The manor of dulcote
Although the name of Dulcote has appeared in documents as early as the eleventh century, it is not clear when settlement at Dulcote began. No matter when it began, Dulcote's original settlement would likely have been decided by Dulcote's natural resources ...
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Dulcote, Somerset was conferred upon Bishop Giso by King Edward Confessor May 1065. After England was conquered in 1066 by William of Normandy, English estates were re-claimed by William, and a manorial or feudal system of governance was established. William re-divided the counties, giving land to the clergy, his favourite knights, and in some cases to original land-holders as well. In the Wells area, there is evidence that even before 1066, small numbers of freemen had both land and possessions. In 1086, William of Normandy acknowledged some of these individuals still in his favour in the Domesday Book. Although William's plan was to leave Wells to the governance of the Bishop of Wells, specific instruction was given to the Bishop to share this land with some of his church officials and some of the king's knights as well in exchange for their service to the Crown.
Further detail provided by the Domesday Book, in conjunction with the findings of scholars of historical church records, indicate that in the eleventh century Dulcote land was likely largely under the control of the Church's Canons. Furthermore, both the population and wealth of the canons' land were unimpressive. As part of a parcel of land including Warminster, Binegar, Chilcote and Dulcote, the Canons' grant of land consisted of a total population of 8 slaves, 16 villagers and 12 smallholders. The non-human inventory on the canons' lands was outlined as: 2 packhorses, 12 cattle, 10 pigs, 100 sheep, 2 mills, and 6 ploughs. (1) So Dulcote was part of a sparsely-populated, poorly-resourced portion of the overall Wells Hundred.
From the above description, one might safely conclude that Dulcote was not a typical English manor. Its small size and predominant church ownership indicates that Dulcote did not operate like other medieval manors which were governed by a nobleman living in a manor house within the community at the centre of their estate's operation; a lord of the manor who ate, slept and socialized with his community freemen and serfs.
We can try to capture a glimpse of how developed the Manor of Dulcote had become five hundred years after the publication of the Domesday Book by interpreting a snippet of detail about Dulcote in the works of John Leland. This man was an English scholar and antiquarian during the reign of Henry VIII. A passionate scholar in history and geography, Leland was commissioned to create what is basically a travelogue of England by Henry VIII. While admittedly Leland was no great writer and his descriptions of his journeys are sadly lacking in adjectives, he did pass through Dulcote twice in about 1535. His reflections of Dulcote are of an underdeveloped landscape and not of a significant settlement . . .
"From Wells by south to Doultingcote (Dulcote) bridge of stone, under the which Croscombe water runneth about a mile all by very ill rocky way. Thence I passed about a mile more by like ground, and this far I saw some store of elm wood."
Despite its small size and sparse population, Dulcote had more than one landowner from as early as the sixteenth century. However, there is no indication that any landlord of the manor actually ever lived in Dulcote. Rather the land was almost entirely leased out for the use of others and the income of the landowners.
There is an element of confusion about the "Church of Dulcote" or prebend of Dulcote. "Prebend" is a term referring to a tithing of land which served as income for a church official ("prebendary") for his term of office.
The confusion lies with Bishop Robert in the twelfth century. At a Papal conference in 1158 and again in 1176, Bishop Robert acknowledged the "Church of Dulcote" as a prebend in his jurisdiction (4). However, there is also record from this same Bishop of a prebend of "Dultingcot and Chellechot"(5) during his term of office.
All other documents of record, however, refer to Dulcote on its own as a single prebend. In the sixteenth century, even with the existence of a crown grant linking Dulcote with Chilcote under one landlord, the prebend of Dulcote is still acknowledged on its own. A case in point is in 1551, when the court rolls record the crown's challenge of the conveyance of the manor of Fyngest in Buckinghamshire by Edward Duke of Somerset to the William Thyne, Prebendary of Dulcote.
1 Tony Nott, page 26. See Bibliography
2 See Ownership and Who's Who .
3 See Dulcote In Georgian Times and Who's Who.
4 EEA X no. 46, app. 1; cf. Cal I 53 and EEA X no. 49. Papal confs. 22 Jan. 1158 and 15 June 1176 (PUE II nos. 101, 159).From: 'Prebendaries: Dultingcote', Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: volume 7: Bath and Wells (2001), p. 52.
5 HMC Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Dean and Chapter of Wells p33
Further detail provided by the Domesday Book, in conjunction with the findings of scholars of historical church records, indicate that in the eleventh century Dulcote land was likely largely under the control of the Church's Canons. Furthermore, both the population and wealth of the canons' land were unimpressive. As part of a parcel of land including Warminster, Binegar, Chilcote and Dulcote, the Canons' grant of land consisted of a total population of 8 slaves, 16 villagers and 12 smallholders. The non-human inventory on the canons' lands was outlined as: 2 packhorses, 12 cattle, 10 pigs, 100 sheep, 2 mills, and 6 ploughs. (1) So Dulcote was part of a sparsely-populated, poorly-resourced portion of the overall Wells Hundred.
From the above description, one might safely conclude that Dulcote was not a typical English manor. Its small size and predominant church ownership indicates that Dulcote did not operate like other medieval manors which were governed by a nobleman living in a manor house within the community at the centre of their estate's operation; a lord of the manor who ate, slept and socialized with his community freemen and serfs.
We can try to capture a glimpse of how developed the Manor of Dulcote had become five hundred years after the publication of the Domesday Book by interpreting a snippet of detail about Dulcote in the works of John Leland. This man was an English scholar and antiquarian during the reign of Henry VIII. A passionate scholar in history and geography, Leland was commissioned to create what is basically a travelogue of England by Henry VIII. While admittedly Leland was no great writer and his descriptions of his journeys are sadly lacking in adjectives, he did pass through Dulcote twice in about 1535. His reflections of Dulcote are of an underdeveloped landscape and not of a significant settlement . . .
"From Wells by south to Doultingcote (Dulcote) bridge of stone, under the which Croscombe water runneth about a mile all by very ill rocky way. Thence I passed about a mile more by like ground, and this far I saw some store of elm wood."
Despite its small size and sparse population, Dulcote had more than one landowner from as early as the sixteenth century. However, there is no indication that any landlord of the manor actually ever lived in Dulcote. Rather the land was almost entirely leased out for the use of others and the income of the landowners.
- From the time of the Domesday Book onward, the Canons and the Bishop were granted land in Dulcote. Furthermore, in 1353, more Dulcote land was added for the use of the Church when the Warden and Vicars of the New Fabric of Wells were granted messuages and land in Dulcote held for life at the time by John de Welleslegh, John le Carpenter, and Robert le Marler
- Earliest records indicate that Dulcote was paired with the small community of Chilcote (about 2 miles NE) under one lordship, a parcel of 737 acres of property commonly known as the "Manor of Chilcote and Dulcote". This Somerset manor was granted in fee by the Crown likely in 1553 to Sir William Petre who served as Secretary of State for Henry VIII and his three children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. A survey dated about 1595 acknowledged the transfer of this Crown grant to Sir William Dodington, auditor of the Tower Mint. Ownership of the land was then transferred to the Greville family in 1663 on the marriage of Sir William Dodington's great-granddaughter and only heir, Anne, to Robert Greville Lord Brooke of Warwick Castle (2). The Manor was held by the Lord Brooke estates until 1771, when Lord Francis Brooke sold his title to Clement Tudway of Wells (3).
- Another family of distinction to be in possession of Dulcote property was the Waldegrave family of Hever Castle, Kent. First landlord on record was Sir Henry Waldegrave, second baron of Hever Castle in a deed dated 1648. But this Dulcote possession was possibly an inheritance from the Petre family, Sir Henry Waldegrave being the grand nephew of Sir William Petre's daughter-in-law Mary Waldegrave. Their Dulcote property was part of a collection of estates, mostly farms, commonly known as the "Ten Manors" which included (by 1726) the 16 (!) manors of Littleton, Wellesleigh, Woodford, Dulcote, Hawden, Westbury, Raddington, Lindhowish, Harnoham, Yard, Ayley, Asholt, Sheverton, Edstork, Purifitchett, and Eddington. One lease for the west side paper mill describes the Waldegrave land as a farm, located to the west of the mill.
There is an element of confusion about the "Church of Dulcote" or prebend of Dulcote. "Prebend" is a term referring to a tithing of land which served as income for a church official ("prebendary") for his term of office.
The confusion lies with Bishop Robert in the twelfth century. At a Papal conference in 1158 and again in 1176, Bishop Robert acknowledged the "Church of Dulcote" as a prebend in his jurisdiction (4). However, there is also record from this same Bishop of a prebend of "Dultingcot and Chellechot"(5) during his term of office.
All other documents of record, however, refer to Dulcote on its own as a single prebend. In the sixteenth century, even with the existence of a crown grant linking Dulcote with Chilcote under one landlord, the prebend of Dulcote is still acknowledged on its own. A case in point is in 1551, when the court rolls record the crown's challenge of the conveyance of the manor of Fyngest in Buckinghamshire by Edward Duke of Somerset to the William Thyne, Prebendary of Dulcote.
1 Tony Nott, page 26. See Bibliography
2 See Ownership and Who's Who .
3 See Dulcote In Georgian Times and Who's Who.
4 EEA X no. 46, app. 1; cf. Cal I 53 and EEA X no. 49. Papal confs. 22 Jan. 1158 and 15 June 1176 (PUE II nos. 101, 159).From: 'Prebendaries: Dultingcote', Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: volume 7: Bath and Wells (2001), p. 52.
5 HMC Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Dean and Chapter of Wells p33