EDWINSTREE HUNDRED 



The main block, which faces west, is 71 ft. 6 in. 

 long, exclusive of a lean-to at the north end, in which 

 is a modern stair ; the width is 1 7 ft.'* The door- 

 way is nearly central and opens into a modern passage 

 leading to a doorway on the east front ; this passage, 

 which is not now a through passage, occupies the 

 position of the former screens. On the south side is 

 the stone-paved hall, with a wide seated fireplace on 

 the east side ; beyond is the parlour, also with a wide 

 fireplace, partly blocked. On the north side of the 

 entrance is a large kitchen with a wide fireplace at 

 the north end. A short passage from the hall leads 

 to the east wing, which contains the old brew-house, 

 &c. ; a small inclosed staircase projecting in the 

 angle between the east wing and the shorter arm of 

 the cross is entered from this passage. The ends of 

 the main block, east wing and stair inclosure are 

 gabled. The brick chimney stacks have groups of 

 plain square shafts set diagonally ; the windows have 

 plain wooden mullions and frames and appear to be of 

 17th-century date. The fireplace in the hall has a 

 three-centred arch ; two of the 

 rooms on the upper floor have fire- 

 places with four-centred moulded 

 arches. In several of the rooms is 

 panelling of 1 7th-century date and 

 also some of the early 1 8 th cen- 

 tury, bolection moulded ; some of 

 the panels over the fireplaces in- 

 close old oil paintings. 



Layston House, to the south of 

 the village, is the residence of 

 Mrs. A. E. Tollemache. 



In the south of the parish is 

 Hailey Hill (Heylee, xiii cent.), 

 which gave its name to a family 

 holding lands in the parish m the 

 13th and 14th centuries.^" Further 

 east is the farm called Owles, a 

 name which seems to be a phonetic 

 rendering of the first syllable of 

 Alswick. The house has been re- 

 built and no ancient features 

 remain. 



In 1623 there is record of a 

 house called Bolton Hall in Layston, which at that 

 date was sold by William Wood of 'Thrist,' co. 

 Kent, surgeon, to Benjamin Henshawe of London.*^ 

 On the south it abutted on Baldock Lane and on 

 the east on the way leading from the Bell Inn to 

 Baldock Lane. 



Seth Ward (1617-89), the founder of Ward's 

 Hospital, was born at Aspenden in 161 7 and was 

 educated at the grammar school in Bantingford. 

 He was expelled from Cambridge for contributing to 

 a book against the Solemn League and Covenant, 

 and he then returned to his native place and was 

 tutor for some years to the sons of Ralph Freeman of 

 Aspenden Hall. In 1 649 he became a professor at 

 Oxford and was one of the original members of the 

 Royal Society. He was made Bishop of Oxford in 



LAYSTON 



1662 and in 1667 was translated to Salisbury. He 

 built the almshouses in Buntingford five years before 

 his death in 1689.*' 



Another bishop who was 

 connected by birth with Bunt- 

 ingford is James Henry Monk 

 (1784-1851), who was born 

 therein 1784. In 1809 Monk 

 became Regius Professor of 

 Greek at Cambridge. He was 

 appointed Dean of Gloucester 

 in 1822 and in 1830 became 

 Bishop of Gloucester.^' 



Sir John Watts, son of 

 Thomas Watts of Bunting- 

 ford, was a famous merchant 



and shipowner in the i6th century. He owned a 

 ship that fought against the Spanish Armada and 

 served on her himself. In 1590 he successfully en- 

 gaged with Spanish ships near Madrid. To the King 

 of Spain he was described as one of ' the greatest 



^ 



Ward, 



paty or. 



Axure a cross 



^17S Century early 

 IMI Later and Modern 



Old 



Brew 



House 



Plan of Alswick Hall, Layston 



pirates that ever had been in this kingdom.' He was 

 one of the founders of the East India Company, of 

 which he was elected governor in 160 1, and was also 

 a member of the Virginian Company. He was Lord 

 Mayor of London 1606-7 and died in 16 1 6.'** 

 Thomas Hobson (1544 ?-i63i), the carrier of Cam- 

 bridge, whose business methods are said to have given 

 rise to the proverb ' Hobson's choice,' was also born 

 at Buntingford.^^ 



Daniel Langhorne, the antiquary, was appointed 

 vicar of Layston in 1671 and held the living until 

 his death in 1681.^^ 



The manor of BE^UCHAMPS alias 



MJNORS ALFLJDEWICK (Alfledawiche, xi 



cent. ; Alflatesworth, Alfladewyk, xii 



cent.) was held by Godid, a 'man' of Asgar the 



" These are external dimensiona. 



*" Robert de Hailey was assessed for 

 subsidies in 1296 and 1307 (Lay Subs. R. 

 bdle. 120, no. 5, 8). Nicholas son of 

 Robert de Hailey, called of Epping, 

 granted his lands in the parish to Robert 

 atte Water of Ware for life in 1348 {Cal. 



Close, 1346-9, p. 513)- Joan widow of 

 John Hotoft died seised of a tenement 

 called Hcylees near Buntingford in 1446 

 (Chan. Inq. p.m. 24 Hen. VI, no. 31). 



<" Com. Pleas D.Enr.Hil. 2 1 Jas. I, m. i. 



" Diet. Nat. Biog. ; East Herts. Areh. 

 Soc. Trans, iii, 220. 



81 



" Diet. Nat. Biog. 



" Ibid. In 1602 he conveyed the rent 

 of a house in Buntingford to trustees for 

 the poor of the town (Close, 45 Eliz. 

 pt. xii). 



^ Diet. Nat. Biog. 



*6 Ibid. 



II 



