Notes for Lord of Chetwode John de Chetwode:
"John de Chetwode, Knight, Lord of Chetwode in Com. Buckingham, founder of ye Priorie of Chetwode. This Sir John Chetwode, knight, founder of the Priorie Church of Chetwode, was buried in ye Priory church of Chetwode together with his Wife, whose monument was defaced after the suppression of the said Priory, as appeareth by seuerall depositions taken by vertue of a Commission out of ye Chauncerie Anno 25 Elizabeth."
An account of the Chetwode Rhyne Toll was given in the "Chetwode" book, parts of which follow: "The manor of Chetwode -- a small village about five miles from Buckingham -- has been the property of the Chetwode family from Saxon times. Though of small extent, it is the paramount manor of a liberty or district embracing several other manors and villages which are required to do suit and service at the court leet held at Chetwode every three years. The lord of Chetwode has also the right to levy a yearly tax, called the 'Rhyne Toll', on all cattle found within this liberty, between the 30th of October and the 7th of November, both days inclusive. The commencement of the toll, which was proclaimed with much ceremony, is thus described in the record of a trial in the reign of Queen Elizabeth (I):
"In the beginning of the said Drift of the Common, or Rhyne, first at their going forth, they shall blow a welke-shell, or horne, immediately after the sunrising at the mansion-house of the manor of Chetwode, and then in their going about they shall blow their horne the second time in the field between newton purcell and Barton hartshorne, in the said county of Bucks; and also shall blow their horne a third time at a place near the town of Finmere, in the county of Oxford; and they shall blow their horne the fourth time at a certain stone in the market of the town of Buckingham, and there to give the poor sixpence; and so, going forward in this manner about the said Drift, shall blow their horne at several bridges called Thornbrough Bridge, King's Bridge, and Bridge Mill. And also they shall blow their horne at the Pound Gate, called the Lord's Pound, in the parish of Chetwode.
....And also (the Lord of Chetwode) has always been used by his officers and servants to drive away all foreign cattle that shall be found within the said parishes, fields, etc., to impound the same in any poound of the said towns, and to take for every one of the said beasts; and further, that the said officers and servants have always been used to take all cattle so taken and impounded by them within three days to the Lord's Pound at Chetwode, and if any cattle shall remain in the pound at Chetwode, and not be claimed at the end of the next three days, then the next day following, after the rising of the sun, the bailiff or officers of the lord for the time being, shall blow their horne three times at the gate of the said pound, and make proclamation that if any persons lack any cattle that shall be in the same pound, let them come and shew the marks of the same cattle so claimed by them, and they shall have them, paying unto the lord his money in the manner and form before mentioned, otherwise the said cattle that shall so remain, shall be the lord's as strays.' This toll was formerly so rididly enforced, that if the owner of cattle so impounded made his claim immediately after the proclamation was over, he was refused them, except by paying their full market price; and if he would not give the required sum, or none came forward, the cattle were at once driven to Warkworth, in Northamptonshire, and sold, whence arose a popular saying at Chetwode that 'Cattle that drank of Warkworth water never came back to Bucks.'
"The existence of this toll may be traced to remote antizuity, but nothing is known of its origin except by local tradition. The parish of Chetwode, as its name implies, was formerly thickly wooded; indeed it formed a part of an ancient forest called Rookewood, which is supposed to have been conterminous with the present libert of Chetwode. At a very early period, it is said that this forest was infested with an enormous wild-boar, which became the terror of the surrounding country. The inhabitants were never safe from his attacks; and srangers, who heard of his ferocity, were afraid to visit, or pass through, the district; so that traffic and friendly intercourse were seriously impeded, as well as much injury done to property, by this savage monser. The lord of Chetwode, 'a true and valiant knight' determined to rid his neighbours from this pest, or to die in the attempt. Bent on this generous purpose, he sallied forth into the forest, and as the old song has it --
"Then he blowed a blast full north, south, east, and west --
Wind well they horn, good hunter;
And the wild-boar then heard him full in his den,
As he was a jovial hunter.
Then he made the best of his speed unto him --
Wind well they horn, good hunter;
Swift flew the boar, with his tusks smeared with gore,
To Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then the wild-boar, with his tusks smeared with gore,
To Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then the wild-boar, being so stout and so strong --
Wind well they horn, good hunter;
Thrashed down the trees as he ramped him along,
to Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then they fought four hours in a long summer day --
Wind well they horn, good hunter;
Till the wild-boar fain would have got him away
From Sir Ryalas, the jovial hunter.
Then sir Ryalas he drawed his broad sword with might --
Wind well they horn, good hunter;
And he fairly cut the bor's head off quite,
For he was a jovial hunter.'
"Matters being thus settled, the neighbourhood rung with the praises of the gallant deed of the Lord of Chetwode, and the news thereof soon reached the ears of the King, who 'liked him so well of the achievement' that he forthwith made the Knight enant in capite, and constrituted his manor paramount of all the manors within the limits and extent of the royal forest of Rookwoode. Moreover he granted to him and to his heirs for ever, among other immunities and privileges, the full right and powere to levy every year the Rhyne Toll."
There was a large mound, surrounded by a ditch, which was named the "Boar's Pond", laying about a mile of the Chetwode manor. In about 1810 a tenant began to fill up the ditch by leveling the mound. In so doing, he discovered the bones of an enormous boar laying on its side. The forests of Bernewood and Rookwoode were formerly adjoined and formed a favorite hunting district of Edwrd the Confessor and his successors. They had a hunting lodge at Burghill (Brill) where the two forests met.
Arms: Quarterly argent and gules, four crosses pattee counterchanged, CHETWODE.
Letter to Ronny O. Bodine, 4 November 1999:
Just wanted to let you know what a fantastic job was done on the Ancestry of Dorothea
Poyntz. Enjoying every bit of it.
My husband's line, Chitwood, ties into the Chetwode line (believe I sent you copies out of
the Chetwode of Chetwode book by Stephen Tucker. Anyway, his line comes from
William's brother, John de Chetwode, knight, who married Oliue, both referred to in a
letter sans date, Arms: Chetwode. In the book William is listed as second sonne, parents
Robert Chetwode, Lo. of Chitwode, lyued in the vth yeare of K. henry the first, Arms:
Chetwode, he married Sibell, da. of Thomas Strange and of Amabell his wife (re. Carta
sans date.) Robert's line goes to Raufe de Chetwode, knight, sonne and heire. Carta s.d.,
Arms: Chetwode. > Robert Chetwode, Lord of Chetwode, son & heire. Carta s.d.,
Arms: Chetwode. > John de Chetwode, Knight, Lord of Chetwode in Com. Bucking.,
founder of ye Priorie of Chetwode. Arms: Quarterly argent and gules, four crosses pattee
countrechanged, Chetwode
Reference listed for William is: "This Will'm Chetwode gaue to Robert Chetwode his
Nephew fourtie shillings by the yeare to be in the town of Horton in Com. Kent. Cart.
sanz date." [His nephew, Robert Chetwode, Lord of Chetwood, knight. Liued the 10 E.
1 and 14 E. 1, married Lucie, Ladie of Harcliue, mother to Sr. John Chetwoode.]
Reference re. John Chetwode: "This Sr John Chetwode, knight, founder of the priorie
Church of Chetwode, was buried in ye Priory church of Chetwode together with his
Wife, whose monument was defaced after teh suppression of the said Priory, as
appeareth by seuerall depositions taken by vertue of a Commission out of ye Chauncerie
Ao 25 Eliz."
Reference for Robert (William and John's father): "This Sr Rob't, Lord of Chetwode, did
release from him and his heires to the prior and Canons of Chetwode and their
successours in free Almes all rentes, dueties, and servile customes due to the s'd Rob't and
his heires which they held of his fee and had in the towne and feild of Chetwode, for which
release the Priour and Cou'uent did graunt yearly to pay to the said Rob't and his heires a
marke of siluer in teh p'ish church of Chetwood, as may appeare by a deed dated the 5 H.
And further his wife, Sibell Estrange, in her widowhood did after grant in free almes two
yarde land with the appurtennces to ye Hermitage of Chetwode and to the brethren their
abideings."
Also, don't know if I sent you the following:
S 544
A.D. 949. King Eadred to Æthelmær, praeses; grant of 20 hides (manentes)
at Chetwode and Hillesden, Bucks. Latin with
English bound, and note, in English, referring to Chadshunt, Warwicks.
