A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



In the time of Edward the Confessor the manor 

 of BERKESDEN (Berchedene, xi cent. ; Berchen- 

 dena, Barchedene, Berchesdene, Berkedene, xii cent.; 

 Borkeden, xv cent.) was held by Ahvard, a man of 

 Earl Harold." After the Norman Conquest it 

 became part of the possessions of Count Eustace of 

 Boulogne,"^ and remained attached to the honour 

 of Boulogne.** 



The earliest tenant in fee of this manor was Robert, 

 who was holding under Count Eustace in io86.''' 

 At this date there was a mill on the manor worth 

 zs. idy' Robert appears to be identical with Robert 

 Fitz Rozelin, who held Reed under the count/' and 

 to have been succeeded here as there by the Trikets, 

 who were probably his descendants." The first of 

 these known to have held the manor of Berkesden 

 was Hugh Triket,-' who was living about 1150.™ 

 He was succeeded by Ralph Triket, who had two sons 

 Stephen and Robert." Stephen, with his mother 

 Armengerda, granted land in Berkesden to the canons 

 of Holy Trinity in exchange for other lands from 

 them to hold in fee.'^ He died before 1 197-8 and 

 was succeeded by his brother Robert, who quitclaimed 

 the land in Berkesden held of Holy Trinity by Stephen 

 Triket, and was received into their ' brotherhood.' " 

 He was also granted by the canons a corrody for a 

 servant for life of a loaf, a dish of pottage, and one of 

 meat or fish and two gallons of ale daily, with 3/. a 

 year for clothes." By 1212 Berkesden had des- 

 cended to Simon Triket." 



Under the Trikets the manor was held by the 

 Ansteys." About the middle of the 12 th century 

 Hubert de Anstey joined with his son Richard de 

 Anstey in granting it to Gervase de Cornhill," who 

 after holding it for a night and a day granted it to 

 the Prior and canons of Holy Trinity or Christ 

 Church, London.™ The manor of Berkesden re- 

 mained with the canons of Holy Trinity'' until their 

 dissolution in 1531."" In 1535 Henry VIII granted 

 the manor to Sir Edward Seymour, afterwards the 

 Protector Somerset, and Anne his wife,' who in the 

 following year conveyed it to Sir Thomas Audley, 

 kt., chancellor of England.' This was probably in 

 trust for the king, to whom Audley quitclaimed his 

 right two years later.^ It remained with the Crown 

 until 1544, when Henry VIII mortgaged it with 

 other lands to the Mayor and aldermen of London.* 



Berkesden afterwards app.irently became the property 

 of Sir Andrew Judde, kt., one of the aldermen,' for 

 after his death in 1558' it was held for life by his 

 widow Lady Mary Judde, who was holding as late 

 as January 1584-5.' In 1565 Richard Judde, a 

 younger son of Sir Andrew Judde,' alienated all 

 right in the manor to Thomas Smyth and Alice his 

 wife.' In 1574 the manor seems to have been in 

 the hands of William Morley and to have been 

 conveyed by him to Edward Halfhide,'" who in 1579 

 sold the Westmill part of the property to John 

 Brograve," and in 1581 sold the m.inor to Andrew 

 Grey." On the death of Andrew Grey in 161 5 

 Berkesden descended to his daughter Mary wife of 

 Sir Gilbert Kniveton, kt.," 

 who sold it in 161 8 to Sir 

 Stephen Soame, kt., of Thur- 

 low, CO. Suffolk.'* At his death 

 in 161 9 it apparently de- 

 scended to his younger son 

 Sir Stephen Soame, kt," who 

 died seised in 1640, when it 

 descended to his son Peter, 

 aged five and a half years.'" 

 Peter succeeded his cousin as 

 baronet in 1686." He died 

 in 1693 or 1694," and his 

 lands and title were inherited 

 by his son Peter, who died in 



1709." His son Sir Peter Soame, bart.,'° sold the 

 manor in 1782 to John Boldero of Aspenden Hall," 

 who in 1785 purchased the manor of Aspenden 

 (q.v.). From this date the two manors have de- 

 scended together. 



In 1086 a virgate of land in Berkesden was held 

 by Peter and Theobald of Hardwin de Scales, who 

 claimed to have it by an exchange with the Bishop of 

 Bayeux. It was also claimed by Count Alan of 

 Britanny." It is probable that Hardwin retained 

 possession of this land and attached it to his neigh- 

 bouring manor of Wakeley (q.v.). 



In the time of King Edward the Confessor 

 irAKELET (Wackelei, xi cent. ; Wakeleia, xii cent. ; 

 Walkeleya, xiii cent.) was divided into three holdings 

 of 40 acres each, held respectively by Alward, a man 

 of Earl Harold,'' Edric, a man of Earl Algar,'* and by 

 Eddeva the Fair, the last holding only being styled 



Soame, baronet. 

 Gules a che'ueron betiveen 

 three mallets or* 



^' r.C.H. Herts, i, 32ii. 



» Ibid. 



■■* Sec AncL D. (P.R.O.), A 11967, 

 S+20 ; Liher Niger Scacc. (ed. T. 

 He.nrae), i, 389 ; Red Bk. of Exch. (Rolls 

 Ser.), ii, 502, 581 ; Testa de Ne-uill (Rec. 

 Com.), 270, 274. 



" r.C.H. Hens. loc. cit. 



* Ibid. 8? Ibid. 



'"-' Dugdale, Mon. vi, 152. See manor 

 of Corneybury in WydJial. 



89 Liber Niger Seacc. (ed. T. Heame), 

 '. 3S9, 390. 



* See Dugdale, loc. cit. 



'I Anct. D. (P.R.O.), A 500, 5915. 

 '-' Ibid. A 500. 

 ^ Ibid. A 5915. 

 " Ibid. A 58S9. 



^' ReJ Bk. of Exch. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 

 581 ; Testa de Nevill {Rtc. Com.), 274, 

 ^75- 



^ See Liier Niger Scacc. (ed. T. 

 Heame), i, 389, 390. 



" Anct. D. (P.R.O.), A 5420. 



'« Ibid. A 1 1967, 202 The canons 



were afterwards said to hold it of the gift 

 of Richard de Anstey (Dugdale, Moti. vi, 

 153). The Ansteys appear as mesne 

 lords as late as 1303 {Red Bk. of Exch. 

 [Rolls Ser.], ii, 581 ; Testa de Ne-vill 

 [Rec. Com.], 270, 274 ; Feud. Aids, ii, 

 439)- 



*'■' See Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 

 51A; Feud Aids, ii, 432, 446, 453; 

 Anct. D. (P.R.O.), A 1071. 

 '«> Dugdale, Mon.m, 150. 

 1 L. and P. Hen. VIII, viil, g. 481 (13). 

 ' Feet of F. Herts. Trin. 28 Hen. VIII. 

 ' D. of Purchase and Exchange, box E, 

 no. 5, m. 6. Audley was apparently only 

 a go-between, for the king is said to 

 have purchased the manor of Sir Thomas 

 [Edward ?] Seymour (L. and P. Hen. VIII, 

 xix [2], g. 166 [51]). 



^ L. and P. Hen. yiU, xix (i), 891 ; 

 (2), g. 166 (51). 



* :bid. 



* See Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cxvi, 

 91. Berkesden is not mentioned in this 

 inquisition. 



20 



' See ibid, ccvii, 70. 



^ See ibid, cxvi, 91. 



' Pat 7 Eliz. pt vi ; Feet of F. Herts. 

 Hil. 8 Eliz. 



i" Recov. R, Trin. 1574, rot. 759. 



'^ Pat. 21 Eliz. pt. vi, m. 29. 



" Close, 23 Eliz. pt. vii ; ibid. pt. xxiii ; 

 see Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cccilvii, 75. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cccxlvii, 75. 



■* Feet of F. Herts. Trin. 16 Jas. I ; 

 see Chan. Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle. 324, no. 34. 



'* G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, s.v. 

 Soame, iv, 136. 



'' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccccxciv, 

 128 ; see Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 1655 ; 

 Recov. R. Hil. 1655, rot. io6. 



1' G.E.C. loc cit 



18 Ibid. 



" Ibid. 



* Ibid. ; see Recov. R. Hil. 31 Geo. II, 

 rot. 42. 



" Clutterbuck, Hist, and Antij. of Hem. 

 iii, 351. 



^' r.C.H. Herts, i, 340A. 



" Ibid. 321a. " Ibid. 340*. 



