revenues of his barony, and so became held of the Crown; and in 1665, it paid a castle-guard rent of 1s. 9d. a year to the King, that being the old rent that the whole manor used to pay the Bishop, towards the guard of Norwich castle, and was laid on this part at the division of the manor. That part which always went by the name of New Hall belonged to the Rooses, and was purchased by the Bokenhams about 1425, and joined to their other manors.
There was a family sir-named De Ashby, that lived and had a good estate in Ashby in Snetterton, in Edward the Third's time.
The Gonvile's had many lands, tenements, villeins, and services, in this town, which belonged to their manor in Lerling.
There was also a part of Pakenham's manor in Shropham, which extended hither; and hath passed with that manor from the Conquest to this present time; it then contained 40 acres, and belonged to Earl Hugh, and now it is owned by the city of Norwich, as that manor is, and is taxed at 9l. per annum.
LERLING
Lurling, Lirling, and now Lerling, or Lerlingford, is so called from its low situation on the river, upon the ford or biggest passage that any where crosses it; it hath a well-known inn standing by it; and the great post road from London to Norwich passing here, occasions this village to be more known by travellers than such places usually are. At the time of the Confessor's survey, there were two manors; the least was then held by a freeman, and at the Conqueror's time was given to William Earl Warren, who infeoffed Hugh in it, it being then of 30s. value: the capital manor, both at the Confessor's and Conqueror's survey, belonged to Ulketell, and the soke (or leet and superiour jurisdiction) belonged at that time to Bukenham castle, to which this hundred was then appendant; it was always of 40s. value; the town was then a mile long, and a mile broad, and the whole of every one's tenure paid 8d. ob. geld; this was afterwards called
