Woolley or Fynes or Wolfynes

The manor of WOOLLEY or FYNES (Wolvele, xiv cent.; Wolfle, xv cent.; Wolfines, Wolvfynes, Fynes alias Wollefenes, Wollefynes alias Wolleverfynes, xvi cent.; Femes alias Woolfemes alias Wolvefenes, xviii cent.) was formed of lands held of the Windsor fee, of the abbey of Chertsey and of other lords. It was held at the beginning of the 13th century by the family of Forester, who held a bailiwick in the forest of Windsor. Reginald le Forester is returned as holder of a quarter of a knight's fee under William de Windsor in the Testa de Nevill, and he died seised of 3 hides in Waltham held of various lords as above in 1263. He left a son and heir Jordan, who was returned as having view of frankpledge and assize of bread and ale at Waltham in 1275. Jordan le Forester was dead by 1280, when the custody of his lands and heirs was granted to Eleanor, the queen's mother. Joan daughter of Jordan married John de Fiennes. Joan de Fiennes was assessed for her property in Shottesbrook for subsidies in 1327 and 1332. In 1351 John de Fiennes, her son, died seised of the manor, which passed to William, his son and heir. He died eight years later, his son John, aged four, being his heir. His widow Joan held the manor for life, and took as her second husband Stephen Vaylaunce. John died in 1375, during his minority, and was succeeded by his brother William, who came of age in 1378 and who received a pardon in 1382 for having entered into possession of his inheritance without livery from the king. William died in 1405. His son Roger Fiennes is returned as owner in 1428. Sir Richard Fiennes, son of Roger, became Lord Dacre in right of his wife, and the manor descended with the successive Lords Dacre. A settlement made in 1564 seems to have been on Anne Sackville, wife of Gregory Lord Dacre. Lord Dacre, who had no issue, was dealing with the manor in 1571 and 1577. In 1580 he surrendered it to the Crown, apparently to secure his title, and obtained a grant to his assigns. Lord Dacre died in 1594. Anne, his widow, held a life interest in the manor, and after her death in 1595 her executors conveyed it to Henry Nevill of Pillingbeare. In 1601 her brother, Sir Thomas Sackville Lord Buckhurst, released his interest to Sir Henry Nevill, who sold it in the following year to Ralph Newbury, master of the printing house to Queen Elizabeth and James I. He was succeeded by his son Francis Newbury, who died at 'Wolfines' about 1651 and was buried at White Waltham. Henry Newbury, his son, was dealing with the estate by recovery in 1655, together with Francis his son and heir. One of the parties to this conveyance was Richard Finch, and the transaction appears to have been part of a sale to Finch either in trust or in fee, for in 1664–5 it was held by John Finch. The latter died in 1682 and was buried at White Waltham. He left five daughters as co-heirs, four of whom, Elizabeth wife of William Cherry, Mary Sawyer, widow, Sarah wife of William Yorke, and Dorothy wife of William Wright, released their interest in the manor in 1703 to William Lethieullier and Mary Loveday, widow, probably for the benefit of Thomas Loveday and Sarah his wife, daughter of William Lethieullier. John Loveday, son of Thomas and Sarah, suffered a recovery of it in 1732. John Loveday was a philologist and antiquary. He dealt with the manor again in 1777 and died in 1789. His son John Loveday, D.C.L., died in 1809 and in 1814 another John Loveday was in possession. He sold it to Margaret Hatton Dodwell, from whom it was purchased by Augustus Henry East, who died in 1828 and left it to Sir East George Clayton East, bart. Sir Gilbert A. Clayton East, bart., sold Woolley Hall in 1881 to the late Mr. George Dunn.