

The Guilsborough church connection to Watford
George Clerke, the last Lord of Watford, died in 1689 and left a detailed will. One of the few bequests not of Watford was: ‘And I give...


The Last Lord of Watford
George Clerke, son of Sir George Clerke, died in Watford in May 1689, the last to hold all of Watford parish, Northamptonshire. (Well,...


An Inquisition in Medieval England
Some long time ago when I first heard the word 'inquisition', the context was the 'Spanish Inquisition'. These inquisitions took place...


Protection from Poverty for a Widow
When a soon-to-be wife brought significant estate (eg a manor and lands) with her to a marriage, medieval custom provided that the...


Inheritance - Intail
In medieval England, landed estates were sometimes passed on by deed to a successor with the tag 'intail' (also 'in tail', 'entail'). ...

Inheritance in Medieval Times
The gift of lands and / or a manor to an individual technically lasted 'forever'. 'Technically', because the 'gift' was conditional upon...