Catalogue description THE HUNDRED OF BERKELEY

The lordship of Berkeley, almost coterminous with the hundred and centred on the castle, was also known as the 'great manor', the liberty and the barony of Berkeley, or Berkeley Herness. Its acquisition by Robert FitzHarding marked the foundation of the baronial family of Berkeley. The Herness included some detached portions which, with others within it, were granted by FitzHarding to his younger sons and to St. Augustine's Abbey, his monastic foundation in Bristol. The abbey received the manors of Almondsbury, Ashleworth, Horfield and half of Cromhall, while his son Robert received Beverston, King's Weston and Elberton and his son Nicholas the manors of Hill and Nympsfield. The other half of Cromhall was also soon subinfeudated and Arlingham, another detached portion, was granted to Robert, a younger son of Maurice (II) Lord Berkeley (d. 1281), in 1275. Moreover, the parish and manor of Dursley, with those of Newington Bagpath and Ozleworth held of Dursley, remained with the original holders (thereafter known as the Berkeleys of Dursley) and were held directly of the king. The remainder, entailed by Thomas (III) Lord Berkeley in 1349, formed the lordship as it was held by all FitzHarding's descendants until it was settled on Henry VII and his male issue by William marquess of Berkeley (d. 1491). It included the manor and parish of Slimbridge, which was not originally a member of the Herness but was granted with the daughter of Roger de Berkeley of Dursley on her marriage to Maurice (I), FitzHarding's son and heir, and soon came to be considered as part of the Herness. William's brother and heir managed to recover most of the other lands which William had settled on the king but his descendants had to wait until 1553 and the end of the male line of Henry VII for the lordship to revert to them.

Structurally, the lordship was divided in several ways, into manors, vills, parishes and tithings, which appear to have been almost entirely discrete, causing much confusion. During the later middle ages the lordship was administered as nine large manors, Alkington, Cam, Coaley, Ham (with Appleridge), Hinton, Hurst, Symond's Hall, Slimbridge and Wotton-under-Edge (Wotton 'Forren' or 'Forinseca'), and two boroughs, Berkeley and Wotton-under-Edge (Wotton 'Intrinseca'), each manor incorporating several vills. The various holdings were not necessarily confined to one vill, or even one manor, and the number of surviving charters concerning the lordship makes for a certain amount of confusion. Some prominent tenants held land in several manors, but unless there is firm evidence that holdings in several vills formed an indivisible entity they are treated below vill by vill. The hundred was divided ecclesiastically into several parishes, those of Arlingham, Horfield, Cromhall, Almondsbury and Ashleworth being detached portions, and those of Berkeley, Wotton, Cam, Coaley, Slimbridge, Uley, King's Weston, Beverston, Dursley, Newington Bagpath and Ozleworth the main portion. Berkeley parish included the manors of Alkington, Appleridge, Hill, Ham, Hinton and Breadstone; Wotton parish included the vills of Nibley, Combe, Huntingford, Wortley, Bradley and Symond's Hall. Some parishes contained chapelries, Stone and Hill within Berkeley parish, Nibley and Symond's Hall within Wotton parish, Stinchcombe within Cam parish and Kingscote within Beverston parish.