ELMBRIDGE HUNDRED
��The chief entrance is from the east by a wooden doorway at the north end of the hall, which has con- tinuous mouldings, carved spandrels and a square head ; another door is opposite this one, but has been altered. From this a stair leads to the upper floor of the north wing. Each wall has a double tier of windows, with wood frames and mullions, but, as in the rest of the house, none appear to be original. A large tie-beam with a king-post spans the hall in the middle, and the roof is partly ceiled.
At the south end of the hall are the screens and gallery, the latter carried by four moulded posts prob- ably originally filled in with panelling. Access to this was by a stair from the floor of the hall on the west side, where there is an opening in the framing which crosses the front of the gallery. From the gallery two doors open to the upper floor of the south wing. At both ends of the passage through the screens are the usual external doors, but these are only reproductions of old work.
From the passage two other doors open into the two ground floor rooms of the south wing, which occupy the normal position of the kitchen and but- tery, the large fireplace on the south wall of the wing being partly blocked up, but the traces of decoration in these rooms, a large moulded post in the framing on each side of the east room and moulded joists in the ceiling, and some leaf carving on the frame of the window of the west room, seem to show that they were designed for living rooms and not domestic offices. It is evident, however, that the building has been considerably altered at various times.
The north wing is entered by a door at the north- east angle of the hall, with a moulded wood frame, and contains three rooms on the ground floor, and in the north wall a blocked window with hollow-cham- fered wood mullions, which is possibly one of the original lights.
In 1086 Richard of Tonbridge, lord of Clare, held the manor of Walton, later known as WALTON LEIGH, which Erding had held of King Edward. There were on the manor a church, a mill, and a fishery. 37
The overlordship continued with the Clares until 1314, when the last Gilbert de Clare died seised of it, 38 and it then seems to have been divided among his heiresses. In 1324 the manor was said to be held of Hugh Audley, husband of Margaret, one of the sisters of Gilbert. 39 In 1 349 Hugh le Despenser, son of Eleanor, another of the heiresses, died seised of one-fourth of a knight's fee in Walton, 40 and this descended to Isabella Countess of Warwick, daughter of Thomas le Despenser, who held it at her death in 1439- 4 ' Her share probably escheated to the Crown after the attainder of her heir 'the Kingmaker' in 1471. The descendants of Elizabeth, the third heiress, ap- parently also had a share, for in 1422 the manor was
��MORTIMIK. Barry or and axure a chief or with two fates between two gyrons azure and a scutcheon argent over all.
��WALTON ON THAMES
said to be held of Edmund Earl of March, who was grandson of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, lord of Clare in right of his wife Philippa, daughter of Eliza- beth, granddaughter of Eliza- beth the heiress, as of his castle of Clare." He died without issue in 1425, when his in- heritance descended to his sister's son Richard, afterwards Duke of York, whose son be- came Edward IV, when this part of the overlordship came to the Crown.
Undertenants appear at the beginning of the I3th cen- tury, when half a knight's fee in Walton was held by Geoffrey de Cruce, 43 - 6 whose daughter Avelina, wife of Roger Leigh or de Legh, claimed view of frankpledge and assize of bread and ale within the manor. 47 She died seised of it in 1299, Joan described as widow of Nicholas de Cruce then being dowered in one-third of the manor. 49 There were twenty- six free tenants, and the manor was valued at 10 121. 7f</. It descended to John Leigh, son of Avelina, who conveyed a moiety of this manor to Walter de Langton, Bishop of Coventry and Lich- field, the famous statesman, for his life ; the bishop obtained from Edward I a grant of free warren there. 49 He died in l322, M and the lands reverted to John Leigh, who died seised of the whole manor in 1325." In 1346 John Leigh is mentioned as holding the manor of the honour of Clare ; 5 * but his mother Margaret, who after the death of his father had married Robert de Kendale, had posses- sion of it for life; she died in 1348. 53 In 1410 John Leigh of Shell or Shellegh (Shelley), co. Essex, is mentioned as holding the manor. 54 He was prob- ably the John Leigh who in 1422 died seised of the manor of Leigh's Court, as it was then called. A court baron belonged to the manor." From him it passed to his son Thomas, and so descended eventually to Giles Leigh, great-grandson of Thomas, who inherited it in 1509. It was then held by the service of half a knight's fee in fee-tail. 56 In 1537 Henry VIII purchased the manor of Leigh's Court from Giles Leigh, and annexed it to the honour of Hampton Court. 47 The manor remained vested in the Crown till late in the i8th century, and was granted on lease from time to time to different persons. 58 In the 1 8th century leases were generally granted to the owners of the manor of Walton on Thames, and thus the manor of Walton Leigh came into the possession of the Palmer family. 59 Mr. Palmer Hurst, who held one-third of the manor, sold his share in 1 800 to the Duke of York. The other two-thirds belonged to the Rev. Richard Palmer,
��X1V.C.H. Surr. i, 317*.
88 Chan. Inq. p.m. 8 Edw. II, no. 68.
"Ibid. 18 Edw. II, no. 71.
'0 Ibid. 23 Edw. Ill, pt. ii (irt nos.}, no. 169.
Ibid. 1 8 Hen. VI, no. 3. The hold- ing wa half a knight'i fee in the Testa lie Nevill.
Ibid, i Hen. VI, no. 7.
48 - Tata de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 219,
221-
��*> Plac. de QuoWarr. (Rec. Com.), 744.
48 Nicholas may here be an error for Geoffrey, otherwise there must have been a Nicholas holding previous to Geoffrey.
49 Chart. R. 28 Edw. I, m. 10.
50 Chan. Inq. p.m. 18 Edw. II, no. 71 ; Diet. Nat. Biog.
51 Chan. Inq. p.m. 18 Edw. II, no. 71. 5> Close, 20 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 12.
58 Chan. Inq. p.m. 21 Edw. Ill (lit. nos.), no. 19.
47'
��" Close, II Hen. IV, m. 16.
46 Chan. Inq. p.m. I Hen. IV, no. 7.
" Ibid. (Ser. 2), xxiv, 47.
7 Hist. MSS. Com. Ref. viii, App. ii, 236 ; Pat. 22 Jas. I, pt ii, no. 3 ; Feet of F. Surr. East. 30 Hen. VIII ; Com. Pleas D. Enr. Hit 29 Hen. VIII, m. 13 d.
68 See Cal. S.P. Dam. 1623-5, p. 439 ; 1628-9, P- "3 i 1661-2, pp. 419, 562 i 1663-4, p. 41.
" See Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 3 Geo. I.
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