William de Beaumont, Norwich 1217

Three entries in the Patent Roll from September 1217 show a William de Bello Monte involved in the affairs of Norwich and its castle. This follows the Treaty of Lambeth at which the incursion of Prince Louis of France into England was being brought to a close, and normal government restored.

Who was this William?

Here I will set out
(a)  the entries from the Patent Roll
(b) what Blomefield had to say about this (I think he exaggerates somewhat)
(d) some old notes I made from the Pipe Roll for King John's 17th year.
(e) a comment about Hervey Belet.

I cannot reach any conclusion, at present.

(a) The entries from the Patent Roll
The following references are from the printed Patent Rolls, 1216-1225 pp. 94-95. Do not think of these as proper translations. Can anyone help me?

The king to all men &c. Be it known that we have given our safe conduct to William de Bello Monte, lord Louis' marshall, and to all who ?went with him, either to the city or castle of Norwich, as well as others with their harnesses and accoutrements .......together with their hostages.....[see note below]....  If indeed the said marshall does not wish to hand over the said hostages into our hands we would permit them safe custody [to the use of] Louis until the said marshall shall question them, unless the said hostages are able to enquire of [against] the said Louis that they should have his peace, but if they do not do this we make them go for good faith into Louis' power. Further the said [safe-] conduct is to remain in force for 15 days after All Saints. As witness the said earl at Lambeth, 23 September 1217.

Note: there is the phrase: in eundo [et] morando per totam potestatem nostram -  which I tentatively translate as: "being [and] tarrying there by our full authority." The phrase "eundo, morando, et redeundo" might be used to say that the person is protected [eg from arrest] if he is "going, remaining, or returning" - in the course of doing what he is authorised or required to do (Tayler's Law Glossary, 1819). So I think the Regent's government was not in control of Norwich, and so, to mask its lack of real authority, gave William and the others, unnamed and presumably unknown, permission to remain there temporarily sorting things out. I'd be grateful for any advice about the translation and what might be implied from it. I am inclined to think it may point to this William being a Frenchman, but unconclusively.

The king to all upright men of Norwich, Dunwich, Yarmouth, [King's] Lynn and other bailiwicks and to their faithful men,greetings. We order you with the utmost speed that concerning all debts which to conclude [implement] the treaty are due to Louis, [such debts] may [should] be paid to William de Bello Monte, marshall of the said Louis, or to his authorised agent, lest we may hear of larger claims, because for the sake of a good peace we have [made a treaty] [so agreed] with the said Louis. As witness the said earl at Lambeth, 23 September 1217.

The king to William de Bello Monte, greetings. We order you without delay to deliver to earl William Marshall, our and our kingdom's ruler, or to his ambassador bearing these letters, all charters and cyrographs held by Isaac the Jew of Norwich and other Jews. Isaac the Jew of Norwich has indefinite letters of[safe-] conduct.] [Same date and place]

A few pages later (p.98) is an order to the constable of Norwich (not named - note that William is not given that title), about Isaac.

(b) Blomefield's account (from his volume 3):

King John being dead, Henry, his eldest son, was proclaimed King, and was crowned at Gloucester the 28th of October following. Lewis and the Barons in the mean time being not able to win Dover castle, removed their seige, and came to London the 6th of Nov. following, determining to subdue the smaller castles first; and accordingly they went to Hartford castle, and beseiged it Nov. 12, and it was yielded to them Dec. 6, in the mean time, Lewis's men had won all Ely Isle, except one fortress, in which the King's people were enclosed, and so went from place to place, conquering all as they went, till after Christmas, and then the said Lewis called all his favourers to a council at Cambridge, and no peace being made there, he made a great cavalcade or military progress into Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk, (fn. 1) 

Stow, 176. Essay, &c. 25. Atlas, 312. Hol. fo. 192, places this in King John's time, just before his death in 1216; but it seems rather as I have placed it, by the generality of historians, Hol. fo. 192, 3, fo. 198, he makes it twice sacked and taken by Lewis, in 1216, and 1218, but it is not agreeable to other historians.

and miserably wasted those counties, taking the castles of Heningham and Orford: as soon as Hubert de Burgh found he marched this way, he sent to Thomas de Burgh, his brother, who was chatelain or keeper of this castle under him, to defend it as well as he could, but he was not in a condition to resist, for want of forces, and therefore upon the approach of the Frenchmen to the city, he fled out, in hope to escape, but was taken prisoner, and put under safe keeping; and Lewis seizing the castle, put a garrison into it, and made William de Bellomont or Beaumont, his Marshal, constable thereof, plundered the citizens, and reduced the city to a poor condition. But being afterwards forced to quit the realm, in 1217, Hubert de Burgh, who was constable of the castle, and sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk from the first to the ninth year of his reign, took possession of the castle upon Lewis's departure to France, and the King being reconciled, Roger Bigod Earl of Norfolk, was then made constable thereof, and indeed the constables and lords of castles in the seignories or liberties thereto belonging, exercised more arbitrary regality over their vassals, than the kings themselves, so that Mat. Paris and others say of them, "quot domini castellorum, tot tyranni, (fn. 2) 

Cotton Post. 14. Madox, 262.

as many constables of castles as there were, there were so many tyrants.

(c) Some notes I made
I include these unsatisfactory notes because of the intriguing reference to a French marshall. Could anyone look it up and check for me? Pipe Roll Society NS Volume 37 contains, I think, the Pipe Roll for the year 17 John (1215-16).

Roger de Cressi seems to have succeded his half-brother John as sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk after Easter, with William "fil.Joscelini" for him. He then seems to have been replaced by Hubert de Burgh (Walter de Elingham for him) and then Roger seems to have become sheriff again (Simon de Hised for him) until about Christmas ["natalem"] when "marescallus Franc' vic'" took over until the peace ["usque ad pacem"] with Fulk Bagnard for him (Pipe Roll NS vol.37 p.10).

(d) Hervey Belet
Numerous letters in the Patent & Close Rolls in 1216 address Hervey Belet as constable of Norwich castle up to the time, or shortly before the time, of King John's death.

Childrens' Books of 100 years ago

Another house move looms and it is time to go through the books again.

Several of them are numbered in crayon in a large, old-fashioned hand. On a wet day, perhaps, the Beaumont children must have been set to catalogue their books and surprisingly, as there have been at least four house moves, I seem to still have some of them.

No. 2 Great Deeds of the Great War
Told by Donald A. Mackenzie - with 12 coloured plates etc
Blackie and Son Limited
Inscribed Christmas 1916 to Richard M. Beaumont with love from Uncle Walter & Auntie Edith

No. 5 Perrault's Fairy Tales
Edition by Herbert & Daniel, 21 Maddox Street W1
Translated by S.R. Littlewood, with 12 coloured illustrations by Honour C.Appleton
Inscribed to Richard Melville Beaumont from Mummy & Daddy Dec. 7th 1911
(his second birthday)

The illustrations are rather good

No. 31 Caldecott's Collection of Pictures and Songs
(Title page missing)
Frederick Warne & Co
(includes John Gilpin and others)

No. 46 "Rags" from Cecil Aldin's Happy Family

Some of the un-numbered books:-

The Jumblies, and Other Nonsense Verses, by Edward Lear
with drawings by L.Leslie Brooke
Frederick Warne & Co
Inscribed To Richard With Loving Wishes from Sir Edward & Lady Acton

Masterman Ready, by Captain Marryatt. Inscribed R.M. Beaumont in his own grown-up hand

My Book of Beautiful Legends
Retold by Christine Chaundler and Eric Wood
With Illustrations by A.C. Michael
Cassell and Company Limited
(My father's name, in his own hand)
(he has done this twice - first his full name in pencil
- and started in ink: "Beoum" then closed the page before the ink dried!)

St.George and the scary dragon from "Beautiful Legends"

My father has also "edited" the Contents List by numbering the stories - he made it 55.

Beaumonts of Norfolk and Suffolk Second Family c.1190-1320

Second Family – Drayton to Witnesham

Drayton was held from the lords of Hockering (Ryes in the c12, Marshall and Cressi in the c13). Other lands of this family were held from, eg St.Edmunds Abbey, the Bishop of Norwich. None of the principal Warenne honour lands of the first family are known to have passed to the second.

Godfrey de Bellomonte fl.c.1185-1211

Godfrey (probably brother of William of c.1185-1204) m. Alice of Drayton

Robert (below)

William (below)

Godfrey (very speculative)

Notes on Godfrey

- a landless younger son, entered service of Bigod family

- attests numerous Bigod circle charters from c.1190

- marriage to Alice is not proved, but fits all known facts, and other explanations are definitely wrong

- Alice's sister Agnes m. William Lenveise. Their father William of Drayton d.1225*.

- The mother of Alice and Agnes was Gunnora, daughter of Robert de Cokefeld.

- went back to Warenne service if he is the GB who was constable of Sandal castle, 1211

- Did he take any interest in the family lands? For his possible connection with Atlingworth, see note EYC 8 p.251. But there seems no later evidence for this

- assumed to be dead before c.1215-16 - not at Framlingham in 1216

- Another Godfrey occurs in the Warenne lands near Wakefield c.1234 - ?his 3^rd son?

*14 July 1225. At Portchester. Avelina widow of William de Drayton versus Gervase de Bradfield & Alice his wife and William le Enveise & Agnes his wife. Avelina to have reasonable dower in Drayton, Derham, Grimston, Taverham, "Bindham", Salle, and Holm (Pat. R. 1216-25, p. 593).

……………

Robert de Bellomonte fl.1210-1216

- eldest son of Godfrey, is likely but far from provable

- named for great-grandfather Robert de Cokefeld, if I am right

- he was taken prisoner at Carrickfergus, it is said (this was in July 1210)

- why he was there, not known. Perhaps in service of William de Braose.
- King John's siege of Carrickfergus was in late July 1210.

- thus Robert probably prisoner from then, but we don't know where he was held

- obtained his freedom/pardon in February 1215 on intervention of John Marshall (Rot.Lit.Pat.)

- John Marshall - his maternal grandfather's overlord, if I am right

- 1216 in siege of Framlingham castle, stated to be kinsman and intended hostage for William Lenveise, but died soon after and was replaced (Rot.Lit.Claus. i. 254b, 259)]

………..

William de Bellomonte fl.c.1229-1255

William (younger son of Godfrey, is likely) m. unknown

Godfrey (below)

John (below)

Notes on William:

- obtained half Drayton via his mother and half later via aunt

- Drayton was held by four knights fees from Hockering barony (lords: Ryes, Marshall, Cressy)

- his mother Alice of Drayton had remarried to Gervase de Bradfield

- Gervase lived until 1244+ (Fine R.) - not her first husband as historians thought

- the Bigod knight William Lenveise was his uncle (husband of Agnes of Drayton)

- obtained share of inheritance from Cokefeld family, at least, after Gervase died (not before 1240s) - much of this held from St.Edmunds Abbey

- seems to have gone to Rome with earl Roger Bigod in 1245 (Cal.Pat.R.)

- query if obtained further Suffolk interests by marriage

- no evidence that he held any of the Warenne honour lands of the first family

- re the cross at Drayton? - wife might have been called Joan (see separate post)

- NB also incised coffin slab at Drayton church

- Blomefield, Copinger and other historians' pedigrees muddled.

Godfrey de Bellomonte fl.1260-1293

Godfrey m. Cecilia de Ferrers
[not proved to be grandson of Godfrey, but see name pattern]

[Godfrey stated in 1286 that he was son of William son of Alice son of Gunnora]

[A good deal of information in the printed public records about Godfrey]
[His heir was his brother John]

John de Bellomonte dc.1298

John (heir of brother Godfrey) m1 [.....?de Weyland?].... m2. Alice [Hardel]

(by 1) Richard [?clerk][at Drayton]

(by 1) Joan (m. Giles de Breuse)(?m2 Edmund Bacon)

[John was aged over 40 in 1293 when he was his brother's heir (IPM)]

[Alice had m1. William son of Warin, and would m3. John Spryng]

[there are many unanswered questions surrounding John, the identity of his first wife, various people to whom he must have been related, and the places with which he was connected, including Witnesham and [Little] Whittingham [Green] (a Clere-Breuse property?), the names of which may be mixed up even in the original primary sources, and tend to be confused also with unrelated places such as Waxham (Waxtonesham)]

[William son of Warin died shortly before 13 June 1290, for on that date Alice was given leave to remarry]

[The arrangement by which Joan married Giles de Breuse was made, I suspect by Alice, shortly after John's death ,which was in about September 1298, Giles having had a first wife who was murdered that year (Cal.Pat.R., May 1298)]
[My view is that Richard and Joan were John's children by a first wife]
[Joan often said to be Richard's daughter.....but]

[Joan is inherently more likely to be John's daughter rather than granddaughter. Pointers to this include both the chronology and the fact that Alice seems to have controlled everything]

[Alice's heirs when she d.1325 were her two daughters. Their father was William son of Warin. The arrangement whereby the elder of them was to be married was made in summer 1292 (Cal.Pat.R.).

Alice's daughters by William son of Warin were:-

Alice who m. Sir John Dagworth

Isolda who m. Sir John de Belhous]

The Return from Eynesford Hundred of 1302 (Feudal Aids 3, 414), which details the holdings of the heirs of the first Beaumont family held from Geoffrey de Say, also shows a holding at Salle from the same lord by Giles de Breuse [he was the successor of the Cleres], and a small holding by this John de Beaumont's heirs there, from William Marshall [of Hockering].

Richard de Bellomonte (son of John)

Blomefield wrote that in 1305 Alice and Richard conveyed Drayton to bishop Walter Langton (vol. X pp.409-10)(Rye, Calendar Norfolk Fines pp.165-6). But he was not her son, merely her stepson.

Richard is often tagged “of Witnesham.” This place may be what his father had inherited from a certain Nicholas son of Reiner. That gentleman, described as the lord of the manor of Witnesham and parson of the church there, who was not up to date with his tax, is said to have been riding ostenatiously around the parish on a splendid horse with a hawk on his arm and an entourage of valets, and to have put his horse at the bailiffs, an incident which led to some violence and also to a trial! (A Suffolk Hundred in 1283, ed. E.Powell, Cambridge, 1910; pp.xvi-xviii; mentioned by Mark Bailey, Medieval Suffolk: An Economic and Social History 1200-1500, p.15).

In 1306 Giles and Joan appear to have obtained from Richard the reversion to Witnesham, behind a life interest still held by Alice (Rye, Calendar Suffolk Fines p.111); Copinger calling it the manor of Redhall alias Brompton, which was to descend in the Breuses until 1489 (Copinger 3 p.122).

Richard had the church of Witnesham, and was to retain another benefice, according to a faculty granted to bishop Walter by the Pope in 1306 (see Jill Blackwell Hughes, “The Episcopate of Walter Langton… with a Calendar of his Register,” Nottingham University Thesis 1992, Volume 2 of 3, no.788 on pp.586-588). The other church is presumably Drayton, of which Richard was Rector according to Blomefield.

I suspect Richard may be responsible for the coffin lid and cross at Drayton.

Richard may have married. Eleanor de Bellomonte, who appears mentioned in context of Scarning, Norfolk in 1316, might be his widow. But I have found no evidence of any offspring.

Joan de Bellomonte

Joan was the final heiress of what was left. I think she was Richard's sister. She had married Giles de Breuse apparently before 1300 as suggested above. She had several sons by Giles, the oldest being born in about 1302. Giles died in 1311-12. The IPM states of the manor of “Witlesham” that after the death of Alice de Bello Monte, [it] ought to revert to Joan late the wife of the said Giles and [to] Richard his son [then aged nine] (CIPM 5 no.270 at p.146).

Joan seems to have then married Edmund Bacon, as is suggested by an inquiry in 1362 – long afterwards - into what he had owned. Here it was stated that he had married one Joan de Brewes, by whom he had had a daughter Margery, who had married William de Kerdeston. All the historians have picked up on this, not least because of the Beaumonts' earlier connexions with Kerdiston, which in this instance is a red herring.

The eldest son of Giles and Joan was called Richard. He did not reach majority. The next son was Robert, who likewise died at a young age. 10 July 1325. Order to the escheator .... to take in the lands which Alice de Bello Monte, deceased held for life of the inheritance of the heir of Robert de Brewosa son & heir of Giles de Brewosa, tenant in chief, a minor in the king's ward (Cal.Fine Rolls 1319-1327, p.354).

A further Inquiry in 19 Edward II on Alice de Bellomonte immediately precedes the IPM of Robert de Brewosa the son and heir of Giles ….. this states that Alice was holding, for life, the manor of Witnesham, of Robert's inheritance, of the bishop of Norwich as of the manor of Baketon by service of two and half fees (CIPM 6 no.705).... in the IPM of Robert, it is said that he held several holdings in Witnesham........ and his heir is his brother John, aged 18 (CIPM 6 no.706).

I am not hopeful of there being no mistakes in these notes and there remain various problems to solve.  One new piece of information can change everything!

Beaumonts of Norfolk & Suffolk First Family c.1090-1243

First family – Fulking, Themelthorpe, Kerdiston

Chief lords: Warenne family (lords of Lewes, Castle Acre, Conisborough)

All of the known lands of this family before c.1200 were of the Warenne honour.
All these, I think, were part of what Ralph de Chesney, named from Le Quesnay near Saint-Saens in Seine-Maritime, held from William de Warenne in 1086. 

This is a pointer to identify the family from Beaumont-le-Hareng, 6 kms from Saint-Saens.

Godfrey de Bellomonte c.1090

Gave tithes at Fulking to Lewes and tithes of Kerdiston to Castle Acre. 

Between 1066-1086 an exchange of lands was imposed by King William whereby William de Warenne gave up lands on the east side of the river Adur to William de Braose of Bramber, and received lands in Norfolk in their place. Ralph de Chesney, and Godfrey de Beaumont his undertenant, would appear to have obtained Stinton, Kerdiston etc by this arrangement.

This border, between the "Rapes" of Lewes and Bramber, is now basically the same as the border between West & East Sussex.

Fulking and Atlingworth are near the new border thus created, on the Lewes side, so it seems a reasonable assumption that lands on the Bramber side were given up. Entries in DB, including as to lands of Bosham church, prove that “Ralph” the Warenne tenant at Saddlescombe is Ralph de Chesney, whilst subsequent tenure shows that “Randolf” at Kerdiston and Stinton was the same person.

The Clere (or Clera) family seem to have obtained lands in the Warenne honour, again in both Sussex and Norfolk, by the same or similar circumstances. This family is named from Cleres which is only 14 kms from Beaumont-le-Hareng. An interest at Atlingworth was given by the Clere family to Lewes Priory.

The mesne lordship of Chesney was divided (temp. Henry II) between the families of de Say (Sussex) and Belet (Norfolk). Interests of Beaumont [and Clere] families fell in both parts. In the c13 the Belets died out so it all came back to the Says.

For the next generations no family tree can be constructed:-

William de Bellomonte c.1159-1172

Occurs in Norfolk. Witnesses charters of Rainald de Warenne, countess Isabel, and earl Hamelin de Warenne.

Roger de Beaumont c.1170

Attests charter[s] of earl Hamelin de Warenne. Note his name, frequently found in the family of Clere.

Hugh de Bellomonte c.1180

Attests charter[s] of earl Hamelin de Warenne.

Things become clearer with:-

William de Bello Monte fl.1185-1204

William m1. Joan daughter of Maurice of Barsham, m2. Muriel “de Langetot” (widow of Alan de Dunstanville)

(by 1). William (below)

Notes on William:

- see Pipe Roll 1185- for his marriage to Maurice's daughter (it was said she had been pledged to marry Ranulf of Gedding); I don't think the Pipe Roll supplies her christian name but that is clear from the Castle Acre evidence eg Harl. MS 2110 fol.37 and again fol. 38 (Johanne ux.mee...).

- benefactor of Castle Acre priory (Harl.MS 2110), giving land in Tattersett and “Sengham” near Coxford.

- mentioned likewise in Coxford charters (H.W.Saunders, in Norfolk Archaeology 1910)

- elder brother, probably, of Godfrey the Bigod knight who was founder of the Second Family

- query if had a daughter Muriel junior. Or whether Muriel jr was daughter of Muriel sr's first husband or perhaps Muriel sr had an additional husband [?Wm of Englefield?].

William de Bello Monte fl.1209-1245

William m1. Alice daughter of Fulk d'Oyri (She had m1.John Belet), m2. Lucia [que fuit uxor]

(by 1.) three daughters:-

-Joan m1. Robert de Burgulion, m2. Reyner de Burgh, (?)m3. Robert de Castre

William de Burgelion

- Ela m. Hervey of Stanhoe, by whom, Ela who m. Walter of Calthorpe

-Alice m. Warin son of Hugh, by whom Alice who m. John Picot

Notes on William:

- his wife Alice, widow of John Belet, William's feudal lord at Tattersett / Rudham / Coxford

- an offer was made for her from Thomas de Burgh (Rot. de Obl. & Fin. p.440) but she actually married William

- he still had Sussex interests as attests Lewes charter re Clere / Atlingworth

- was this the man who was constable of Norwich castle in 1216-1217? I will address this separately.

- had various interests shared/disputed with the d'Oyri relatives

- what was still referred to as “the whole fee of Beamund” in the Eynesford Hundred return of 1302 (Feudal Aids 3, 414) was in the hands of the above persons' successors and was at Themelthorpe with a small portion at Kerdiston.

- some of his descendants shared a [half] knights fee in Fulking

- his daughter Alice a benefactor to Coxford

Notes on Sources etc:

I haven't generally quoted all the primary sources for the above, to try to keep things short. A lot of them are quoted in vol. 3 of William Farrer's "Honors & Knights Fees" or in Volume 8 of "Early Yorkshire Charters."

I have however obtained from the BL and studied a microfilm of the Castle Acre Cartulary.

Some Atlingworth documents were printed by Richard Sims in the Arch.Journal vol. 42 (1886), see pp.361-362 and p.373ff.

Always remember that one more piece of evidence can change everything!

Ann's notebook

Details:
Ann Beaumont (nee Shilcock) wrote up a notebook with the names of her children and grandchildren and their dates of birth etc.

Ann's notebook


Item: Box 1.025
Provenance: Southwell (from East Bridgford).

Comment: Ann did this late in her life, starting it only in 1869 the year before she died.

In the strict sense it is incomplete, for example her own daughter Theodosia is omitted. Theodosia died aged 28 in 1850.

Chapelthorpe - its owners and occupiers c.1683-1800

NOTE:- I corrected / amended this article in December 2024 - see especially the information from 1785 on and a new paragraph at the very bottom.

The succession of ownership and occupation of Chapelthorpe is rather confusing so this post sets out a summary. Dates and details here are approximate. We are talking here about the house (now Chapelthorpe Hall) and its land, not the various farms.

Nearly all this information is contained or confirmed in documents in the archive or copy documents I have obtained from one place or another.

1683. William Beaumont of Darton buys Chapelthorpe.

1688. William settles Darton to his son George, who he expects to outlive him. William continues to live at Darton. George lives at Chapelthorpe.

William's plan no doubt is that in due course George will move to Darton, and Chapelthorpe will be the residence of a younger son in the family.

However George never moves to Darton because he dies in 1712, before William.

1713. William Beaumont dies. The heir for Darton is the 16-year old George, son of George and grandson of William. William's younger son Thomas takes over Chapelthorpe.

The younger son of George (d.1712) is another Thomas, who becomes a clergyman and goes to live in Nottingham having obtained a living there. Meanwhile Jane, daughter of George (d.1712) is married to Abel Smith, a banker in that town.

1731. Thomas Beaumont of Chapelthorpe dies leaving a complicated will letting his nephew Thomas (the clergyman who lives in Nottingham) have Chapelthorpe for life.

1736. George Beaumont (the one who inherited Darton in 1713, who lives there, and whose young wife has also died) dies leaving two little boys, Thomas and George. Naturally the elder boy Thomas is destined to take over Darton when he comes of age. His uncle, the Nottingham clergyman, however in due course lets Thomas live at Chapelthorpe, which Thomas apparently prefers rather than Darton.

The younger George moves away from Yorkshire, spending more time at Nottingham and thereabouts. He becomes a clergyman, marries, and has numerous children.

1750. During the mid c18 the chapel was built (Chapelthorpe was in the Parish of Sandal Magna).

1768. An arrangement is made paving the way for the ending of the 1731 settlement after the death of the Revd Thomas Beaumont, which occurs in 1771. Control of Chapelthorpe passed to his nephew Revd George of Nottingham, whose elder brother Thomas has been living there. Soon after this Thomas goes to live at Darton. Chapelthorpe Hall and its farm in due course is let to one Richard Beatson.

1773. Revd George (now Rector of St.Nicholas' church, Nottingham), now dies, leaving several sons. The oldest of these is another Thomas, himself a trainee clergyman. This Thomas eventually establishes himself as sole owner of Chapelthorpe. But he is based in Nottinghamshire where he holds various church posts.

1785. Thomas Beaumont formerly of Chapelthorpe (who now lives at Darton) now dies, leaving one son Thomas Richard Beaumont, whose marriage in due course brings him Bretton Hall.

1785. Chapelthorpe Hall is now advertised to let, with an optional farmhouse and up to 143 acres, having been occupied for several years by Richard Beatson (who has got into financial difficulties). The proposed letting is being handled by George Beaumont, merchant, of Leeds (brother of the Revd Thomas) and by a Mr Bolland, an attorney (Leeds Intelligencer 18 and 25 October 1785). 

I have no information beyond this but I suspect that nobody took a lease of the whole place, the main house perhaps being retained in hand and occasionally visited by Revd Thomas Beaumont of Nottinghamshire who has at this period an increasing amount of contact with Yorkshire, particularly perhaps through becoming the chaplain to the 84 th Regiment. This brings him into contact with his more distant cousins R.H. Beaumont of Whitley Hall, and RHB's sister Elizabeth the wife of George Bernard the CO of that Regiment.

At least some of the Chapelthorpe estate must have been copyhold. I notice in the only just discovered database of the Wakefield Court Baron Docket books, entries which seem to correspond with Beaumont transactions - Wills, for example several entries dated 1775. And the leasing to Beatson in 1777.

Also in the 1790s, Revd Thomas builds a fine house at East Bridgford, where he would live until his death in 1835.

1811-1814. New information December 2024. The evidence as I saw it before suggested that Revd Thomas Beaumont of East Bridgford sold Chapelthorpe in 1811 to his cousin Thomas Richard Beaumont, and that the latter sold it in 1814. Revisiting this now, I see that the 1811 information is in fact no evidence of a sale.

1811. Amended 12-13 December 2024. We have documents (Box 18/321) dated November 1811 by which Revd Thomas Beaumont of East Bridgford surrendered all his copyhold property in Sandal (not in fact identified in any more detail) to the lord of the manor of Wakefield, for the uses and purposes expressed in his Will (but not saying what or to whom).  These documents show that John Breare, the Steward of the Wakefield Manor Court, appointed a well-known Nottingham solicitor, Robert Leeson, as his Deputy, to take the surrender. I have no knowledge of copyhold law. But I suspect that this surrender merely enabled Revd Thomas Beaumont to make a Will and to know that in the event of his death the Chapelthorpe property would pass that way. So these documents are no evidence at all of any sale in 1811.

Amended 12-13 December 2024:- The excellent historian of Wakefield stated that Thomas Richard Beaumont sold Chapelthorpe on 29 September 1814 to Joseph Charlesworth (see J.W. Walker, History of Wakefield (1934), p.524). But it seems to me that Mr Walker may have assumed TRB to be the owner because his father had lived there, and because TRB was well-known locally. I believe Walker's own family owned Chapelthorpe at some later date, so he may have seen relevant documents. If the 1814 seller really was TRB then he must have bought the property from Revd Thomas in 1811 or later; but otherwise I suspect the 1814 seller may have been none other Revd Thomas. Something in the Charlesworth documents (C254 in West Yorkshire Archives) might provide an answer. And the Yorkshire Arch Soc provides a searchable database of the Wakefield Court Baron Docket books which may well assist. In fact, that database contains entries suggesting to me that Revd Thomas Beaumont may have sold parts of his Chapelthorpe estate in different stages, starting in the 1790s. Unfortunately that database does not go as late as 1811 or 1814.

With this sale in 1814 the connection of what may be called the Nottingham Beaumonts with Yorkshire is for practical purposes ended.

New paragraph 12 December 2024: within the next couple of months I intend to transfer a number of documents relating to Chapelthorpe to West Yorkshire Archives in Wakefield. 

The Cross at Drayton, Norfolk

On the village green at Drayton, outside Norwich, is a remarkable medieval cross.

It carries an inscription asking people to pray for the souls of William de Beaumont and Joan his wife. The inscription being in French, this is not likely to date from the 12th century, that would have been in latin.

Nevertheless this has been associated with William de Beaumont who married Joan of Barsham in 1185, and moreover they had no connexion with Drayton. 

However the name of the wife of the mid 13^th century William de Beaumont who was connected with Drayton is not known, and thus might have been Joan. 

There is no doubt that all the old historians, even Blomefield, have been muddled about the family tree of these people. I hope to put some of that right in later articles.

References:

In Norfolk Archaeology Vol 25, is an article on Norfolk Crosses. That at Drayton is covered pp. 306-8 and there is a photo facing p.307.

Blomefield, Vol x, page 413 described the cross as then (?1814) "almost quite defaced" and quoted it - VOUS CHE PRIE PUR L'AM WILLIAM DE BELLOMONT..... JOHANNE SA FEMME...... PATER NR ...... AVE MARIA ...... DE PARDONA AVERA 

- translated loosely as "You who pray for the souls of William Beaumont and Joanna his wife saying a Paternoster and an Ave Maria will earn ... days pardon."

The cross is still there, or was when the Google street-view car went by.