a supporter of William the Conqueror, came to England in 1067 having previously governed Normandy in William’s absence. He was given seven-eighths of Shropshire and made the 1st Earl (of Shropshire) by way of thanks. He also became a Marcher Lord, responsible for defending the border with Wales (see Montgomery figure below)
[Ranulp was also known as Wrenoc and Gronwy (Welsh)]
Montgomery figure
**Apologies for the sizes of these images. Free software comes with limits. However if you copy and paste to elsewhere you should be able to expand the image to make it easier to read. I’m also producing some vertical rather than horizontal images which may be better**
Ranulp (Peverel) married Maud (Athelida de Ingelrica, also believed to be the mistress of William I) and had three children one of whom, Hamo, became the feudal Lord of Sandford (under Thomas de Sandford); Sandford being south-east of Whixall on the Welsh border south of Oswestry. It is possible that Hamo also ‘held’ Whixall at this time under his father.
Hamo died without issue (without children) and it is known that the Manor Sandford, and probably Whixall, reverted back to the Crown. At some point consensus has Whixall passing into the influence of Guy Le Strange as a reward for services to The Crown, but how this occurs is uncertain. One version gives an event of a jousting tournament whereby Gennavieve (Mellette, niece of William Peverall) wins the hand of the tournament winner (Guy Le Strange) as her husband. This is believed to be a tale elaborated to appease the Church as she was marrying her cousin Warin fitz Fulk fitz Warin. Another version, via a genealogical trace, loses credibility in that Guy of Metz Le Strange I marries Mellette whose son Guy II marries Mary. Guy II and Mary have a son, Guy III, who also marries a Mary but then the sons and daughter of Guy III appear to be the brothers and sister of Guy II.
This, or ‘the’, Guy Le Strange II (Sheriff of Shrewsbury, see Le Strange figure) was said to be of ‘Alverley and Weston’ and he subsequently inherited Osbaston /Knockin’ from his brother Hamo upon his death. He had several children via two wives and significant amongst these were two of his daughters – Matilda who married Gruffudd de Sutton ap Gervase Coch and was responsible for introducing the Kynaston family line to Whixall (via Agnes Bulkeley), and Joan /Julianna who married Richard de Wappenbury who, we know from Manor records, represented (a one) Walter de Witskeshill at Assizes.
Around this time another blood-line appears in Whixall history – Lord Wolfic, Lord of Whixall (see Wolfric figure). Wolfric had three children Adam (Venator; Sir Adam fitz Wolfric who took his grandfather’s name) who held at estate at Sandford, Richard, who married and had a son Adam who, from Manor records we know ceded one quarter of the ‘Vill of Witekeshale’ (around 1242-1249) to Richard de Sandford, his nephew, and Alice, who married Sir Ralph de Sandford, apparently, again, joining landowners of Sandford and Whixall.
[this Richard de Sandford, subsequent Lord of Sandford and Rothall, was the son of Alice and Sir Ralph]
Le Strange figure
Wolfric figure
Alice and Sir Ralph have three children: William, Richard and Nicholas. William (Sir) marries Agnes, daughter of Ralph Hord of Walcot (Wrockwardine) and they have no children; Richard, who we have already seen acquires land in Whixall, marries Agnes Saye (of the Lord Morton Saye family); and Nicholas, Man at Arms. This Nicholas, or the great-grandson Nicholas of Alice and Sir Ralph, marries Alice Boteler/Botiler, daughter of Baron Botiler of Wemme, thus adding the Botilers of Wem to Whixall history.
Nicholas and Alice have a son, Richard (Lord of Sandford and King Escheator of Shropshire), who marries Maud (daughter of the Lord of Hadnall) who have a son, John, who marries twice, one wife of whom is daughter of Robert Corbet of Moreton Corbet (another landed gentry family of Shropshire). Later generations add the Egerton family, and link with the Kynerstons.
Returning to the land of Whixall ceded to Richard de Sandford we know that it was to be held under one Richard de Lache (for a rent of 21d, Wolfric figure). The de Lache name, as like many names at the time, has many variables – Lake, Laken, Lache, Lacon – but we do know that one Richard de Lake, son of Sir Robert de Lake (de Whixall, who arrived with William the Conqueror), married Gilliam de Sandford (sister of Ralph de Sandford I). For some time Richard de Lache was mense-lord for at least part of Whixall.
The overall land-ownership of Whixall is now, c1200s, becoming even more confused. The Parish as such is not a discrete site, has changing boundaries, and ownership and tenancy become intertwined. Pipe-roll and Assizes records document individuals ‘of Whixall’ but it is difficult to determine their status either as landowner, tenant or employee. In the Hundred Roll of 1255 Wickeshall is treated as a district manor from Weston.
[Pipe-Roll, a collection of financial records /transactions, including fines, maintained by the English Exchequer /Treasury]
As examples the Pipe-Roll of 1207 gives Adam de Woxhull fined one merk (shilling) and, from 1249, John de Wytekeshall proffered a fine of 10 merks where his surities were Richard de Wytekeshall and Madoc fitz Yarforth. Assizes of 1221 show that the death of a Griffin fitz Yarforth prevented process in a suit which Randulf de Lindiseie had against him for a tenement in Wykeshull. The writ was thrown and he had to get another, which he did and Matilda (de Strange, wife of Griffin) received 8 marks from Ranulf for her concession. Lastly an inquest of 1255 reported that Ralph le Botiler (Baron of Wem) accepted an avowry of 6d yearly from Yevan de Wickishall.
Between 1184-1290 many tenants sold their Whixall rights to the Sandford family. Hugh de Steel in 1184 sold one-quarter of Whixall to William de Sandford. John, son of Youvan Campion of Whixall sold his tenancy to Sir Ralph de Sandford in 1189, and again in c1290 Hugh de Steel again conveys a quarter of Whixall to William de Sandford. This implies Hugh de Steel owed half of Whixall.
In the Hundred Roll of 1255 it is reported that William de Laken holds Whixall under James deAudley by service of 15d pa; and that Whixall has been ‘reduced’ to a half-hide (c60acres). Feodaries (feudal tenants) of 1284 confirm that William de Laken holds the ‘vill of Wychesale/Wekeshall’ now under Nicholas de Audley (Sir Nicholas, Knight, son of James).
Assizes records of 1290 indicate that Robert de Wemme (Sir Robert de Lake, de Wycheshale) was suing:
- William, son of Matilda of Wycheshale
- Madoc, son of William of Wycheshale
- Wyon son of Madoc of Wycheshale
- (all these three descendents of Matilda de Strange and Griffin fitz Jarvold)
- Heylin of Wycheshale
- Yovan son of Adam de Wycheshale
- John, son of John, son of Yovan Campion de Wycheshale
- Madoc, son of Thomas de Wycheshale
Which, if we assume eight dwellings of similar size and land holding we get 68 acres – which fits with the half-hide (60 acres) of 1255. It appears to be clear though that the full extent of Whixall, implied by the land transferred to the Sandford family by Hugh de Steel, that Whixall is much larger than 60 acres.
In 1316 the Botilers of Wem were meame-lords of Whixall, holding under Nicholas Audley and were over-tenants in general. They were still holding meame-ship under Elizabeth, 4th Baroness of Wemme, until at least 1369. But sometime after Elizabeth inheriting and the birth of her first son, Robert, lands must have been disbursed elsewhere as Robert was only stated to be of ‘Wemme, Hinstock and Loppington’.Following disbursement it is difficult to follow ownership of land as it no longer follows a line of inheritance or dowry.
The Lay Subsidy roll of 1327 puts Whixall at 16 households. This scales it back to approx. 120 acres, or one hide.
The next piece of definite evidence we have for tenancy /ownership of land throughout Whixall is the Tithe map and schedule which arose out of the Tithe Commutation Act of 1836. (See Tithes, this section).
References:
RW Eyton, Antiquities of Shropshire Volume 9 and volume 10; Fancourt; Welsh Origins of the Peverel Family www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id50.html; Lay subsidy rolls.; www.wikitree.com/genealogy/; www.geni.com/people/; Salopian Shreds and Patches Vol 9 1889-1890; //hotten.net/open/pages/families/sandford