Tilehurst Manor, Berkshire, England

The manor of TILEHURST is not mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but it is possible that it was included with other hamlets in the manor of Reading. This seems more probable, since in 1291 Tilehurst is enumerated among the hamlets of Reading. Tilehurst came into the possession of Reading Abbey before the 13th century, and the manor was held by the abbey until the dissolution of the greater monasteries. In 1545 Henry VIII granted it to Francis Englefield. He was attainted and forfeited his lands in 1585, and in the following year Elizabeth granted a lease of the manor of Tilehurst for forty years to Humphrey Foster and George Fitton, but she kept the fee simple until 1599–1600, when she sold it to Henry Best and Francis Jackson, from whom it passed to Thomas Crompton, son and heir of Sir Thomas Crompton, kt., of Benington, Herts. He sold it in 1604 to Sir Peter Vanlore, to whom Francis Englefield, the nephew and heir of the former lord of the manor, who had died in exile about 1596, quitclaimed it in 1604. A few years later James I made grants of a fee-farm rent in the manor, with a water-mill and other rights there, that had been reserved by Queen Elizabeth in her patent to Best and Jackson. Tilehurst passed like Sir Peter Vanlore's other property to his son and daughters as joint heirs. There are many conveyances by his children and grandchildren, but for many years no partition took place amongst them. Eventually the descendants of the younger Sir Peter Vanlore seem to have obtained possession of the whole manor and were in seisin in 1676. The first Vanlore built himself a house at Tilehurst, and this seems to have been occupied by the Zinzan family, who appear to have held the manor and settled at Tilehurst. Sir Peter's daughter Jacoba and Henry Zinzan, her husband, were buried in Tilehurst Church in 1677 and 1676 respectively; they had several children in 1665, Henry being the heir. In 1685 James Dickenson and his wife Jane held a moiety of the manor and in 1686 John Jacques, clerk, and his wife Frances held another moiety; Jane and Frances may perhaps be identified as the daughters of Henry and Jacoba. In 1687 it was sold to John Wilder of Nunhide for £1,075. The manor is also said to have been in the hands of the Kendricks of Whitley, Reading, who were connected with the Zinzans, and had owned land in the parish since the early 17th century, but they cannot have held it for long. By 1706, however, the manor undoubtedly came into the possession of Benjamin Child, who married Mary Kendrick, the heroine of the ballad of the Berkshire Lady, the daughter and co-heir of Sir William Kendrick, the last baronet.After her death Benjamin Child sold it about 1759 to John Blagrave of Southcot, who built Calcot House, which has passed with the manor, the old Vanlore house having been pulled down. The manor passed to his niece and devisee Frances, the eldest daughter and co-heir of Anthony Blagrave. She married John Blagrave of Watchfield, who was, however, said to have no connexion with the Blagraves of Southcot. Their descendant, Mr. Henry Barry Blagrave, became lord of the manor of Tilehurst (Now called Calcot)