A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



Pelham. So long as the family of the lords of Morley 

 were tenants of Furneux Pelham Manor, Johns was 

 treated as held by them separately from that pro- 

 perty and was called a manor.»< The property now 

 belongs to Mr. E. E. Barclay of Brent Pelham. 



WHITEBARNS or RECTORr MANOR probably 

 formed a part of the original endowment of the 

 parish church and was the holding of the priest men- 

 tioned in the Domesday Survey.** The church of 

 Furneux Pelham was, according to Dugdale and Le 

 Neve, given to the canons of St. Paul's and annexed 

 to the office of the cathedral treasurer by Richard de 

 Beames,*^ Bishop of London from 1152 to I 162, 

 and this grant must have included part of the lands 

 which constituted the rectory manor. In 1 181 

 there were appurtenant to the church, which belonged 

 to the treasurer, 80 acres of land held in demesne, 

 customary works for four days in the week and rent, 

 to the value of \s. ^d.*'' The greater extent of the 

 later rectory manor may have been due to the inclu- 

 sion in it of lands which pertained in 1 181 to Brent 

 Pelham Church, also held by the treasurer,^^ or to a 

 grant of land made in the early 13th century by 

 Simon de Furneus to his mother church of Furneux 

 Pelham and the rectors there.'" The manor was 

 surveved in 1297. It then included a capital mes- 

 su.ige and a garden, a dovecote, 7 acres of wood in 

 le Have, I J acres of pasture and i i 1 acres of arable 

 land, and there were two tenants at the will of the 

 lord."^" 



In 1314 the king's purveyors were forbidden to 

 t.ilce anything from the churches of the canons of 

 St. Paul's at Pelham and elsewhere which pertained 

 to the brew-house of the cathedral and the susten- 

 ance of the canons and other ministers,'*' and such 

 exemption probably included the rectory manor. 

 The dean and chapter in 1322 received protection 

 for two years in their manor of Furneux Pelham. '' 

 In 1334 the king granted to his clerk, Thomas 

 de Asteley, whom he had appointed Treasurer of 

 St. Paul's, that the dwelling-house in Pelham appur- 

 tenant to his office should be quit of the livery of the 

 stewards, chamberlains and marshals, or any royal or 

 other minister, so that none such might there lodge 

 or lodge others. '^ In 165 i the trustees for the goods 

 of cathedral churches sold the rectory manor ot 

 Furneux Pelham, otherwise called ' White Barnes,' 

 to Richard Cutts of Arkesden in Essex and Anthony 

 Knightsbridge of Gray's Inn. The lands of the 

 manor were less than in 1 297, for they comprehended 

 only some 93 acres of amble, meadow and pasture 

 land and a copse of 5 acres 2 roods.'' At the 

 Restoration the rectory manor returned to the Trea- 

 surer of St. Paul's, under whom it was held on lease 

 in 1728.*' The endowment of the treasurership 

 became vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 

 1858.'* Whitebarns now belongs to Mr. E. E. 

 Barclay of Brent Pelham. 



The church of ST. MARV THE 



CHURCH riRGIN consists of chancel 27 ft. by 



19 ft., south chapel 26 ft. by 20 ft., 



nave 47 ft. by 19 ft., north aisle II ft. wide, south 



aisle 1 1 ft. 6 in. wide, west tower 9 ft. 6 in. jquare, 

 south porch 1 2 ft. 6 in. by 1 1 ft. ; all the dimensions 

 are internal. The walls are of flint rubble with 

 oolite dressings, except to the porch, vehich has 

 clunch dressings ; the north aisle is cement covered. 



The chancel is of late 13th-century date. The 

 west tower was added about 1370-80. The north 

 and south aisles with the arcades and clearstory belong 

 to the early years of the 15th century. The south 

 chapel is said to have been erected by Robert New- 

 port, who died in 1518. The church was restored 

 in the 19th century and most of the windows 

 renewed. 



The east window of the chancel is of three lights 

 with modern tracery. The rear arch is moulded and 

 has shafted jambs ; it is of I 3th-century date. In 

 the north wall are three 1 3th-century lancet windows, 

 the westernmost of which is a low-side window, 

 blocked ; it is about 12 in. wide, and the sill outside 

 is 3 ft. 6 in. from the ground. The hooks for the 

 casement hinges still remain. The easternmost lancets 

 on each side of the chancel have shafted inner jambs 

 and moulded rear arches, and mask stops to the 

 labels. There are two lancets in the south wall. 

 In the north wall is a small recess with trefoil-arched 

 head, all of modern stonework, possibly an Easter 

 sepulchre. In the south wall is a piscina with pointed 

 moulded arch and jambs. Beside it are three sedilia 

 with moulded trefoiled arches and triple engaged 

 shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The piscina 

 and sedilia are of 13th-century date. A modern 

 archway opens from the chancel into the south chapel. 

 There is no chancel arch, but the lower roof of the 

 chancel marks its western limit. 



The three-light window in the east wall of the 

 south chapel is of modern stonework, only the inner 

 jambs and rear arch being old. The two windows 

 in the south wall and the south doorway are all of 

 modern stonework. The chapel is partly occupied 

 by the organ. In the south wall is a piscina with 

 continuously moulded arch and jambs. 



The nave has north and south arcades of three 

 bays of early 15th-century date, with pointed arches 

 of two hollow-chamfered orders. The piers are of 

 four semi-octagonal shafts separated by hollows. The 

 capitals and bases are moulded. The moulded labels 

 mitre with the string-course under the clearstory 

 windows. The label stops on the side next the 

 north aisle have never been carved. There are three 

 clearstory windows on each side, each of two lights, 

 much defaced. A small opening of modern stone- 

 work with cinquefoiled arch is pierced through the 

 eastern respond of the south arcade ; it opens into 

 the south chapel, which extends westwards beyond 

 the chancel. 



The north aisle has east, west and two north 

 windows, each of three traceried lights, all of modem 

 stonework. The north doorway is of 15th-century 

 date ; it is of clunch, with moulded arch and jambs, 

 the outer order forming a square head over the arch. 

 The spandrels are traceried. The west label stop is 

 carved with a head ; the east one is uncarved. The 



" Feet of F. Herts. Mich. 20 & 21 

 Eliz. ; East. 25 Eliz. ; Hil. 42 Eliz. ; 

 RccoT. R. Hil. 41 Eliz. rot 24. 



•^ KC.H. Htrts. i, 307. 



^ F.C.H. London, i, 423. 



'■" Newcourt, Rcptrt. i, 852. 



^ See account of Brent Pelham. 



^ Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. ix, App. i, 

 39a. 



ssa Visii. ofChurchis of St. PmPt (Cam- 

 den Soc), 39-42. 



*• Cal. Pat. 1313-17, p. 190. 



IC4 



" Ibid. 1321-4, pp. 52, 221. 

 «Ibid. 1330-4, p. 531. 

 ^ Close, 165 1, pt. xxiv, m. 27. 

 ** Salmon, Hiit. of Hern. 287. 

 " y.C.H. London, i, 430. 



