Shropshire Routes to Roots - Shropshire places - Wem
by Samuel Garbet
An entire barony consisted of thirteen knights' fees, and a third part; and a knight's fee was so much land of inheritance as was sufficient to maintain a knight, which in the reign of William the conqueror, was about fifteen pound per annum; consequently a barony at that time may be reckoned £200. per annum. £1. then was equal to £15. now; so £200. being multiplied by 15, shews that the estate of a baron amounted to £3000 per annum, according to the present estimation of money.
When William the conqueror deprived the English of their estates, he gave the greatest part of Shropshire to Roger de Montgomery; and the said Roger shared it out among his men, that is among the principal officers that commanded under him, on condition that they should pay him homage, fight for him, not dispose of their daughters in marriage, nor of their goods by will without his licence; that their heirs whilst minors, should be in wardship to him, and when they came to age, pay a relief for admission to their estates; that widows should likewise pay for the assignation of a dower, besides some small reserved rents, and aids upon extraordinary occasions, the whole being to revert, to the superior lord for treason or felony, refusal of service, or want of heirs. On these terms earl Roger granted to William Pantulf, twenty-eight towns, or manors, or farms, in the county of Salop; whereof Wem being one of the chief, the said Pantulf made it his seat, and the head of his barony.
At first, when the general survey was taken, William Pantulf was one of earl Roger's barons, but Robert de Belesm, a son of this Roger, rebelling against Henry I. forfeited his vast estate to the crown, and thenceforth William Pantulf and his successors held the barony of Wem in Capite, and thereby became barons of the realm, or parliamentary barons.
The barony of Wem was of great extent on the north it reached to Whitchurch; on the east it took in Tilley and Cresswell, in Staffordshire; on the south it bordered on the Clive; on the west on the parish of Ellesmere.
But tho' the barony extended so far, there were several manors within this compass that belonged to other persons; as the manor of Prees did to the bishop of Lichfield and Coventry; the manors of Red Castle, Weston, and Marchamley to lord Audley.
The twenty-eight towns, manors, or farms given to William Pantulf, are to be found page 257 column of Doomsday book. But since I cannot get a copy of it, I shall make a catalogue of them from other writings.
1, Wem. 2, Tilley. 3, Cotton. 4, Newtown, or Newton. 5, Beslaw, in the parish of Wroxeter. 6, Steel, in the parish of Prees. 7, Loppington. 8, Hinstock. 9, Buntingsdale, in the parish of Drayton. 10, Cowleshurst, in the parish of Drayton. 11, Tibberton, in the parish of Edgmund. 12, Brocton, near Church Aston, not far from Newport. 13, Eyton upon the Wildmores. 14, Horton, in the parish of Kinnerly, or Dunnington. 15, Upton, near Shiffnall. 16, Great Dawley. 17, Cresswell, in Staffordshire. All these 17 are mentioned as manors in the survey, in 1561, and the 9 last were dependent on Hinstock. 18, Tirley, in Staffordshire, very near Drayton, where the barons of Wem had a castle, at which they often resided. 19, Whixall, in the parish of Prees. This manor was by marriage carried to the Sandfords. 20, Doddington, in the parish of W hitchurch. This manor William de Boterler II. in 1st Edward III. settled after his own death on John L'Estrange, of Blackmere, who had married his daughter Ankaret. 21, Frankton, in the parish of Loppington. 22, Alkington, in the parish of Whitchurch. 23, Edsley, in the parish of Whitchurch. 24, Harpcote, perhaps Harcot, in the the parish of Stanton. The 4 last are taken from Mr. Mytton's papers. 25, Lacon. 26, Sleap. 27, Edstaston. 28, Aston. The 4 last rest only on my conjecture.
The first barons of Wem were the Pantulfs, who were succeded by the Botelers, and they by the Ferrers, Greystocks, Dacres, Howards, Playters and Onslow, Wycherley, Jeffreyses, and Newports.
I will give as full an account as I can find of the barons of each of these families.
Page created 7 September 2003 and last updated 22 June 2007
