MANORIAL HERITAGE REGISTRY CONVEYANCE & DESCENT HISTORY ============================================================================ AKENHAM MANOR Public record: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_manor=akenham-manor Exported: 15 October 2026, 16:53 GMT+0000 Recorded historical holders: 11 Location: Akenham, Suffolk SUCCESSION REGISTER | EARLIEST RECORDED TO PRESENT ============================================================================ Relationships below reproduce saved published paths; unrecorded routes are not inferred. 1. Roger de Rames, also rendered Roger de Rheims or Roger of Rames, Norman landholder recorded in Domesday Book | 1086 - after 1086 Transfer: Domesday tenure; predecessor holdings rather than a demonstrably unified later Akenham Manor Holding arrangement: Several separate Akenham holdings; the sources do not establish a single unified manor or a precise share / Domesday Akenham holdings Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-de-rames-roger-de-rheims-or-roger-of-rames-25417 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 2. Richard de Brewse, Knight or member of the de Brewse landed family, exact style varies by source | by 1296 - late thirteenth or early fourteenth century; exact end date unknown Transfer: Earlier Brewse family holding; the precise acquisition date is unknown Holding arrangement: Not stated / Brewse family / Co-holders: William Brewse Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=richard-de-brewse-25418 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 3. William Brewse, Member of the Brewse landed family | fifteenth century; exact date unknown - before or by the marriage of his daughter Amy; exact date unknown Transfer: Descent within the Brewse family; the manor was later assigned in dower on the marriage of his daughter Amy Holding arrangement: Not stated / Brewse family / Co-holders: Richard de Brewse Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-brewse-25419 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 4. Sir Roger Townsend, member of the Townsend family | late fifteenth century; exact date unknown - before 1586 Transfer: Received Akenham Manor in dower on his marriage to Amy Brewse Holding arrangement: Dower interest; the precise legal extent is not stated / Townsend-Brewse marriage settlement Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-roger-townsend-25420 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 5. Roger Townsend, Member of the Townsend family, seller of Akenham Manor in 1586 | before 1586 - 1586 Transfer: Sold Akenham Manor to John Aylmer, Bishop of London Holding arrangement: Not stated / Townsend family Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-townsend-25421 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 6. John Aylmer, Bishop of London, 1577-1594, chaplain and tutor to Lady Jane Grey, tutor to Lady Jane Grey | 1586 - 1594 Transfer: Purchased from Roger Townsend; subsequently settled the estate so that his son Samuel became sole possessor by 1594 Holding arrangement: Not stated; later family settlement altered the beneficial and legal holding / Aylmer family / Co-holders: Samuel Aylmer, Edward Aylmer Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-aylmer-25422 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 7. Samuel Aylmer, Suffolk landowner, High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1626 | 1594 - 1635 Transfer: Became sole possessor of Akenham Manor under an indenture octopartite settling his father's Suffolk properties Holding arrangement: Sole possession stated for Akenham and Claydon / Aylmer family / Co-holders: John Aylmer, Bishop of London, Edward Aylmer Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=samuel-aylmer-25423 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 8. Edward Aylmer, Suffolk landowner, son and successor of Samuel Aylmer | 1635 - by 1650 Transfer: Succeeded Samuel Aylmer to Akenham Manor and later agreed to sell the manor to an agent of Edward Arras; the exact completion date is uncertain Holding arrangement: Not stated / Aylmer family / Co-holders: John Aylmer, Bishop of London, Samuel Aylmer Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=edward-aylmer-25424 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 9. Thomas Arras, also rendered Edward Arras or Edward Arris in the contemporary litigation, Physician or medical practitioner in the Akenham litigation, exact style varies by source | by 1650 - before 1817; exact end date unknown Transfer: Acquired or contracted to acquire Akenham Manor from Edward Aylmer; the completion of the sale is not fully established Holding arrangement: Not stated; contemporary proceedings also describe possession or enjoyment under financial arrangements / Arras or Arris family Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-arras-also-rendered-edward-arras-or-edward-arris-25425 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 10. John Orford, Recorded owner or lord of Akenham Manor in 1817 | 1817 - after 1817; exact end date unknown Transfer: Later owner; the intervening conveyance from the Arras or Arris interest is not identified Holding arrangement: Not stated / Orford family Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-orford-25426 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 11. George Frederick Beaumont, Esquire, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, lord of Akenham Manor by 1900 | by 1900 - date unknown; after 1900 Transfer: Later documented lordship; the conveyance from the Orford family or any intervening holder is not identified Holding arrangement: Not stated / Beaumont family Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=george-frederick-beaumont-25427 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded DETAILED CONVEYANCE HISTORIES AND LINKED PEDIGREES ============================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 1 | 1086 - after 1086 Roger de Rames, also rendered Roger de Rheims or Roger of Rames, Norman landholder recorded in Domesday Book Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-de-rames-roger-de-rheims-or-roger-of-rames-25417 Transfer: Domesday tenure; predecessor holdings rather than a demonstrably unified later Akenham Manor Previous holder: Godwin the priest, Sunwin and Thorbern the priest, together with the unnamed holder of one additional Akenham holding Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Several separate Akenham holdings; the sources do not establish a single unified manor or a precise share Shared holding: Domesday Akenham holdings Narrative / explanation: The Akenham parish manorial summary records four separate pre-Conquest holdings and states that by 1086 they belonged to Roger de Rames, with one holding occupied by Roger's daughter. This is the earliest secure documentary evidence for the later manor's land in Akenham, but it should not be treated as proof that the later consolidated Akenham Manor already existed in its medieval form. Source citation: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Akenham parish history, section 13 Manorial, citing Domesday material. Source URL: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/media/pdfs/akenham.pdf Other parties: Roger de Rames Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-de-rames-roger-de-rheims-or-roger-of-rames-25417 Person dates: flourished in the late eleventh century; recorded in 1086 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 2 | by 1296 - late thirteenth or early fourteenth century; exact end date unknown Richard de Brewse, Knight or member of the de Brewse landed family, exact style varies by source Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=richard-de-brewse-25418 Transfer: Earlier Brewse family holding; the precise acquisition date is unknown Previous holder: Brewse family, described as the ancient holders of Akenham Manor Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated Shared holding: Brewse family Narrative / explanation: The Suffolk parish-history summary states that Akenham Manor was anciently held by the Brewse family by 1296 and associates Richard de Brewse with the absorption of Rice or Rous Hall into the main manor. The wording does not establish the exact date or legal instrument of Richard's acquisition, and the relationship between the main manor and Rice Hall was historically confused. Source citation: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Akenham parish history, section 13 Manorial; corroborated by the historical account in the Beaumont Collection catalogue summarising Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, volume II, page 227. Source URL: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/media/pdfs/akenham.pdf Other parties: Richard de Brewse Co-holders: William Brewse Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=richard-de-brewse-25418 Person dates: flourished in the late thirteenth century Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 3 | fifteenth century; exact date unknown - before or by the marriage of his daughter Amy; exact date unknown William Brewse, Member of the Brewse landed family Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-brewse-25419 Transfer: Descent within the Brewse family; the manor was later assigned in dower on the marriage of his daughter Amy Previous holder: Earlier Brewse holders, including the line associated with Sir Thomas Brewse Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated Shared holding: Brewse family Narrative / explanation: The manor is specifically mentioned in the inquisition post mortem of Sir Thomas Brewse in 1482. A later account states that it passed in dower on the marriage of Amy, daughter of William Brewse, to Sir Roger Townsend. The evidence supports William Brewse's position in the relevant Brewse descent, but does not provide an exact date for his tenure or the dower settlement. Source citation: Historical account of Akenham Manor in the Beaumont Collection catalogue, summarising Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, volume II, page 227; the same account notes the 1482 inquisition post mortem of Sir Thomas Brewse. Source URL: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/cfbf0ed-882c-4d84-b3f4-8d81a3f29bba/downloads/Auction%20Catalogue%20-%20Beaumont%20Collection%20-%20Nov%20.pdf?ver=1754342542619 Other parties: William Brewse Co-holders: Richard de Brewse Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=william-brewse-25419 Person dates: flourished in the fifteenth century Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 4 | late fifteenth century; exact date unknown - before 1586 Sir Roger Townsend, member of the Townsend family Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-roger-townsend-25420 Transfer: Received Akenham Manor in dower on his marriage to Amy Brewse Previous holder: Amy Brewse, daughter of William Brewse; the dower arrangement derived from the Brewse holding Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Dower interest; the precise legal extent is not stated Shared holding: Townsend-Brewse marriage settlement Narrative / explanation: The historical account states that Akenham Manor passed in dower on the marriage of Amy Brewse, daughter of William Brewse, to Sir Roger Townsend. This is evidence of a manor connection, but the source does not give the marriage date or specify whether the dower interest represented the whole manor or a defined legal share. Source citation: Historical account of Akenham Manor in the Beaumont Collection catalogue, summarising Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, volume II, page 227. Source URL: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/cfbf0ed-882c-4d84-b3f4-8d81a3f29bba/downloads/Auction%20Catalogue%20-%20Beaumont%20Collection%20-%20Nov%20.pdf?ver=1754342542619 Other parties: Sir Roger Townsend, Amy Brewse Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-roger-townsend-25420 Person dates: flourished in the late fifteenth century Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 5 | before 1586 - 1586 Roger Townsend, Member of the Townsend family, seller of Akenham Manor in 1586 Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-townsend-25421 Transfer: Sold Akenham Manor to John Aylmer, Bishop of London Previous holder: Townsend family, descended from Sir Roger Townsend Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated Shared holding: Townsend family Narrative / explanation: A descendant of Sir Roger Townsend, identified as Roger Townsend, sold Akenham Manor in 1586 to John Aylmer, Bishop of London. The source does not establish the intervening descent from Sir Roger Townsend to this Roger Townsend, nor does it give the exact date or instrument of sale. Source citation: Historical account of Akenham Manor in the Beaumont Collection catalogue, summarising Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, volume II, page 227; corroborated by the Suffolk Heritage Explorer parish history. Source URL: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/cfbf0ed-882c-4d84-b3f4-8d81a3f29bba/downloads/Auction%20Catalogue%20-%20Beaumont%20Collection%20-%20Nov%20.pdf?ver=1754342542619 Other parties: Roger Townsend Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-townsend-25421 Person dates: flourished in the sixteenth century Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 6 | 1586 - 1594 John Aylmer, Bishop of London, 1577-1594, chaplain and tutor to Lady Jane Grey, tutor to Lady Jane Grey Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-aylmer-25422 Transfer: Purchased from Roger Townsend; subsequently settled the estate so that his son Samuel became sole possessor by 1594 Previous holder: Roger Townsend Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated; later family settlement altered the beneficial and legal holding Shared holding: Aylmer family Narrative / explanation: The Akenham Manor history states that Roger Townsend sold the manor in 1586 to John Aylmer, Bishop of London. A contemporary legal-history account records that John Aylmer and his son Samuel acquired the adjoining manors of Claydon and Akenham in the 1580s and that an indenture octopartite subsequently made Samuel sole possessor of Akenham and Claydon by 1594. Source citation: Historical account of Akenham Manor in the Beaumont Collection catalogue; W. P. Hills, Claydon and Mockbeggars Hall, Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, volume XXIII, 1937, pages 8-10. Source URL: https://suffolkinstitute.pdfsrv.co.uk/customers/Suffolk%20Institute/2014/01/10/Volume%20XXIII%20Part%201%20%281937%29_Claydon%20and%20Mockbeggars%20Hall%20W%20P%20Hills_6%20to%2017.pdf Other parties: John Aylmer Co-holders: Samuel Aylmer, Edward Aylmer Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=roger-townsend-25421 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-aylmer-25422 Person dates: 1521-1594 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 7 | 1594 - 1635 Samuel Aylmer, Suffolk landowner, High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1626 Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=samuel-aylmer-25423 Transfer: Became sole possessor of Akenham Manor under an indenture octopartite settling his father's Suffolk properties Previous holder: John Aylmer, Bishop of London Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Sole possession stated for Akenham and Claydon Shared holding: Aylmer family Narrative / explanation: A legal-history account states that John Aylmer had settled most of his properties by an indenture octopartite under which Samuel Aylmer became sole possessor of Claydon and Akenham. Samuel lived at Akenham Hall and died in 1635. The evidence supports a formal family settlement rather than an inferred succession based solely on kinship. Source citation: W. P. Hills, Claydon and Mockbeggars Hall, Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, volume XXIII, 1937, pages 8-10; Suffolk Heritage Explorer records Samuel Aylmer as resident at Akenham Hall and identifies him in the manorial history. Source URL: https://suffolkinstitute.pdfsrv.co.uk/customers/Suffolk%20Institute/2014/01/10/Volume%20XXIII%20Part%201%20%281937%29_Claydon%20and%20Mockbeggars%20Hall%20W%20P%20Hills_6%20to%2017.pdf Other parties: Samuel Aylmer Co-holders: John Aylmer, Bishop of London, Edward Aylmer Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-aylmer-25422 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=samuel-aylmer-25423 Person dates: 1546-1635 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 8 | 1635 - by 1650 Edward Aylmer, Suffolk landowner, son and successor of Samuel Aylmer Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=edward-aylmer-25424 Transfer: Succeeded Samuel Aylmer to Akenham Manor and later agreed to sell the manor to an agent of Edward Arras; the exact completion date is uncertain Previous holder: Samuel Aylmer Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated Shared holding: Aylmer family Narrative / explanation: The legal-history account states that Edward Aylmer succeeded to both Akenham and Claydon and to his father's Suffolk properties after Samuel Aylmer's death in 1635. Chancery proceedings recited an agreement dated 12 December 1650 for the sale of Akenham Manor by Edward Aylmer to an agent of Edward Arras for £4,779 10 shillings. The source also records financial arrangements under which Arras was to enjoy the manor, so the precise date of completed legal transfer should not be assumed. Source citation: W. P. Hills, Claydon and Mockbeggars Hall, Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, volume XXIII, 1937, pages 8-10, discussing Aylmer v. Arris and Aylmer v. Eldred. Source URL: https://suffolkinstitute.pdfsrv.co.uk/customers/Suffolk%20Institute/2014/01/10/Volume%20XXIII%20Part%201%20%281937%29_Claydon%20and%20Mockbeggars%20Hall%20W%20P%20Hills_6%20to%2017.pdf Other parties: Edward Aylmer Co-holders: John Aylmer, Bishop of London, Samuel Aylmer Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=samuel-aylmer-25423 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=edward-aylmer-25424 Person dates: died 1656 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 9 | by 1650 - before 1817; exact end date unknown Thomas Arras, also rendered Edward Arras or Edward Arris in the contemporary litigation, Physician or medical practitioner in the Akenham litigation, exact style varies by source Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-arras-also-rendered-edward-arras-or-edward-arris-25425 Transfer: Acquired or contracted to acquire Akenham Manor from Edward Aylmer; the completion of the sale is not fully established Previous holder: Edward Aylmer Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated; contemporary proceedings also describe possession or enjoyment under financial arrangements Shared holding: Arras or Arris family Narrative / explanation: The Suffolk parish-history summary gives Thomas Arras as owner in 1646, while the contemporary legal-history study records an agreement dated 12 December 1650 for Edward Aylmer to sell Akenham Manor to an agent of Edward Arras and describes Arras as enjoying the manor under related bonds. Because the 1646 date conflicts with the more specific 1650 Chancery evidence, this entry uses the cautious date 'by 1650' and records the legal uncertainty rather than treating 1646 as a proven completed conveyance. Source citation: W. P. Hills, Claydon and Mockbeggars Hall, Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, volume XXIII, 1937, pages 8-10; Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Akenham parish history. Source URL: https://suffolkinstitute.pdfsrv.co.uk/customers/Suffolk%20Institute/2014/01/10/Volume%20XXIII%20Part%201%20%281937%29_Claydon%20and%20Mockbeggars%20Hall%20W%20P%20Hills_6%20to%2017.pdf Other parties: Thomas Arras Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=edward-aylmer-25424 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=thomas-arras-also-rendered-edward-arras-or-edward-arris-25425 Person dates: flourished in the mid-seventeenth century Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 10 | 1817 - after 1817; exact end date unknown John Orford, Recorded owner or lord of Akenham Manor in 1817 Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-orford-25426 Transfer: Later owner; the intervening conveyance from the Arras or Arris interest is not identified Previous holder: Thomas Arras or his successors Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated Shared holding: Orford family Narrative / explanation: The Suffolk parish-history summary records John Orford as owner of Akenham Manor in 1817, after noting an estate of approximately 2,000 acres and copyhold estates of approximately 200 acres in 1815. No source consulted establishes the conveyance by which the manor passed from Thomas Arras or his successors to John Orford, so the intervening gap is left explicit. Source citation: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Akenham parish history, section 13 Manorial. Source URL: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/media/pdfs/akenham.pdf Other parties: John Orford Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-orford-25426 Person dates: flourished in the early nineteenth century; exact dates not established here Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 11 | by 1900 - date unknown; after 1900 George Frederick Beaumont, Esquire, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, lord of Akenham Manor by 1900 Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=george-frederick-beaumont-25427 Transfer: Later documented lordship; the conveyance from the Orford family or any intervening holder is not identified Previous holder: Robert Baker Orford or another undocumented predecessor Holding arrangement: sole Share / interest: Not stated Shared holding: Beaumont family Narrative / explanation: Kelly's Directory of Suffolk for 1900 described George Frederick Beaumont of The Lawn, Coggeshall, Essex, as lord of the manor of Akenham. The source establishes his manor connection but does not identify the conveyance by which the lordship reached him. The entry is therefore recorded as a later documented holder, not as a presumed successor by inheritance or family connection. Source citation: Kelly's Directory of Suffolk, 1900, parish description of Akenham, reproduced by Forebears. Source URL: https://forebears.io/england/suffolk/akenham Other parties: George Frederick Beaumont Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=george-frederick-beaumont-25427 Person dates: nineteenth and early twentieth century; exact dates not established in the consulted source Relationship paths: No published path recorded. END OF EXPORTED APPROVED CONVEYANCE HISTORY