| Notes |
- Land Purchased:
Ludfords Hope - 1665
Ludfords Gift - 1666
Court and Testamentary Business, 1657
Arthur Ludford aged 37 yeares or thereabouts Sworne and
Examined in open Court Sayth, that Thomas Seamor was a
Little disturbed in Drink, the Same night that Mary Cole was
Carryed to Joseph Edlowes house and upon mr Coursey's un-
derstanding how things went, he the Said mr Coursey ques-
tioning the Said Seamor of it, the Said Seamor gave uncivill
Language to him the Said Coursey, unfitt to proceed from an
overseer to an Imployer And further this Depont Sayth not
Arthur Ludford
Provincial Court Proceedings, 1658
Arthure Ludford aged 36 yeares or thereabouts Sayth tht hee
drew a Bond of ffowrty pownds sterl. for James Bowling & Mr
John Anderton signed it, to the best of this Deponts remembrance.
To this effect, That the sd John Anderton should ship him, by Bill of
Lading taken in James Bowlings name Twenty pownds sterling
worth of goods to be deliuered here att the first penny in England, &
further sayth not.
By Indenture dated 6 Septembr 1648 William Pack cove- p. 300
flanteth to serve Robert Lewellin his Execrs & Assignes from
that time till his arrivall in Virginia and after for tenne yeares
in such service & imploymt &c after the ordinary forme of
Indentures for servants signed sealed & delivered by William
Pack and witnessed by Richard Husbands Arthur Ludford.
Thomas Byam
25 October 1712
By Virtue of a Comission out of her Majestys high Court of Chancery
Directed to John Leach and Henry Cox to Examine Evidences Concerning the
bounds of a Tract of Land now in the possession of Henry Clarke & Eliz.a
Hutchins called Stockeley; Pursuant thereunto Wee have called before
us John Tauman aged seaventy years or thereabouts He being sworne
upon the holy Evangelist comeing to a bounded white oake standing
upon a point at the mouth of Hunting Creek and declared that Eight
and forty Years agoe (abt 1664) or thereabouts that John Hannat John
Winnall John Daniel William Allinge (all which said persons Were servants
upon the plantation of Woodman Stockley before my time) that the afd
Psons did shew the Said Tayman the said bounded Tree & said
it was the bounded Tree of Woodman Stockeleys Land & one
Arthur Ludford shewed him the Tree and said it was Stokeleys
bounded Tree and further the said John Tayman doth declare
upon oath he standing at a Stake now drove into the Ground
that he the said Tayman was shewed a bounded Hickery by
the said John Hance John Winnall John Daniel William Ailing
about forty yards from the stake upon the Hill Side which the
said Psons shewed it to me for another bounded Tree of Stockeleys
Land And further the said Tayman declares upon oath he
the said John standing by a Stake now drove into the Ground
that within thirty yards of that stake that he was shewed
a bounded white oake by John Hance John Winnall John
Dannell William Alling which said partys told me it was
a bounded Tree of Woodman Stokeleys Land & I was shewed
this Tree about a Weeke after I was shewed the other two
and further the Depon.t saith not Wittness our hands &
seales this 25.th day of October 1712
John Leach
Henry Cox
These documents are held at Shropshire Archives
Contents:
The defendant does not know the value or rents of the Bishop's Castle (Shropshire) and Montgomery estate and how they were mentioned in the particular delivered by this defendant upon the treaty about the marriage between the complainants Blunden and Mary.
By that settlement, part of the Bishop's Castle estate is limited to the defendant in fee and is worth £100 p.a. in rent and £200 in reversion after the determination of the leases; the other part of the Bishop's Castle estate is limited to him for life without impeachment of waste, and is worth £150 p.a. in rents and £300 in reversion. The defendant knows nothing of the value p.a. of the Montgomeryshire estate, as he is not in possession of them, but the value was given in the particular. At that time the defendant had no intention of selling the great part of the estate particularly the Montgomeryshire estate, but was prevailed on by Mr Nash and Coxe. He does not believe there is a charge of £8 p.a. for 3 lives on any part of the Montgomeryshire estate, as mentioned in the complainants bill. There are two coppices on that part of Bishop's Castle, limited by the settlement to the defendant for life, which are usually fallen in about 16 years. One of them, Sadley Wood, was fallen about 16 years ago and sold to one Legus for £90, and was last year fallen again and sold to one Amies for £80. The other coppice called Henly wood was fallen about 16 years ago and sold to Mr Lawrence Seddon and Mr Samuel Thomas for about £80; it is now fit to be fallen and the defendant has contracted with Mr Amies for £60
A year ago the defendant sold some cordwood of old runnels of lands in Bishop's Castle in possession of Charles Bright, to Mr Amies for £20; at the same time he sold to Amies some old runnell trees from off one Duppa's living, to be converted to cordwood. Amies was to allow for so much of the trees as should be timber; the price of the whole amounted to £36; 6 guiness for timber, the rest for cordwood. He has lately agreed with Amies to sell him 300 cord of wood out of Runnells and other trees to be appointed by the defendant from the Ludford estate at 9s a cord. The defendant has lately fallen some runnells and other trees growing in the hedgerows of the Ludford estate and 2 rows of poplar and ash on a meadow belonging to the demesnes which were "unkindly and old trees of no ornament or advantage to the house" and, in the defendant's opinion, a prejudice to the meadow. He felled them for conversion into cordwood pursuant to the contract with Amies - they will produce 200 cord of wood.
About 4 months ago he caused to be felled 3 elms by Ludford church which were sold to one Rickards for £5; a few poplars were dold to him for 40s; he lately felled a sapling walnut, designed for his own use, but it proving rotten, it was converted to cordwood. He has not sold any timber in the park but has felled from time to time for his own use for repairs to the buildings etc. He cannot remember the exact account. So far from wilfully wasting the park, he has taken care to preserve it, even to buying timber for building a house at Ludlow since the complainant's marriage. He has laid out £4,000 in improvements at the capital house at Ludford, the park, and the tenements. He has planted 500 firs and poplars and has kept an average of 16 labourers at the task of improving the estate. He has not cut down any trees at Ludford or Bishop's Castle other than those mentioned since the intermarriage of the complainants, except for a few saplings, how many he does not know, cut down by the workmen employed for cutting cordwood under the contract with Amies. They were forbidden to cut any more. He did not design to fell timber of use or ornament to the mansion and hopes the Court will not restrain him from the power he has by law to fall such timber as he shall think proper, especially when designed only for making necessary provision for his family and younger children.
He has not ploughed any ancient meadow or pasture of the demesnes at Ludford and does not design to do so. In a lease made to Richard Tonge of part of the demenne lands, he restrained him from doing so.
The defendant says he has always been a kind father to the complainants Blunden and Mary "and hath no ways deserved the undutiful behaviour with which they have of late treated him" He consented to a large settlement, gave them the furniture of Whitton Hall to the value of £1000 and upwards, and kept them and their servants for one whole year, at his own expense.
The houses at Ludford of which the defendant is tenant for life are in good repair and he had never wilfully defaced the mansion house or let it run to ruin or the walls belonging to the garden,park, or otherwise. He asks for costs.
- (Research):MANORS
The manor of ANSLEY was held together with Hartshill by the Countess Godeva before the Conquest. In 1086 it was farmed with the rest of her estates by Nicholas. (fn. 11) It was said in 1482 to be held of the Prior of St. Mary's, Coventry, (fn. 12) and it descended with Hartshill (q.v.) to Sir Alexander Colepeper. (fn. 13)
Sir Thomas Colepeper, grandfather of Sir Alexander, had in 1410 enfeoffed Henry Ludford of pastures in Ansley containing 50 acres, to hold at a rent of 24s. 10d.; and Sir Alexander in 1505 gave to John Ludford, grandson of Henry, Ansteley Hay and Oxehay and the Hall grounds, amounting to another 140 acres. At John's death about 1532 he was holding 300 acres of Sir Alexander. (fn. 14) As the manor was entailed these grants gave rise to various controversies between the Colepepers and Ludfords. William Ludford, son and successor of John Ludford, claimed the manor of Ansley and was accused by Sir Alexander Colepeper of stealing a deed relating to the lease of Ansteley Hay and Oxehay from Sir Alexander's house in Kent. (fn. 15) This matter was settled by arbitration in 1535, (fn. 16) but further disagreements arose between Sir Alexander's son Thomas and Thomas Ludford, who had succeeded his father William in 1540. (fn. 17) This also was settled by arbitration in 1544, Ludford agreeing to pay rent for the Ansley lands to Colepeper. (fn. 18) Thomas Ludford died in 1556 holding land in Ansley. (fn. 19)
Thomas Colepeper's brother John sold the manor in 1551 to Robert and Edmund Wyeth of Loughborough, co. Leicester. (fn. 20) They sold it in 1562-3 to John Rampton of Atherston, (fn. 21) who with his wife Joyce conveyed it in 1567 to George Wyghtman of Elmesthorpe, co. Leicester. (fn. 22) Wyghtman mortgaged it in 1591-2 to William Glover, afterwards a knight and alderman of London. He obtained in 1601 from Thomas Wyghtman of Burbage, son and heir of George, a release of all his title in the manor, which passed to Sir Thomas Glover, son of Sir William. (fn. 23) Sir Thomas and his mother Anne sold it in 1608 to James Wightman of Brackman, co. Leicester, (fn. 24) and he with his son Thomas conveyed it in 1611 to Matthew Bates, (fn. 25) who with the Wightmans sold it to George son of Michael Ludford and grandson of Thomas named above. (fn. 26) George settled the estate in 1618 upon Sarah Warren, his intended wife, and died in 1627, leaving a son John not quite 3 years old. (fn. 27) John Ludford was buried at Ansley in 1675. He had several sons, but all died without issue. James, the longest survivor, died in 1699 at the age of 44, and under his will Ansley manor passed to his nephew Thomas Bracebridge, son of his sister Jane, on condition that he should take the name Ludford. (fn. 28) Thomas died leaving no children, and his brother Samuel Bracebridge succeeded to Ansley. He also took the name Ludford, and died in 1727. (fn. 29) His son John made conveyances of the manor in 1728 and in 1749, probably on his marriage with Juliana daughter of Sir Richard Newdigate, bart. (fn. 30)
Ludford. Azure a cheveron between three boars' heads razed or.
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Abt 1621 - Abt 1686 (65 years)
