Transcription from ‘Petitions in the State Papers: 1660s’, in Petitions in the State Papers, 1600-1699, ed. Brodie Waddell, British History Online, George, Duke of Buckingham. SP 29/90 f. 86 (1664).
To the Kings most excellent majestie.
The humble peticion of George Duke of Buckingham.
Sheweth.
That your late royall predecessours King Philipp and Queene Mary by letters pattents under the greate seale of England dated the sixth day of November in the fowerth and fifth yeares of their raigne, for the consideracions therein expressed did give and graunt unto Betrice Aprice widow, and the heires males of her body, and for default of issue male to the heires of her body severall messuages or tenements called Boles, the Deyhouse, and Buckeshorne with the lands woods and other appurtenances to them respectively belonging in Boreham in the county of Essexparcell of the honour of Bewliew in the said county which said honour and the messuages or tenements and premisses above mencioned are since descended and come unto your peticioner.
That your peticioner hath lately sold or contracted to sell the said honour tenements and premisses unto his grace the Duke of Albemarle butt in regard (for any thing appearing by the said pattent,) the revercion of the premisses thereby graunted doth remaine in the crowne,(although it is conceaved the same hath bin since graunted out) and in respect your petitionersevidences and writings have bin in the late unhappy warrs imbezilled and lost, hee cannot atpresent make the same appeare.
Your petitioner therefore humbly prayes that to the end the said Duke of Albemarle may have a good and perfect title to the premisses, and for avoiding all questions hereafter, your majestie willbee gratiously pleased to graunt the said lands and tenements in the said letters pattents mencioned, and the revercion thereof unto the said George Duke of Albemarle and Mathew Lock esquier and the heires and assignes of the said duke for ever.
And your petitioner shall ever pray etc.
[The full transcription is available here.]
Report by Sue Willoughby
In this petition, George, Duke of Buckingham asked the King for support in ownership of some property. A widow, Betrice Aprice, had been granted properties and land called Boles, Deyhouse, and Buckeshorne in Buckingham, Essex. Additionally, there was a parcel of land known a Bewliew (Beaulieu) also in Essex. They have now come into the ownership of the petitioner who has sold the properties to the Duke of Albemarle. He wants to ensure that Albemarle gains good title so the lands do not revert to the Crown. The King asks the Attorney General and the Surveyor to investigate the ownership.
Beatrice Aprice and George, Duke of Buckingham
Unfortunately, research carried out in the name of Aprice (Apriece, Apreece and Apryce) through multiple sources did not provide any matches with the forename Beatrice or its variants.
However, there is plenty of information about George, Duke of Buckingham. The gentleman named in the above petition would have been the 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1628-1687), the younger son of George Villiers (1st Duke) and Katherine (née Manners).[1]
Not being able to find any information about Beatrice Aprice makes the supposed link between George Villiers and Beatrice Aprice tenuous.
Boles, Dayhouse, Buckeshorne
With regard to the three named properties: Boles, the Dayhouse and Buckeshorne in Boreham in Essex, the Boreham Parish Council website provides a potted history of the market town but Boles, the Dayhouse and Buckeshorne are not listed as known properties. It may well be that they were part of the largest manor which consisted of 8 hides and 23 acres.
Boles appears to have once been entitled “Redels” and originally belonged to John Belstede of Little Waltham, Co Essex.[2]
During the reign of Henry VI, Boles passed from John Belstede to Thomas Tendering, the elder, and John Bastwyck, the elder, of Boreham. During the reign of Henry VII, Boles became the property of John Bastwyck’s wife, who passed it onto their son, William.[3]
Buckeshorne is first mentioned with reference to John Tenderyng of Boreham, co Essex who co-owned the property Boles and adjoining land with William Colmorth, of Bykelyswad, co-Bedford, John Peeke, the elder, John Peeke, the younger, and John Dene of Clyfton, co. Bedford and who gifted Boles to William Saycok, Vicar of Bykeliswad, co. Bedford. [4]However, the name ‘Buckeshorne’ seems to be tied with the name of John Tenderyng in some way: “Buckeshorne House was probably built in the 17th Century and has cross-wings at the north and south ends”. It appears that the property Boles passed back to John Tenderyng ‘Buckeshorne’ and the others mentioned above, from the Vicar of Bykelyswad, co-Bedford at a later date.[5]
The most notable property in Boreham from this time was the Palace of Beaulieu or “New Hall” which dates back to 1062 and granted to the Canons of Waltham Abbey.[6] The Duke of Albemarle lived in this building from 1660 until his death in 1669. It had been acquired from Oliver Cromwell.[7]
References
[1] ‘Duke of Buckingham’: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Buckingham
[2] ‘Deeds: A.11801 – A.11900’, in A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds: Volume 5, ed. H C Maxwell Lyte (London, 1906), pp. 199-213. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ancient-deeds/vol5/pp199-213
[3] Deed A.11810: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ancient-deeds/vol5/pp199-213
[4] Deed A.11811: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ancient-deeds/vol5/pp199-213
[5] Deed A.118117: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ancient-deeds/vol5/pp199-213
[6] ‘Boreham’, in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Volume 2, Central and South west (London, 1921), pp. 22-27. British History Online: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/essex/vol2/pp22-27
[7] ‘Palace of Beaulieu’: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Beaulieu.
This report is part of a series on ‘Petitioners in the reign of Charles II, 1660-1685’, created through a U3A Shared Learning Project on ‘Investigating the Lives of Seventeenth-Century Petitioners’.