John Fitz-Ralf, Knt. as the portion of Margery, his grand-daughter; and by his will he further desired, that all his manors, lands, and advowsons, should be conveyed by his trustees to his two sons-in-law aforesaid, on condition that each of them should pay 1000 marks to his leoffees, for them to finish Atleburgh college with, and endow it according to his desire; and accordingly, after his death, Sir John Herling and Sir John Fitz-Ralph, giving the feoffees security for the money, had the inheritance divided between them in 1402, and settled by fine; Sir John de Herling, Knt. and Cecily his wife, had the manors of Stanford and Atleburgh, 4l. rent in Hocham, the advowson of Great Elingham, the moiety of the advowson of the chantry at the altar of the Holy Cross in the church of Atleburgh, the manors of Newenham and Foxton in Cambridgeshire, all which were settled on Cecily and her heirs: the manors of Scoulton, Totington, and Great Elingham, with the advowson of the third part of Atleburgh, and the moiety of the advowson, of the chantry at the altar of the Holy Cross, in the church of Atleburgh, with 52 messuages, 380 acres of land, 4 of meadow, and 76s. rent, in Scoulton, Tomest on, Caston, RokelandTofts, and Little Elingham, the manors of Kingston in Cambridgeshire, and Mildenhale in Suffolk, were settled on Sir John Fitz-Ralf for life, and Margery his wife, and her heirs; and thus the estate of the noble family of the Mortimers was divided; and
In 1403, the Lady Cecily de Herling was found to hold this manor at one fee of the Earl Warren. In 1411, she was married to
John Ratcliff, Esq. her second husband, and at her death left it to him and his heirs. This John was son of James Ratcliff, Esq. and was the first that advanced that family to the dignity and honour that it afterwards possessed, being a brave champion in war, even from his youth, for which he was so much in the favour of that victorious prince, King Henry V. that in the first year of his reign he granted an annuity of 40 marks a year to him and Cecily his wife, and the longest liver of them, to be received by half yearly payments, at Easter and Michaelmas, out of the manor of Tunstede in Norfolk, which belonged to the King's honour or dutchy of Lancaster, upon special trust and condition that the said John should not be retained, or serve any one in war, but himself only, during his life; and as a further mark of favour, another grant passed the same day, to him only, during his life, of another annuity of 25 marks a year, issuing out of all the lands and demeans of that dutchy in Norfolk, to enable him the better to perform his service, both which annuities were constantly paid him by the receiver of the dutchy; and from this time he constantly attended the King in all his wars. He was a squire only at the battle of Shrewsbury, and was knighted by King Henry V. upon his landing at (Quies de Caux) commonly called Kidcaux, where the Seine quietly runs into the sea; and the next day went
