CLIFTON HUNDRED 



HENLOW 



tributary of the latter rises near Henlow End and 

 runs northward. The houses of the village are set on 

 both sides of the road which skirts the western 

 boundary of the park of Henlow Grange, the church 

 being at the north end, somewhat back from the road 

 and close to the main entrance to the park. The 

 latter is very well timbered, chiefly with elm, and 

 through it runs the Ivel, which is dammed up near 

 the house to supply power for electric light. The 

 Grange, formerly belonging to the family of Edwards, 

 and now owned by Mr. G. J. Gribble, is a fine red- 

 brick house, with a central block of three stories and 

 wings on north and south. It dates chiefly from the 

 early part of the eighteenth century, and is full of 

 good woodwork of that date, and a certain amount of 

 somewhat older work. The oiRces and stables lie to 

 the north, and the gardens to the east and south, 

 along the river. In this part of the grounds is a very 

 picturesque rectangular pond, fed by a spring, and a 

 wild garden full of shady paths, laid out with much 

 skill and planted with a variety of interesting trees 

 and shrubs. 



The stream has been stocked with trout with con- 

 siderable success. 



Henlow station on the Bedford and Hitchin 

 branch of the Midland Railway is two miles south of 

 the village, Arlesey on the Great Northern is one mile 

 south-east. 



This parish was inclosed by Act of Parliament in 

 1795.' Finds of prehistoric implements have been 

 made.' 



The following eighteenth-century place-names have 

 been found — Palmer's Piatt, Randalls, Hallows and 

 Sallys Grove.* 



At Domesday Nigel de Albini held 

 MANORS the manor, afterwards called HENLOW 

 LANTHONY, which was then assessed 

 at 5 J hides, three virgates of which were held by the 

 monks of St. Nicholas of Angers in free alms. Erfast 

 held as subtenant under Nigel de Albini.' In 1 199 

 a charter of King John confirms the gift of this 

 manor to the monks of Lanthony, Gloucester, by 

 Nigel son of Erfast, and by Henry de Albini and 

 Robert his son, from whom Nigel held in socage.* 

 In the thirteenth century Henlow Lanthony was 

 assessed at five hides and declared to be held of the 

 honour of Eaton.' 



At the Dissolution this manor became crown pro- 

 perty, and was for a time leased out for short terms, 



» Acts of Pari. (Priv. and Local), 3 5 

 Geo. Ill, cap. 43. » V.C.H. Beds, i, 145 . 



* Documents in the possession of Mr. 

 G. J. Gribble. * V.C.H. Beds, i, 245*. 



6 Cal. Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), i, 7. 



? Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 250 ; 

 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 4, 20 ; 

 Chart. R. 21 Edw. I, m. 86. 



8 Pat. 33 Eliz. pt. 12. 



' Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccxliii, No, 

 83 ; Fine R. 39 Eliz. pt. 2, No. 45. 



"> Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccxliii, No. 



71- 



11 Ibid, cccxliv, No. 40 ; Fme R. 20 

 Jas. I, pt. I, No. 43 ; pt. 2, No. 25. In 

 1 624 the manor was conveyed for pur- 

 poses of trusteeship by George Steward 

 and Walter Graye to Richard Taylor and 

 Richard Lane ; Feet of F. Beds. Hil. 22 

 Jas. I. 



" Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 7 Chas. I. 



13 Ibid. Hil. 16 Chas. I. In 1634 a 

 fine had already been levied concerning 

 this manor between the three co-heirs 



and Jno. Idell and Richard Emery ; Feet 

 of F. Beds. East. 10 Chas. I. 



1"* From documents in possession of Mr. 

 George Gribble. 



IS In which year he settled the manor 

 by fine on Henry Box and Edmund Cart- 

 wright ; Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 4 Jas. II. 



1^ Court Rolls in possession of Mr. 

 George Gribble. In 1697 George Ed- 

 wards recognized the right of Richard 

 Buckby to Henlow Manor ; this was 

 probably occasioned by the marriage of 

 Richard with his daughter Anne ; Feet of 

 F. Beds. Trin. 9 Will. Ill ; Coll. Topog. et 

 Gen. vi, 290. 1' Ibid. 



18 Feet of F. Beds. Mich. 22 Geo. II. 



19 Documents in possession of Mr. Geo, 

 Gribble. 



2" In 1772 Jno. Barber and Elizabeth 

 his wife transferred one-ninth of the 

 manor to John CoUison (Feet of F. Beds. 

 Trin. 12 Geo, III) and in 177S James 

 and Mary Honour and Edward and Jane 

 Lawrence alienated the remaining two- 



281 



but in 1 590 it was sold to John Fish and John Clarke 

 for j£ 1,89 1 1 8 J. loa'.* The former in 1591 relin- 

 quished all his right in the manor to John Clarke, and 

 it passed on his death in 1595 to his son Thomas.' 

 He died in 16 12, leaving a son, St. John, aged five," 

 who only survived his father a short time, leaving in 

 1 6 14 his three sisters, Judith who married William 

 Gerard, Anne wife of George Steward, and Sibilla 

 wife of Walter Graye, as co-heirs." The consequent 

 subdivision of this manor resulted in dual ownership 

 during the next century, for in 1 63 1 William and 

 Judith Gerard alienated their third of the manor to 

 Edward Aunsell," and in 1 640 Walter Graye finally 

 transferred the other two-thirds to John Idell and 

 Richard Emery," from whom it eventually passed to 

 William Buckby, though no record has been found of 

 the transfer. Between the years 1 66 1 and 1689 the 

 courts of Henlow Lanthony manor were held jointly 

 by Nicholas Aunsell and William Buckby and Mary 

 his wife." Nicholas Aunsell's third passed to John 

 Hobbs some time between 1695 and 1703, whilst 

 Richard Buckby succeeded his father previous to 

 1687," and from 1703 to 1 716 they held joint 

 courts." 



Richard Buckby was succeeded by Thomas Medli- 

 cott who, together with John Hobbs, held the manor 

 certainly till 1738." In 1739 Thomas Medlicott 

 transferred his two-thirds of the manor to George 

 Edwards," who held courts in 1756 and 1760, 

 together with Daniel Caton, grandfather and guardian 

 of Elizabeth, Mary, and Jane Hobbs," and finally, in 

 1775, their third of Henlow Lanthony was transferred 

 to George Edwards,"" whose family had been for some 

 years in possession of Henlow Warden (q.v.) and has 

 followed the same descent as that manor." 



The origin of the m.3.^oxoi HENLOW WARDEN 

 IS not very clearly ascertainable, but may possibly be 

 found in the land which Azelina, wife of Ralph 

 Taillebois, claimed in Henlow at the time of the 

 Domesday Survey." Hugh de Beauchamp made a 

 counterclaim, declaring it was never part of her 

 dower, which he probably justified, and as the Beau- 

 champs were important benefactors of Warden Abbey "' 

 it is not unlikely that this land was part of their gift. 

 The extent of land held by the abbey was two caru- 

 cates in the thirteenth century."* 



Warden Abbey continued to hold this manor until 

 the Dissolution, when, together with lands in Astwick, 

 it was assessed at j^ 1 6 13/. I0</." In 1544 Henry VIII 



ninths to George Edwards ; Feet of F. 

 Beds. East. 15 Geo. III. 



21 Documentary evidence (principally 

 Court Rolls) supplied by Mr. Geo. Gribble. 



M V.C.H. Beds, i, 262^. 



^ Ibid. 361, A modern and not very 

 reliable transcript of a cartulary (Add. 

 MSS. 24465) declares that the manor of 

 Henlow was given to the abbey by Sir 

 Reginald de Grey son of John de Grey 

 in the time of the Abbot Alexander (c 

 1259), but certainly before this the abbot 

 claimed manorial privileges in Henlow [Cal. 

 of Chart. R. 1226-57, p. 385). It is, of 

 course, very likely that the Greys, who had 

 a manor in Henlow, benefited the abbey — 

 indeed, a capital messuage of the manor 

 was distinguished by the name Graies 

 Bury, but they do not appear to have been 

 the original donors. . 



^ Hund. R. (Rec, Com.), i, 2. 



25 Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. Com.), 19 ; 

 feud. Aids, i, 20 ; Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.}, 

 iv, 193. 



36 



