General Notes

From "Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society", Vol I, Colchester, pp 251-273, The History of the Barrington Family
@www.southfrm.demon.co.uk/Genealogy/Barr.html:

Sir John had two sons, John and Edmund, the latter possessed the Manors of Gravely, Letchworth and Cheresfield together with the parkership of the park at Weston near Baldock, and other lands there, all in Hertfordshire, and which had been the property of his mother Margaret and settled after her death on her younger children. By a deed dated the 26 of May in the twelfth year of King Richard the second, it appears, that a recovery had been suffered for these estates after Sir John's death, and an engagement made, that his widow should hold them for her life, and have them in fee simple, in case her son Edmund died before her without issue: but if she died first, then that he and his heirs should have them. This second event must have taken place, as Edmund certainly possessed them and held a court for them at Graveley on the Monday after Easter in the eleventh year of King Henry the Fourth.
On Sir John's death his son John Barrington succeeded to the estates. He seems to have been the first of the family who spelt the name with a G in it. He had from King Edward the Third in the 49th year of his reign, letters patent confirming to him all his grants, that his ancestors had received from Kings Henry the First, Stephen, Henry the Second, and Henry the Third, of the office of woodward and forester of Hatfield, as held originally under William de Montfichet and also of all the lands held under the Crown in Hatfield, Writtle, and elsewhere, reserving to the King an annual rent of seventeen shillings. This patent is not now to be found.
John Barrington married Alice one of the daughters and (after her brother's death) coheirs of Thomas Battail son of Sir John Battail of Ongar Park, Knight and of his wife Elizabeth the dole daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Enfield of High Laver. There is a deed dated July 26th in the 16th year of King Edward the Third, from Thomas Enfield son of the late Sir John Enfield, Knight, by which he released to his brother Richard Enfield all his right in and claim to, lands and tenements with all things belonging to them in Hatfield Regis, Matching, White Rothing and Rothing Abbess. (On the back of the deed, Mr Micklefield has written a memorandum in part illegible, stating that his father-in-law Thomas Barrington had all the lands and tenements therein named in right of his mother Alice, who was heir to her grandfather Thomas Enfield and his brother Richard. John Battail the brother of Alice went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and before leaving England made his will, respecting which the following account is found,


John Fitz Thomas de Battail, beinge to goe in pilgrimage to Jerusalem, made his last will and testament in writinge indented, bearing date on Friday next before the Feast of St Matthew the Apostle 21st yeare of Richard the second. Reciteinge that of his free will hee had given and granted, and by his deed of Feoffmt confirmed to Sir Alexander de Walden Kt, John de Boys of Tolleshunt, Thomas Lampet, John Barrington, Robert Rohele and othrs, all his Lands, tenemts, rents and services as well of his free tenants as of vilains, with wards, maniages, heirots, releifes, escheats, and all theire appurtnts in the villa of high Lanfare, little Lanfare, Maude lyn Lanfare, Matchinge, Hatfield Regis, White Rothinge, Abbesse Rothinge and Herlaw in the county of Essex. To have and to hold to them their heires, or assignes for ever, as more fully appears in the said deed of Feoffmt bearing date at High Laver on Thursday next before the feast of the Purification of our lady then last past, and he humble prayed his said Feoffees that if he should dye before his return into England, they would please to pforme his last will and testament thereunder written.--
First he willed that his goods and chattles movable should be sold in the best manner they might, and that the money raised should pay and accomplish all the points the last will of the sayd Thomas his father. And moreover pay all the debts wch the sayd Thomas, my mother his wife, and myself ow to any p~son, and to make due satisfaction of any thing that may have been taken away without reasonable cause, and be made appeare to the sayd Feoffees. Item, to pay to the Abbot and Convent of Walden for the glasse of one window in theire Abbey to have him in theire memorie x markes. Item, to pay to the Abbot and Convent of Waltham to pray form him Cs. Item, to pay to two honest Chaplains for sayinge divine service in the Church of Matchinge for the Soules of his Father, Mother and himself, and for all Christns for three years continually, after his decease, to either of them yearly viij marks. Item, to John Crabbe his servant xls, and to John Kependene to pray for him cs, and further requested his sayd Feoffees, that if they should have knowledge or reports of his death, they should ordain that 1,000 masses should be sayd for his Soule and all Christn Soules in all haste that could be. And gave Thomas Clarke, Vicar of Matching xls and to Godfrey Coterill xs for his travell. And if his movable goods should not be sufficient of value to pay and fulfil his last will; then he requested his Feoffess to retaine in their hands all the said lands and tenemts, untill such time as the profits and revenue thereof his will be performed. Item, if John Swaffin his servant remain in England alice after his decease, and that the Feoffees should have p~fect knowledge that he had well and dutyfully served, then his will was that the said Feoffees should grant unto him xxs yearly rent for his life to be taken out of his rent called Chamberlaine fee in the parish of Maudlin Laver; and if Margaret his sister before his return into England were marryed to John de Boys, then he besought his Feoffees that in case he Dyed before his return they would grant to the said John and Margaret and to the heires of theire bodyes ingendered, the manors called Matchinge Barnis, and Brent Hall. And for the default of such issue that the said two manors be equally parted betweene Alice and the said margaret his two sisters, to have and to hold to them and to their heires and assignes for ever and that all other the lands, Tenemts, rents and services, wherein the sayd Feoffess are infeoffed after his will should be entirely p~formed, should be equally parted between his sayd two sisters, to have and to hold to them and their heires and assignes for ever in fee simple. Yet nothwithstanding if he should return into England in safety and demand refeoffmt of the sayd Feoffees of the all the lands and Tenemts wherein they were by him infeofed, then he willed that John de Boys, Thomas Lampet, &c., shuld kepe in their hands all the lands and Tenemts rents and services which he had in Essex, and profits and revenues thereof till cc marks of the assignmt of his father to the sayd Margaret for her marriage and xxli of his own gift to her for her Chambre be fully payed. Item he prayed the said John de Boys, Thomas Lampet &c., that they would please to take the administration of his goods and fulfill and p~forme his last will taking their reasonable charges for the sd administration.


There is not anything to shew whether John Battail did return to England or not, but after his death a dispute arose between John Barrington, who had married Alice, and John de Boys, who had married Margaret, the two sisters above-named, as to the respective shares of their wives in the testator's property, and after a long controversy it was agreed that the settlement of all the matters in debate between them should be left to the arbitration of the Countess of Hereford, Essex and Northampton; John Barrington gave a bond of £200 to the Countess Gerard de Braybroke and William Marney, only to be enforced in the event of his not abiding by any award the Ladyship might give. A similar bond was given by John de Boys. And on the 26th of January in the 19th year of King Henry the Fourth the Countess published and award in which she stated,


That she already settled in London the partition of the manors of Otes, and the lands and tenements called the Wantons land, Piershall and Aungre. But that she could not then stay longer in London to make a full award as to the manors of Matching Barnis and Brenthall, and also of some other things, the said John Barrington and John de Boys had promised to appear before her at Falkbourne, at a reasonable time, that she might hear the rest of the matters in debate between them.


At which place on their appearance the Countess did award, with the advice of Sir William Thiring and others, the justices of the Common Bench, and of Freres Thomas Palmer, and William Devenere, Masters in Divinity,


That Thomas Lampet and others the Feoffess of the said manors of Matching Barnis and Brenthall should (after the said John Barrington and John de Boys and their wives had released by fine to the said Feoffees, all the right which they and their wives had in the said manors) in feoff the said John de Boys and Margaret his wife in the same. To have and to hold to them and the heirs of their bodies; and if they die without issue, that then the said manors be equally parted, and one moiety of the same remain to the heirs of the said margaret in fee simple, and the other moiety to Alice the wife of John Barrington, which said fine was to be levied before the feast of Candlemas as was comprised in the other indenture made in London. And touching the 200 marks and the £20 devised by the said Thomas to John de Boys for the marriage of the said margaret, the said Lady did award that the said John and Margaret shold not have claim to the same. And the said Lady did award that all debts which had been paid by the said Feoffees for the said John Battail or Thomas his father, shold be demonstrated to her and her counsel in the presence of John Barrington before Candlemas and that all payments of the same debts which should seem to the said Lady and her counsel to have not reasonably and rightly paid, upon reasonable proof thereof made by the said John, should be disallowed. And that all the rest of the profits taken out of the said manor of Oates, and the lands and tenements called Wantonlands, Piershall, and Aungre, and the manors of Matching Barnis, and Brenthall, beyond the right payment of the debts and performance of devises of the said John Fitz Thomas should be parted in manner ensuring, that arising from Oates, Wantonn lands, Piershall, and Aungre equally between the said John Barrington and John de Boys. And those from Matching Barnis and Brenthall to John de Boys. And also for making a final and everlasting agreement between the said parties, the said Lady did award that they should make acquittance each to other, and to the Executors and Administrators of the said John Fitz Thomas, and of his father, touching all actions personal and all other matter soever relating to the said will.