MANORIAL HERITAGE REGISTRY CONVEYANCE & DESCENT HISTORY ============================================================================ ACKHAMPSTEAD MANOR Public record: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_manor=ackhampstead-manor Exported: 15 October 2026, 11:20 GMT+0000 Recorded historical holders: 7 Location: Lewknor, Oxfordshire SUCCESSION REGISTER | EARLIEST RECORDED TO PRESENT ============================================================================ Relationships below reproduce saved published paths; unrecorded routes are not inferred. 1. Abingdon Abbey, Benedictine abbey of St Mary the Virgin | 1052 - 1279 Transfer: Traditional grant by Edward the Confessor and Queen Eadgitha, with a later grant or confirmation in 1278; the abbey was the superior lord of the wider Lewknor estate and its appurtenances. Holding arrangement: Other / overlordship or superior estate Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=abingdon-abbey-23667 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 2. William de Leigh, member of the Leigh family of Besselsleigh | 1199 - 1247 Transfer: Documented transactions and recognitions concerning land in Akamsted, Hakamsted and Achamsted, including a 1199 Curia Regis or related fine, a 1222 fine involving half a hide, and a 1247 recognition of Thomas de Leigh's right. Holding arrangement: Leigh family estate / Co-holders: Thomas de Leigh, John de Leigh Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-de-leigh-23668 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 3. Thomas de Leigh | 1247 - 1279 Transfer: In 1247 William de Leigh recognised that a carucate in Achamsted belonged to Thomas de Leigh and the heirs of his body, with a remainder to Stephen de Leigh if Thomas had no heirs. Thomas is recorded as holding the estate in 1279. Holding arrangement: Leigh family estate / Co-holders: William de Leigh, John de Leigh Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-de-leigh-23669 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 4. John de Leigh | 1279 - c.1348 Transfer: Descent from Thomas de Leigh to his heir John de Leigh; John is reported to have died about 1348. Holding arrangement: Leigh family estate / Co-holders: William de Leigh, Thomas de Leigh Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-de-leigh-23670 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 5. Katherine de Leigh, wife of Sir Thomas Bessels | c.1348 - 1406 Transfer: Descent after the death of John de Leigh; Katherine de Leigh is recorded in possession of Ackhampstead and died in 1406. Holding arrangement: Leigh-Bessels family estate Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=katherine-de-leigh-23671 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 6. Sir Peter Bessels, Sir Peter Bessels of Besselsleigh, knight, Member of Parliament, Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire | 1412 - 1425 Transfer: In 1412 Sir Peter Bessels placed Ackhampstead Manor in trust and dealt with the reversion because Thomas Chaucer held the manor for life. Holding arrangement: Trust / Reversionary interest; exact share not stated / Bessels family estate Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-peter-bessels-23672 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 7. Thomas Chaucer, Thomas Chaucer of Ewelme, Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons | 1412 - 1429 Transfer: Life lease or life tenure already in existence when Sir Peter Bessels dealt with the reversion in 1412; the reversion of the manor held by Thomas Chaucer for life was still recorded in 1429. Holding arrangement: Other / Life interest or life lease / life tenant under Bessels reversion Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-chaucer-23673 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded DETAILED CONVEYANCE HISTORIES AND LINKED PEDIGREES ============================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 1 | 1052 - 1279 Abingdon Abbey, Benedictine abbey of St Mary the Virgin Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=abingdon-abbey-23667 Transfer: Traditional grant by Edward the Confessor and Queen Eadgitha, with a later grant or confirmation in 1278; the abbey was the superior lord of the wider Lewknor estate and its appurtenances. Holding arrangement: other Shared holding: overlordship or superior estate Narrative / explanation: The evidence concerns the wider Lewknor estate, described as including Ackhampstead or its members, rather than a separately documented freehold of Ackhampstead Manor. Abingdon Abbey should therefore be treated as overlord or superior holder, not as proof that the abbey directly occupied the later Bessels Ackhampstead manor. Source citation: Gordon Wyatt, A History of Ackhampstead, citing the Abingdon Abbey tradition and the Hundred Rolls; corroborated by the Buckinghamshire Heritage Portal monument record for Ackhampstead. Source URL: https://www.friethhistory.org/A%20History%20of%20Frieth/090_Ackhampstead.html Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=abingdon-abbey-23667 Person dates: Founded before the Norman Conquest; suppressed in 1538 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 2 | 1199 - 1247 William de Leigh, member of the Leigh family of Besselsleigh Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-de-leigh-23668 Transfer: Documented transactions and recognitions concerning land in Akamsted, Hakamsted and Achamsted, including a 1199 Curia Regis or related fine, a 1222 fine involving half a hide, and a 1247 recognition of Thomas de Leigh's right. Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Leigh family estate Narrative / explanation: William de Leigh is the earliest securely named lay holder connected directly with land in Ackhampstead. The surviving evidence records specific parcels and rights rather than using the full expression Ackhampstead Manor throughout, so the entry should be understood as the documented predecessor estate from which the later manor developed. Source citation: Feet of fines and related records as transcribed by Gordon Wyatt in A History of Ackhampstead; the account identifies the 1199, 1222, 1231 and 1247 transactions and connects the Leigh family with Ackhampstead. Source URL: https://www.friethhistory.org/A%20History%20of%20Frieth/090_Ackhampstead.html Co-holders: Thomas de Leigh, John de Leigh Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-de-leigh-23668 Person dates: Flourishing c.1199–1247 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 3 | 1247 - 1279 Thomas de Leigh Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-de-leigh-23669 Transfer: In 1247 William de Leigh recognised that a carucate in Achamsted belonged to Thomas de Leigh and the heirs of his body, with a remainder to Stephen de Leigh if Thomas had no heirs. Thomas is recorded as holding the estate in 1279. Previous holder: William de Leigh Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Leigh family estate Narrative / explanation: The 1247 fine or recognition provides a direct link between Thomas de Leigh and a substantial Ackhampstead holding. The 1279 evidence confirms that Thomas held it. The precise legal form of the 1279 tenure is not stated in the available source. Source citation: Feet of fine dated 3 June 1247, as transcribed by Gordon Wyatt in A History of Ackhampstead; 1279 holding evidence discussed in the Lewknor Manors account. Source URL: https://www.friethhistory.org/A%20History%20of%20Frieth/090_Ackhampstead.html Co-holders: William de Leigh, John de Leigh Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-de-leigh-23668 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-de-leigh-23669 Person dates: Flourishing 1247–1279 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 4 | 1279 - c.1348 John de Leigh Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-de-leigh-23670 Transfer: Descent from Thomas de Leigh to his heir John de Leigh; John is reported to have died about 1348. Previous holder: Thomas de Leigh Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Leigh family estate Narrative / explanation: The available local and county-history material identifies John de Leigh as Thomas de Leigh's heir and places the Ackhampstead holding in the Leigh descent until John's death about 1348. No separate dated deed of transfer has been located, so the conveyance is recorded as an evidenced hereditary descent rather than as a specific instrument. Source citation: Lewknor Manors historical account, drawing on the descent of the Leigh family and the medieval estate evidence; corroborated by the Ackhampstead historical account. Source URL: https://astonrowant.wordpress.com/lewknor-manors/ Co-holders: William de Leigh, Thomas de Leigh Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-de-leigh-23669 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-de-leigh-23670 Person dates: Died c.1348 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 5 | c.1348 - 1406 Katherine de Leigh, wife of Sir Thomas Bessels Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=katherine-de-leigh-23671 Transfer: Descent after the death of John de Leigh; Katherine de Leigh is recorded in possession of Ackhampstead and died in 1406. Previous holder: John de Leigh Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Leigh-Bessels family estate Narrative / explanation: Katherine de Leigh is explicitly associated with possession of Ackhampstead after the death of John de Leigh. She was the wife of Sir Thomas Bessels, who died about 1378, and the mother of Sir Peter Bessels. The source does not establish whether her possession was in fee, for life, or under another precise legal form. Source citation: Lewknor Manors historical account, stating that Ackhampstead was found in the possession of Katherine de Leigh, wife of Sir Thomas Bessels, and her son Sir Peter Bessels. Source URL: https://astonrowant.wordpress.com/lewknor-manors/ Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-de-leigh-23670 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=katherine-de-leigh-23671 Person dates: Died 1406 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 6 | 1412 - 1425 Sir Peter Bessels, Sir Peter Bessels of Besselsleigh, knight, Member of Parliament, Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-peter-bessels-23672 Transfer: In 1412 Sir Peter Bessels placed Ackhampstead Manor in trust and dealt with the reversion because Thomas Chaucer held the manor for life. Previous holder: Katherine de Leigh Holding arrangement: trust Share / interest: Reversionary interest; exact share not stated Shared holding: Bessels family estate Narrative / explanation: This is the first source located that expressly uses the designation Ackhampstead Manor. Sir Peter Bessels did not have unfettered present possession because Thomas Chaucer held the manor for life. Sir Peter's interest was therefore a reversionary and trust-related interest rather than immediate occupational possession. He died in 1425, after directing that his lands be sold for alms. The later execution of that direction and the identity of any purchaser are not securely documented. Source citation: Lewknor Manors historical account, which dates the first explicit record of Ackhampstead Manor to 1412 and describes Sir Peter Bessels's trust arrangement and 1425 death; see also the underlying medieval estate discussion in the Ackhampstead history. Source URL: https://astonrowant.wordpress.com/lewknor-manors/ Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=katherine-de-leigh-23671 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-peter-bessels-23672 Person dates: c.1363–1425 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 7 | 1412 - 1429 Thomas Chaucer, Thomas Chaucer of Ewelme, Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House of Commons Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-chaucer-23673 Transfer: Life lease or life tenure already in existence when Sir Peter Bessels dealt with the reversion in 1412; the reversion of the manor held by Thomas Chaucer for life was still recorded in 1429. Previous holder: Katherine de Leigh and Sir Peter Bessels Holding arrangement: other Share / interest: Life interest or life lease Shared holding: life tenant under Bessels reversion Narrative / explanation: Thomas Chaucer was the life tenant of Ackhampstead Manor, not necessarily its fee-simple owner. The 1412 trust transaction expressly states that Sir Peter Bessels could dispose only of the reversion, and a 1429 record describes the reversion of the manor as held by Thomas Chaucer for life. This entry must therefore be distinguished from ownership of the reversion by Sir Peter Bessels and his trustees. Source citation: Ackhampstead historical account citing a 1429 record of the reversion of the manor of Akhampstede held by Thomas Chaucer for life; the Lewknor Manors account gives the corresponding 1412 trust context. Source URL: https://www.friethhistory.org/A%20History%20of%20Frieth/090_Ackhampstead.html Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-chaucer-23673 Person dates: c.1367–1434 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. END OF EXPORTED APPROVED CONVEYANCE HISTORY