Everton Mosbury
Bernard O’Connor
2000
What became known as Mosbury
Manor, was situated on the flat, poorly drained Oxford Clay, close to the River
Ivel in Tempsford (TL 176542). No records of its early history have come to
light but, once the woodland was cleared for farming, it was probably owned by
a Saxon family. It’s possible the Danes occupied the site when they settled at
Cannock’s Castle. Who owned the land before the Norman occupation after 1066 is
uncertain. According to the Domesday Book of 1086, it was seven hides, enough
land for seven households. It consisted of five messuages (houses and gardens)
worth 5s. (£0.25) yearly, 240 acres of arable land worth 3d. an acre, seven
acres of meadow worth 7d., meadow and heath worth 18s. and rents of 19s.2d. Its history was detailed in the Victoria
County Histories of Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire. William the Conqueror
rewarded his cousin, Gilbert de Clare, the Earl of Pembroke, with this manor as
well as Everton Manor. This gave him a rectangular strip of land from the
river, eastwards across the wooded clay vale and up the Greensand Ridge to
the well drained sandy soils near
Gamlingay. He allowed peasants to farm the land in return for a portion of
their livestock, cereals, vegetable, timber etc.
The Earls of Pembroke were
generous in their donations to monastic houses. Gilbert granted the advowson of
the church, the right to appoint its vicar, together with land in Everton, to
the Priory of St. Neots. This meant the
rents went to support the monks. Some time before 1284, land belonging to this
manor was also granted to Stratford Landthorne Abbey in Essex. (Feud. Aids, vol.i, p.3; Ibid. vol.i,
p.19; Chan. Inq. p.m. 5 Edw. III (2nd Nos.), No. 24)
The overlordship passed from
the Pembrokes to the Talbots in the 14th century. Their first
mention is in 1322 when Mosbury was held by Richard Talbot. (Chan. Inq. p.m. 5
Edw. III (2nd Nos.), No. 24) The abbot of Stratford Landthorne
conveyed a lease that year to John Morice and his wife Agnes. Eleven years
later he received a grant of free rabbit warren in his demesne, manor house
land he held in Everton. In 1346 John was holding it as two parts of a fee. (Feud. Aids, i. pp. 19,23) Sixteen years
later, now a knight, Sir John Morice allowed William de Weston, master of St.
Leonard’s Church in Bedford, to use the manor in return for a fee paid to John
Colyn, the vicar of St Mary’s church in Everton. Ten years later, William
transferred it in fee simple to Thomas de Dale or Fulthorpe. In return, he
promised to pay St Leonard’s Church £20 per year. (Chan. Inq. p.m. 46 Edw. III
No. 38; Wrottesley, Pedigrees from the
Plea R.. p.465)
Between 1418 – 19 Manorial
courts were held by John Martyn, Hugh Lotrell and others as trustees for one of
the Fulthorpes. (Harl. Chart. E. 16; Chan. Inq. p.m. 8 Hen. V, No. 127) In
1428, Thomas Fulthorpe had to provide military
service to the King for two parts of a half-fee in Everton ‘formerly
held by John Morice.’ (Feud. Aids, vol.i. p.37) From this time, until the death
of William Dale in 1537, it followed the same descent as Little Barford
(FIND!!).
After 1537 it was still held
by the Talbots, who were then the earls of Shrewsbury. (Feud. Aids, vol.i, pp.23,37; Chan. Inq. p.m. 8 Hen. V, No. 127;
Ibid. (Ser. 2), lvii, No. 48) William Dale left Everton Mosbury to his
daughter, Joan, who married William Wollascot. This is the first time that it
was called Mosbury Manor and the authors of Victoria County History suggest
that it might have been previously named after Morice, hence Moricebury. (Chan.
Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), lviii, No. 48; VCH. ‘Beds’, ii, p.227; Place Names of Beds. And Hunts. (Place Names Soc.) p.111)
Joan and William’s son, also
called William, died seised (in possession) of Everton Mosbury in 1618. It passed
into the hands of his son, also called William. When he died in 1640, it was
inherited by yet another William, William Wallascott. (Ibid. ccclxxii, No. 154;
Feet of F. Div. Cos. Hil. 3 Chas. I; Chan. Inq. p.m. cccclxxxviii, No. 79; Feet of F. Div. Cos. Mich. 22 Chas. I) He
was in possession in 1653, but between that date and 1689, it passed to William
Carey. (Ibid. East. 1653; Recov. R. East. 1653) Carey owned it until 1714 when
he sold it to William Astell, one of the directors of the East India Company,
who lived in Everton House. (Recov. R. Hil. 1 Will. and Mary; Ibid. East. 2
Will. and Mary; Ibid. Trin. 12 Anne; Feet of F. Div. Cos; Ibid. Hil. 13 Anne)
At this time, its extent was given as four messuages, eight gardens, 400 acres
of land, 90 acres of meadow, 150 acres of pasture, 10 acres of woodland, 100
acres of furze and heath with 20s. from rents and the right of free warren.
William’s son, Richard
Astell, held the manor in 1738 when the manor had more than doubled in size. It
included 20 messuages, 1,000 acres of land, 100 acres of meadow, 500 acres of
pasture, 20 acres of woodland 200 acres of furze and heath with pasture as a
common. (Recov. East. 11 Geo. II) He was a director of the East India Company
making his fortune from the import of tea. Dying without an heir in 1777, it
was inherited by Richard’s nephew, William Thornton. This William assumed the
name of Astell. Over the forty years it had been further expanded with 30
messuages, 30 gardens, 800 acres of land, 500 acres of pasture, 500 acres of
furze and heath, a pasture common and turbary (peat) common. (Ibid. East. 17
Geo. III)
William Thornton died in
1847 and of his two sons, the eldest, William, died unmarried in 1864 and so
John, the younger, inherited the property. He died in 1887 leaving a son,
William Harvey Astell to inherit. When William died in 1896, the estate was
taken over by his six-year old son, Richard Astell. (Burke, Landed Gentry, 1906) Mosbury Farm
remains on the site of the early manor.