Weston

From the Domesday Survey it appears that in 1086 a certain William held WESTON of the abbey of Abingdon, and that Alfric had held it of the abbey in the time of King Edward the Confessor. This William appears to have been the William Mauduit who was holding the land here by military service in the reign of Henry I, as his father and predecessors had held it before him. The abbey of Abingdon retained the overlordship until the Dissolution, but part of the land in Weston was held under the abbey by its military tenants. Between 1175 and 1190 we find that there were 10 hides here, of which 4 were held by Robert Pont de l'Arche by military tenure, I was held by John de St. Helena, who held some adjoining land in Shefford, while I belonged to the church; the remaining 4 hides were held by several tenants, who paid rent and service. Benedict de Weston was holding land here in 1218, some of which he then sold to Geoffrey de Oakhanger, a neighbouring landowner. In 1247–8 the Prior of Poughley had acquired land here, some of which he then conveyed to William de Macy. The connexion, however, between these various under-tenants has not been found. During part of the 13th century Drew de Weston held half a knight's fee here of the abbey. By 1275–6 the fee had passed from Drew to William de Valence Earl of Pembroke, who attached the fee to his manor of Benham Valence, and so removed it from the hundred of Roeberg to that of Kintbury, in which his other manor lay. The fee from this time on remained a member of the manor of Benham Valence in the parish of Speen (q.v.). It was, however, subinfeudated not long afterwards to John de Hartridge and Nichola his wife, to be held by the service due from half a knight's fee. John died seised of it in 1309, when his heir was his daughter Elizabeth, then aged five years. Elizabeth appears to have married John son of George Percy before 1340, when John died seised of tenements here held of the Earl of Pembroke, the property passing to his son William, then aged two years. In 1363 William, with his trustees, sold the property to John Aubrey, citizen and spicer of London, and William of Newark, chaplain, who sold it in 1365 to John de Cokking of the county of Sussex. It would appear that the manor passed to William atte Wode, who sold it to John Coteron of Newbury and Sir Richard Abberbury. John Coteron in 1422 released his share to Katherine widow of William atte Wode, but Sir Richard was holding his share in 1428. Again the history is obscure, until in 1445 John Roger the younger, who had purchased Benham Valence some years previously, granted to the abbey of Abingdon the manor of Weston, with a tenement here called 'Pittesplace,' in exchange for certain tenements in Lambourn; nevertheless, the manor continued to be a member of the manor of Benham Valence, and its tenants did suit at the courts of the latter manor. The position now was complicated, for the land here was held by the abbey of the lord of the manor of Benham Valence, who held it by military tenure of the abbey as overlord. With the dissolution of the abbey the manor and overlordship came to the Crown, when the former was leased in 1540–1 for twenty-one years to Ralph Madocks, but seems to have been again leased to Robert Elgar, who was the tenant in 1542–3. In 1544, however, the king granted it to Thomas Denton and Margaret his wife, to be held by a fortieth part of a knight's fee, paying 33s. 3d. rent, but as they failed to pay the purchase-money the sheriff was ordered to distrain in 1550–1. In 1552 Thomas Denton of Hillesden, Bucks., with Margaret his wife, sold the manor to Edward Hungerford, who was distrained for failing to do homage in 1564. Edward Hungerford was the second son of Sir Anthony Hungerford by his first wife, Jane Darrell, and died in 1572 seised of this manor, which by his will he left to his wife Dorothy. His eldest son John was then aged eight years, and coming of age in 1586 received possession of the manor. John Hungerford was holding it in 1600, and in 1604 conveyed it to John Rastell and Matthew Moore, apparently in trust. In 1607, with Mary his wife and several others, he conveyed the manor to Anthony Hungerford, again apparently in trust, for in 1614 he and others sold it to Francis Moore, serjeant-atlaw. Francis Moore was the son of Edward Moore of East Ilsley by his wife Elizabeth daughter and one of the heirs of J. Hull of Tilehurst, and was born at East Ilsley in 1558, and in 1614 was made serjeant at-law. He was M.P. for Reading in 1597–8, 1601, 1604–11 and 1614 and was knighted in March 1616. He invented the conveyance of lease and release, and was the author of several works on law, which were published after his death. He married Anne daughter and heir of William Twidy of Boreham, Essex, and died in 1621, when the estate passed to his eldest son Henry, who was created a baronet in 1627. In December 1634 he sold the manor of Weston to Robert Elgar of Orpenham in the parish of Kintbury, who we may conjecture was a descendant of the Robert Elgar who was tenant of Weston a century before. In 1638 Robert Elgar sold it to Peter Pheasant of Gray's Inn, London, to whom, in confirmation of his title, Sir Henry Moore, son and successor to the previous owner, conveyed it in 1646. Peter Pheasant became a justice of the King's Bench, and, together with his wife Mary, his son Stephen and Sarah wife of the latter, sold the estate in 1648 to John Elwes or Sir John Elwes of Barton Court. In 1663 John Elwes with Constance his wife conveyed the manor to Thomas Browne, apparently in trust, for after his death in 1678 his son John Elwes in February 1679 sold it to Sir William Jones. Sir William Jones was attorney-general to Charles II, directed the 'Popish Plot' prosecutions, and was the 'bull-faced Jonas' of Absalom and Achitophel. He died in May 1682, when, owing to the death of his eldest son without issue in October 1679, the manor passed to his second son Richard, who died, aged seventeen, in 1685. The manor then passed to William Jones, son of Sir William's younger brother Samuel. His only son William died in 1766 during his father's lifetime, and the manor passed soon afterwards to his sister Elizabeth, who had married William, younger brother of Sir James Langham of Cottesbrooke, Northants. On inheriting the manor William Langham took the name of Jones, and was created a baronet in 1774. He left no issue, and, as his wife had apparently died before him, the manor passed to her sister Eleanor, who had married Francis Burdett. They had two sons, Francis and William Jones, the elder of whom, Sir Francis Burdett, M.P., of Foremark and Ramsbury, inherited the manor, which he held until his death in 1844. He was succeeded by his son Sir Robert Burdett, bart., who died in 1880, leaving no issue, when the manor passed to his cousin Francis, the son of William Jones Burdett. This Sir Francis Burdett died in 1892, and was succeeded by his son Sir Francis, who is the present owner of the manor.