II. The next largest portion of the soil fell to HERMERUS DE FERRARIIS, a powerful Norman baron, whose heirs or successors were the Lords Bardolf of Wirmegay, where they had their castle and resided, traces of which still remain. He had 22 manors in Norfolk, valued at £67 Os. 8d. Here he possessed about 180 acres, and at the survey we find that his live stock had diminished. He was a man of violent nature, and invaded, or seized upon many other lands, besides those granted to him by the king, to the extent in value of £20 19s. 9d.

Terræ HERMERI DE FERRARIIS, fol. 205b.

In Phincham iii vill' xv bord vii serv et iii car in dominio. xiii ac pti. Tunc iv runci modo i. Tc xii an modo ix. Tc xxx porc modo xxvi. Tc cclx ovs mo clxxv. quarta pars eccliæ. semp val viii lib. huic manerio adjacet dim lg silve et i qr in longo et i qr2 in lato.

In Fincham Hermer possessed three villeins, 15 bordarers, seven servants, upon three carucates in demesne, with

13 acres of meadow. There were formerly four cart horses, now only one. Formerly 12 head of cattle, now but 26. Then 260 sheep, now 175. The nine. Then there were 30 swine, now fourth part of the tithes of a church. The whole manor is valued at eight pounds. To this manor there belongs half a league of wood, one furlong in length and one in breadth.

Invasio3 HERMERI DE FERRARIIS, fol. 273b.

In Phincham xx libi hoes tenentes t. r. e. ii car træ, sed tamen viii ex ill

Hermer also seized on in Fincham two carucates of land which 20 free men held in King Edward's time, but eight of them were customaries to the fold of

1 Villani villeins, bond slaves, bought and sold with the land. 2 Quarentena furlong, the eighth of a mile and twelfth of a leuga. 3 Invasion, or seizure, without right or title from the king.

erant consuetudinarii' ad faldam antecessoris2 sui, alii erant libi pt comdonem. In tra eorum st semp ii car x ac pti, tc val xl sol mo lviii et iv d. In ead vil xvi ac tre val xvi d.

the lord, the other 12 were free, except what they paid for protection.

These lands of theirs have always been two carucates, with 10 acres of meadow. Their value formerly was 40 shillings, now 58 and four pence. In the same town he has seized on 16 other

acres of land, valued at 16 pence.

III. A third great lord who obtained land here was RALF Lord BAINARD. He was lord of Castle Bainard in Thames street, London. He held 52 manors in Norfolk, valued at £172 16s. 1d. Here he possessed about 100 acres, besides some other portions he had seized on in this and the adjoining hundreds, to the value of £6.

Terre RADULPHI BANIARDI, fol. 250b.

In Phincham tenuit Alid liba fem i car tre. Sep iv bord. Tc iii serv. Sep i car xii ac pti. Quando recepit ii r modo i. Te viii porc tc xl ovs modo xviii. Tc val 1 sol lx mo xl, hanc p tram calumpniat sca Adeldret et hund testatur.

Alid, a free woman, held in Fincham one carucate of land (which Bainard now holds). There have been always four bordarers and three servants upon this carucate and 12 acres of meadow.

When he entered on it there were two

cart horses, now but one; then there were eight swine and 40 sheep, now only 18 sheep. It was then valued at 50 shillings, afterwards at 60, now only 40. St. Audrey (the Abbey of Ely) claims this land, as the hundred tes

tifieth.

Invasio BAIGNARDI, fol. 275.

In Phincham invasit baignard i car træ qu tener vi libi hoes et dim1 t. r. e.

In Fincham Bainard seized one carucate of land, which in King Edward's time six free men and one whose protection was divided held; it is now held

1 Consuetudinarii, still paid custom to the lord by sending their sheep to his fold for the benefit of the land,—the privilege of fald-sockne.

2 Antecessor commonly means predecessor, but here merely the lord generally.

3 Præter commendationem except their protection payment. * Dimidium-half a service, a man under the protection of two lords.

IV. Terre RAINALDI filii IVONIS, fol. 230 and 276.

In Phincham ten i lib hom t. e. r. xvi ac træ et i ac pti. Semp ii b et val ii sol. Hanc tram invasit Wihenoc.

Herluinus homo Ivonis invasit in Phincham i lib ho de xv ac et val xvi d. et i ac et dim q Mainardus invasit et val ix den.

Rainald son of Ivo has 16 acres of land and one acre of meadow, which a free man held in Fincham in King Edward's time. Always two bordarers and two shillings in value. Wihenoc held this land obtained by invasion.

Herluinus, a dependent of Ivo, holds in Fincham 15 acres, of which a free man had been deprived, valued at 16 pence. And there is one acre and a half which Mainard similarly holds, valued at nine pence.

This Rainald Fitz Ivo had 58 lordships in Norfolk, whose value, together with what he had unlawfully possessed himself of, was £122 9s. 3d. His manor passed to the Earls of Clare, the possessors of the ancient priory of Saint Wynwaloe, in Wereham, now called Winnold House.

V. Terra Sancte ADELDREDE, fol. 212b.

In Phincham ten S. A. t. r. e. xxx ac træ. Sep iii bor et i car x ac pti. val x sol.

Saint Adeldred (St. Audrey) possessed in Fincham in King Edward's time, and still does so, 30 acres of land. Always three bordarers on this carucate, and ten acres of meadow with it. The value is ten shillings.

By St. Audrey is here meant the Abbey of Ely, of which she was the foundress in 673. The greater part of the possessions of the abbey were continued to

1 Liberationem no release, nothing to shew for it.

it by King William, and in his time its lordships in this county were valued at £116 5s. 6d.

VI. Terra Abbatis de Sancto EADMUNDO, fol. 209.

In Phincham xvi ac træ et iv ac pti et val ii sol et viii d.

The Abbot of St. Edmund's (Bury) has in Fincham 16 acres of land and four acres of meadow, and they are valued at two shillings and eight pence.

This Abbey was founded by King Canute, A.D. 1020, on the site of one still older, and was very rich when William came into England. It possessed 53 manors in Norfolk, which were valued at £96 16s. 5d.

CHAPTER II.

1. FYNCHAM, IN THE 12TH AND 13TH CENTURIES.

In the course of time the Normans settled themselves firmly in their new possessions. Their original grants were further subdivided by sale and inheritance. Manor houses of imposing appearance were erected, and a variety of tenures, common rights, &c., sprang up, as the titles of the several lordships became established and recognized. Already by the time of Henry III. there were thirteen defined and distinct lordships in Fyncham. Little more than the names of these can now be traced, and what is known of the history of one or two of them, bare and scanty as it is, represents in many points that of the others.

1. FYNCHAM HALL was a very considerable manor, which gave name and residence to the family who for about 500 years occupied the chief position in the village. Nigellus de Fyncham, in the reign of William II., was lord, and gave the tithe of his demesne to Castleacre Priory.' The history of Nigellus will be investigated when we come to speak of the origin and pedigree of the Fincham family. This manor continued with them, as already intimated, through a long succession of many generations, until William Fincham conveyed it A.D. 1572 to Charles Cornwallis, Esq., afterwards Sir Charles, who had married his sister Ann. Cornwallis conveyed it to Thomas Gawsell, Esq., in the 28th of Elizabeth, 1586; and from him it came to

1 Harl. M.S. 2110, part 2, fol. 79, 79b. Br. Mus.