The Goodliffe Family of Lambley Lodge, Belton in the County of Rutland

Lambley Lodge and the GOODLIFFE Family as recorded in the Liddington Court Rolls

Liddington Manor

Lambley Lodge and the surrounding farms formed part of the ancient Manor of Lyddington (also Liddington). The earlier GOODLIIFFE families held title to the farm and various surrounding fields through the ancient concept of "copyhold". The farmer took "hold" of the land by authority of it being written up as a "copy" in the Roll of the Manorial Court. Copyhold was an hereditary right, passed from father to son, or more rarely farmer to wife to daughter, with such transfers being recorded in the Court Roll. A copyholder could also sell his right to another, subject to approval at a Court session. However, under s.128 of the Law of Property 1922 copyhold tenure became freehold tenure and the copyhold tenants of the property had absolute rights of ownership over their land. They owed nothing more to the Lord of the Manor.

Lyddington Manor

The Manor of Lyddington was held by the bishops of Lincoln in 1086 and was then in the Witchley Wapentake of Northamptonshire. By the middle of the twelfth century, the bishops had established a residence for themselves at Lyddington for hunting. Over the next three centuries they cultivated the land, enlarged their nearby park in which they built fishponds, extended the buildings and created a place fit for Henry VIII and Katherine Howard to visit in 1541. In 1547, succumbing to pressures on the Church at the Reformation, Bishop Henry Holbeach handed the Manor to the crown. The following year, it was given to Gregory Cromwell and his wife Elizabeth for their joint lives. When Gregory died in 1551, it was granted to William Cecil, though he did not actually receive it until Elizabeth died in 1568. From then until the end of the manorial system in 1925, the Manor remained in the hands of the Cecil family of Burghley House, Stamford. William Cecil became the first Lord Burley in 1571. His eldest son Thomas was made the first Earl of Exeter in 1605 and Henry Cecil, the tenth Earl, was made Marquess of Exeter in 1801.

The Lyddington Court Rolls, accounts, maps and other manuscripts are housed at Burghley House. Copies have been made available by the Lyddington Manor History Society from which this history has been abridged.

Burghley House in 1829 from Jones's Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen

Burghley House in 2009

GOODLIFFE Records at Lyddington

The Lyddington Manor Court Rolls run from 1465 to 1925 when the manor system was abolished. Each volume of the Roll has an alphabetical index, from which I have extracted all GOODLIFFE references. All the land was owned by the Lord of Burghley but it was leased in perpetuity to the tenant for a small fee. The tenant was able to "surrender" their rights to a piece of land back to the lord, who would then assign it to a new tenant, these transfers were usually arranged before seeking the lord of the manor's approval.The Rolls record all land transactions. They also record the history of the transfers for that piece of land, so for Lambley Lodge we can trace back to Daniel CURTIS and his surrender to Thomas GOODLIFFFE. Subsequent transfers to GOODLIFFE descendents still refer to the original surrender from Daniel.