Manorial History - Morrells Manor

Morrells Manor in Stanbridge is named after the Morrell family who held land in it during the reign of Henry IV. The manor is held of the principal manor of Stanbridge.

In 1446 John Morrells appears as the lord of the manor, and on his death, Morrells manor passed to his daughter and heir, Anne, and consequently, through her marriage to a Brocas, the manor passed into that family.

By 1490 John Brocas was in possession and he was succeeded by Barnard, who died in 1518. Barnards, son and heir, Robert inherited, but was only two years old at the time. In 1556 Robert also acquired Kimptons manor, Stanbridge, and the two manors were held together until 1577 when William Brocas and his wife Elizabeth alienated Morrells manor to William Bawdery, junior. Around 1596 the estate became the property of Thomas Ellingham, and it descended in this family for the next 150 years, until the last Thomas Ellingham went bankrupt, and in 1744 the manor was sold to John Capon of whom a moiety was purchased in 1747 by John Franklin. By 1800 both John Capon and John Franklin had died, and as a result their moieties were sold to a John Franklin (a relative).