Wille or Wyld

Overlordship

The manor of WILĹE (Wille, xi cent.; la Wyle, xii, xiv cent.; Wilde, xvi cent.) has usually been identified with the estate of Well House, which lies to the south of the hamlet of Eling, but its subsequent history seems to show that it included also a long strip extending from Wyld Court Farm on the east to Bothampstead Farm on the west, lying between the manor of Hampstead Norris on the north and that of Eling on the south. In the reign of Edward the Confessor it was held of the king by Elwin, and in 1086 it was held by Gilbert de Bretville. The overlordship of this passed with all Gilbert's manors to Baldwin de Redvers, seventh Earl of Devon, who was holding it in the 13th century, and after his death in 1245 it seems to have passed to his widow Amice, whose second husband was Robert Gynes. It seems likely that she married for the third time Matthew de Columbers, who was overlord of this manor, and was living as late as 1280. At the death of Amice in 1283, as her only son Baldwin eighth Earl of Devon had died childless in 1262, the manor passed to her daughter Isabel the wife of William de Fortz Earl of Albemarle. Isabel sold to the king on 8 November 1293 the Isle of Wight, Christchurch and others estates, among which this manor was included. The overlordship of this manor remained in the hands of the king until about 1330, when it was granted to Sir William Montagu, who was in 1337 created Earl of Salisbury. Sir William married Katherine de Grandison, and died in 1344, when he was succeeded by his eldest son William, then aged fifteen. This William married Elizabeth daughter and heir of John Lord Mohun, and died in 1397 without surviving issue, as he had killed his only son Sir William in 1382. The overlordship descended to John Montagu, nephew of the last earl, being the son of his younger brother John. John Montagu, Earl of Salisbury, rebelled and was slain at Cirencester in 1400, when he was attainted and his manors came to the Crown. Although most of the estates were restored to his son Thomas in 1409, this appears to have remained with the Crown. The overlordship seems to have been divided, for in 1411 we find the manor of Bothampstead held of the Duke of Lancaster as of the honour of Tutbury, while the following year certain lands at Wille are stated to have been held of Sir Robert Ferrers, lord of Chartley, as of his manor of Hampstead. As in the case of Peasemore (q.v.), the overlordship of the Bothampstead portion was held of the Earls of Salisbury by Sir Richard Abberbury in 1390.

Lordship

William held this manor of Gilbert de Bretville in 1086, and in 1199 Robert de la Wille sold a virgate of land here to William son of Hereward. Walter de la Wille was holding the manor in the 13th century, and William de la Wille held it in 1397, after which we hear nothing further of this manor. Early in the 14th century lands in Le Wyk and Bokhampstede were held by William de Wantage, and after his death by his widow Joan, and in 1311 these lands were in the king's hands by reason of the minority of their son John. Immediately after this we find that certain lands at La Wille were in the hands of Elias de Coleshill, who received a grant of free warren in all his lands here, as well as those in Hampstead, Basildon and Ashampstead, in 1311. He was holding these lands in 1316, and at his death they descended to Thomas de Coleshill, apparently his son. Thomas is described as of La Wille in 1350, when he acknowledged himself to be in debt to Thomas de Stapelford. His affairs seem to have become more involved, for in 1352 he assigned a yearly rent of 20 marks, arising out of his lands here and at Buckhold, to Richard de Causton, citizen and mercer of London. In 1355 this rent was purchased by Isabel widow of Sir John de Brumton, and the following Easter the property was conveyed to William Cokeswell and William Ceresy in trust for Isabel for her life, with reversion to Thomas de Coleshill, his wife Lucy, and afterwards in succession to their sons Richard and Thomas and their daughter Isabel. Isabel de Brumton appears to have outlived Thomas and Lucy as well as their two sons, both of whom died without issue, and the property passed to Isabel daughter of Thomas de Coleshill. The latter seems to have married firstly — Inkepenne and secondly Hugh Crane. At her death in 1410 the property passed to her grandson Richard Inkepenne, the son of her son Robert. Richard was about twenty-one years of age at the time of his grandmother's death, and was holding the manor in 1428, and it is possible that this estate is represented in part by the messuage and 50 acres of land in Wil(de) held in 1517 by the Prioress of the Minoresses. It is also probable that the estate just described is the same as Well House, which is again mentioned in 1610, when John Dancastle died seised of a capital messuage here with 300 acres of land which was held of John Norreys as of his manor of Hampstead Norris. The estate descended to his grandson John, the son and heir of his son John, who was then aged twelve and a half years. This John, who married Anne Fettiplace, was in 1634–5 a recusant, and the estate, then in the tenure of his uncle Griffin Dancastle, was forfeited and granted by the king to Thomas Hayward. The subsequent history is obscure, but the estate is now the property of the Right Hon. George William Palmer.