"Sir Henry Fitzherbert, fifth lord of Norbury, who came into his inheritance in 1267, married the daughter of Ralph Chaddesden. He was living in 1310, but the exact date of his death is not known. His stone effigy, in chain armour, occupies the centre of the chancel of Norbury church.* Towards the end of his life he rebuilt the Manor House in stone on a large scale, consisting of two courts. Previous to this, it had probably been throughout a timbered or half-timbered dwelling. The court of the original Manor House was sufficiently spacious to permit of the high-road from Yeaveley to Ellaston passing through the centre. This road from the Preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers at Yeaveley, crossing the Dove just below the Manor House of Norbury, by a ferry and also by a foot and packhorse bridge, and leading to several Staffordshire Abbeys of importance, would be one of considerable traffic for a country district, and we are not surprised to find that Sir Henry Fitzherbert sought to close or divert the road before beginning the enlargement of his house. An Inquisition was held in 1301 to decide on the expediency of permitting the closing of this road, and the jury reported favourably;X but it was not till four years later that he obtained the royal license to effect this, on payment of forty shillings, and on condition of making another road through his own lands equally commodious for travellers. The road that he then made was probably the one now used, which turns off to the west just in front of the Manor House, and closely skirts it." [1] [Photocopy, 1384 schematic of Norbury Manor House.] [2]
Sir Henry Fitz-Herbert, of Norbury was a knight banneret. 3 Edw 2 [1310]. He married a daughter of Rafe Chaddeston, Esq. [3] [4] [5]
1272-1307 temp Edward I [late 13th century] "Gift by William de la Coldewalle [Coldwell], to Isabel de Birmingham and Roger, son of John de Okeover of all his holding which he held by gift of William de Ster and Emma his wife in le Woodhouses near Okeover along with a pasture in the fields of Woodhouse and Swinscoe and also rights of getting timber for repairs ('heybote' and 'husbote') in the wood of Swinscoe. Witnesses: Henry Fitz Herbert, John de Castern, Hugh de Prestwood, Walter Wyther, Thomas de Bynket (?) and others." [6]
1299 Henry Fitzherbert was representative for Derbyshire in parliament, 26 Edward 1. [7] [8]
1303 Saturday after the birth of St John the Baptist, (1 Sep) "Gift by Henry son of Henry de Mapleton, 'manens' in the fee of Bradley, to Simon Colle de Bradbourne and Lettice his wife of two messuages and 4 bovates of land in Bradbourne with the adjacent meadow land with all appurtenances in the vill and territory of Bradbourne. Witnesses: Lord Henry Fitzherbert, Henry de Kniveton, Roger de Bradbourne, knights, John de Bradbourne, Robert de Wensley of Brassington, William, clerk, of the same place, Matthew de Flagg in la Lee, Robert son of Matilda, William, clerk, and others" [9]
1305 The great hall at Norbury was built by Henry [10]
This Hall was built by Sir Henry Fitzherbert, Sixth Lord of Norbury, at the beginning of the fourteenth century. In the old Pedigrees he is styled a Knight Banneret (8 Edward II., 1314). Up to this time the Manor House Court was a public thoroughfare, for the road from Yeaveley (where the Knights of St. John had a Preceptory) to Ellaston passed right through it, crossing the Dove just below the house. Before rebuilding his house Sir Henry sought to divert this public road, and eventually obtained leave to do so, on payment of a fee of forty shillings, and on condition of making another road through his own land equally convenient for travellers. This Licence was granted by Letters Patent of 8 May, 33 Edward I. (1305), and is still preserved at Swynnerton.
1312 Dated Friday the Feast of St Augustine, 26 May, 5 Edward II "Gift by Amicia [Amy] de Woodhouses to Roger son and heir of John de Okeover of a messuage and croft with all appurtenances in Okeover in the fee of Mayfield, which the said Amicia held by gift and feoffment of Hugh de Okeover, park-keeper of Okeover, bondman of the said Roger. Witnessed by Lord Roger de Bradbourne, Henry Fitzherbert, Roger de Wensley, John de Bradbourne, Geoffrey Wyther, Ralph de le Wooehouses, Ralph de le Grene, clerk, and many others." [11]
The Church at Norbury has a monument to Sir Henry Fitzherbert, son of Sir William. [12]
Research Notes:
1263-64 Burke reports that Henry Fitz-Herbert was sheriff of Derbyshire, and of Nottingham. [13] [14]
1291 Henry Fitzherbert was reported to have died after 24 April, 1291. [15]
1294 and 1307 Burke reports that Sir Henry Fitz-Herbert represented the county of Derby in parliament. [16]
Henry Fitz-Herbert was reportedly the father of Sir John Fitz-Herbert [17] [18]. Henry reportedly had a younger son, Roger, who was rector of Norbury in 1306 [19].
[1] J Charles Cox, "Norbury Manor House and the Troubles of the Fitzherberts," Journal of the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society 7 (1885), 221-259, at 222, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[2] J Charles Cox, Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire, Vol. 3, "the Hundred of Appletree and Repton and Gresley" (1877), 234, describes the monument and reviews the facts, [InternetArchive], [GoogleBooks].
[3] Sir William Dugdale, Derbyshire visitation pedigrees, 1569 and 1611 (London: 1895), 35, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].
[4] John Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 1 (London: Henry Colburn, 1834), 79, in "Fitz-Herbert of Norbury and Swinnerton," pp 78-82, [GoogleBooks].
[5] Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage, 107th edition, Vol. 3 (Willington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage & Gentry, LLC, 2003), 3710.
[6] Derbyshire Record Office, Ref. No.: D231/M/T/47, [Derbyshire_Record_Office].
[7] Thomas Noble, ed., The history, Gazeteer, and Directory of the county of Derby: drawn up from actual observation, and from the best authorities; containing a variety of geological, mineralogical, commercial and statistical information, Vol. 1 (Stephen Glover, 1829), Appendix, 23, [HathiTrust], [HathiTrust].
[8] J. Charles Cox, Memorials of Old Derbyshire (London: Bemrose & Sons, 1907), 11, [HathiTrust].
[9] Derbyshire Record Office, Ref. No.: D231/M/T/138, [Derbyshire_Record_Office].
[10] Bede Camm, Forgotten shrines; an account of some old Catholic halls and families in England (London : Macdonald & Evans; 1910), 6, [HathiTrust].
[11] Derbyshire Record Office, Ref. No.: D231/M/T/13, [Derbyshire_Record_Office].
[12] J Charles Cox, Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire, Vol. 3, "the Hundred of Appletree and Repton and Gresley" (1877), 234, [InternetArchive], [GoogleBooks].
[13] Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage, 107th edition, Vol. 3 (Willington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage & Gentry, LLC, 2003), 3710.
[14] John Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 1 (London: Henry Colburn, 1834), 79, in "Fitz-Herbert of Norbury and Swinnerton," pp 78-82, [GoogleBooks].
[15] Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage, 107th edition, Vol. 3 (Willington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage & Gentry, LLC, 2003), 3710.
[16] John Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 1 (London: Henry Colburn, 1834), 79, in "Fitz-Herbert of Norbury and Swinnerton," pp 78-82, [GoogleBooks].
[17] Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage, 107th edition, Vol. 3 (Willington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage & Gentry, LLC, 2003), 3710.
[18] John Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 1 (London: Henry Colburn, 1834), 79, in "Fitz-Herbert of Norbury and Swinnerton," pp 78-82, [GoogleBooks].
[19] Charles Mosley, ed., Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, & Knightage, 107th edition, Vol. 3 (Willington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage & Gentry, LLC, 2003), 3710.