Came to Nicholas de Bellofago, or Beaufo, in right of his wife, as aforesaid, Nicholas his son was lord in 1219, Hugh his son in 1256, and Nicholas his son till 1326, when he settled the manor and advowson on himself for life, remainder to Thomas Berdewell, and Amy his wife, daughter of the said Nicholas, and their heirs; from which time it was joined to Berdewells manor, as was the advowson, the whole of which, at first, belonged to Angervile's manor, and with that divided one moiety to Bokenham's, and the other to Beaufo's, till Ralph son of Hugh de Bokenham sold his moiety, with an acre and half of land, to Hugh son of Nicholas de Beaufo, and then this manor had the whole advowson.
Furneaux's Manor, after called Berdewell's
Passed with Middle-Herling, of which it was a part in the Conqueror's time, and so continued till Sir John Furneaux, Knt. gave it in marriage with Sara his daughter, to John de Berdewelle, to be held of the Earl of Brittain, as of Richmond honour, at half a fee, and this was the first possession that the Berdewells ever had in any of the Herlings; Sara was lady of it in 1280, soon after which it was called,
Berdwell's, or East-Thorp Manor
By reason of its lying east of the church (as Hackford Hall manor was sometimes called West-Thorp, or Herling-Thorp, which name it still retains, on account of its lying west of the church) and to distinguish it from Furneaux or Middle-Herling manor, to which it joined.
And from this time all these manors went in the Berdewell family, as the pedigree will demonstrate.
The fines are certain at 4s. an acre, whether land, meadow, or pasture, and no regard to houses or home-stalls, they being included in the content; it gives no dower; the lands descend according to the common law; for those lands that are heriotable, the heriot is the best beast; but if they have no beast, there is no heriot due: they cannot waste their copyhold, nor fell timber, (unless to repair their copyhold,) without license. Childewyt is due to the lord, which is 2s. 8d. of every woman, bond tenant, that hath a bastard. Chevage also is paid to the lord, it being a fine for every bond tenant, for liberty to live out of the lordship, and women pay it as well as men, viz. 1d. a year each head. Bosage is also paid here, which is 1d. a head yearly for all cows and great cattle that feed on the commons; every 10 sheep of the cullet, that laid in the lord's fold, paid 1d. a year. West-Fen common at Thorp-End belonged solely to the manor; all the tenants were obliged to grind at the lord's mill, and the fishery of all the manors belonged solely to the lord.
