The influence of the manorial steward

My family (Henly/Henley) were tenants of the manor of Brinkworth (Wiltshire)
in the sixteenth century. The earliest I have traced them there is 1536,
when they were granted tenancy of some land there (this was recorded in a
survey taken in 1578). At the time the manor was owned by the Abbey of
Malmesbury - following the Dissolution it was given to William Stumpe in
1544.

There was another branch of the family living in Chieveley (Berkshire), some
20 miles away. Although I am not sure of the exact relationship there were
several intermarriages between the families. A court roll of nearby
Childrey in 1526 mentions a piece of land called "Hendleys", suggesting that
the family was established in the area at that time. My strong suspicion is
that a member of the family moved from Chieveley to Brinkworth in order to
take up tenancy of the land there. There are several families who are
represented in both areas.

The court records of Brinkworth in 1572 show the name of the steward there
as Griffin Curteys. This is the same man who was steward at Chieveley in
1561, though I am not sure whether the manors were owned by the same
person/family. This provides a link between the two manors, though several
years after I believe the migration to have taken place.

It poses a few questions:
1) Is it possible that a man would have been employed as a steward by the
Abbey of Malmesbury, and then to have retained the position after the
Dissolution?
2) To what degree was a steward "freelance"? Was it common for a steward to
hold the position at different manors, working for different
people/institutions?
3) What influence did the steward have in the migration of people from manor
to manor? If a piece of land fell vacant in one place, was it within his
remit to bring in someone from another manor as a tenant? If the two manors
were owned by different people/institutions, did this matter?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Best wishes

Clive Henly
Chippenham, Wiltshire