Rookley Manor
Encyclopedia
Rookley Manor is a manor house on the Isle of Wight
, situated in the parish of Arreton
. Though originally in Godshill
parish, it is now included for the greater part in the boundaries of South Arreton.
as holding jointly with William le Martre, half a fee in Rookley and Blackpan, with Robert Rookley also holding a quarter fee in Rookley. John Rookley held the vill
(manor) in 1316 and was apparently succeeded by Adam Rookley, whose widow, Isabel, made an agreement in 1328–9 with Robert Rookley as to her life interest in land at Rookley. Geoffrey Rookley was holding a quarter fee in Rookley in 1346, and was granted licence in 1363 to have an oratory in his lordship of Rookley. In 1428 and 1431 Rookley was in the possession of Richard Coke or Cooke, a gentleman of Sussex
, who was seised (had ownership) of a quarter fee there, another quarter held in 1346 by William Taunton and others not being answered for in 1428, as it was divided between Walter Veer and Thomas Lisle. The Cooke family seem to have remained at Rookley until the death of Thomas Cooke in 1519, leaving an infant granddaughter Mary.
The manor then passed in the same way as East Standen
to the Bannister and Meux families. The Bannisters' third is not mentioned after 1546–7, but the two thirds belonging to the Meux family passed with East Standen until the death of Sir William Meux in 1638. From the Meux family it passed to the Colemans. The last Coleman willed the manor after the death of his sister to James Worsley of Stenbury. In the early 20th century, the holding frequently changed hands. Mr. Holmes Leigh, who bought it from Mr. William Ash of Newport, sold it in 1911 to Mr. Wickett.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, situated in the parish of Arreton
Arreton
Arreton is a village and civil parish in the central eastern part of the Isle of Wight, England. It is about 3 miles south east of Newport.-Name:The settlement has had different names and different spellings over the years...
. Though originally in Godshill
Godshill
Godshill is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight with a population of 1,465 according to the 2001 census. It is located between Newport and Ventnor in the southeast of the Island.-History:...
parish, it is now included for the greater part in the boundaries of South Arreton.
History
The Lisle family owned Rookley Manor under their neighbouring manor of Appleford, and it is first mentioned in 1203 when Walter de Insula granted common pasture in Rookley to Philip of Blackpan. In 1272 a rent in Rookley was granted by Thomas Delamere to John Fleming, who is returned in the Testa de NevillBook of Fees
The Book of Fees is the colloquial title of a modern edition, transcript, rearrangement and enhancement of the mediaeval Liber Feodorum , being a listing of feudal landholdings or "fees/fiefs", compiled in about 1302, but from earlier records, for the use of the English Exchequer...
as holding jointly with William le Martre, half a fee in Rookley and Blackpan, with Robert Rookley also holding a quarter fee in Rookley. John Rookley held the vill
Vill
Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.The term is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval. Land units in Domesday are frequently referred to as vills, although the...
(manor) in 1316 and was apparently succeeded by Adam Rookley, whose widow, Isabel, made an agreement in 1328–9 with Robert Rookley as to her life interest in land at Rookley. Geoffrey Rookley was holding a quarter fee in Rookley in 1346, and was granted licence in 1363 to have an oratory in his lordship of Rookley. In 1428 and 1431 Rookley was in the possession of Richard Coke or Cooke, a gentleman of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, who was seised (had ownership) of a quarter fee there, another quarter held in 1346 by William Taunton and others not being answered for in 1428, as it was divided between Walter Veer and Thomas Lisle. The Cooke family seem to have remained at Rookley until the death of Thomas Cooke in 1519, leaving an infant granddaughter Mary.
The manor then passed in the same way as East Standen
Great East Standen Manor
Great East Standen Manor is a manor house on the Isle of Wight. Its history dates to the Norman Conquest; and it was once the residence of Princess Cicely. The front is 18th century and includes five bays that are irregularly spaced. Grey headers and red brick dressings are featured as are windows...
to the Bannister and Meux families. The Bannisters' third is not mentioned after 1546–7, but the two thirds belonging to the Meux family passed with East Standen until the death of Sir William Meux in 1638. From the Meux family it passed to the Colemans. The last Coleman willed the manor after the death of his sister to James Worsley of Stenbury. In the early 20th century, the holding frequently changed hands. Mr. Holmes Leigh, who bought it from Mr. William Ash of Newport, sold it in 1911 to Mr. Wickett.