TFPL, Sept 2003

John Brandon posted this on soc.gen.med:

From: starbuck95@hotmail.com (John Brandon)
Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval
Subject: Some odds and ends
Date: 11 Sep 2003 14:05:56 -0700

     Ancestry of Sir Hugh FENNE, Treasurer of the Household

On June 12, Jeffrey Gibson asked about the wife and parents of Sir
Hugh Fenne (d. 1476), whose daughter married George Neville, Lord
Abergavenny.  In July, I posted information showing that Fenne's wife
was named Eleanor, and that she was buried in St. Bartholomew's
Priory, in West Smithfield.  The following source also states this:
John Venn, _Annals of A Clerical Family_ (London, 1904), chart
opposite p. 213 [citing "Anthony Norris, Herald's College (I. 9, 89; 6
D. 14; Vincent, 119, p. 463), etc."]--


1.  Hugh Fenne, of Yorkshire, slain in the Civil Contest in the reign
of Richard II., and lost his lands in Yorkshire. = ....

2.  Hugh Fenne, came to Bocking, Essex, and had lands in Braintree, as
by his will appears. = ....

3.  Hugh Fenne, of Braintree = ....

4.  Sir Hugh Fenne, Knt. Treasure of the Household to Henry VI. =
Eleanor ..., buried in St. Bartholomew's Priory.

5.  Margaret Fenne, da. and h. d. 1483. = Sir Geo. Neville, Lord
Abergavenny, killed at Tewkesbury.
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On 12 May 2004, D Richardson posted:


Complete Peerage, 1 (1910): 30-31 (sub Abergavenny) has a good account
of the history of George Neville, Knt. (died 1492), Lord Bergavenny.
Regarding his first marriage to Margaret at Fenne, the author provides
the following information:

"He m[arried], 1stly, Margaret, d. and h. of Sir Hugh Fenne, of
Sculton Burdelys, Norfolk, and of Braintree, Essex, Treasuer of the
Household to Henry VI."

No date is given for this marriage.

The following two items were found in the helpful online A2A Catalogue
(http://www.a2a.org.uk/search/index.asp).  The first item shows that
Sir George Neville and his wife, Margaret at Fenne, were married
sometime before 1 May 1471, when they were enfeoffed with land at
Hillborough, Norfolk.  The second item involves George and Margaret
Neville's son and heir, George, Jr.

Norfolk Record Office: Mills of Hillborough, Norfolk

MILLS OF HILBOROUGH
Catalogue Ref. HIL
Creator(s):
Mills family of Hillborough, Norfolk

Title Deeds

   Norfolk

      Hilborough: deeds of other properties

      FILE - Feoffment by John Fyncham, Henry Spylman and John Coo to
Margaret wife of George Nevyll knight, lord of Bergevenny, daughter of
Hugh at Fenne, of 100a. land and liberty of one fold in Hilborough
formerly John Stede's. - ref.  HIL/1/53,870X1  - date: 1 May 1471

      FILE - Grant by George Nevyll knight Lord Burgevenny, son of
Margaret wife of George Nevyll, Lord Burgevenny, daughter of Hugh at
Fenne, to William Knyvet knight of 100a. of land and liberty of fold
formerly John Stede's. - ref.  HIL/1/54,870X1  - date: 1 December 1494
END OF CATALOGUE ITEMS.

- - - - - -
Regarding Margaret at Fenne's father, Hugh at Fenne, is it often
stated in print that he was knighted (as does Complete Peerage).
However, the highest rank he appears to have held was that of esquire,
not knight.

The first two items below regarding Hugh at Fenne's estate are found
on the online PROCAT Catalogue (http://catalogue.pro.gov.uk/) and the
second two are taken from the online A2A Catalogue.  The last item
refers to Hugh at Fenne as being "of Herringby," Norfolk, which may
well be the place where he was living at the time of his death.
Please note that none of these records indicate that Hugh at Fenne was
knighted.

Item #1:
E 41/168
Eleanor atte Fenne late wife of Hugh atte Fenne, and William Jenney
serjeant at law, supervisors of the will of Hugh, and William Essex,
Henry Heydon, Edmund Jenney and Edmund Widewell, executors of the same
will: Deed setting out the provisions of the will of Hugh atte Fenne
made 4 Feb.
Date: 1 Oct. 16 Edw IV [1476].

Item #2:
C 1/421/48
Edmund Jenney, knight, executor of Hugh at Fenne. v. Nicholas Grave.:
Accounts of defendant as steward of the lands devised by the said Hugh
to found a college and almshouse for priests, poor men and poor women
at Herringby.: Norfolk. Date: 1515-1518

Item #3:
Norfolk Record Office: Parish Records of Swaffham
Parish records of Swaffham
Catalogue Ref. PD 52/258
Charities, Town estate. Deeds and papers up to the dissolution of
Blake's chantry.

FILE - Letter informing the tenants of the manor of Aspalles that
Symond Blake had purchased it from the executors of Hugh Fenne - date:
c 1475

Item #4:
Norfolk Record Office: Diocese of Norwich: Records of the Estates of
the Bishop of Norwich
Catalogue Ref. DN/EST
RECORDS OF ST. BENETS ABBEY

FILE - Account of Thomas Banyard collector and receiver of rents etc -
ref.  DN/EST 14/12  - date: 1485 - 1486
      [from Scope and Content] Collector in Herringby, Tunstall,
Stalham, Barton, Edingthorpe and Worstead Norfolk, and of the manors
of Rothenhale and Kessingland formerly Kyngstons in Suffolk that were
of Hugh at Fenne of Herringby and in the hands of feoffes for the
performance of his last will. 2-3 Henry VII [1485-1486]. Repairs
account added. The abbot of St. Benet was apparently supervisor of the
will.  END OF CATALOGUE ITEMS.

- - - - - - - - - -
From studying printed sources, it appears that Hugh at Fenne's
ancestry is not as complete as one would like.  One clue to his
extended ancestry is provided by a letter found in the published
Paston letters, in which Hugh at Fenne addresses John Paston, Esquire,
as his "cosyn":

Letter from Hugh A Fenne dated 1456 addressed to his "maister and
cosyn" John Paston, Esq. [Reference: N. Davis, Paston Letters and
Papers of the 15th Century 2 (1976): 139–140].
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