HITCHIN HUNDRED 



Elizabeth widow of Edward Kendale. 9 In 1379 Sir 

 William Croyser received a grant of free warren. 10 



In 1377 Croyser conveyed the reversion of the 

 manor to Reginald Lord Grey of Ruthyn." In 1 391 

 John Grey and Elizabeth his wife, on whom apparently 

 a settlement had been made by Lord Grey," granted 

 the manor to trustees for conveyance of the reversion 

 after the death of Elizabeth to Sir Thomas Beaufort, 

 kt., who was created Earl of Dorset in 141 1 and 

 Duke of Exeter in 1416. He died in 14.26, when 

 the manor passed, according to a settlement, to his 

 nephew John Beaufort, created Duke of Somerset 



n tit chief. 



Bkaufobt. FRANCE 

 and ENGLAND with 



in 1443." The manor descended to his daughter 

 Margaret, wife of Edmund Earl of Richmond, and 

 to her son King Henry VII," and thus became vested 

 in the Crown. In 1524 a lease of the manor was 

 made to Morgan Morice ls and afterwards to Henry 

 Morice, probably his son. 16 



In 1544. John Cock (Cokke, Cooke) bought the 

 manor of Maidecroft from the king, and with it a 

 wood called Weyndon (Wendon Wood)." John 

 Cock by his will of 1553 left the estate to his two 

 sons William and Thomas. A partition was made 

 after 1558, by which William held the capital 

 messuage and some of the land, while Thomas had 

 the residue of the property, including the manorial 

 rights. 18 Thomas conveyed his share of the estate in 

 1606 to Ralph Radcliffe," who ten years later had a 

 grant of a court leet there. 20 From this date the manor 

 has descended with that of Hitchin Priory (q.v.). 



The capital messuage was held by William Cock 

 at his death in 1610, and probably passed to his wife 

 Elizabeth, who survived him, and after her death to 

 her daughter Anne, wife of William Fryer, 21 but this 

 portion of the estate is not further traceable. 



In the time of Edward II there was a park at 

 Maidecroft which was visited on one occasion by 



HITCHIN 



Isabella his queen and her daughter the Queen of 

 Scotland." 



The reputed manor of CHARLTON alias MORE- 

 MEJD was at the time of the Survey in the 

 possession of King William. Before the Conquest it 

 had been held by two sokemen of Earl Harold, but 

 had been attached by the sheriff Ilbert to Hitchin, 

 in which its soke lay. 18 The history of this manor 

 is scanty," but apparently it came into the possession 

 of the Knights Templars, who received a grant of 

 free warren there in 1169." It was probably held 

 by the Templars" and then by the Hospitallers with 

 the manor of Temple Dinsley (q.v.) until the 

 suppression of the latter order. The manor subse- 

 quently came to Edward Pulter, who sold it in I 581 

 to Ralph Radcliffe, 3 ' from which time it has descended 

 with Hitchin Priory" (q.v). 



The manor of MENDLESDEN, MINSDEN, or 

 MINSDENBURT was a member of Hitchin, and 

 passed with that manor from Earl Harold to the 

 Conqueror." In the 12th century Minsden seems 

 to have been held by Guy de Bovencourt, whose 

 heir (unnamed) forfeited his lands in the reign of 

 John. It was then granted to Hugh de Baliol, 50 the 

 lord of the manor of Hitchin. After the forfeiture 

 of John de Baliol (see Hitchin) the manor of Hitchin 

 was granted to Robert Kendale, and on the strength 

 of this grant he took possession of Minsden. A 

 suit in Chancery was brought by the king against 

 Edward Kendale, his son (to whom the manor de- 

 scended), who contended that Minsden was not a 

 separate manor but a hamlet within the manor of 

 Hitchin. 3 ' The result of the suit seems to have 

 been that the king recovered Minsden, for ii 



1366 



the king's esquire John de Beverle was holding the 

 manor and received a grant of free warren." He 

 held it with his wife Amice until his death in I 380, 

 leaving as heirs his two daughters Anne and Elizabeth.' 8 

 The mother and two daughters appear to have taken 

 one-third of the manor each. Elizabeth married 

 John Dauntesey, who died in January 1 404-5. 34 

 She had died in 1 395," leaving a son and heir Walter, 

 then aged twelve, who on reaching his majority 

 received his mother's third, which had been given 

 by the king after John Dauntesey's death to John 

 Cockayne. 56 Anne's husband, William Langford, who 

 survived her, died in 141 1. Their heir was their 

 son Robert. 57 Amice married as her second husband 

 Robert Bardolf. 38 Probably Dauntesey sold his share 

 in the manor to Langford, for in 1419 Robert Lang- 

 ford died seised of the whole, and was succeeded 

 by his son Edward. 3 ' At his death In 1474 his son 



*Anct. D. (P.R.O.), C. 687. 



'" Char 



. D. (P.R.O.), C. S28. 

 beth Kendale also attorned the re 

 (ibid. C. rax). 



1B Reginald was the eldest bo 

 heir of Lord Grey. 



13 Chan. Inq. f 



" Ibid. : 



Hen. VI, r, 



. Fill, iv, 

 (iA 



16 Aug. Off. Miac. Bks. cc 

 50*; L. and P. Hm. Fill, : 

 B- l<=7 (5)- 



"Ibid. *i*(z),g. 340(21). 



"* Chan. Inq. p.m. (Set. 2), ccc. 



" Feet of F. Herts. Trin. 4 

 Com. Pleas D. Ear. Trin. 4 Jas 



