EDWINSTREE HUNDRED 



own expense and stored ' arms sufficient to arm about 

 looo men' at HaJham Hall, which were seized by 

 the Parliamentarians during his absence in August 

 1642.'!'* In March 164.4.-5 Hadham Hall was again 

 visited by the Parliamentarians and forty-four horses 

 and other cattle and stores were carried away. After 

 this time the stables stood empty.^i Lord Capell had 

 been impeached in 1642 for endangering the peace 

 of the realm by his support of the king. His pro- 

 perty was sequestrated and in 1643 the manor-house 

 and park of Little H.idham were among the delinquents' 

 estates charged with the payment of an annuity of 

 j^ 1 0,000 to the Earl of Essex, captain-general of the 

 Parliamentary forces. ^^ Little Hadham was, however, 

 let to William Capell, uncle of Lord Capell, that he 

 might preserve the houses and woods there."-" 



Lord Capell compounded for his estates in 1 646-7, 

 on the close of the iirst war, and retired to live 

 at Hadham Hall. To his influence the outbreak 

 of the second Civil War was largely due."^ He 

 again took up arms, and was one of the Royalist 

 generals besieged in Colchester in 1648.'*^ While he 

 was away the Parliamentarians sent a sergeant and two 

 men to Hadham Hall to seize his son Arthur Capell, 

 then aged sixteen, whom they took to Colchester and 

 carried round the town every day, hoping to influence 

 his father. As this had no effect he was allowed to 

 return home."^ In June 1648 Lord Capell's estates 

 were again seized by Parliament and granted to 

 trustees for raising j^50,ooo for the relief of Ireland."^ 

 Colchester surrendered in August 1648 and Lord 

 Capell was sent to the Tower. In March of the 

 following year he was beheaded.^' His son Arthur 

 succeeded to his title and claimed his estates. These 

 were ordered to be restored to him, but the order 

 taking no effect he again petitioned Parliament in 

 1651, claiming that by the settlement of his grand- 

 father Sir Arthur Capell in 1 627 the manors of Little 

 Hadham and others had been entailed on him, and 

 that his father had only a life interest. The plea 

 was admitted and the estates restored.^* After the 

 Restoration Charles II created Lord Capell Viscount 

 Maiden and Earl of Essex in 1661.*^ He removed 

 to Cashiobury about 1668, after which date the 

 manor-house and demesne lands were turned into a 

 farm, which was for long held in tenancy by the 

 Scott family. The manor descended with the Earls 

 of Essex,™ George Devereux de Vere Capell Earl of 

 Essex being the present lord of the manor. In 1900 

 the greater part of the demesne lands were sold 

 with the manor-house to Mr. William Minet and 

 now form the Hadham Hall estate. The rest of 

 the demesne land was sold at the same time, only 

 the manorial rights being reserved. 



In 1275 William Baud had a park and free warren 



Minet. Or three 

 ermine tails sable quar~ 

 tered luirh or three ban 

 gules. 



LITTLE HADHAM 



in Little Hadham. '^ At the beginning of the 17th 

 century the park contained 240 acres. Sir Arthur 

 Capell received licence in 

 1635 to add to it 500 acres 

 lying in Hadham, Albury, 

 Bishop's Stortford and Farn- 

 ham.'^ This was known as 

 Hadham New Park or Wick- 

 ham Hall and the original 

 park as Hadham Old Park.'^ 

 In 1 66 1 Arthur Capell Earl 

 of Essex received a warrant to 

 preserve game within 10 miles 

 of Hadham Hall and Cashio- 

 bury.'' After the earl moved 

 his residence from Hadham 

 Hall to Cashiobury the parks 

 were leased out and subse- 

 quently cut up into the farms of Hadham Old Park 

 Lodge and Wickham Hall.'' Some of the deer 

 were removed to Epping Forest and Bagshot Park in 

 1686."= 



The manor of LITTLE HADHAM is said to 

 have been given to the church of Ely by Ethelfljeda 

 wife of Duke Athelstan," and was included in the 

 charter of confirmation granted to the abbey by 

 Edward the Confessor.'* In 1086 the Bishop of 

 London claimed the abbey of Ely's lands in Little 

 Hadham,'^ but the shire moot testified that these 

 lands had always belonged to the church of Ely and 

 the abbot retained possession. At this date the manor 

 was assessed at 4 hides.*" In the reign of William 11 

 Ranulph Flambard, Bishop of 

 Durham, seized the manor of 

 Little Hadham. In 11 09 the 

 bishopric of Ely was erected 

 and Hervey, the first bishop, 

 obtained a charter of restora- 

 tion from Henry I.*^ The 

 bishops claimed as their privi- 

 leges in Little Hadham in 

 1278 return of writs, gallows, 

 and assize of bread and ale,*^ 

 and in 1287 they claimed 

 also view of frankpledge and 

 pleas of natnio vetitofi^ Their 



lands in Hadham were returned as one-third of a 

 knight's fee in 1303.*^ In the 12th century a mill 

 was erected on the manor, to which the customary 

 tenants paid suit,** and this in 1356 is described as a 

 water-mill. At this date the manor included 300 

 acres of arable land and 6 of meadow, and the lord 

 was entitled to the labour of four men from August 

 to Michaelmas worth 6\d. each. There was also a 

 messuage there which was said to be worth nothing 



Bishopric of Ely, 

 Axure three croiuns or. 



'" A perfect Diurnall of the Proceedings in 

 Hartfordshire, 1642. 



*• Cal. S. P. Dom. 1625-49, p. 675 ; 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Ref.xii, App. ix, 45. 



«2 Add. MS. 5497, fol. 133. 



'^» Cal. Com. for Comfi. i, 17. 



«^ F. Skeet, ' Arthur Lord Capell,' East 

 Herts. Arch. Soc. Trans, iii, 312. 



" Ibid. ; Diet. Nat. Biog. 



" Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App. ix, 



45- 



^ Cal. Com. for Comp. 1932, 1934. 



«' G.E.C. Complete Peerage, «.v. Capell ; 

 Diet. Nat. Biog. ; East Herts. Arch. Soc. 

 Trans, iii, 333. 



^ Cal. Com. for Comp. 1932, 1934- 

 See Feet of F. Div. Co. East. 5 Chas. II. 



«5 G.E.C. Complete Peerage, s.v. Essex. 



™ See Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 3 Will, 

 and Mary ; Recov. R. Trin. 4 Geo. I, 

 rot. 213 ; G.E.C. loc. cit. 



" Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), i, 193- 



'2 Cal. S. P. Dom. 1634-5, p. 585 i 

 Clutterbuck, op. cit. iii, 411. 



'3 Deeds communicated by Mr. W. 

 Minet. 



" Cal. S. P. Dom. i66t-2, p. 182. 



75 Deeds communicated by Mr. W. 

 Minet ; Salmon, Hist, of Herts. 281. 



'« J. Y. Akerman, Moneys receiiied and 



53 



paid for secret services, 1679-S8 (Camden 

 Soc. 52), 135. 



" Hist. Eliensis (Gale, Script, xx, 

 Oxford, 1691), 495. 



'8 Ibid. 510; Kemble, Cod. Dipt, iv, 

 244 ; Dugdale, Man. i, 476. 



™ y.C.H. Herts, i, 307*. 



8»Ibid. 312a. 



81 Bentham, Hist, and Antiq. of Church 

 of Ely, 131, App. X, p. 17. 



82 Assize R. 323. 



83 Ibid. 325. 



84 Feud. Aids, ii, 432. 



85 Cott. MS. Claud. C xi, fol. 60. 



