Family estates

The map below identifies locations recorded in BNLW 1/1/1-62 covering mainly Lincolnshire with a century date where indicated.

Richard Brownlow (1553-1638), dynastic head of the Brownlow family had perhaps his first acquisition of Lincolnshire land with Kirby Underwood in 1595. Another was a deed poll of feoffment, William Lyster esq. of Rippingale to Richard Brownlow esq. of the Inner Temple, for Dowsby Close in Rippingale dated 25th November 1595.

Brownlow acquired for £4,100 (£774,000, 2021) the surrender of the leasehold term for Belton from Thomas Dockwra on, 30 April 1619. This included copper brewing vessels, iron grates as are left in the Manor house. It allowed allow Sir Henry and Jane Pakenham, Dockwra son-in-law and daughter, to occupy the Manor until the Michaelmas next. Dockwra had got the lease from Sir Henry Pakenham of Belton in 1604. Sir Henry Pakenham and Jane his wife ended up with an annuity of £560. Today, £106,000.

However, Belton was already under Brownlow's control by 29 May 1609. Brownlow made use of his expertise as Chief Prothonotary of the Court of the Common pleas and a fake legal procedure called Common Recovery, detailed below and on which he wrote a text book.

Common Recovery (15th century-1833)

Brownlow had bought land from Sir Henry Pakenham of Belton, located at Gosberton and Surfleet in 1604 for £2,120 (£512,000 RPI). It seems that there was an entailed interest on Belton that could only pass at death by inheritance to the lineal heirs of the original grantee, in this case, Pakenham. He could transfer land free of the entail by means of a common recovery and sell it or have a mortgage on it.

Packenham conveyed it to Brownlow (known as the tenant in precipe) to the intent that third persons, Otho Gayer and Robert Thomlynson (known as the demandants) might sue for it. Otho Gayer was from the same Inns of Chancery, St Clements, as Brownlow! The demandants issued a writ against Brownlow. In court, Brownlow defended his right saying (correctly) that he had acquired it from Pakenham. Pakenham was called upon to vouch for his right to the land. He alleged that he had acquired it from a person known as the common vouchee, not mentioned here and who could be fictional.

The latter asked for time and failed to appear; alternatively, he dashed out of the court. In either case, the judgment was that the demandants should recover the land, and that the common vouchee should compensate Brownlow with land of equal value. However, the common vouchee was chosen because he was a 'man of straw' with no property at all, so that the judgment against him was valueless, and it was never enforced. The result was thus that the demandants recovered land in fee simple, which Packenham had owned thus, the entail was barred. Yes, it is confusing! The land concerned was the Manor of Belton, 20 messuages, 8 tofts, two watermills, two dovecotes, 400a of land, 100a of meadow, 300a of pasture, 4a of woodland, 600a of heath and furze, 10s in annual rents, view of frankpledge etc. in Belton, with property in Gonerby and Barrowby; also the advowson of Belton.

Award of a Stint of common in the fields and cowpasture of Great Gonerby and Manthorpe

Made on the 23rd February 1674 (Julian), gives details of how land was managed.

Arbitrators: Charles Bawdes, esq., Peregrine Buck [of Barkston], Anthony Williams, Thomas Moore & Thomas Briston, gents. Landowners: John, earl of Rutland, Sir John Brownlow bart., Sir John Newton bart., William Welby esq., William Bury esq., Richard Charles, and others not named.

Award:

(1) a survey of the townships to be made and entered in a town book, and the charges for it and for all costs in a suit begun by Michael Taylor and John Threaves for a trial of common in Gonerby cowpasture (whether belonging to the inhabitants in right of the ancient messuages only or to all occupiers of land) to be met by an acre rate;

(2a) The cowpasture in Gonerby Moor (462a. 2r.) to be laid from Lady Day to 1 May:

May 1-Michaelmas

(1) prebendaries of North and South Grantham: 3 cows or young beasts or steers under 3;

(2) occupiers of every anicent messuage or cottage: 3 cows or young beasts or steers under 3;

Michaelmas and after:

(1) prebendaries: 2 beasts or horses or 12 sheep;

(2) occupiers: 12 sheep.

All lambs to count as old sheep after 1 Dec (cowpasture), 25 Mar (rest of Gonerby).

(2b) No other commons except on Greenhills for swine.

(2c) Manthorpe cowpasture and fraught field to be commoned after Michaelmas at the rate of 2 beasts or horses or 8 sheep per householder.

(3) Nether meadows: each occupier to have 1 beast for every 5 acres after Michaelmas; a fence to be set between them and the fields and the beck between Allington and Gonerby be scoured at the cost of the freeholders.

(4) Each freeholder to have 16 sheep for every 20a. he holds (the fallow field till All Saints, and after all the fields), and 24 sheep for every 20a. of land which is several in alternate years, and 3 horses or beasts. No tenants to keep or tether beasts or horses but upon their own known ground.

(5) Greenhills (26a.) for the herdship of swine or other goods for the public uses of Gonerby.

(6) 3 or more headboroughs to be elected on the Tuesday after Easter to oversee the stock; power to impound.

Signatures and seals of Bawdes, Buck and Williams.

Death of 'Young' Sir John Brownlow 1697

Dying without male issue, his estates were divided amongst his five daughters and coheirs entailed. Estates were divided by lot, e.g. Temple Bruer went to Alicia the second eldest daughter on marriage to Lord Guilford in 1703, although the deed of settlement is dated 1707. She sold that estate to Thomas Chaplin esq of Blankney. "The Devision Brownlowe Estate" gives more details.

Estate records for the Brownlows held at the Lincolnshire Archives

BNLW/1/1/63-73 Bedfordshire. BNLW/1/1/74-78 Buckinghamshire. BNLW/1/1/79-88 Cambridgeshire. BNLW/1/1/89-94 Cheshire. BNLW/1/1/95 Dorset. BNLW/1/1/96-101 Essex. BNLW/1/1/102 Gloucestershire. BNLW/1/1/103-107 Hertfordshire. BNLW/1/1/108-117 Huntingdonshire. BNLW/1/1/118 Kent. BNLW/1/1/119-131 London and Middlesex. BNLW/1/1/132-133 Northamptonshire. BNLW/1/1/134-136 Nottinghamshire. BNLW/1/1/137-155 Shropshire. BNLW/1/1/156-157 Surrey. BNLW/1/1/158-160 Sussex. BNLW/1/1/161 Warwickshire. BNLW/1/1/162-167 Yorkshire. BNLW/1/1/168-169 Denbighshire. BNLW/1/1/170-173 Flintshire.