Pill Bridge, on the
River Yeo, 2.3 km west of the town of
Ilchester in Somerset, a narrow and ancient pack-horse bridge, the repair and maintenance of which in 1530 was the responsibility of the tenants of Brooke, Ilchester[1]
Brooke (or la Brooke, Broke, Brook, etc.) in the parish of
Ilchester in
Somerset, England, was an historic estate, the earliest known seat of the prominent Brooke family,
Barons Cobham.
Location
The exact location of the mansion or
manor house, later known as "Brooke's Court",[2] is unknown and all physical traces of it have been lost. It was said by the Somerset historian Collinson to have been situated "without the walls (i.e. of the town of Ilchester) towards
Montacute", which is to the south, thus probably to the west of the ancient estate of
Sock Dennis, also situated to the immediate south of the town. Most of the estate lay in "Ilchester Mead" and included land "near the meadow of Sock and Martock".[3] Possibly the name derives from the brook or stream, now known as Bearley Brook, which separates Ilchester from Sock Dennis[4] and flows into the River Yeo 600 metres below Pill Bridge. The land extended to Pill Bridge, in the west, for the maintenance of which the estate was liable.[5]
Descent
Brooke
Arms of Brooke, Baron Cobham "of Kent": Gules, on a chevron argent a lion rampant sable crowned orMonumental brass of Sir
Thomas II Brooke (died 1418) of Holditch, "by far the largest landowner in Somerset" and 13 times a
Member of Parliament for
Somerset, and his wife Joan Hanham (died 1437), Thorncombe Church, Devon. Although a knight, he is dressed in civilian clothes rather than in armour. Both wear the Lancastrian
Collar of Esses
The Brooke family (anciently "de la Brook" or "At-Brook") originated at the estate of "la Brook"[6] next to (juxta) the town of Ilchester in Somerset, and later resided at Holditch in the parish of
Thorncombe and at
Weycroft in the parish of
Axminster, both in Devon, both
fortifiedmanor houses. Following the marriage of Sir Thomas III Brooke (died 1439) of Holditch in the parish of
Thorncombe, Devon to the heiress
Joan Braybroke, suo jure 5th Baroness Cobham (died 1442), he moved his residence to the
manor of Cobham, Kent. The descent of the estate of Brooke is given as follows by
Raphael Holinshed (c. 1525–1580?) in his Chronicles of England, which is followed by the Somerset historian
Collinson (d.1793):[7]
Henry I de la Brooke (fl. 13th.c.) established the estate from lands which he acquired both through his marriage to a daughter of Roger de Gouvis (d. 1231[8]), lord of the manor of
Kingsdon (2 miles north of Ilchester), and through his own purchases.[9]
William de la Brook, of "the Brook-juxta-Ivelchester";[10]
Henry II de la Brook, who married Nichola Gonvile, a daughter of Bryan Gonvile[11] (or Gonevile[12]). It was possibly this Henry de Broc[13] (or his son) who first acquired the manor of Holditch in Devon (since 1844 in Dorset) from Reginald II de Mohun (1206–1258),
Feudal baron of Dunster in Somerset, who had inherited it from his first wife Hawise Fleming, daughter and heiress of William Fleming.[14]
Henry IV de la Brook (d.1324), who married a certain Elizabeth;[16]
John de la Brook (d.1348) (alias "At-Brook"), who married Joan Bardstone, a daughter of Sir John Bardstone. In 1325 Brooke was a substantial property held
in-chief from the crown which contributed a substantial sum to the
fee farm of the borough of Ilchester.[17] By 1331 the estate comprised 84 acres of arable land, and 46 acres of meadow.[18] He died holding a messuage (i.e.house) with a curtilage (i.e. court-yard) and garden with one carucate of land at "the Brook without the walls of the town of Ivelchester", which he held by feudal tenure from the commonalty of that town and also held land at
Sock Dennis, Bishopston and Kingston;[19]
Sir Thomas I Brooke (d.1367) married Constance Markensfeld. In 1357 he granted to Thomas Waryn rents payable out of his lands in "la Broke-juxta-Ivelchester" and in the town of Ivelchester.
Sir
Thomas II Brooke (d.1418), son and heir, of
Holditch was the first prominent member of his family. He was thirteen times a
Member of Parliament for
Somerset. Thomas II Brooke made his seat at Holditch, having in 1397 received
royal licence to "strengthen with a wall of stone and lime his manor of Holditch and enclose and make a park of 200 acres of pasture and wood ... including a deer leap in the park".[20] Due to his marriage to a wealthy widow, Sir Thomas II Brooke was "by far the largest landowner in Somerset"[21] and served 13 times as a
Member of Parliament for
Somerset. He married Joan Hanham, the second daughter and co-heiress of Simon Hanham of Gloucestershire, and the widow of the Bristol cloth merchant
Robert Cheddar (died 1384), MP and twice
Mayor of Bristol, "whose wealth was proverbial".[22] She held many of Cheddar's estates after his death as her dower and died
seized of 20 manors in Somerset and others elsewhere. Her son
Richard Cheddar, MP, signed over his large inheritance to his mother and stepfather Sir Thomas II Brooke for their lives, due to the latter having "many times endured great travail and cost" in defending them during his minority.[23] The
monumental brass of Sir Thomas II Brooke and of his wife Joan Hanham, survives in Thorncombe Church.
Sir
Thomas III Brooke (d.1439), son and heir, a
Member of Parliament for
Dorset (once) and for
Somerset (four times).[24] Shortly after 1418 the estate of Brooke was described for the first time as a
manor, held in-chief in free burgage.[25] He made his seat at
Weycroft in the parish of
Axminster in Devon, "with newe building castlewise" (
Pole (d.1635));
Risdon (d.1640) states that he "built here, on the rising of an hill, a fair new house, castle-like, and enclosed a large and spacious park, being a very pleasant scite over the river (i.e.
River Axe) and hath a good prospect".[26] This refers to a royal
licence to crenellate and empark dated 1427, granted to Sir Thomas III Brooke and his probable feoffees Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester, Sir Giles Daubeney and others[27] Sir Thomas III Brooke married the heiress
Joan Braybrooke (1404-1442), suo jure5th Baroness Cobham, via her mother Joan de la Pole (d.1434). After his marriage he moved to his wife's home at the
manor of Cobham in
Kent. His son was
Edward Brooke, 6th Baron Cobham (died 1464), whose descendants attained much prominence as
Barons Cobham and rebuilt that manor house into one of the largest and most important in Kent. They flourished there until 1603 when
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (1564–1619) was
attainted for his part in a plot to overthrow King James I, when the peerage became abeyant and his lands were forfeited to the crown.
John Brooke, 7th Baron Cobham (died 1512), of Cobham Hall, who in 1481 let the estate of Brooke with 150 acres to John Hodges of Long Sutton and his son for the term of their lives. The Hodges family were succeeded as tenants in 1518 by William Rayment and others, and Rayment and three sons had a lease for lives in 1530.[28]
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (1564–1619), son and heir, who was
attainted in 1603[30] for his part in a plot to overthrow King James I, when the peerage became abeyant and his lands were forfeited to the crown. He spent the rest of his life in the
Tower of London and died in poverty.
Earth
Following the attainder of the 11th Baron, the estate of Brooke was granted by the King to Joseph Earth (d. 1609) of
High Holborn, London. His heir was his brother Roger Earth, from whom it passed by means unknown to Sir
Henry Berkeley of
Yarlington in Somerset.[31]
Sir
Francis Godolphin (1605–1667) married Dorothy Berkeley, the heiress of Brooke. In 1759 the manor of Brooke was owned by his grandson
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin (1678–1766). The estate by then consisted of little else than the ownership of Pill Bridge.[33]
Sources
Collinson, Rev. John, History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, Vol.3, Bath, 1791, pp. 302–4
[8]
Victoria County History, A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3, London, 1974, Parishes: Ilchester, pp. 179–203
[9]
References
^A P Baggs, R J E Bush and Margaret Tomlinson, 'Parishes: Ilchester', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3, ed. R W Dunning (London, 1974), pp. 179-203.
[1]
^Collinson, Rev. John, History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, Vol.3, Bath, 1791, pp.302-4
[2]
^Raphael Holinshed, Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, Volume 4, London, 1808,
p.791
[3]
^A P Baggs, R J E Bush and Margaret Tomlinson, 'Parishes: Kingsdon', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3, ed. R W Dunning (London, 1974), pp. 111-120
[4]
^History of Parliament biography of Brooke, Sir Thomas (c.1355-1418), of Holditch in Thorncombe, Dorset and Weycroft in Axminster, Devon, published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
[5]
^Biography of "Brooke, Sir Thomas (c. 1355 – 1418), of Holditch in Thorncombe, Dorset and Weycroft in Axminster, Devon", published in
History of Parliament: House of Commons 1386–1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
[6]
Pill Bridge, on the
River Yeo, 2.3 km west of the town of
Ilchester in Somerset, a narrow and ancient pack-horse bridge, the repair and maintenance of which in 1530 was the responsibility of the tenants of Brooke, Ilchester[1]
Brooke (or la Brooke, Broke, Brook, etc.) in the parish of
Ilchester in
Somerset, England, was an historic estate, the earliest known seat of the prominent Brooke family,
Barons Cobham.
Location
The exact location of the mansion or
manor house, later known as "Brooke's Court",[2] is unknown and all physical traces of it have been lost. It was said by the Somerset historian Collinson to have been situated "without the walls (i.e. of the town of Ilchester) towards
Montacute", which is to the south, thus probably to the west of the ancient estate of
Sock Dennis, also situated to the immediate south of the town. Most of the estate lay in "Ilchester Mead" and included land "near the meadow of Sock and Martock".[3] Possibly the name derives from the brook or stream, now known as Bearley Brook, which separates Ilchester from Sock Dennis[4] and flows into the River Yeo 600 metres below Pill Bridge. The land extended to Pill Bridge, in the west, for the maintenance of which the estate was liable.[5]
Descent
Brooke
Arms of Brooke, Baron Cobham "of Kent": Gules, on a chevron argent a lion rampant sable crowned orMonumental brass of Sir
Thomas II Brooke (died 1418) of Holditch, "by far the largest landowner in Somerset" and 13 times a
Member of Parliament for
Somerset, and his wife Joan Hanham (died 1437), Thorncombe Church, Devon. Although a knight, he is dressed in civilian clothes rather than in armour. Both wear the Lancastrian
Collar of Esses
The Brooke family (anciently "de la Brook" or "At-Brook") originated at the estate of "la Brook"[6] next to (juxta) the town of Ilchester in Somerset, and later resided at Holditch in the parish of
Thorncombe and at
Weycroft in the parish of
Axminster, both in Devon, both
fortifiedmanor houses. Following the marriage of Sir Thomas III Brooke (died 1439) of Holditch in the parish of
Thorncombe, Devon to the heiress
Joan Braybroke, suo jure 5th Baroness Cobham (died 1442), he moved his residence to the
manor of Cobham, Kent. The descent of the estate of Brooke is given as follows by
Raphael Holinshed (c. 1525–1580?) in his Chronicles of England, which is followed by the Somerset historian
Collinson (d.1793):[7]
Henry I de la Brooke (fl. 13th.c.) established the estate from lands which he acquired both through his marriage to a daughter of Roger de Gouvis (d. 1231[8]), lord of the manor of
Kingsdon (2 miles north of Ilchester), and through his own purchases.[9]
William de la Brook, of "the Brook-juxta-Ivelchester";[10]
Henry II de la Brook, who married Nichola Gonvile, a daughter of Bryan Gonvile[11] (or Gonevile[12]). It was possibly this Henry de Broc[13] (or his son) who first acquired the manor of Holditch in Devon (since 1844 in Dorset) from Reginald II de Mohun (1206–1258),
Feudal baron of Dunster in Somerset, who had inherited it from his first wife Hawise Fleming, daughter and heiress of William Fleming.[14]
Henry IV de la Brook (d.1324), who married a certain Elizabeth;[16]
John de la Brook (d.1348) (alias "At-Brook"), who married Joan Bardstone, a daughter of Sir John Bardstone. In 1325 Brooke was a substantial property held
in-chief from the crown which contributed a substantial sum to the
fee farm of the borough of Ilchester.[17] By 1331 the estate comprised 84 acres of arable land, and 46 acres of meadow.[18] He died holding a messuage (i.e.house) with a curtilage (i.e. court-yard) and garden with one carucate of land at "the Brook without the walls of the town of Ivelchester", which he held by feudal tenure from the commonalty of that town and also held land at
Sock Dennis, Bishopston and Kingston;[19]
Sir Thomas I Brooke (d.1367) married Constance Markensfeld. In 1357 he granted to Thomas Waryn rents payable out of his lands in "la Broke-juxta-Ivelchester" and in the town of Ivelchester.
Sir
Thomas II Brooke (d.1418), son and heir, of
Holditch was the first prominent member of his family. He was thirteen times a
Member of Parliament for
Somerset. Thomas II Brooke made his seat at Holditch, having in 1397 received
royal licence to "strengthen with a wall of stone and lime his manor of Holditch and enclose and make a park of 200 acres of pasture and wood ... including a deer leap in the park".[20] Due to his marriage to a wealthy widow, Sir Thomas II Brooke was "by far the largest landowner in Somerset"[21] and served 13 times as a
Member of Parliament for
Somerset. He married Joan Hanham, the second daughter and co-heiress of Simon Hanham of Gloucestershire, and the widow of the Bristol cloth merchant
Robert Cheddar (died 1384), MP and twice
Mayor of Bristol, "whose wealth was proverbial".[22] She held many of Cheddar's estates after his death as her dower and died
seized of 20 manors in Somerset and others elsewhere. Her son
Richard Cheddar, MP, signed over his large inheritance to his mother and stepfather Sir Thomas II Brooke for their lives, due to the latter having "many times endured great travail and cost" in defending them during his minority.[23] The
monumental brass of Sir Thomas II Brooke and of his wife Joan Hanham, survives in Thorncombe Church.
Sir
Thomas III Brooke (d.1439), son and heir, a
Member of Parliament for
Dorset (once) and for
Somerset (four times).[24] Shortly after 1418 the estate of Brooke was described for the first time as a
manor, held in-chief in free burgage.[25] He made his seat at
Weycroft in the parish of
Axminster in Devon, "with newe building castlewise" (
Pole (d.1635));
Risdon (d.1640) states that he "built here, on the rising of an hill, a fair new house, castle-like, and enclosed a large and spacious park, being a very pleasant scite over the river (i.e.
River Axe) and hath a good prospect".[26] This refers to a royal
licence to crenellate and empark dated 1427, granted to Sir Thomas III Brooke and his probable feoffees Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester, Sir Giles Daubeney and others[27] Sir Thomas III Brooke married the heiress
Joan Braybrooke (1404-1442), suo jure5th Baroness Cobham, via her mother Joan de la Pole (d.1434). After his marriage he moved to his wife's home at the
manor of Cobham in
Kent. His son was
Edward Brooke, 6th Baron Cobham (died 1464), whose descendants attained much prominence as
Barons Cobham and rebuilt that manor house into one of the largest and most important in Kent. They flourished there until 1603 when
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (1564–1619) was
attainted for his part in a plot to overthrow King James I, when the peerage became abeyant and his lands were forfeited to the crown.
John Brooke, 7th Baron Cobham (died 1512), of Cobham Hall, who in 1481 let the estate of Brooke with 150 acres to John Hodges of Long Sutton and his son for the term of their lives. The Hodges family were succeeded as tenants in 1518 by William Rayment and others, and Rayment and three sons had a lease for lives in 1530.[28]
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (1564–1619), son and heir, who was
attainted in 1603[30] for his part in a plot to overthrow King James I, when the peerage became abeyant and his lands were forfeited to the crown. He spent the rest of his life in the
Tower of London and died in poverty.
Earth
Following the attainder of the 11th Baron, the estate of Brooke was granted by the King to Joseph Earth (d. 1609) of
High Holborn, London. His heir was his brother Roger Earth, from whom it passed by means unknown to Sir
Henry Berkeley of
Yarlington in Somerset.[31]
Sir
Francis Godolphin (1605–1667) married Dorothy Berkeley, the heiress of Brooke. In 1759 the manor of Brooke was owned by his grandson
Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin (1678–1766). The estate by then consisted of little else than the ownership of Pill Bridge.[33]
Sources
Collinson, Rev. John, History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, Vol.3, Bath, 1791, pp. 302–4
[8]
Victoria County History, A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3, London, 1974, Parishes: Ilchester, pp. 179–203
[9]
References
^A P Baggs, R J E Bush and Margaret Tomlinson, 'Parishes: Ilchester', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3, ed. R W Dunning (London, 1974), pp. 179-203.
[1]
^Collinson, Rev. John, History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, Vol.3, Bath, 1791, pp.302-4
[2]
^Raphael Holinshed, Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, Volume 4, London, 1808,
p.791
[3]
^A P Baggs, R J E Bush and Margaret Tomlinson, 'Parishes: Kingsdon', in A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3, ed. R W Dunning (London, 1974), pp. 111-120
[4]
^History of Parliament biography of Brooke, Sir Thomas (c.1355-1418), of Holditch in Thorncombe, Dorset and Weycroft in Axminster, Devon, published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
[5]
^Biography of "Brooke, Sir Thomas (c. 1355 – 1418), of Holditch in Thorncombe, Dorset and Weycroft in Axminster, Devon", published in
History of Parliament: House of Commons 1386–1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
[6]