Page:A History of Horncastle from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.djvu/41

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HISTORY OF HORNCASTLE.

tenure of Alexander Rose and his assigns, and formerly of the dissolved monastery of Bollington; also two tenements, one house, two 'lez bark houses' (Horncastle tanners would seem even then to have flourished), one house called 'le kylne howse,' one 'le garthing,' 14 terrages of land in the fields of Thornton, with appurtenances lying in Horncastle, &c., and once belonging to the monastery of Kyrkestead."

As in other places the Clinton family seem to have been succeeded by the Thymelbys, of these we have several records. An Escheator's Inquisition of the reign of Henry VIII.,[1] taken by Roger Hilton, at Horncastle, Oct. 5, 1512, shewed that "Richard Thymylby, Esquire, was seized of the manor of Parish-fee, in Horncastre, held of the Bishop of Carlisle, as of his soke of Horncastre, by fealty, and a rent of £7 by the year." He was also "seized of one messuage, with appurtenances, in Horncastre, called Fool-thyng, parcel of the said manor of Parish-fee."[2] The said Richard died 3 March, 3 Henry VIII. (A.D. 1512). This was, however, by no means the first of this family connected with Horncastle. Deriving their name from the parish of Thimbleby, in the soke of Horncastle, we find the first mention of a Thymelby in that parish in a post mortem Inquisition of the reign of Edward III.,[3] which shews that Nicholas de Thymelby then held land in Thimbleby under the Bishop of Carlisle, A.D. 1333; but nearly a century before that date a Lincoln document[4] mentions one Ivo, son of Odo de Thymelby, as holding under the Bishop in Horncastle, in the reign of Henry III., A.D. 1248.

Further, in the reign of Edward I., as is shewn by a Harleian MS., in the British Museum,[5] Richard de Thymelby was Dean of Horncastle; Thomas, son of the above Nicholas de Thymelby, presented to the benefice of Ruckland in 1381, John de Thymelby presented to Tetford in 1388, and John again to Somersby in 1394,[6] and other members of the family presented at later periods. The family continued to advance in wealth and position until in the reign of Edward VI. it was found by an Inquisition[7] that Matthew Thymelby, of Poolham (their chief residence in this neighbourhood), owned the manor of Thymbleby, that of Parish-fee in Horncastle and five others, with lands in eight other parishes, and the advowsons of Ruckland, Farforth, Somersby and Tetford. He married Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Hussey. Other influential marriages were those of John Thymelby, "Lord of Polum" (Poolham), to Isabel,[8] daughter of Sir John Fflete, Knt. (circa 1409); William (probably) to Joan, daughter of Sir Walter Tailboys (circa 1432),[9] a connection of the Earl of Angus; Matthew's widow marrying Sir Robert Savile, Knt.[10]


  1. Esch. Inquis. post mortem, 3-4 Henry VIII., No. 14.
  2. It does not appear where this "Parish-fee" was situated, doubtless it was subordinate to the main manor of Horncastle, such "fees" were generally named after the owners once "enfeoffed" of them, as we have at Spalding Ayscough-fee Hall, once owned by the Ayscoughs, Beaumont-fee at Lincoln, owned by the Beaumonts, Panell-fee by the Paganels, Nevill-fee by the Nevills in Middle Rasen, &c. Architectural Society's Journal 1895, p. 19. There is a family named Parish at Horncastle but they are a modern importation.
  3. Inquis. post mortem, 6 Edward III., held at Haltham, Sep. 21, 1333.
  4. Feet of Fines, Lincoln, 32 Henry III., 21 July, A.D. 1248. Lincs. Notes & Queries, vol. iv., p. 120. This is repeated in a Final Concord of the same date between Silvester, Bishop of Carlisle, and other parties. Lincs. Notes & Queries, vol. vii., p. 114.
  5. Cottonian Charter, v., 61, quoted Lincs. Notes & Queries, vol. iii., p. 245.
  6. Architectural Society's Journal. 1896, pp. 254-257.
  7. Court of Wards Inquis. post mortem, 3, 4 and 5 Ed. VI., vol. v., p 91. Architectural Society's Journal, 1896, p. 258.
  8. Chancery Inquis. post mortem, 20 Henry VI., No. 25. Architectural Society's Journal, 1899, p. 257.
  9. Ibidem.
  10. Ibidem, p. 258.