Manorial Families and Landowners

Arms of Manorial Families represented within Arksey Church

Lords Of The Manor

The manor of Bentley with Arksey has been owned by various lords following the Norman Conquest. Records paint a complicated picture of land changing hands many times up to the mid seventeenth century, but once the Cooke family became lords of the manor, a more stable period existed for the people of the parish, and this continued until the Cookes sold off all their land in the 19th century, thus ending the manorial system.

The following is a simplified chronological list of lords of the manor of Arksey and Bentley, plus the heraldic glass attributed to them in the windows of Arksey church.

Contents

• The Manor and Landowners
• Roger de Busli
• Robert de Belleme
• Adam de Newmarch
• The Tibetot Family
• Stephen le Scrope
• The Wyndham Family and Beyond
• The Cooke Family Acquire the Manor
• The Shields and Heraldic Glass of Arksey Church
• Heraldic Windows of Arksey Church

The Manor and Landowners

Roger de Busli 

Baron Roger de Busli was born around 1038 in Normandy, his name comes from the town of Bully (Buslei in 1060). He was an officer in the invading Norman army of William the Conqueror, and following the Conquest he was awarded lands in  Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Devon,  and principally, Nottinghamshire, as well as the Strafforth Wapentake of Yorkshire, which had previously belonged to various Anglo Saxons, including Edwin, Earl of Mercia.

The settlement of Arksey lay within the Strafforth Wapentake, and as such, de Busli was tenant-in-chief of the manor. He is mentioned as owner of lands in both Arksey and Bentley in the Domesday book (as de Bully).

Busli had his principal residence at Tickhill Castle, but erected numerous others, including Kimberworth, Laughton-en-le-Morthen, and Mexborough. He also founded the Priory of Blythe in 1088. 

Roger de Busli and his wife, Muriel, had one son who died in infancy, so when Roger died in 1099, he had no heir to inherit the Barony. 

Robert de Belleme 

With Roger de Busli dead, his lands passed back to the crown and on to William I's son, Robert de Belleme (1052 - 1113), third Earl of Shrewsbury, and brother of William (Rufus) II. 

Robert  acquired the 'Honour of Tickhill', making him the wealthiest magnate in England and Normandy. However, he became notorious for his cruelty, and in 1101 joined a rebellion against Henry I and lost all his lands, was banished from England and returned to Normandy.

The lands then passed to the Newmarch family.

Adam de Newmarch

The Newmarch family (from the Latin de Novo Mercato), first appear in England, when Bernard of Neuf-Marche, near Neufchatel in Normandy, became a Norman noble in Hastings at the time of the Conquest.

The family gradually migrated north, and built Moat Hills at Bentley, and another residence at Woodhall, near Womersley, where Adam de Newmarch was born in 1215. Adam assumed the title of Baron Newmarch when he was summoned to Parliament by the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort in 1264. He married Joan at Arksey in 1243, and had three children, before marrying for a second time, to Cecily de Neville. 

Baron Newmarch had his lands removed and given to the neighbouring Folyot family, as a punishment for opposing the king in the barons' civil war. They were restored in 1267.

'20 April 1264 - the king has committed to Richard Folyot the manors of Adam de Novo Mercato of Womersley, Campsall, Thorp, Bentley and Archsey in Yorkshire, which the king took into his hand because he (Richard) captured him (Adam) while Adam was resisting the king in hostile manner, in the conflict that recently took place at Northampton, to keep for as long as it pleases the king (Adam's daughter would marry Richard's son).'

For more on this go to Find A Grave

Adam de Newmarch died around 1283, and his possessions were given to Eva Chaworth, wife of Robert Tibetot of Leicestershire.

The Tibetot Family 

Robert Tibetot (Tybotot, Tiploft), Knight, was born around 1247 in Wymondham, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He attended Prince Edward (later Edward I) on crusade to the Holy Land and Tunisia in 1270/71. He married Eva de Chaworth c1272, and had five children.

Once the lands passed from Newmarch to Eva, they stayed in the Tibetot family until 1372, passing down through Eva's son Paine de Tibetot (1279-1314), his son John Tiploft (1313-1367), then through his son Robert Tiploft (1340-1372). Robert Tiploft died leaving three heiresses, Margaret (1366-1431), Millicent (b.1368) and Elizabeth (b.1370).

Margaret and Millicent married Scrope brothers Roger and Stephen, and it was through Millicent, a Tiploft heir, that the manors passed into the hands of the Scropes.

Stephen le Scrope 

Stephen le Scrope (pronounced Scroop), was born c1356, the third son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Lord Scrope of Bolton. His marriage to Tiploft heiress, Millicent, made him the Lord of Bentley and Arksey, and he also acquired the manors of Castle Combe, in Wiltshire, and Oxenden, Gloucestershire.

He was distinguished in both civil and military life, and by Richard II, he was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland, and in 1400 was made governor of Roxburgh Castle by Henry IV.

Under Richard II Sir Stephen and his brother, Sir William, were charged to 'safely keep' the Earl of Warwick on the Isle of Man 'without departing therefrom'. Following king Richard's death, however, Sir Stephen was charged with imprisoning the Earl of Warwick.

In 1402 Sir Stephen returned to Ireland as lord deputy to Thomas of Lancaster, the third son of Henry IV. Millicent, having heard complaints made about her husband regarding his improper administration of justice, while he was Justice of Munster, Leinster and Uriell, at first refused to accompany her husband. However, she did finally consent to go with him.

Sir Stephen died at Tristel Dermot in Ireland in 1408. 

Millicent went on to marry Sir John Fastolf (Shakespeare's Falstaff) in 1409. Fastolf was an English Knight, who served with Thomas of Lancaster and later, Henry V. Millicent gave her new husband complete rights over all her estates, effectively disinheriting her twelve year old son, Stephen, of whom Fastolf was made ward. This meant that Fastolf enjoyed considerable wealth. Fastolf had a controlling influence over Stephen, at one point selling his wardship to William Gascoigne, before buying it back again some time later.

It wasn't until Fastolf died that Stephen inherited his Mother's estates. However, difficulties arose again, this time with his father-in-law Richard Bingham, who tried to exert control over the lands and inheritance. 

Stephen eventually had sufficient control by 1465 to grant all his lands to his cousin Richard Scrope of Bolton and his heirs. Stephen died in 1472, leaving what remained of his estates, to his son John.

Richard Scrope died in 1485, leaving a widow, Eleanor. She went on to marry Sir John Wyndham of Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk. Their lands now passed into the hands of the Wyndham family.

Other landowners in the 15th century included the FitzWilliams, the Gascoignes, and the Copleys.

The Wyndham Family and Beyond 

As well as inheriting through the Scrope family, land was also leased to Sir Edmund Wyndham from William Gascoigne, who in turn had inherited from his marriage to Joan Neville (she was the daughter of John Neville and Elizabeth Newmarch, whose line can be traced back to Adam de Newmarch). 

So begins a confusing array of landowners throughout the 16th century. Some lands were leased to Christopher Heydon, Kt, Anthony Hevenyngham (Everingham), Kt, Thomas Knowles, Kt, Roger and Thomas Towneshend, and Roger le Straunge. Lands in the area also passed through the families of Copley and Hastings.

John Levett, a York Barrister, bought the manor in 1635/6 from Edmund Hastings of Plumtree, Nottinghamshire, for £4,000. But he sold rather swiftly in 1637 to Sir Arthur Ingram, an investor, politician and landowner from the seat of Temple Newsome in Leeds.

The Cooke Family Acquire the Manor

 

Sir Arthur Ingram finally sold the manor of Arksey with Bentley to brothers Henry and Bryan Cooke Esq. (brothers of the future 1st Baronet, Sir George Cooke) in 1654/55 for the sum of £4,800. 

The Cooke family, who also purchased the manors of Langthwaite and Wheatley, were major landowners and patrons of both manors right through until the latter part of the 19th century, when the land was sold off gradually, and the Cookes moved to other areas of the country. 

For a full history of the Cooke family go to Cooke Family History.

The Shields and Heraldic Glass of Arksey Church

The following is a compilation of the shields and heraldic glass in Arksey church.

Beaumont

Chaworth

Cooke

Copley & (poss) Clarell

 

Earl of Lancaster

   

Everingham

       

Fairfax

                                              

  

Fitzwilliam

 

Fitzwilliam

Fitzwilliam

Fitzwilliam & Conyers

 

Fitzwilliam & Conyers

Furnival

Gascoigne

 

Marmion

Newmarch

 

Scrope & Tibetot

Scrope

 

Tibetot

 

Wyndham

The Heraldic Windows of Arksey Church

Below are some photos of the church windows from which the heraldic glass shown above come from.

North window with 3 panels

North window with 4 panels

West window (right side)

West window (left side)

Elizabeth Window (west central) with unidentified panels

Close up of panels in the Elizabeth window

For more on the history of the church go to All Saints Church History. 

Alison Vainlo

First written 2013, updated 2019.