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The De Meppershall Family |
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Alias Mepertyshale, Mepsale or Meppershall |
| The De Meppershall family were land
owners given by the king, the first being Gilbert. He also owned land in
Hertfordshire, Felmersham and Felstead in Essex. The earliest documents showing Gilberts land are found in a charter of Henry II in about 1168, confirming to Chicksands priory a grant of land given - possibly illegally by Robert. These plots of land owned by the De Meppershalls were not very large , consisting of four hides ( each large enough to keep one family), one virgate (about 30 acres) and the demesne ( his house and immediate land surrounding it). The family were servants to the king and had to supply men, armour and horses if requested. When Edward I summoned his knights and officers to Worcester in 1276 to suppress Llewwellyn - ap - Gryffyds rebellion Nicholas De Meppershall was to infirm to go and ordered John de Bakepuz to go in his place. The grandson of Nicholas, John had to provide a bowman, horse, armour, sword, lance, iron head piece and small knife to fight at Crecy, France. Gilberts successor is not mentioned, William being referred to as ‘ile dispeser’. His Gt. grandson Robert's youngest Luke was Executed at Bedford in connection with the death of a priest at Chicksands in 1202. His Brother another Gilbert became "Lord of the Manor" and was followed by his grandson Rannulph. Rannulph had a court case about freehold tenement and 5/- rent which Gilbert Maudit of Felstead refused to acknowledge. Rannulph withdraw his claim. The De Meppershall name continued to own land in the parish for some 300 years, the last being John who married Katherine de Broughton. Some of the family Brasses are were put in the church wall. In the Chapel, these and the ‘hills’ being the only reminder of the family. They were an important local family and often occurred in local and state records. John de Mepsale 1374 - 1418 being the architect of the great Gatehouse at Ely |