A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



hampstead and its deep moats are still usually filled 

 with water. At one time it was the head of a small 

 barony, but it was never more than a manorial strong- 

 hold and has no history. It followed the descent of the 

 manor. According to tradition it was built by Cour.t 

 Eustace of Boulogne, and either he or one of his 

 immediate successors may well have thrown up its 

 formidable earthworks, upon which buildings of 

 timber only would at first be erected. The castle 

 was probably in existence when Geoffrey de Mande- 

 ville acquired the manor in 1141, for he no doubt 

 obtained it with the object of strengthening his 

 position along the valleys of the Lea and Stort, where, 

 between his stronghold at Walden and London, except 

 for Bishop's Stortford Castle, he had complete control." 

 The Ansteys apparently sided with the barons against 

 John and added to the fortifications of Anstey Castle 

 during the Barons' War. In 1 2 1 8 Nicholas de 

 Anstey was commanded to destroy the castle before 

 mid-Lent, so that no part of it should remain except 

 what was built before the war." It is impossible to 

 decide what part of the castle was then demolished : 

 possibly it was the masonry keep, indications of which 

 have apparently been found. '° The castle was still, 

 however, of sufficient importance for the king to seize 

 it on the death of Nicholas de Anstey in 1 225, when 

 William Fitz Baldwin was ordered to deliver the 

 custody of it to Robert de Rokele, steward of the 

 Archbishop of Canterbury." Anstey Castle is referred 

 to in 1304," but by 13 14 it had apparently ceased 

 to be maintained as a castle, for in the inquisition 

 after the death of Denise de Monchensey there is only 

 reference to a capital messuage with garden and 

 curtilage and no mention of the castle." The Hall 

 probably stands on the site of the capital messuage 

 just referred to,'° which took the place of the castle as 

 the residence of the manor. 



JNSTEr" was held before the Con- 

 MJNORS quest by Alward, a thegn of Earl Harold, 

 who had the right to sell it. In 1086 

 it was among the lands of Count Eustace of Boulogne," 

 and it continued to be held of the honour of 

 Boulogne.'' 



The manor was in 1086 held by Eustace in 

 demesne. It was assessed at 5 hides.-' It passed to 

 the Crown through the marriage of Maud daughter 

 and heir of Eustace III Count of Boulogne with 

 King Stephen, and was granted by King Stephen to 

 Geoffrey de Mandeville in 1 141," but escheated to 

 the Crown by Geoffrey's forfeiture before his death 

 in 1 144. 



Richard de Anstey, who occurs in the Essex and 



Hertfordshire Pipe Rolls for 1 165-6 "' and 1 166-7," 

 may have been a later tenant of the honour in 

 Anstey. He was possibly succeeded by Hubert de 

 Anstey, who held three knights' fees in Anste)-, 

 Hormead and Braughing early in the 13th cen- 

 tury " ; Hubert was succeeded by Nicholas de Anstey, 

 a minor, whose marriage and custody were granted 

 to Robert Fitz Walter in 12 10." In I 2 18 Nicholas 

 de Anstey was ordered to destroy Anstey Castle 

 (see above).'" Apparently he was succeeded by his 

 daughter Denise, a minor, in or before 1225, when the 

 custody of the castle was committed to the Archbishop 

 of Canterbury." In 1242 there is mention of Isabel 

 widow of Nicholas de Anstey," and in 1 274-5 Denise, 

 who had married Warine de Monchensey, held the 

 manor" together with rights of free warren and the 

 amendment of the assize of bread and ale." She 

 held the manor and castle by the service of half a 

 knight's fee. The manor passed at her death to her 

 granddaughter Denise wife of Hugh de Vere and 

 daughter of William de Monchensey," who held with 

 her husband in 1305.'" In 13 14 she died seised of 

 the manor of Great Anstey, which comprised a capital 

 messuage with a garden and curtilage, 240 acres of 

 arable land, some meadow land, 20 acres of woodland, 

 in which were rights of common, and certain services.'" 

 Her heir was her cousin Aymer de Valence Earl of 

 Pembroke,^' son of Joan wife of William de Valence, 

 her father's sister." Aymer granted the manor in 

 trust to Richard de Wynneferthing, clerk," who in 

 1325, the year after the grantor's death, surrendered 

 it for the purpose of settlement to the king,*' who im- 

 mediately granted it to Aymer' s widow Mary, with 

 reversion to Laurence son of John Lord Hastings and 

 grandson of Aymer's sister and co-heiress Isabel, Lady 

 Hastings, to Eleanor daughter of Hugh le Despenser 



Valence. Burelly 

 argent and axure an orle 

 of martlets gules. 



Hastings. Argent a 

 sleeve sable. 



the younger, at this date betrothed to Laurence, and 

 to the heirs of the bodies of Laurence and Eleanor." 



" J. H. Round, Geoffrey de Mandeville, 

 i6+n., 174, 175. 



1* Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), i, 350. 



^^ Excavations were made on the top 

 of the *motte' in 1903 by Mr. R. T. 

 Andrews and Mr. W. B. Gerish, but they 

 were of too slight a nature to give any 

 very decisive results. The only evidence 

 of masonry work is the mention of the 

 great gate in a Ministers' Account {Hubert 

 Hall, Court Life under the Plantagenets, 

 App. 216), but from the appearance of the 

 * motte ' it probably had a masonry keep. 



" Cal. Pat. 1216-25, p. 543. 



" Ahhrev. Plac. (Rec Com.), 252. 



^^ Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. H, file 34, no. 7. 



*" This messuage is referred to in the 

 Ministers' Accounts already alluded to 

 (Hubert Hall, loc. cit.). 



*' There is a semi-fictitious account of 

 Anstey Manor in Hubert Hall, Court Life 

 under the Piantagenets, 1—25, and some 

 interesting information relative to the 

 manor in the Appendix to that book, 

 209-28. Mr. Hall's pedigree of the 

 Anstey family differs slightly from that 

 given here. " yx.H. Herts, i, 321a. 



^ Testa de Ne-vill (Rec Com.), 273A, 

 275 ; Assize R. 323 ; Abhre-v. Plac. 

 (Rec. Com.), 252; Clian. Inq. p.m. 

 Edw. II, file 34, no. 7. 



'* V.C.H. Herts, i, 321a. 



2* J. H. Round, Geoffrey de Mandeville, 

 141. 



'^ Pif>e R. 12 Hen. II (Pipe R. Soc), 

 124. 



2" Ibid. 13 Hen. II, 154. 



^ Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 273. 



12 



" Ibid. 270, 275 ; Pipe R. 12 John, 

 m, 18 d, Nicholas it wrongly printed 

 Richard in Testa, p. 269^. 



I" Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec Com.), i, 350. 



'• Cal. Pat. 1216-25, P- 543- 



" Cal. Close, 1237—42, p. 479. 



" Hund. R. (Rec Com.), i, 193 ; Anct. 

 D. (P.R.O.), A 1040 ; Assize R. 325. 



" Assize R. 323, 325. 



« Ahhrev. Plac. (Rec Com.), 252. 



'" Feud. Aids, ii, 439. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. Edw. II, file 34, 

 no. 7- '^ Ibid. 



'' G.E.C. Complete Peerage, vi, 204 n. 



;»C./.P«. .3.4_7,p. .is. ^ 



<' Anct. D. (P.R.O.), C 1658. 



« Cal. Pat. 13 24-7, p. 153 ; Cal. Close, 

 >.337-9, p. 27 ; G.E.C. Comfleu Peerage, 

 VI, 208, 209 notes. 



