Historical names: Scot's Manor; Albottesley called Scottesmaner
Location: Abbotsley, Huntingdonshire
Places / associated places: Abbotsley, Huntingdonshire
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 52.1912, -0.20927
Identity: confirmed — The record is securely identified with the ancient manor of Abbotsley in Toseland Hundred, Huntingdonshire. Its documented medieval and early-modern history includes the 1471 conveyance of the manor of Albottesley called Scottesmaner (Scot's Manor), a portion of the wider Abbotsley manorial holding later associated with Queens' College, Cambridge.
Representative point: 52.19120, -0.20927
Basis: supported_manorial_centre — Manor Farm at NGR TL 2251 5628 is identified by the Queens' College History Archive as the principal mapped building on its Abbotsley estate plan. Local historical evidence states that Manor Farm and the former Waterloo Farmhouse stood on the site of Scot's Manor, with remains of the moat surviving nearby.
Point confidence: medium
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period: Medieval to nineteenth century; no single securely reconstructable perimeter established
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The manor was divided into two moieties by the fourteenth century. One moiety, Scot's Manor, was acquired for Queens' College in 1470/1 and is represented on the college's post-enclosure estate map, but the available evidence does not define the complete perimeter of the whole Abbotsley manor or prove that the mapped Queens' estate comprised both moieties. The later extent and manorial relationship of the Luke moiety also remain unresolved. The modern parish boundary cannot be substituted for the historical manorial boundary.
Sources:
- The National Archives Discovery: F271764: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F271764 — Registry record identifying Abbotsley Manor and authority reference GB/NNAF/M289819.
- Estate Plans 1825: Plan 24 Abbotsley, Queens' College History Archive: https://prod-history-queens.contradigital.co.uk/college/estate-plans-1825 — Identifies the Abbotsley estate, records Queens' acquisition of Scot's Manor in 1470/1, notes the 1927 sale of 250 acres, and gives Manor Farm at NGR TL 2251 5628.
- Feet of Fines: CP 25/1/294/75, number 20: https://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/fines/abstracts/CP_25_1_294_75.shtml — Records the 20 January 1471 conveyance of the manor of Albottesley called Scottesmaner from William Yorke, Elizabeth and John Tapton to Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Lacy and Robert Bardsey.
- Waterloo Farmhouse, Abbotsley Community Archive Network: https://abbotsley.ccan.co.uk/content/catalogue_item/waterloo-farmhouse — Local historical account states that the former Waterloo Farmhouse was on the site of Scot's Manor, together with Manor Farm, and that remains of the moat survived nearby.
- Church Farmhouse, Abbotsley, Historic England listing 1290294: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1290294 — Provides an authoritative location reference for the historic village core at NGR TL 22804 56481, useful for checking the manor-centre context, but does not establish a manor boundary.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- The representative point is a supported manorial-centre location, not proof that the surviving Manor Farm buildings are the medieval manor house.
- The 1471 transaction concerns Scot's Manor, one portion or moiety of the historically divided Abbotsley holding; it should not automatically be treated as the boundary of the entire manor.
- No reliable source located provides a complete, georeferenced polygon for the whole historical Abbotsley manor.
About the Manor
Abbotsley was an ancient manor in Toseland Hundred, Huntingdonshire, held originally as one knight's fee. Medieval sources and the Victoria County History associate it with the Ridel family and later with the Tilly, Tame, Semark, Sapcote, Russell and Luke families. By the later fifteenth century the estate had become divided into moieties or related portions. One portion, identified as the manor and estate known as Scot's Manor or Albottesley called Scottesmaner, was acquired for Queens' College, Cambridge in 1470/1 through intermediaries and was subsequently part of the college's Abbotsley estate. The other moiety descended through the Semark and Sapcote families to Anne Sapcote, wife of John Russell, first Earl of Bedford, and was sold by their son Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, to Nicholas Luke in 1561. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Master and Fellows of Queens' College were publicly described as lords of the manor of Abbotsley. Queens' College sold 250 acres at Abbotsley in 1927, but the available source does not establish that this sale transferred the manorial lordship itself; the later descent of the manor or any remaining manorial rights therefore remains unresolved.
Ownership / Holder Account
The earliest securely contextualised history is feudal rather than a continuous documentary conveyance sequence. The manor was probably granted by David I of Scotland to Gervase Ridel, who later became a canon of Jedburgh; it apparently passed to his brother Ralph Ridel. A later Ridel, probably Ralph, held the manor about 1230 and in 1244, and John Ridel held it in 1279, 1286 and 1303 before dying in 1312. The manor then passed to Maud, daughter and heir of Thomas Faldingworth, and her husband Henry Tilly. Before 1334 Maud settled it on her son John Tilly and his wife Elizabeth. After John Tilly's death about 1362 the manor was divided between his daughters and heirs Margaret and Maud, creating two moieties. The precise marriages and transfers of the two moieties are not fully documented. One moiety is followed through a later pedigree to Sir John Tame, then through his daughter and heir Elizabeth to Nicholas Semark and probably John Browe, and subsequently through Thomas Semark to Anne Sapcote and John Russell, first Earl of Bedford. Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, sold that moiety to Nicholas Luke in 1561. The other portion, known as Scot's Manor, was held in the mid-fifteenth century by William Yorke, his wife Elizabeth and John Tapton as deforciants or feoffees; a fine dated 20 January 1471 recorded the manor's transfer to Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Lacy and Robert Bardsey. The Queens' College History Archive identifies this transaction as the acquisition of Scot's Manor for Queens' College, Cambridge. The subsequent legal history of the Luke moiety and the date on which Queens' College became lord of the whole manor are not established by the sources located.
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: Gervase Ridel
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 12 holder entries in this manor's saved Conveyance & Descent history.
No recorded holder currently has a usable saved direct-blood or collateral-blood relationship path from which to calculate proximity percentages.
First recorded holder → present holder
A usable saved blood relationship path between the first recorded holder and the present holder has not yet been recorded, so that first-to-present genealogical distance cannot be calculated.
Gervase Ridel, Canon of Jedburgh, holder of the manor of Abbotsley in the Victoria County History's probable reconstruction
Transfer: Probably granted by David I of Scotland; the source expressly treats this as probable rather than certain.
Previous holder: David I of Scotland or an earlier feudal holder
The Victoria County History states that the manor of Abbotsley, originally held as one knight's fee, was probably granted by David I of Scotland to Gervase Ridel, who later became a canon of Jedburgh. This is a probable reconstruction rather than a directly recorded conveyance.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Transfer: Probably succeeded an earlier Hugh Ridel, who had died seised of lands in Abbotsley before 1224; the exact succession to the manor is not certain.
Previous holder: Earlier Ridel holder; possibly Hugh Ridel
The source identifies Ralph Ridel as probably the Ralph who held Abbotsley manor about 1230 and in 1244. It separately records that Hugh Ridel died seised of lands in Abbotsley before 1224, but does not prove that Hugh held the manor itself or that Ralph succeeded him directly.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
John Ridel, Holder of Abbotsley manor, possibly ward of John Balliol in 1258
Transfer: Probably succeeded Ralph Ridel as son and heir; the source says that in 1258 it seemed probable that John was in the wardship of John Balliol, and records his holding in 1279, 1286 and 1303.
Previous holder: Ralph Ridel, Holder of Abbotsley manor
John Ridel is directly associated with Abbotsley in the cited descent for 1279, 1286 and 1303 and died in 1312. The source presents his relationship to Ralph and the 1258 wardship as probable, not certain. His death marks the point at which the manor passed out of the documented Ridel male line to Maud Faldingworth and Henry Tilly.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Maud Faldingworth and Henry Tilly, Heiress associated with the manor of Abbotsley
Transfer: After John Ridel's death in 1312, the manor passed to Maud Faldingworth, daughter and heir of Thomas Faldingworth, and her husband Henry Tilly.
Holding arrangement: Joint — Whole manor
Shared holding: Faldingworth-Tilly marriage holding
Previous holder: John Ridel, Holder of Abbotsley manor, possibly ward of John Balliol in 1258
The source states that Maud inherited as the 'cousin' of Ralph, father of John Ridel, although the exact relationship is not known. Her holding with Henry Tilly is a direct part of the recorded descent, but the precise legal basis of her inheritance is uncertain.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
John Tilly and Elizabeth, Holder of Abbotsley manor
Transfer: Maud Faldingworth and Henry Tilly settled the manor on their son John Tilly and his wife Elizabeth before 1334.
Holding arrangement: Joint — Whole manor
Shared holding: Tilly marriage holding
Previous holder: Maud Faldingworth and Henry Tilly, Heiress associated with the manor of Abbotsley
The settlement is explicitly reported by the Victoria County History. John Tilly died about 1362, after which the manor was divided between his two daughters and heirs, Margaret and Maud.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Margaret Tilly and Maud Tilly, Co-heiresses of Abbotsley manor
Transfer: Inherited as the two daughters and heirs of John Tilly after his death about 1362.
Holding arrangement: Share — The manor was divided into two moieties, one associated with Margaret and one with Maud.
Shared holding: Tilly co-heiresses
Previous holder: John Tilly and Elizabeth, Holder of Abbotsley manor
The Victoria County History states that Margaret and Maud were John Tilly's two daughters and heirs and that the manor was divided into moieties. It does not identify their subsequent husbands or provide a complete direct conveyance of either moiety. Mary, Countess of Pembroke, held them in wardship and brought an action in 1366 concerning their alleged abduction; wardship is not treated here as ownership.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Elizabeth and John Browe, Holder of one moiety of Abbotsley by the 1448 fine
Transfer: Elizabeth, probably after the death of Nicholas Semark, married John Browe; together they levied a fine of a moiety of Abbotsley manor in 1448.
Holding arrangement: Joint — One moiety
Shared holding: Browe moiety
Previous holder: Elizabeth and Nicholas Semark
The source describes John Browe as Elizabeth's probable second husband and records the 1448 fine of a moiety of Abbotsley manor. Because the identity of Elizabeth is supplied through a later pedigree and the source uses 'in all probability' for the marriage, the entry is evidentially limited.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Anne Sapcote and John Russell, first Earl of Bedford, holder of one moiety of Abbotsley through his wife Anne Sapcote, First Earl of Bedford (second creation), statesman and courtier
Transfer: The moiety descended to Anne Sapcote, wife of John Russell, first Earl of Bedford, through the Semark line.
Holding arrangement: Joint — One moiety
Shared holding: Sapcote-Russell moiety
Previous holder: Thomas Semark
The source identifies Anne Sapcote, wife of John Russell, first Earl of Bedford, as the next recorded holder of the Semark-derived moiety. The precise date and legal form of the succession are not supplied.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Nicholas Luke, Baron of the Exchequer, purchaser of one moiety of Abbotsley in 1561
Transfer: Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, sold his moiety of Abbotsley to Nicholas Luke in 1561.
Shared holding: Luke moiety
Previous holder: Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford
This is the clearest recorded transfer of the Semark-Sapcote-Russell moiety. The later descent of Nicholas Luke's moiety was not established in the sources located. This entry should not be read as a transfer of the separate Queens' College portion.
Source: Victoria County History, A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), 'Parishes: Abbotsley', pp. 257-260, as reproduced in the cited historical summary. — source link
Queens' College, Cambridge, represented in the 1471 fine by Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Lacy and Robert Bardsey, Clerk, intermediary or feoffee in the 1471 fine, English courtier and diplomat, Viscount Rochford, Earl of Wiltshire, father of Anne Boleyn
Transfer: Queens' College acquired the manor and estate known as Scot's Manor in Abbotsley through intermediaries. The underlying fine dated one week from St Hilary, 49 Henry VI, equivalent to 20 January 1471, records William Yorke, Elizabeth Yorke and John Tapton acknowledging the manor of Albottesley called Scottesmaner to be the right of Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Lacy and Robert Bardsey, who held it of their gift.
Holding arrangement: Trust — The Queens' acquisition is identified with the Scot's Manor portion; the Victoria County History's wider descent indicates that Abbotsley was divided into moieties.
Shared holding: Queens' College Scot's Manor holding
Previous holder: William Yorke, Elizabeth Yorke and John Tapton
The legal fine names the intermediary purchasers or feoffees rather than Queens' College. The Queens' College History Archive explicitly identifies the transaction as the college's acquisition of Scot's Manor and estate in Abbotsley. The archive also states that the purchase was partly funded by the Roos benefaction and partly by the Drewell benefaction. The precise beneficial and legal structure is therefore represented as a trust or intermediary holding rather than as an unsupported direct conveyance from the Yorke parties to the college.
Source: Feet of Fines, CP 25/1/294/75 no. 20, dated 20 January 1471; Queens' College History Archive, Estate Plans 1825, section 'Estate in the Parish of Abbotsley in the County of Huntingdon'. — source link
Queens' College, Cambridge, Holder of the Abbotsley estate and, by 1898, described lord of the manor
Transfer: The college was publicly described as lord of the manor of Abbotsley in late Victorian and Edwardian directories. The source located does not identify the conveyance by which any additional moiety or manorial rights came into the college's hands.
Shared holding: Queens' College manorial lordship
Previous holder: Unknown; the transfer of any additional moiety is not established
Kelly's Directory of Huntingdonshire for 1898 and 1901 identifies the Master and Fellows of Queens' College as lords of the manor of Abbotsley. This is direct evidence of the college's status at that date, but it does not establish when or how the college acquired any portion previously associated with Nicholas Luke. The record is therefore entered with an unknown predecessor rather than an inferred conveyance.
Source: Kelly's Directory of Huntingdonshire, 1898 and 1901, parish entry for Abbotsley, stating that the Master and Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge were lords of the manor. — source link
Queens' College, Cambridge, Holder of the Abbotsley estate and, by 1898, described lord of the manor
Transfer: Queens' College sold 250 acres at Abbotsley in 1927.
Holding arrangement: Other — Sale of 250 acres; the source does not establish that the manorial lordship or all manorial rights were included.
Shared holding: Queens' College Abbotsley estate disposal
Previous holder: Queens' College, Cambridge, Holder of the Abbotsley estate and, by 1898, described lord of the manor
The Queens' College History Archive records the sale of 250 acres at Abbotsley in 1927 but cautions that this did not account for the whole estate shown on the college's 1825 map. Because the source does not identify the purchaser or state that the manor itself was conveyed, this is recorded as an estate disposal rather than as a definitive transfer of the manor.
Source: Queens' College History Archive, Estate Plans 1825, section 'Estate in the Parish of Abbotsley in the County of Huntingdon', citing A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), pp. 257-260. — source link
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