A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



Thomas inherited the property M and held it for some 

 twenty years. It passed at his death in 1493 " to 

 his son John, who was afterwards knighted. In 

 1501-2 he and his wife Katherine sold the property 

 to William Lytton," who died in 15 17, leaving as 

 heir his son Robert, aged five years." Robert at his 

 death left three daughters, of whom Ellen wife of 

 John Drockett bought up the shares of the other 

 two." 1 From this date the manor descended with 

 the manor of Almshoe in Ippollitts (q.v.). 



There was a small religious house in this parish 

 called NEW BIGGING, belonging to the order of 

 St. Gilbert of Sempringham." This house was 

 founded by Edward de Kendale before 1363, when 

 he obtained licence to divert a grant made by his 

 mother Margaret de Kendale of a rood of land at 

 Orwell, co. Cambridge, and of the advowson of the 

 church there to the warden and chaplains of the 

 chapel of St. Peter within the parish church of Hitchin, 

 for the benefit of the prior and canons of this house.* 5 

 In 1372 two chaplains granted to them, probably on 

 the behalf of Edward de Kendale, certain lands in 

 Willey and Hitchin." The lands of the priory were 

 valued in 1535 at £13 i6j.' ; After the Dissolution 

 the priory was granted in 1544. to John Cock, 

 together with a messuage called Barkers Dalles Place 

 in Bancroft Street and nineteen messuages in Hitchin." 

 It apparently descended with his manor of Maidecroft 

 (q.v.), as this is the last mention of it. In the 

 17th century the manor-house called the Biggin 

 was in the possession of Joseph Kemp, schoolm.ister, 

 who in 1654 devised it for charitable purposes (see 

 under Charities). There was also a free chapel at 

 Bigging, of which Robert Turk (lord of the manor of 

 Maidecroft in right of his wife) died seised in I400. ,B 

 In 1317 the king granted 

 HITCHIN PRIORT to the Carmelite Friars in 



fran^h:. 



were like yards or waste places of ground. The 

 church too was defaced, the steeple broken down and 

 decayed by the weather, and all the lead, freestone, 

 glass and bells gone." 



This survey was evidently made preparatory to a 

 grant of the site in the same year to Sir Edward 

 Watson, kt., M from whom it 

 passed seven years later to 

 Ralph Radcliffe," who died 

 in 1 559, leaving his estates to 

 his eldest son Ralph. 56 He left 

 the property to his nephew 

 Edward, son of his brother Sir 

 Edward Radcliffe, let.," and 

 died without issue in 162 1 ." 

 In 1660 Edward died also 

 without issue and left as heir 

 his nephew Ralph, 59 who was 

 knighted eight years later." 

 His son Edward succeeded 

 him in 1710, and held the tabtt awrt. 

 estate until his death in 



I727. 81 His three sons, Ralph, Edward, and Arthur, 

 then held it in succession, and after the death of the 

 youngest in 1 767 the property was inherited by their 

 nephew John son of John RadclifFe. This John died 

 in 1783, when the priory passed to his eldest sister 

 Penelope, wife of Sir Charles Farnaby, bart., of 

 Kippington near Sevenoaks, who assumed the name of 

 Radcliffe." She died without issue in 1802. Her 

 sister Anne, who married Charles Clarke of Ockley, 

 co. Surrey, had issue John Clarke, who died in 1801 

 leaving no children, and Anne Millicent, heir to her 

 aunt Penelope ; she in 1802 married Emilius Henry 

 Delme, who on his marriage assumed the name of 

 Radcliffe. His eldest son Henry Delme Radcliffe 

 having predeceased him, the priory devolved at his 



ign ; 



lage i 



the parish of Hitchin that they might build a 

 church and hou>e there for their habitation. 40 

 Other messuages and lands were given to this order 

 by John de Cobham." They built a small convent 

 there which they dedicated to the Blessed Mary. 

 This they held until the dissolution of their house in 

 1539." In 1546 a survey was made of the priory 

 and its whole estate. The buildings of the priory 

 comprised a mansion house with a frater and dorter 

 over the cloister, a church, the ' old hall,' the prior's 

 lodging, and two little chambers for the brothers, 

 also a kitchen, barn and other premises. There were 

 also other tenements belonging to it in Bridge Street 



