This being as perfect an account as I ever saw of any manor, I could not omit inserting it, and do not doubt its being acceptable to some, though I must own, to others it may seem useless; however, certain it is, that the quitrents of the manor have remained to this day according to this composition.
In 1349, Sir John, and Maud his wife, settled it on Adam de Buketon, parson of Yardele Hastyng, and Ralph de Crophull, parson of Harpol, their trustees, to the use of themselves for life, and then of Edmund their son, and Jane his wife, and their heirs, upon which settlement they inherited; for afterwards this Sir John Verdon, their father, married a second wife, viz. Isabell, one of the daughters and heiresses of Sir Thomas Vise de Lon of Shelf hanger, Knt. on which Isabell, in 1365, he settled Martlesham, Stansted, Swiftling and Newbourne, Saxlingham and Multon manors, and Shelfhanger and Waketon advowsons, all which he entailed on themselves and their heirs, remainder to Symon Symeon in fee, for divers uses; but by this settlement they descended to
Isabell, their only daughter, married to Sir Imbert Noon of Shelfhanger, in whose possession they were in 1391.
As to Brisingham, that reverted, for want of heirs, from Edmund de Verdon, and Jane his wife, to Sir John Verdon, their father, who died about 1392, leaving
Margaret, his only daughter by his first wife, his sole heiress, who was lady here in 1396, and lived with her mother-in-law at Shelfhanger, at whose death, according to the uses in the settlement, the manor of Stansted, the manor and advowson of Chetbury, Stagenhoe manor in Hertfordshire, Verdon's manor in Clipston, this manor, and others, came to
Sir John Pilkington, in right of Margaret his wife, who was widow of Sir Hugh Bradshaw, and daughter and heiress of Sir John Verdon; but Moulton, Shelfhanger, &c. went to the Noons. In 1399 they settled this manor on themselves and the heirs male of the said Margaret, remainder to Elizabeth, daughter of the said Margaret, by Sir Hugh Bradshaw, her first husband.
This family took its sirname from a town which they were lords of in Lancashire, where they were possessed of a great estate, as is proved by the Escheat Rolls in the Tower, and in particular by a grant of free-warren to this very Sir John Pilkington, in all his manors in that shire, in which twenty at least are named; and there it is said, that this Sir John was grandson and heir to Roger de Pilkyngton, to whom that liberty was first granted in 1290, as being son of Roger, the son of that Roger to whom the grant was made. They always bore these arms.
In 1401, Sir John, in an inquisition then taken, is said to hold Brisingham manor of Thomas Mowbray Earl-Marshal, (who is now under age,) at two fees and a half quarter, one fee and half quarter of which formerly was Richard de Brewse's, of which John Lancaster now holds a fourth part, which formerly was John de Boylond's, though its relief was charged at half a fee; it was then held of Forncet manor, and the lord paid to Sir John Howard, for his part of the fishery by the Fen Common, 3s. 4d. a year. In 1405, the manor was let for seven years, at 24l. per annum; the fishery in Reydon
