HITCHIN HUNDRED 



same time a distinction between tenants of the 

 borough and those of the manor, we may infer there 

 was then the borough or portmote court as well as 

 the manor or foreign court organized in the same 

 manner as we find them later. A reference to a 

 fulling mill at this date 19 * possibly indicates one 

 source of wealth of the burgesses, but the position 

 of the town on the road to the north may give a 

 more important reason for its prosperity. 



Hitchin continued to be called a borough in 

 i 375—6,' and it appeared before the justices in eyre 

 as other boroughs by twelve jurors apart from the 

 county in 124s, 11 1287" and 1341 ." But it was 

 not a fully developed borough, for we find no evi- 

 dence of burgage rents ; it never received a charter of 

 incorporation and never returned a member to Parlia- 

 ment. It was one of those numerous little manorial 

 towns which existed throughout England with vary- 

 ing liberties which bordered upon borough rights. 



The town was divided into three wards^namely, 

 Bancroft Ward, Bridge Street Ward and Tilehouse 

 Street Ward — and was governed by a bailiff appointed 

 at the lord's court, and two constables for the town 

 and two for the foreign and two head boroughs for 

 each ward. Besides these there were in 1 8 1 9 two 

 ale conners, two leather searchers and sealers, one 

 bellman, who was also watchman and town crier. 1 ' 



In 1883 the Crown sold its market rights to the 

 local authorities for ^4,000, adding the land on 

 which the market was held as a gift." The market 

 was always celebrated for its corn," and it is said 

 that corn was always free of tolls there." 



A fair, as mentioned above, was granted to the 

 lord of Hitchin in 1221. At the beginning of the 

 next century another fair was granted to Robert de 

 Kendale, this fair to be held on the vigil, day and 

 morrow of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist 

 (28-30 August)." In 1475 a grant was made 

 to the fraternity or gild here of two fairs, each 

 of three days' duration, with courts of pie powder. 

 These two fairs were held on Wednesday in 

 Easter week and the feast of the Translation of 

 Edward the Confess jr (13 October) and the days 

 immediately preceding and following." After the 

 Dissolution they were granted to Ranulph Burgh and 

 Robert Beverley. 10 At the end of the 16th century 

 three fairs were held, in Easter week, on St. Edward's 

 Day, and at Michaelmas. 11 These fairs were leased 

 to John Fitz Acherley with the mills." By 1792 

 two annual fairs only took place, each lasting one 

 day. The fair days at this time were Easter Tuesday 

 and Whit Tuesday." Fairs are now held on these 

 days and on one day following each. There are also 

 two fairs at Preston held on the first Wednesday in 

 May and on the Wednesday before 29 October." 



HITCHIN 



There is record of a water mill in Hitchin in 

 1248, which was held by William de Lindlcgh,* 6 and 

 had been held by William his father. In the 16th 

 century there were two water mills on the demesne 

 lands there.* s They were called le Shotting Mill 

 and le Porte Mill, and were leased in 1 594.-5 to John 

 Fitz Acherley for thirty-one years," and other leases 

 ■were made later." There arc still two mills known 

 by these names." Shotting Mill seems to have been 

 known also as Sheekling Mill. 10 At the beginning 

 of the next century there appears to have been 

 another water mill called 'le Malt-milne,' which was 

 granted to Edward Ferrers and Francis Phelipps." 



In 1670 a suit arose on account of a windmill 

 belonging to Sir Edward Papworth in Charlton, built 

 some thirteen or fourteen years before, which was 

 said to take away some of the trade from the king's 

 two water mills." This may have been on the site 

 of the mill in Charlton, mentioned as early as 1 1 77," 

 which in 1329 was held by Walter de Nevill." In 

 the 19th century there was a mill called Grove Mill, 

 which was previously known as Burnt Mill." 



Hitch Wood, in the south of the parish, was once 

 far more extensive than it is at present. By the end 

 of the 1 6th century the part of this wood near the 

 town had begun to disappear, 55 but it still extended 

 into Ippollitts, Langley, Minsden and Preston," and 

 its area must have been very considerable, for the 

 woods and underwoods were then granted to the 

 copyholders for the large sum of £z66 i6r. M 



The manor of HITCHIN was the 

 MANORS head of the group of Hertfordshire 

 manors held by Earl Harold, to which 

 William I succeeded after the Conquest. These at 

 the time of the Domesday Survey were farmed out 

 together by the sheriff, and treated for some purposes 

 as one integral manor." The manors which belonged 

 to or ' lay in ' the manor of Hitchin were Wymondley, 

 Mendlesdene (Minsden), Welei, Westone, Waldenei 

 (King's Walden), Wavedene (Wandon), Cerletone 

 (Charlton), Deneslai (Temple Dinsley), Offley, Welle 

 (Wellbury in Offley), Wilei, Fksmere, Hexton, 

 Lillev, Flexmere, Leglege 60 (Ley Green in King's 

 Walden [?]), assessed in all at a total of some 

 37| hides. Of these manors two were attached to 

 Hitchin by Harold himself. These were Wymondley, 

 which he stole from the nuns of Chatteris, as the 

 shire mote testified," and Hexton." King's Walden, 

 Charlton and Offley were attached after the Conquest 

 by Ilbert Sheriff of Hertfordshire," while Dinsley, 

 Wellbury and Welei were attached by Peter de 

 Valoines, his successor. 61 



Hitchin itself was assessed at 5 hides only, although 

 there was land for thirty-eight ploughs (including the 

 land belonging to the minster). 65 The total value 



