A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



of 1302, which was designed to promote the building 

 or repair of Biggleswade bridge.'" 



At the east end of the market-place is the Town 

 Hall, a rather unattractive stone building dating from 

 1 8 14, and at the west end is the principal inn, 'The 

 Swan,' with a picturesque yard behind it. 



The parish church stands in a large churchyard 

 on the west side of the town, and its tower, 

 though of no great height, forms a landmark for 

 some distance, owing to the flatness of the surround- 

 ing country. 



Ancient British coins of gold (inscribed), silver, 

 copper and brass, have been found in this parish.' 

 Traces of ancient earthworks are to be found at 

 Holme in the form of a small square moat, about 

 100 ft. each way, with a circular raised platform in 

 the centre, and several detached traces of moat lines 

 in the fields near.' In i 547 Biggleswade contained 

 440 ' houselyng ' people,' and the population at the 

 last census was 5,120. 



The following place-names have been found in this 

 parish : le Nezerhalke, Barleslade, and Ashwelleweye 

 in the fourteenth century ; ' Helolme, Lyncroft, Love- 

 layeslane, Hungerhill, Crouchewey, Conyesfurlong, 

 Overfoxehale, Mitlylmere, le Prestysbrade, Remede- 

 dyche in the fifteenth ; ' Spectacles or Spectlacon, 

 Bushopps, Radwells Hook, Pittholme, Colgrene, 

 Jacklynsholm, Stows, Barleslade, Saltwell, Holmfanne 

 in the seventeenth.' 



Previous to Domesday BIGGLES- 

 MJNORS WJDE MJNOR was held by Arch- 

 bishop Stigand, but at the time of the 

 Domesday Survey it belonged to Ralph de Lisle, who 

 held it of the king in chief, and was assessed at 10 

 hides.' Ralph de Lisle did 

 not retain permanent posses- 

 sion, for in 1 1 32 Henry I 

 granted Biggleswade manor to 

 Alexander bishop of Lincoln 

 and his successors as an en- 

 dowment for the cathedral.' 

 The bishop of Lincoln ren- 

 dered feudal service for this 

 manor, assessed at half a 

 knight's fee, to the king in 

 1284,'° and in 1329 Bishop 

 Henry received a charter of 

 free warren here." 



In 1547 Henry Holbeche, 

 then bishop, transferred Big- 

 gleswade manor to Edward VI in exchange for 

 other lands, and it thus became crown property." It 

 was leased in the time of Henry VIII to William 

 Steward for a certain term of years, which was still 

 running in 1575." In 1604 it became part of the 



Diocese or Lincoln, 

 Gutes fwo leopards or and 

 a chief a^ure tvith Our 

 Lady sitting therein and 

 holding the Infant Saviour, 



jointure of Queen Anne w ife of James I," and at a 

 later date of Henrietta wife of Charles I." In 1689 

 Lord Carteret was holding the manor" by lease; 

 and in 1772 Robert, Earl Granville, became lessee for 

 thirty-one years at a yearly rental of j£26 19/. 7<^." 

 Shortly after the expiration of this lease Biggles- 

 wade manor was sold, in 1807, to Sir Francis 

 Willes for j^2,l8o." He died in 1827, when he 

 bequeathed the manor to Peter Harvey Lovell, whose 

 representative Francis Lovell is at the present day lord 

 of the ma nor. '° 



Amongst under-tenants of the bishops of Lincoln 

 the name of Le Blunt or Blundell occurs frequently. 

 Simon Blundell and Emma his wife held lands and 

 rents in Biggleswade in 1276," and some years later 

 William Blundell was holding there." An inquisi- 

 tion taken at the death of Alan Blundell in 1 304 

 shows that he held land here of the bishop of Lin- 

 coln" in 1334, and his son John died seised of 

 50 acres of land in Biggleswade held in the same 

 manner." 



In the fifteenth century the Enderbys also were 

 tenants of the bishop. Maud Bothe, widow of John 

 Enderby, held 10 messuages and 200 acres of land as 

 of Biggleswade manor in 1474," and her son Richard 

 Enderby held six messuages and land of the bishop in 

 1488." 



There are four entries concerning the hamlet of 

 STRjiTTON in the Domesday Survey. Ralph de 

 Lisle, lord of Biggleswade manor, held a manor assessed 

 at 4 hides, which had formerly belonged to Archbishop 

 Stigand." This manor appears to have become 

 absorbed in Biggleswade, and passed with it to the 

 bishop of Lincoln, who in 1284 held half a fee in 

 Stratton as part of Biggleswade manor." A second 

 holder was the Countess Judith, who held 3^ virgates 

 which afterwards became STRJTTON MJNOR." 

 It formed part of the honour of Huntingdon, 



Le Scot. 

 files gules. 



Or three 



Hastings. Or a sleeve 

 gules. 



^ Line. Epis. Reg. Dalderby, 46. 

 ^ y.C.H. Beds. \, lyp » Ibid, i, 308. 

 ■■ Chant. Cert. Beds, i, No. 27. 

 s Anct. D. (P.R.O.), C. 3003. 



6 Ibid. C. 1080, 1183, 2201, 2836. 



7 Ibid. C. 1295 i Pat. 18 Eliz. pt. 13 ; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), Ix, No. 57 ; 

 Add. Chart. 35251. 



» r.C.H.Seds.\,2i6a. 



^ Dugdale, Mon. vi, 1271. 



'" Feud. Aids, i, 4 ; Testa de Nevill (Rec. 

 Com.), 243. 



" Chart. R. 3 Edw. Ill, No. 46. 



'2 Pat. I Edw. VI, pt. 5. 



" Chan. Proc. (Ser. 2), bdle. 170, No. 6; 

 Pat. x8 Eliz. pt. 13. 



'* Ibid. I Jas. I, pt 20. 



" Ct. R. bdle. 153, No. 11. Court 

 Rolls, both foreign and borough, exist of 

 courts held in the name of Henrietta 

 between 1640 and 1670. At a court held 

 in 1660 a certain Helen was presented as 

 an eavesdropper, and one making dissen- 

 sion among her neighbours, and was 

 amerced 2j. 



" Feet of F. Beds. Hil. i Will, and Mary. 



^^ Rep. of Crown Lands, 1787-92, 

 i, I. 



'' Gent. Mag. 1830, pt. 2, p. 19. 



" Ibid. 



» Feet of F. Beds. 4 Edw. I. 



" Ibid. 2-3 Edw. II. 



210 



and on its subdivision among the co-heirs of John 

 earl of Huntingdon, the overlordship of Stratton 

 fell to Ada his youngest sister, and, like Potton Bur- 



™ Chan. Inq. p.m. 32 Edw. I, No. 9. 



» Ibid. 7 Edw. Ill, No. 23. 



'< Ibid. 13 Edw. IV, No. 45. 



^ Cal. Inj.p.m. Hen. Vll, i, 125. 



26 V.C.H.Beds.\,it,oa. 



'' Feud. Aids, i, 3. 



» V.C.H. Beds, i, 258. Of the oher 

 two Domesday holders, Walter the Flem- 

 ing held I hide ij virgates of land which 

 formed part of his manor of Langford, 

 (ibid, i, 250a), and Walter GifFard had 

 I hide I J virgates, of which no further 

 trace has been found in Stratton, but which 

 is probably to be found in a holding under 

 the same overlordship in Holme j V.CH. 

 Beds, i, 232. 



