Catalogue description CALUDON, IN COVENTRY (WARWS.)

Caludon was one of the Segraves' five principal Warwickshire manors, and holdings in Binley, Walsgrave-on-Sowe, Henley and Wyken (all now in Coventry), as well as holdings in Coventry town, were appurtenant to it. It was granted by Ranulph de Blundeville, earl of Chester, to Stephen de Segrave at the end of the 12th century and Stephen created the manor there from uncultivated land. [BL Harl. MS 4748, f. 3d.] It is mentioned in both inquisitions of 1325, was held by the widow Alice in 1338, but was not included in the the jointure settlement of 1343-4 and therefore passed directly to John de Mowbray in 1353, appearing in his inquisition of 1368 and that of his son Thomas in 1399. The grant and regrant of 1443-4, below, BCM/D/5/78/3-4 [GC 4234, GC 4241], were probably a jointure settlement for John (VI) and Eleanor Bourchier. [Humphrey Stafford was Eleanor's half-brother; he was also involved with the settlement of Bretby and North Piddle in 1448, and in 1449 was among the feoffees who held Witherley: above, BCM/D/5/9/5 [SC 598]; BCM/D/5/53/2 [GCR 193].] Caludon was settled in jointure on John (VII) de Mowbray and his wife Elizabeth in 1476. William Berkeley is said to have settled the reversion on his stepsons, Richard and Edward Willoughby, in July 1488, [Smyth, ii. 131, saying that the reversion of Caludon was settled on the same terms as the reversion of Kennett and Kentford (Cambs. and Suff.; below), which had been settled in Feb. 1488 on Richard and his male issue with remainder to Edward and his male issue and to William Berkeley's right heirs. The reversion of Cherry Hinton (Cambs.) was certainly granted to the stepsons on those terms in Feb. 1488: above, BCM/D/1/2/1 [SC 647].] but the manor was in Berkeley hands in 1539-40. [John de Berkeley, grandson of William's younger brother Thomas, died at Caludon in 1539-40; the Willoughby male line failed only in 1559-60: Smyth, ii. 84.] It became a favoured residence: the heir Thomas was born there in 1575 and died there in 1611, as did his step-grandmother Anne Lady Berkeley in 1564, his mother Katherine in 1596 and his father Henry in 1613. [GEC ii. 137-9.] Nevertheless, it was sold by George Lord Berkeley in 1631. [VCH Warws. viii. 121.]