Bramford Manor of Kentons

by Rod Dakin

Very little is known of this Manor, not least because there are no known surviving Manor Court records. Of the other Bramford Manors, Bramford itself is by far the best represented by documentary records. Normans with Beverlies comes next with minor documentation for Weylands, Lovetofts and Fickets although sometimes these are combined with each other. Like Kentons, Overtye has no known surviving records.
Despite the lack of records, the origin of its name, almost certainly, derives from Sir Nigel de Kenton and his predecessors, who took their name from the village of Kenton near Debenham and where they had held land from at least the 12th century. In addition, the 1327 Subsidy Return shows he also had lands in Bramford, Orford and Easton. His Bramford lands were undoubtedly the starting point of the manor of Kentons (there was also one in Kenton, Debenham) but the earliest reference to it by name, so far found, is in a claim, dated between 1515 & 1518, by Robert Bolton, grandson of Michael Bolton of detention of deeds against John Hacon and Anne his wife, relating to the Manor of Kentons in Bramford & messuages, land & rent in Bramford, Sproughton, Hintlesham, Burstall, Whitton & Blakenham. Having said that, there are earlier hints at Kenton connections, the earliest of which is in 1205 when Yvo de Keneton is recorded as having interests in Burstall, a chapelry of Bramford. Then in 1343, Edmund (no surname) is described as vicar of Kenton church in Sprouton, Bramford and Whityngton, suggesting they were part of a common patronage. The 1327 Subsidy also records the name of Norman in Bramford, Weyland in Westerfield and Fiket in Witnesham
In feoffments (an early type of land transfer) of 1329 and 1333, the land of Sir Nigel Kentone in Braunford is referenced as being adjacent. By 1339 it was the land of Robert de Kentone in Braunford referred to in a similar document which, also mentions the land of John Weylond. In 1342 and 1386 Robert is again referenced and who is possibly the same as Robert de Kenton of Debenham, priest, recorded in 1353. Robert, son of Ivo de Kentone of Debenham is a witness to a Bramford feoffment in 1361 and again in 1390.
Moving to 1444, the local gentry family of Bolton, as above, confirmed their estate in the Manor of Braunforde, sometime of Robert Kenton, of lands, rents and services in Brainford (sic), Sprowton, Hyntlesham, Durstall (sic), Whytyngdoun (Whitton), Brokes (Ipswich/Bramford) & Blakenham, which they had acquired from William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk. However, Kentons were still present since there is a will for Nicholas Kenton of Bramford dated 1465 and in 1484 there is a debt case against Edmund Kenton of Braunford, husbandman.
A feoffment, dated 1491, from Wm Laneham & Edmund Kenton to Nicholas Mershe & Agnes his wife, Wm Uttley & John Smyth refers to land in Bramford near a close called Drengstonecrofte and 2 pieces, one called Gorynges and a pightle called Byrdes.
During the period 1515-1518 there are 2 legal cases that mention the Manor of Kentons, both involving Robert, grandson of Michael, one of which is mentioned above. The other involves an action by Robert against the trustees, including Lionel Talmage (Tollemache), for refusing to defend a formedon (a land ownership issue) by John Garnyssh for the manor in Bramford and lands in Bramford, Sproughton etc. Also, there is the ‘levy of a fine’ of Kenton Manor against Robert Bolton, in 1519, which includes tenements in Bramford, Sproughton, (? Hintlesham), (Burstall), Whitton, Brokes and Blakenham. By this time the Garneys family had taken over in Kenton itself and the Kenton family name is missing from the 1525 Suffolk Subsidy Return. Also missing is the entry for Bramford unless it is badly misspelt as Basford. Nevertheless, no Kentons, although they were probably still around as a John Kenton is a witness to the will of Thomas Barker (servant to Lord Wentworth of Nettlestead) in 1540 and a Joan Kenton, widow, of Bramford died around 1550.
The earliest reference found by Copinger (Manors of Suffolk) is in 1537 when Arthur Russhe died seised of Kentons in Bramford. However, there is an earlier (1524) mortgage arrangement between Thomas Russhe Esq. of Ipswich and Thomas Baldry, merchant, also of Ipswich involving 36 acres of the Manor of Kentons for £50. Arthur was the son of Thomas Russhe, close acquaintance of Thomas Cromwell, knighted by Henry VIII in 1533 and who died a few weeks before Arthur. The manor then passed to Anthony Rushhe, Arthur’s son, who, at the time, was in his minority and was made the ward of Thomas Wriothesley, later Earl of Southampton, who also had custody of all Arthurs’ possessions. The Earl left Anthony’s son Anthony all his leasehold lands in Suffolk in 1558. The year before, William Bettes of Bramford died and in his will refers to a meadow formerly of a tenement called Kentons and his 2 tenements called Kentons, at the well, in Bramford street. He also references his copyhold property held of master Litton. Sir Robert Lytton died at Shrubland Hall in 1551 and in his will wished his property (undefined) in Bramford and Sproughton to be sold to pay his debts. Copinger suggests Sir Robert as a possible owner of Kentons after the Russhe family. If he was, was it sold at this time? Not all his Bramford property was sold since his grandson, William Borlas or Borlase of Medmenham, Bucks, sells his Bramford manors* to William Acton in 1595 which did not include Kentons. The next name definitely associated with the manor of Kentons is Colborne.

The 1568 Subsidy Return for Suffolk shows Anthony Russhe taxed only on lands in Sudbourne, the ancestral home of the Russhe family and in Badingham. There are no Colbornes taxed in Bramford, just Henry Colbrond (a known variant of the name) in Westerfield. However, we know a Francis Colborne was living in Bramford in 1576 due to the baptism of his child recorded in the parish registers and he is described as a yeoman of Bramford in a document of 1580 and features in several litgation cases. In 1589 he leases Bramford parsonage and land from the Dean & Chapter of Canterbury, which, it is assumed, constituted Bramford rectory and which was granted to Canterbury by Henry VIII in 1541. Copinger records him as vested in the manor of Kentons, for the first time in 1593. Also, Henry Colborne (? Of Westerfield) is recorded as Lord of the Manor of Bramford for the first and only time at the end of 1597. We do not know for certain whether the manor of Kentons included both ecclesiastical and temporal lands although there are several priests in the historical Kenton family. However, the two types are taxed separately in the 1640 Ship Money returns.
Francis Colborne died at the end of 1615 but the rectory lease is transferred to his son Edward 3 years earlier and renewed in 1632. Edward, rector of Bramford, is subject to an action, in 1636/7 by John Acton (son of William) regarding tithes due to be paid to the Vicar. In his Will of 1638, Edward leaves the use of his house etc, bridge meadow, church meadow and the churchyard to his wife but there is no mention of the Rectory. The Will also suggests that he had less money than he thought and subsequently the family largely left Bramford. His son, Edward junior, is granted the lease of the Rectory in 1641 and clearly had money problems. Property that was mortgaged for cash was lost after failure to meet the repayment. Within this property was a field, part of Kenton Close, to serve as a way to Kenton meadow. The Bramford tithes were mortgaged to William Smyth, clerk of Hockwold whose son sold the former property of Bramford Rectory including the parsonage, meadow adjoining the vicarage and one next to Bramford bridge etc back to Edward’s grandson (also Edward, of Weeting next to Hockwold) and also to Hamond Thurston of Paston. In the document, dated October 1666, is 2 roods occupied by or possibly named after John Kenton.
Although the name of Kenton survived, in Bramford, well into the 17th century and beyond (Kenton’s Lane, now Vicarage Lane) the Manor probably disappeared during the Colborne’s tenure and in particular that of the first Edward or his son when it would have been broken up and the temporal lands, in particular, sold to pay debts. Edward, son of Edward, in fact died in debt.

*Norman’s with Beverlies, Fricketts and Weylands