A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



court, at which the view of frankpledge was taken, 

 always falling within the octave of Trinity, while 

 the second was held in the late autumn. 4 * The 

 values of the courts appear to have varied from 

 about \s. to 1 61. 



The only court roll extant for this period is 

 dated 1368," and is preserved by the Dean and 

 Chapter of Westminster Abbey. A roll of courts 

 held in 1542 and 1545 is at the Public Record 

 Office." 



The right to hold court leet, court baron, and 

 view of frankpledge, is mentioned in a grant of the 

 manor in 1777.** 



Free fishery in the Rivers Brent and Thames 

 was also among the appurtenances of the manor at 

 that date. 60 



The Manor Farm, which lies near the southern 

 boundary of the parish, is now used as golf links 

 by the Manor Farm Golf Club, the farm-house 

 having been converted into a club house for the 

 members. 



Ford Farm, which is near the old ford on the 

 road to Staines and Laleham, belonged in the 

 reign of William III to Ann Batkins of Ashford, 

 and was held of her by John Belt and William 

 Ellary, husbandmen, on lease, touching which they 

 brought an action against Ann Batkins in I7OO. 61 



In 1086 the Count of Mortain held I hide in 

 Ashford. It had been held formerly by Alvric, a 

 vassal of the Abbot of Chertsey, and had lain 

 within the jurisdiction of Staines. 6 ' It was now 

 attached to the count's manor of Kempton, in 

 which it probably became merged. A piece of 

 land known as Ashford Marsh was part of Kemp- 

 ton Manor in the reign of Elizabeth. 63 



The parish church of S7 1 . MAT- 

 CHURCH THEW, built in 1858, is at least the 

 third church built on the site, the 

 previous one being built of brick in 1796, and 

 replacing an older building of brick and stone, 

 dedicated in honour of St. Michael, with a 12th- 

 century south doorway ; it consists of chancel 

 28 ft. by 1 9 ft. wide, north vestry and south 

 chapel forming transepts, a nave 60 ft. by 20 ft. 

 with aisles 1 1 ft. wide, and a small tower built 

 over the porch on the south-west. It is built of 

 stone with red-tiled roofs. The tower is in three 

 stages, with a red-tiled pyramidal roof. 



The chancel has a steep-pitched roof, and the 

 east window is of three lights with 14th-century 

 tracery ; the south transept is also lighted by a 

 three-light window in the south wall. 



The nave has north and south arcades of five 

 bays, and at the west end a large four-light tracery 

 window. In the nave is a coffin-plate of the 

 Hon. George Hay, Earl of Kinnoull (died 1758), 

 and near the door a brass to Edward Wooden and 

 his wife, 1525, with effigies of them and their 

 eight children. 



There are three bells, the treble by Bryan 

 Eldridge, 1620, the second by William Eldridge, 

 1668, and the tenor by Thomas Mears, 1797. 



The communion plate consists of a chalice ' the 

 gift of Mr. Wm. Munden 1716,' the hall-marks 

 being illegible ; a standing paten, inscribed ' the 

 gift of Wm. Munden in memory of the fire at the 

 ford, Jan. 1716,' date letter 1715 ; a large chalice 

 with date mark 1812 ; and a standing paten of 

 the same year, given by R. Govett, vicar. 



There are two books of registers previous to 

 1812, the first, evidently a copy of others made 

 when Ashford was a chapelry of Staines, contains 

 the baptisms, burials, and marriages of Staines from 

 1696 to 1710, 1706, and 1707 respectively ; the 

 baptisms and burials of Laleham from 1696 to 

 1 704 and 1 708 ; and the baptisms and burials of 

 Ashford between 1699 and 1708, 1709 ; this 

 book is bound in an old, almost illegible indenture. 

 The other book contains printed marriages from 

 1754 to 1812 inclusive. 



Until comparatively recent 

 ADVOWSON times Ashford Church was a chapel 

 dependent upon the church of 

 Staines. It belonged until the Dissolution to 

 Westminster Abbey. 64 It is first mentioned in 

 1 293, when the rector of Staines and of the chapels 

 of Ashford and Laleham was acquitted of the 

 sum of 3^ marks which he owed for the tenth 

 granted to Edward I for the relief of the Holy 

 Land." Ashford is enumerated among the chapels 

 of Staines in the institution of that vicarage by 

 William, Bishop of London, about 1426, and the 

 vicar of the mother church was bound to appoint 

 suitable curates to officiate at each of the chapels. 68 



After the suppression of the monasteries, the 

 advowson of Ashford was separated from that of 

 Staines, which remained with the Crown, and was 

 granted in 1542 to the newly-founded cathedral 

 church of Westminster. 6 ' The dean and chapter 

 apparently presented Roger Gryffyn, who was 

 vicar of Ashford in I548. 68 On the foundation of 

 the collegiate church of St. Peter, Elizabeth granted 

 the advowson of Ashford to the dean and chapter. 69 

 It was then called a free chapel, but there is no 

 mention of any presentation being made by St. 

 Peter's. 70 Under the Commonwealth the benefice 

 is described as a vicarage, and the ' minister ' 

 George Bonieman was ' brought in by consent and 

 presentation of the parish,' being supported by the 

 small tithes and glebeland." There is apparently 

 no further record of the church until 1 760, when 

 it appears as a chapel of Staines in the presentation 

 to that vicarage by the Crown." From that time 

 it seems to have been served by a curate of Staines. 

 During the early part of the igth century the 

 same priest officiated both at Laleham and at Ash- 

 ford, and consequently service was held only on 

 alternate Sundays at either church. The living is 



M Doc. in custody of the D. and C. 

 of Wcstm. Chest D. no. 26749-844. 



*7 Ibid. no. 26847. 



P.R.O. Ct. R. portf. 1 88, no. 41. 



* Recov. R. Mich. 18 Gco. Ill, rot. 

 368. 



Ibid. 



" Eh.Dep.Mich.i zWill.III,rot.36. 

 6 " Dam. Bk. (Rec. Com.), i, 128. 

 6 MM. Co. Rec. i, 40. 

 64 Doc. in custody of the D. & C. 

 of Westm. no. 16782, 16811. 

 46 Ibid. no. 16776. 

 66 Lond. Epis. Reg. Gilbert, fol. 177. 



308 



7 L. and P. Hen. mi, xvii, 395. 

 <8 Chant. Cert. 34, no. 138. 

 69 Pat. 2 Eliz. pt. xi, m. 19. 

 Newcourt, Rtpert. i, 735. 

 " P.R.O. Surv. of Church Livings, 

 iii, m. 6. 



7" P.R.O. Inst Bks. 



