1397 About July 25 ("en St. Jake l'Apostle") John de Wellesborough, having conveyed the reversion of the manors of Fenny Drayton and Wellesborough in Leicestershire to Thomas Purefoy, also conveyed his arms with the appurtenances which he and his ancestors had to Thomas Purefoy, his heirs and assigns. [1]
1397. A toutz ceux ycestes lettres verront ou orront, Johan de Whellesbrough, salutz en Dieu. Sachetz comme Thomas Purefey eit la reversion de manners de Fenney Drayton et Whellesbrough en la Counte de Leicestre oue les apurtenances, moi, le dit Johan aver done et graunte par icest au dit Thomas Purefey et ses heyres et en mesme le manere, mes arms oue les appurtenances ey entierment come moy ou mes ancesters avoions u; a aver et tener les armes oue les appurtenances subdit a dit Thomas, ces heires et ces assignes, come desuis est dit, a touts jours, sans impeachment de mes heires . . . Et jeo oblige moi et mes heires a garanter lez ditz arms oue les appurtenances au dit Thomas Purefey, cez heires et cez assignes, a touts jours. Et en tesmoignance de quels choses a cestes lettres jeo ay mise mon seale des arms subditz, cestes tesmoignes, Mons. Johan de Clinton, Mons. W" de Astley, chivalers, . . . et autres. Donne a Fenny Drayton subditz, en la feste de Saint Jake l'Apostle, l'an le reign du Roy Richard le seconde puis le conquest le vintisme primer.
1397 On October 27, Thomas Purefoy and his co-feoffees granted Fenny Drayton and Wellesborough (in Sibson) in Leicestershire to John Wellesborough and his wife Elizabeth for life, with reversion to Thomas. [2] [3]
Date: One month from St Michael, 21 Richard [II] [27 October 1397].
Parties: Anketin de Howeby, Thomas Purefey and Thomas Wauere (or Thomas Wanere), chaplain, querents, and John Whellesburgh' and Elizabeth, his wife, deforciants.
Property: The manors of Fennydrayton' and Whellesburgh'.
Action: Plea of covenant.
Agreement: John and Elizabeth have acknowledged the manors to be the right of Thomas Purefey, as those which the same Thomas, Anketin and Thomas Wauere have of their gift.
For this: Anketin, Thomas and Thomas have granted to John and Elizabeth the manors and have rendered them to them in the court, to hold to John and Elizabeth, of Anketin, Thomas and Thomas and the heirs of Thomas Purefey for the lives of John and Elizabeth, rendering yearly 1 rose at the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, and doing to the chief lords all other services. And after the decease of John and Elizabeth the manors shall revert to Anketin, Thomas and Thomas and the heirs of Thomas Purefey, quit of the heirs of John and Elizabeth, to hold of the chief lords for ever.
The "Purifoy" pedigree in the 1619 visitation of Leicester shows "Thomas Purifoy" married to Katherine, daughter of "John de Wellesbrough," and mentions the 1397 conveyance. [4]
Dugdale states, [5]
Thomas was train'd up to study the Laws; and, in 8 R. 2 had an annuity of xx s. granted to him by Sir John Warren Kt. with a Robe and Hood of the better sort, of that sute whithc he gave to the rest of his Esquires, to be yearly paid him out of the Mannour of Rotley, pro consilio suo impenso & impendendo. He wasalso in Commission for conservation of the peace in this County, form the 13 of R. 2 till 6 H. 5. and had a memorable Grant from John de Wellesburgh of the inheritance in reversion of Fenny Drayton and Whellesburgh, two good Mannours in Leicestershire; where by the same John did also pass his Arms to be born by him the said Thomas, his heirs and assigns, as entirely as he himself or his Ancestours had born them; all which appears by the Deed sealed with his Seal of Arms, and bearing date at Fenny-Drayton 21 R. 2. which Arms, viz. Or, 3 piles gules, and upon a Canton arg: a mullet Sable, have ever since been born by his Descendants, quarterly with their own.
[1] W. Paley Baildon, "Heralds' College and Prescription, IV," The Ancestor Issue 9 (1904), 214-224 at 218, [GoogleBooks].
[2] Feet of Fines, Online Abstracts, CP 25/1/126/70, number 79, [Medieval_Genealogy].
[3] Feet of Fines, Court of Common Pleas, CP25, The National Archives, UK, Anglo-American Legal Tradition, University of Houston, CP 25/1/126/70, number 79, [AALTImage].
[4] Samson Lennard, Augustine Vincen, John Fetherston, ed.,The Visitation of the County of Leicester in the Year 1619 (London: 1870), 32, [GoogleBooks].
[5] William Dugdale, The Antiquities of Warwickshire (London: Thomas Warren, 1656), 36-37, [HathiTrust].