Yeldon

Lordship account 1

In 1086, besides Yelden Manor, Geoffrey de Trailly held a nameless 4-hide manor which has been satisfactorily identified with Chellington. These manors, like other lands belonging to the Bishop of Coutances, were later attached to the honour of Gloucester, and were so held by the mesne lords certainly till the 17th century. Between the years 1201 and 1212 Walter de Trailly is returned as holding four knights' fees of the honour of Gloucester (representing the Coutances fee) and two knights' fees of the honour of Warden (representing Albreda's portion). The next evidence obtainable is that of the Testa de Nevill some forty years later. The entry concerning the 'baronia de Trailly' (here so-called for the first time) is confused and misleading. It is said to include nine fees, whose names with those of their respective holders then follow. The fees were distributed among the parishes of Yelden (1 fee), Chellington-with-Hinwick (1 fee), Roxton (1½ fees), Turvey (1 fee), Ludgershall (1 fee), Holcote and Biddenham (2 fees), Northill (1 fee), and Southill (½ fee). Of these, the Yelden, Chellington, Turvey and Ludgershall fees had formed part of the Bishop of Coutances' lands at Domesday, whilst Hinwick, Holcote, Biddenham, Northill, Southill and Roxton had been attached to Walter Espec's lands; that is to say, of the nine fees given under this 'baronia' five and a half can be traced to the honour of Warden. Now all these fees are stated to be held of the honour of Gloucester, which statement is itself a contradiction in terms. The Coutances property did, as shown above, become part of the honour, and with one exception the Warden fees are subsequently found attached to it, the Traillys appearing as intermediary lords between the tenants and the honour. This exception is Northill, the only part of the Warden barony which was held by the Traillys in demesne, and which at the time of the Testa was held by William de la Zouche in right of his wife Maud widow of John de Trailly. Northill is invariably held in chief, and in 1272 on the death of John de Trailly is expressly stated to be held of the king in chief by barony, whilst Yelden, Chellington and other places following immediately after are said to be attached to the honour of Gloucester. It is Northill then, formerly part of Warden barony, which gives the clue to the origin of this barony of Trailly, which appears never to have been a barony in the technical sense, for the de Traillys seem neither to have received summons as barons, nor ever to have claimed such summons as their right. Yelden Castle formerly stood on the south bank of the Til in the east of the parish, where considerable earthworks probably dating back to British times are still to be traced. There is no direct evidence that the castle was of masonry, though the Lysons state that 'beyond the moat appear traces of walls for a considerable space.' The inquisition of 1361 which they quote makes no mention of the castle as such, but merely says that 'the site of the manor is in ruins' and worth nothing.

Lordship account 2

It now remains to trace the descent of the family of Trailly with which runs that of YELDEN MANOR. Geoffrey de Trailly, the first of his name, was probably a native of Trelly, a few miles south of Coutances, and came over to England in the bishop's train after the Conquest. His predecessor in the manor, which he held at the time of the Survey in 1086, was Borred. Geoffrey de Trailly was succeeded by one of the same name. He or a later Geoffrey married Albreda sister of Walter Espec, and in 1157–8 paid 100 marks into the Exchequer for livery of his wife's lands. He is returned for four knights' fees held of the honour of Gloucester in 1166, and in 1175–6 paid 50 marks into the Exchequer, part of a fine of 100 marks for infringement of the forest laws. In 1185 Mary de Trailly, described as the widow of Geoffrey, together with her son Walter, a minor, was in the guardianship of the king for the manor of Northill. In 1210 Walter de Trailly paid 2 marks as a knight of Flanders and died before 1220, in which year Gilbert Earl of Gloucester paid 100 marks to have the custody of his heir John. John de Trailly's name occurs in a suit with the Prior of St. John of Jerusalem in 1225. His death occurred about the year 1251; his son John was then a minor, but in 1257, when an inquisition was made of his father's lands, John's age is given as twenty-three. Walter son of John de Trailly succeeded his father in 1272, when within a few months of attaining his majority. Though Yelden was attached to the honour of Gloucester, an attempt was nevertheless made to get the wardship of Walter for his lands in Yelden into the hands of the king. Walter de Trailly with three 'servientes' performed knight service for Northill and Southill in the expeditions of 1277 and 1282 against Llewellyn. In 1289 Eleanor de Trailly, described as his widow, was allowed peaceful seisin of Yelden Manor as part of her dower, and owed knight service for it in 1302. John son of Walter and Eleanor de Trailly died seised of the manor in 1304, leaving an infant son and heir Walter, who was still a minor in 1319. In 1325 a settlement of the manor was made probably on the attainment of his majority, and, together with his wife Maud, he claimed view of frankpledge and other manorial customs as of right immemorial. John de Trailly, who was probably son of Walter, was holding in 1346. He died in 1360, when an extent is given of Yelden Manor, which then included the site (which was in ruins), a dovecot, an orchard, 660 acres of arable land varying in value, meadow, pasture, pleas and profits of courts bringing in 40s., rents of free tenant 30s., rents and customs of fourteen bond tenants worth £10, and a windmill worth 6s. 8d. His son John, who succeeded him, appears as member for the county in 1377, and he is mentioned at various times as commissioner of array. Some time before his death, which took place in 1400, he alienated the manor to Edmund Hampden, and with this alienation the connexion of the de Traillys with Yelden ceased. The name of Edmund Hampden is returned for Yelden in the Feudal Aid of 1428. He was a member of the well-known Buckinghamshire family, and was succeeded some time before 1446 by his son John Hampden, who died in 1458. Thomas Hampden his son held Yelden till 1486–7, leaving Yelden Manor to his son John, who survived his father ten years. His son John Hampden had two daughters and co-heirs, and Yelden eventually passed to Barbara, the younger. In 1519–20 a marriage was arranged between her and William son of Robert Dormer, but never took place, and she later married Edmund Smith. They had one daughter Anne, who in 1556 married William Paulet, bringing Yelden Manor in dower to her husband. William Paulet died seised of the manor in 1577 and was succeeded by his son William. He married Elizabeth daughter of Henry Coddenham in 1579 and died in 1584. Yelden next passed to his daughter Elizabeth, who was posthumous, and who in 1602, together with her husband Oliver St. John of Bletsoe, acquired seisin of the manor. The St. Johns, whose family has been traced elsewhere, held this manor till the beginning of the 18th century. In 1706 Paulet Lord St. John, the last Earl of Bolingbroke, suffered a recovery of the manor, and in 1722 the advowson (which followed the descent of the manor at this date) was still in the hands of the St. John family. Between the latter date and 1728 it had been alienated to Sir Jeremiah Vanacker Sambrook, bart. He was member for the borough of Bedford from 1730 until his death in 1740. He was unmarried and his Yelden property passed to his three sisters: Elizabeth wife of Sir Humphrey Monoux, Judith a spinster and Susannah wife of John Crawley. Part of the land was sold with the advowson in 1745, and in 1801 the greater portion of the estate belonged to John Crawley, whose descendant Mr. Francis Crawley of Stockwood Park is at the present day described as lord of Yelden Manor.