A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



William Angell, and his son William conveyed it in 

 1698 to Richard Spicer alias Holder, who presented 

 in 1699-^" Before this date, however, the Spencers 

 (lord? of the manor of St. Ledgers) seem to have 

 had or claimed some interest in the advowson, 131 and 

 in 1719 Sir Henry Penrice and his wife Elizabeth 

 (see St. Ledgers) presented. From this date the 

 advowson has descended with the manor of St. 

 Ledgers 13 - (q.v.). 



The rectory was leased by Queen Elizabeth in 

 1 575 to George Bredyman for twenty -one years. 100 

 The fee simple was acquired by George Graveley, 

 who died seised in 1600, leaving as heir his daughter 

 Lettice wife of Luke Norton. 1M They held it 

 together 105 till 1630, when Luke died. After 

 Lettice's death it descended to their son Graveley, 

 who married Helen daughter of William Angell of 

 London. 130 Graveley Norton was succeeded by his 

 son Luke, from whom it passed with the advowson 

 to William Angell, and in 1698 to Richard Holder 

 (see above). After this date there is no further 

 descent of the rectory, but conveyances of tithes 

 with the lands to which they were appurtenant are 

 common in the 18th century. 137 



Between 1691 and 1831 there were registered in 



Offley eight places for Protestant Dissenters, one for 

 Anabaptist) and one for Quakers. 13B There is now 

 a Wesleyan chapel in the parish. 



Mrs. Alice Pigott in her lifetime 

 CHARITIES directed that a sum of £zo per annum 

 should be paid out of her estate for 

 augmenting the vicarage of Orfley and £10 per annum 

 for apprenticing two boys or girls. This intention 

 was carried into effect by Granado Pigott, her son, 

 who by deed 18 July 1724. charged his share of the 

 manor of Symonside in Bishop's Hatfield with the 

 two annuities, which are now paid by the Marquess 

 of Salisbury, and are duly applied. 



The Charity School of Dame Sarah Salusbury and 

 the Rev. Lynch Burroughs : Dame Sarah Salusbury, 

 by a codicil to her will dated in 1 795, gave ^500 

 for the poor, and by another codicil a further sum of 

 £500, to be at the disposal of the Rev. Lynch 

 Burroughs, then vicar. The school was in 1841 

 endowed by deed (enrolled) with five cottages and 

 land, producing about £50 a year. It has a further 

 endowment of ^2,467 w. 8</. consols, producing 

 £61 13/. 6d. yearly. The charity is regulated by a 

 scheme of the Court of Chancery, dated 14 June 

 1858. 



PIRTON 



1 the 



s on low ground 

 at the edge of the Bed- 

 r part of it is only about 

 datum, but the ground 

 he north-west, where it 

 In 



The parish of Pirton 

 north-west of Hertfurdsh 

 fordshire plain. The grt 

 100 ft. above the ordnai 



rises considerably, and in the north-west, wh. 

 meets the Chilterns, it has a height of 400 ft. 

 the south of the parish the little River Oughton takes 

 its rise, and this part of Pirton is known as Oughton's 

 Head (formerly Altonishevyd). 1 The Icknield Way 

 forms part of the southern boundary of the parish. 

 The population is entirely agricultural, the chalk 

 tand being particularly adapted for the growth of corn. 

 The arable land covers 1,865 acrc '. ,vhile pasture 

 comprises only 331 acres and woodland 65 acres. 2 

 An inclosure award was made for the parish in 

 1814 under an Act of ■ 8 ■ 1 .-- 



The village lies in the middle of the parish, and is 

 of particular interest, as it was at an early date, 

 possibly before the Conquest, fortified by a ditch. 

 The area inclosed, about 10 acres, was utilized later 

 for a mount and bailey castle, the mount or ' motte ' 

 standing about 2; ft. high above the bottom of the 

 surrounding ditch in the north-west comer of the 

 inclosure, and the remainder of the area divided into 

 three baileys, the largest stretching along the north 

 side and including the church and the other two on 

 the south. The ditches are well marked, and there 

 is still at times a good deal of water in parts of them. 

 This castle, unfortunately, has no history. It was 

 probably made in the 12th century, perhaps during 

 the anarchy of Stephen's reign, by Alan or Gerard de 

 Limesi. There is little probability that it was ever 



defended by ma 

 stood a timber 

 bridge of timber from th 



t which 



lis. On the mount probably 



pproached by a steep narrow 



bailey below over the ditch 



ds it. Timber ] 







have defended the surrounding outer banks of the 

 baileys. We can only conjecture that it was dis- 

 mantled by Henry II as an adulterine or unlicensed 

 castle, hundreds of which he is said to have destroyed. 

 When the site was abandoned by the Limesis the 

 mount was probably used as a look-out and meeting- 

 place of the villagers, and so came to be called Toot 

 Hill. 



The village is now outside this inclosure, princi- 

 pally on the north-west side. At the south end of 

 the village is what remains of the Old Hall, a house 



>" Irs:. Eki. ,'P.R.O.) ; Cloi 

 W..:. HI, pt. vui, no. 4; Cs !Jn 

 if Fh-rti. H,«kti H-.md. 111. C 

 givei the name of the last pat: 

 Robert Holder. 



"'Chin.Ino.p.m.^er.z), 

 Com. Pleas D. Em. Tiin. 



Cha>, 



* Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



3 Pat. i 7 Elw.pt.Tiii,m. 1 7 . 



> Chan. Inq. p.m. (S«. 2), dvli, 47 . 



Feet of F. Hem. Mick 43 &. 4 



'. R. Trin. 14 Chas. I, ■ 



: :Fw™^-T^ EE3 172 Ceivtobv 

 . -^ if* doorwj, □B2tJB3Cnw 



which has been turned into an ii 

 ir two-storied block, 46 ft. by 20 



28 Edw. Ill, r 



I. of Agric. ([905). 

 1. IV, c»p. 96. 



44 



