The Quadryng family of Fredville

John de Say, fourth and last Baron Say, died in 1382 aged about 12 years old  without a male heir, subsequently for the next two decades the manor, as part of the Barony of de Say, passed by a complicated chain of inheritance to various surviving sisters of the third baron and their heirs. The manor had various occupiers until 1401 when the manor of Fredeuyle, as Fredvill’ was then known, was sold by Thomas Cherlton’, also Charlton, to John Quadryng’, a wealthy mercer of the City of London. It remained in the Quadryng, also Quadrings, family’s possession for much of the 15th century with the family residing at Fredville and in London.

In the mid-1440’s Richard Quadryng, a London draper and the occupier of Fredeuyle, raised a mortgage of £.200 against land and property held in Nonyngton  which was the subject of various legal proceedings and transfers in 1447.  A few years later in 1456 Richard Quadrynge, Robert Euyngham and Robert Sandeforde demised  land & tenements in Chislet and Lympe to John de St. Nicholas of Ash, possibly to ease persisting financial problems.

The family also held other land in and around Nonington, the 1469 survey of the manor of Wingham records the heirs of Richard Quadryng  holding an unspecified amount of land in South Nonington and about 135 acres in North Nonington.

The Fredville Quadryng’s also held over 400 acres of land in the Faversham area which was roughly mid-way between London and Fredville and would have been used for overnight accommodation on the journey between their two principle residences. In May, 1483, Thomas Quadring’ was one of the representatives of the city of London who greeted Edward V at Harnsey Park, now Hornsey Park in present Harringay. This boy king, one of the unfortunate ” Princes in the Tower”, only reigned from April to June, 1483, before being deposed, and probably later murdered, by his uncle, Richard III.

England at this time was in the last throes of the Wars of the Roses and Richard III was struggling to bring the country under his control. In 1484 there was a “grant in tail male” to William Malyverer, esq., “for services against the rebels” which included “Hertang (Hartanger), and Paratt’s landis, (both) in the parish of Berston (Barfreston);  also a windmill called Berston Mylle; (Barfreston mill), lands in the lordship of Freydefeld (Fredvill) ; the manor of Eythorne, and a rent therein; lands called Mottes in the parish of Nonyngton (in Frogham, the present Frogham Farm)“.

Malyverer was one of six knights from King Richard III’s estates in the North of England brought down to Kent to restore order after a minor rebellion in the county against the King , and these knights were well rewarded with land and property confiscated from the rebels.

Thomas Quadring’ had crossed swords with Malyverer in October, 1483 when he and Joan Langley, the widow of William Langley who had married William Malyverer, possibly for either political reasons or under duress, were given “the warde & marriage of John Langley son & heire of the said William; with the keeping of alle Lordshipds ect”.  One of the manors inherited by John Langley was the nearby manor of Knolton.

Malyverer had previously seized the Kent lands of his wife’s late husband despite their having been granted together with the custody of John Langley’ to Richard Guildford (Guldeford) of Rolvenden, Kent. Guildford was one of the leaders of the Kent rebellion against Richard III and subsequently had his estates confiscated by the King. The manor of Hertang (Hartanger) awarded to Malyverer in 1484 was one of the confiscated manors. Such was his powers and authority at that time that Malyverer retained custody of the late William Langley’s heir and his Kent holdings in spite of the royal grant awarding custody to Joan Langley and Thomas Quadring.

Thomas Quadring must have died shortly after these encounters with Malyverer as his only daughter Joane, who was sole heiress to Thomas and  his late wife, Anne, who had been a wealthy heiress in her own right, conveyed her property to her husband, Richard Dryland and in 1483 or 1484 Richard Dryland alienated, or sold, “the manors of Fredeuyle and Beauchamp’ and 2 messuages, 405 acres of land, 3 acres of wood and 76 shillings and 4 pence of rent and a rent of 8 cocks, 30 hens and 1 pair of gloves in Nonyngton’ and Godneston’ “ to John Nethersole. In turn John Nethersole by feet of fines in 1485 conveyed  Fredeuyle and Beauchamps,  to William Boys of Bonnington. Boys appears to have done well at this time as he also gained possession of other land locally,  including the Manor of Shebbertswell (Shepherdswell) which had also previously belonged to the rebellious Richard Guildford.

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