User:Mjroots/Delce

Delce is an area that forms part of Rochester, Kent, United Kingdom. It comprised two manors, Delce Magna and Delce Parva.

Delce Magna
In the Doomsday Book, the manor of Delce Magna is recorded as having been given to Odo of Bayeux by his brother William the Conqueror. The entry reads:-
 * In the lath of Aylesford, in Rochester Hundred, the son of William Tabum holds Delce of the bishop. It was taxed at one sulung and one yoke. The arable land is... ...there is one carucate in demesne, and five villeins having five carucates. There are 12 acres of meadow, wood for the pannage of one hog. In the time of King Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, it ws worth three pounds, and now 70 shillings. Godric held it of King Edward.

Delce Magna subsequently passed to Herebert Delce, then to his son Gosfrid, then to his son Hugo de Delce. It then passed to the Buckerel family. The heirs of Thomas Buckerel, who died towards the end of the reign of Henry III, held the manor of Bertram de Criol at two knight's fees and a half. The manor was subsequently divided into parcels. When Geoffry de Haspale died in 1302, he held the manor at a quarter of a knight's fee. The manor passed through the Molineux family to Benedict de Fulsham, who held the manor in 1357. His son Richard Fulsham held the manor in capite at the time of his death in 1418. The manor passed to Richard Love, who died in 1422. His successor held the manor until the late 1460s, when it was sold to William Venour, who died in 1442.

Delce magna was sold to Markham and then Tate before it was purchased by Sir Richard Leigh, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1460 and 1469. He gifted the manor to his son Richard. subsequently passing to a third and fourth Richard Leigh, each the son of the previous Richard. The manor the passed to Godfrey Leigh, whose lands were disgavelled in 1540. The manor remained in the Leigh family until late in the reign of Queen Anne, when it passed to Thomas Chiffinch. At this time, the manor became known as Lower Delce. Chiffinch died in 1727, and Lower Delce passed to his son, Thomas, who died without issue in 1775. He bequeathed Lower Delce to his niece Mary Comyns, who married Francis Wadman. He held the manor in 1798.

Delce Parva
In the Domesday Book, the manor of Delce Parva is recorded as having been given to Odo of Bayeux by his brother William the Conqueror. The entry reads:-
 * In Rochester hundred, Anstogus de Roucestre holds Delce of the bishop. It was taxed at one sulung. The arable land is two carucates, and there are in demesne... ...with one villein and five borderers, and six servants. There are 12 acres of meadow, and 60 acres of pasture. In the time of King Edward the Confessor, and afterwards, and now, it was, and is worth, 100 shillings. Osuuard held it of King Edward.

Following the disgrace of Odo in 1082, the manor reverted to the Crown and then came into the posession of the De Delce family, who held it of William de Say at one knight's fee. During the reign of King John, the manor was held by Jeffry de Bosco, a Norman. When Normandy was seized by Philip II in 1204, Norman possessions in England were seized by the Crown under Terra Normanorum. King John gave the manor to William de Cririton for £200, two palfreys and two gols hawks, with the understanding that should de Bosco reaffirm his allegiance to John, he would regain the manor. This never happened and the manor remained in the de Cririton family. Odo de Cririton died in 1247. He held the manor in capite at one knight's fee. By 1281, the manor was held by Richard Pogeys.

By the 1360s, the manor was owned by the Basing family. It then passed into the possession of the Charles family. Richard Charles died in 1377. The manor passed to his nephew Richard, who died in 1387. The manor passed to his son Roberd, who died without issue. The manor passed to his sisters Alice Snayth (or Snette) and Joan Ormskirk. It eventually passed via Alice Snayth to Charles and William Snette, who gave and amortized the manor to the wardens of Rochester Bridge for the support and repair of the same. The manor became known as Upper Delce at this time. The bridge wardens held Upper Delce by 1438. In 1593, cartographer Phil Symondson produced a plan of the estate for the bridge wardens. Leonard Bartholomew and Richard Bogden occuped the manor by lease in 1798.