A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



LOTHER. Argent two 

 ban sabit vtitk three 

 round buckles azure in 

 tie chief. 



but in 1610 Anthony Luther with Thomis Luther 

 received a quitclaim of the manor from Francis 

 Joselyne and his wife Mar- 

 garet " (probably widow of 

 William Bradbury), and in 

 1643 Thomai Luther died 

 seised of the reversion of the 

 manor after the death of 

 Bridget Luther," who in 1 662 

 presented to the church as 

 Bridget Herys, widow of 

 Anthony Luther." It there- 

 fore seems probable that the 

 Anthony whom Chauncy gives 

 as the son of Thomas was in 

 reality his father. Thomas 

 was succeeded by his brother 



Anthony. This Anthony seems to be the Anthony 

 Luther, junior, who in 165 I took part with his wife 

 Dorothy in a settlement of the manor, the other 

 parties being Edward Herys and his wife Bridget, 

 Anthony Luther, senior, and Thomas Luther." In 

 1674. Anthony Luther presented to the church and 

 in 1694 Dorothy Luther, widow." In 171 1 another 

 Anthony Luther presented,*' and it was this Anthony 

 apparently who sold the manor in 1730 to Jacob 

 Houblon." 



Jacob Houblon settled Meesden in 1758 on hi? 

 eldest son Jacob," who married Susanna Archer.' 

 Their son John Archer Hou- 

 blon " sold the manor in 

 1 80 1 -2 to Samuel Robert 

 Gaussen of Brookman Park 

 in North Mimms." It was 

 bought about 1 8 14 by his 

 brother the Rev. Armytage 

 Gaussen," who died without 

 issue in 1859, leaving the 

 manor to his wife Sarah Eliza- 

 beth Gaussen. After her death 

 in 1865 the manor was sold 

 by her executors to Baron 

 Charles John Dimsdale of 

 Essendon," and is now held 

 by his grandson Baron Charles 

 Robert Southwell Dimsdale. 



The priory of St. Bartho- 

 lomew, Smithfield, had a small estate in Meesden." 

 The prior is called rector of the church in 1509," 

 probably by virtue of a lease of the rector}' from the 

 Abbot of St. Mary Graces. 



Some detailed extents of the manor of Meesden for 

 the 14th century and later still remain and illustrate 

 fully its domestic economy. ' Among the profits of 

 the manor in the 1 4th century were those from the 

 sale of underwood in Smaley Wood, of pasture on 

 the ' hedge rows ' of the common fields and of 

 the multure of the mill. The custom called 

 ' schereneschot ' amounted to 3/. \ii. in 1346." 



Dimsdale. Argent a 

 feize dancetty azure be- 

 tiveen three motets sable 

 'with three bcT^ants on 

 the f esse and the augmen- 

 tation of a scutcheon or 

 Vlith an eagle's listng 

 sable. 



Besides the home farm (grangium) the lord held shots 

 in the common fields, one of which, Valencesrode in 

 Houndsdichfield, preserved the name of the Earli of 

 Pembroke." In the 15th century several ' molmen ' 

 are mentioned among the tenants of the manor." 



The church of ST. MART stands 

 CHURCH about half a mile east of Meesden Green 

 and consists of chancel 20 ft. 6 in. by 

 15 ft. 6 in., nave 40 ft. 6 in. by I 5 ft. 6 in., small 

 north and south transepts each 1 3 ft. wide by 6 ft. 

 6 in. deep, south porch 8 ft. 3 in. square and wooden 

 bellcote over the western end of the nave ; all the 

 dimensions are internal. 



The walls are of flint rubble with stone dressings ; 

 the porch is built of brick ; the roofs are tiled. The 

 nave belongs to the early p.irt of the 12th century ; 

 the chancel and transepts date from about I 270-80. 

 The transepts were subsequently pulled down and 

 the arcades filled in. In 1876 the transepts were 

 rebuilt on the old foundations and the arcades re- 

 opened. The south porch was added about the 

 middle of the 1 6th century. Much of the external 

 stonework is modern, as is also the wooden bellcote. 



The east window of the chancel is of three cusped 

 lights under a pointed head ; the moulded inner 

 jambs and arch are original, but all the outer stone- 

 work is modern. The north and south walls have 

 each a window of two lights, the outer stonework of 

 which is modern, but the inner jambs and arch arc 

 similar to the east window. In the south wall is a 

 piscina with a pointed trefoil head, the edges of 

 which are moulded with a filleted hollow, with 

 moulded stops on the jambs ; the drain is eight- 

 foiled. Adjoining the piscina is a single trefoil- 

 headed sedile with similar detail ; they are both of 

 I 270-80. There is no chancel arch. 



In the north wall of the nave are two traceried 

 windows, each of two lights and all of modern stone- 

 work. In the south wall is one similar window, but 

 with inner jambs and moulded rear arch of 15th- 

 century date. At the east end of the nave walls, on 

 the north and south sides, are the late I 3th-century 

 arcades to the small transepts ; they are of clunch, 

 and each consists of two bays with a width of about 

 4 ft. between the piers. The arches are of two 

 moulded orders, the mouldings being filleted hollows 

 similar to the piscina and sedile ; there is a moulded 

 label next the nave with mask stops. The piers are 

 octagonal with moulded capitals and bases. The 

 south doorway is of 1 2th-century date with plain 

 flattened semicircular arch and square jambs ; the 

 abaci are hollow-chamfered ; the doorway is of 

 oolite. The 14th-century west doorway is of Bar- 

 nack stone with pointed arch and moulded label ; 

 arch and jambs are chamfered. The west window 

 is of two traceried lights of modern stonework. The 

 south porch is built of 2-in. red bricks ; the entrance 

 archway is four-centred with a moulded label. The 

 arch is of two continuous orders formed of square 



" Ftet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 7 Jas. I. 

 *^ Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), dccxliv, 43. 

 *^ Cussans, op. cit. 133. 

 " Feet of F. Div. Co. Hil. 1651. 

 " Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 

 " Ibid. 



^ Feet of F. Herts. Mich. 4 Geo. II. 

 " Com. Pleas D. Enr. East. 31 Geo. II, 

 m. 124. 



" Berry, Essex Gen. 163, 164, 



" See RecoY. R. Trin. 37 Geo. Ill, 

 rot. 159. 



*^ Cussarg, op. cit. 131. 



*» Clutterbuck, Hist, and Antij. of Herts. 

 iii, 439. 



51 Cussans, loc. cit- 



» Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), i c,a. 



» HarL Roll N. 18 (Court held 1 

 Hen. VIII). 



** See Mins. Accts. bdle. 86-, no. 4-9 ; 



90 



Rentals and Surv. portf. 8, no. 33 ; Ct. 

 R. (Gen. Ser.}, porif. 178, no. 1-3. 



5° Mins. AccU. bdle. 86-, no. 4-9. 



" Rentals and Surv. portf. S, no. 33. 

 In Millfield the lord had Madsot and 

 Eldewellshot (Mins. Accts. bdle. 867, 

 no. 6). 



" Mins. Accts. bdle. 867, no. 7. 1 ne 

 works of the tenants are here given in 

 detail. 



