A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



remain* of a large I /th-century fireplace ; its 

 chimney corners are now hidden by cupboards. 

 There is an old timber bake-house on the north 

 side of the house, and a contemporary bridge-house 

 of timber and plaster .-pans the moat. 



Pirton Hall, a large red brick house, built in 

 1879, lies about 2 miles to the north-west of the 

 village ; attached to it is a park. It is now the 

 property of Mr. W. Hanscombe. 



High Down, the property of Mr. F. A. Delme 

 Radcliffe, and now occupied by Mrs. Pollard, stands 

 on high ground about three-quarters of a mile 

 south-west of the village. It was apparently the 

 manor-house of the manor of Pirton, and was 

 probably begun about 1 599 by Thomas Docwra, 

 lord of the manor, whose arms with the date 1599 

 appear on the south side of the house. His arms 

 with his name and that of jane Periam and date 

 161 3 are also over the entrance gateway to the 

 stables. The house is of two stories with basement, 

 and is built of plastered flint and dunch. The 

 main wing forms the south side of a courtyard, 

 and is entered by a gabled porch projecting from its 

 south front and rising the whole height of the house. 

 On the eastern side of the entrance passage is the 

 hall (now the dining-room) ; on the west are the 

 pantry and some small rooms, with a staircase beyond 

 leading to the floor above. North of the entrance 

 passage is the staircase hall, out of which the morning- 

 room opens to the west and the drawing-room to the 

 east. The drawing-room continuing northward forms 

 the short arm of the |_- The kitchens are in the 



^m 



[ Arms of Sir Thomas Docwr* 

 High Down 



basement under the drawing ,nd the dining room.. 

 A range of out-building. form, the western boundary 



of the courtyard . on the north side are the stables. 

 In the north-cast gable of the stables a stone panel 

 has buen inserted with a shield of the Docwra arms, 

 the date 1504 and the name of 'Thomas Docwra 

 Miles,' who was prior of the Order of St. John of 

 Jerusalem. The shield has a chief of the arms of the 

 Hospitallers and below is the inscription 'sane boro,' 

 apparently for 'sane baro,' a motto which occurs 

 elsewhere in connection with the Hospitallers, and 

 probably refers to the claim of the priors to be the 

 first barons of England. Near the stables is an old 

 square brick di/ve-house. 



A mill called Oughton Mill or Westmill, which 

 was bequeathed by Thomas Ansell in 1607 to 

 his son Edward,* may probably be dated to the 

 13th century, when a mill formed the subject of 

 dispute between the Prior and convent of Hertford 

 and Wiscard, lord of Romerick. The mill was said to 

 have been given to the priory by Alan de Limesi. 4 

 In the 14th century, however, it is found in the 

 tenure of the Oddingselles. It was said in 1353 to 

 be so much out of repair that no one would rent it.' 

 At the time of the Domesday Survey 

 MANORS PIRTON was assessed at 10 hides, of 

 which 2 hides were in demesne, and on 

 the manor there were an English knight and three 



Before the Conquest the manor had been held by 

 Archbishop Stigand. In 1086 it was part of the 

 possessions of Ralph de Limesi, and the estate was 

 held by the family of Limesi in chief as part of 

 their barony of Ulverley ' until the end of the 12th 

 century. From Ralph it descended to his son Alan 

 de Limesi and from Gerard, son of Alan, to John de 

 Limesi, son of Gerard," after whose death in the 

 reign of Richard I the lands of the Limesi barony 

 were divided between his 

 sisters, Basilia wife of Hugh 

 Oddingselles, or d'Odingscles, 

 and Eleanor wife of David de 

 Lindsey.* David had a son 

 David de Lindsey, 1 " who left 

 no issue. Gerard his brother 

 succeeded and on his death 

 his property passed to his 

 sister Alice wife of Robert de 

 Pinkneyof Weedon Pinkney." 

 The manor remained with the 

 descendants of Hugh Odding- 

 selles, who held it in sub-fee 

 from the Pinkneys. Henry de Pinkney, who died 

 about 1276," was succeeded by his son Robert, and 

 Pirton was held of Robert until his death in 1 296-7." 

 His brother Henry, who succeeded., granted the 

 reversion of his estates to the Crown in 1301," from 

 which time Pirton was held of the king in chief. 

 After the division of the manor (see below) the half 

 of William Oddingselles and his descendants was 

 held in socage and owed the rent of a pair of gilt 

 spurs and payment of is. bd. at the view of frank- 

 pledge at Oughton's Head (Altonis Hevyd)," and 



\. p.m. 3; Edw. I, no. -4 



jo. 60. 



in Solihull, co. Warwick 



bv a moat and banlta (Du-datt, 

 1, 413, and Dugdale, Warwick 

 Solihull). 



6 See Dugdale, Af „. Airl. 

 WrottMle,, Ptdigrtnfi^ p% a j 



- WrotttiHy, jyp,,, from 



46 



"See Assize R. 32;, m. lad. 



11 Dugdale, Baronage, i, 7<>. 



" Cal.Par. 1272-81, pp. 16;, 169. 



" See Chan. Inq. p.m. 1} Edw. 1, 

 no. 130. « G.E.C. Peerage, :v. Pinko*?. 



15 Chan. Inrj. p.m. 1 5 Edw. II, no. 4 t 

 1- EJw. HI (2nd nos.), no. 15. 



