BROADWATER HUNDRED 



tracery in the west window is modern. The upper 

 stage of the tower and the tiled octagonal spire with 

 dormers is modern. The windows of the upper 

 stage are of two cinquefoiled lights, with a quatrefbi! 

 over, in a two-centred head. 



A recess under the south-east window of the nave, 

 with a chamfered two-centred arch of the 1 4th century, 

 contains a stone slab with a lloreated cross. There is 

 a brass in the chancel to William Paine, with a 

 symbolical device. The date is about 1600. 



The font, standing at the south entrance, has an 

 octagonal bowl with trefoiled panelled sides and an 

 embattled edge, on a moulded octagonal stem and base. 

 A chair in the chancel and an oak chest with three 

 locks in the vestry are of the 17th century, to which 

 century also the poor box may probably be referred. 



A bequest to the altar of St. Dunstan occurs in 

 1512." 



There are six bells, of which the last four are by 

 Anthony Chandler, with the date 1673. 



The plate includes a cup and cover paten of 1 569. 

 The registers are in four books : (i) all entries 

 1570 to 1700; (ii) baptisms and burials 17 10 to 

 1783 and marriages 1710 to 1753 ; (iii) baptisms 

 and burials 1784. to i8iz ; (iv) marriages 1754 to 

 1812. 



The advowson of the church of 

 4DFOIVSON All Saints (or All Hallows) at Datch- 

 worth belonged to the lords of that 

 manor at an early date. In uoz the Abbot of 

 Westminster made an agreement with Hugh de 

 Bocland, then lord of the manor, that he should pay 

 zor. to the abbot on each institution." In 1240, 

 however, John de Burgh, who was lord of Datchworth 

 and Walkern, granted the manor of Datchworth to 

 Gilbert de Wauton, but kept the advowson of that 

 parish with his manor of Walkern. 61 From that 

 date Datchworth advowson followed the same descent 

 as the manor of Walkern" until 1725, when William 

 Capell, third Earl of Essex, sold it to the Rev. 

 William Hawtayne. w The latter a few months later 

 sold it to William Greaves, fellow of Clare College, 

 Cambridge,™ and he shortly afterwards conveyed it to 

 his college, 67 in whose hands it has since remained. 68 



A terrier of the reign of Charles I gives a 

 very detailed description of the rectory-house 

 and lands. The house is described as being 

 covered with tiles, the chitfeit part of the building whereof is 

 61 ft. longe notth and iouth and it 18 ft. broade east and we»t, 

 which is devided into two itoriea conteyning 10 roomes, whereof 

 5 are upon the ground viz. one little lodgemg chamber, one 

 ■eller, one hall, one parlor, one buttery. And 5 roomel over 

 theie, vii. one chamber over the teller and little chamber, one 

 chamber over the hall with a closet or studye belonging to it, 

 and one chamber over the parlor, with a itudye over it over ye 

 buttery. One other part or parcel! of the said dwellinge house 

 adjoyning unto the forenamed part and is 35 ft. longe eait and 

 west and 14ft. broad, which containeth 4 roomel, vii. one 

 kitchen and a brewhouse on the ground and 2 chambers and 

 boarded over the kitchen. 



There was also near by another 'parcell of buildinge' 

 covered with thatch, 44ft. by 15 ft., with 'three 

 severall roomes upon the ground, and one roome at 

 the west end hath a chamber boarded over it.' 

 Another similar structure but smaller contained three 

 rooms, and there was also a great barn 94 ft long, 

 with six bays, and a small bam 34 ft. long. These 

 buildings were surrounded by a garden, an orchard, 

 and various yards. The glebe lands then extended 

 over about 1 5 acres. 69 



Places of meeting for Protestant Dissenters were 

 certified in Datchworth from 1719 to 1809. ,0 There 

 is now a Baptist chapel at Datchworth Green. 



In 1685 Richard and Mary Gamon 



CHARITIES granted an annuity of 40^. charged 



upon an estate called Datchworth 



Bury Farm, for the use of the poor, to be distributed 



at Christmas. 



In 1881 Mrs. Elizabeth Bunting by her will, 

 proved at London 30 November, bequeathed £500, 

 which was invested in £500 lis. consols, the annual 

 dividends, amounting to £\2 10/., to be applied in 

 support of the Sunday school and day school held in 

 the National schoolroom. 



In 1899 the Rev. John Wardale, the rector, by 

 deed gave the sum of £zz London, Brighton and 

 South Coast Railway 5 per cent, stock, the annual 

 dividends of £ 1 2r. to be paid to the parish clerk for 

 the winding up of the church clock. 



The sums of stock are held by the official trustees. 



Dicheleswell (xi cent.) ; Digeneswell, Dikneswdl 

 (sin cent.) ; Digoneswell (xiy cent.) ; Dikkeswell, 

 Dixwell (xvi cent.) ; Diggeswell {xvii cent.). 



The parish of Digswell has an area of 1,673 acres, 

 of wbch 746J acres are arable land, 465! acres 

 permanent grass, and 1 8£ acres wood. 1 The land 

 reaches an elevation of over 400 ft. in the south, 

 where the rectory and Sherrard's Park Wood are 

 situated, but is lower in the north, sloping down to 

 the River Mjmram, which crosses the parish in that 

 part. The northern part of the parish is divided 

 from the southern by an irregular strip of the parish 



1476-8. 

 ast. 21 ; 

 in. Inq. E 



DIGSWELL 



289. 



P.CC. 10 Fetiplace. 



Feet of F. Herts, 4 Ric. I, no 1 



Ibid. Mich. 2+ Hen. Ill' '„„. 



of Welwyn. It lies at an altitude of from 300 ft. to 

 40° ft. The larger part of it has been developed by a 

 syndicate, and is now covered with houses ; its western 

 boundary takes in a small portion of the hamlet of 

 tfurnriam Green. A detached portion of Welwyn 

 parish was added to Digswell for ratable purposes 

 under the Divided Parishes Act of 1882 



The village of Digswell is situated in ihe valley of 

 the Mimram in an open space surrounded by the 

 park, the church and manor-house, the seat of 

 Mr. Alfred Dyke Acland, lying at the' south -western 

 end. From these a long avenue called the ' Monk's 



" Feet of F. Herts, g Edw. II, n0 , l6? . 

 Col. Pa,. i;i 3 -, 7 , p . , 74 . C ha a . J. n ' 

 p.m. j R,c. U, no. + 7 ; + Hen. V, no. 4. . 

 SHen.VI, n o.S2 i 2,He n .VI,no.38,- 



3 



Cal. Pa,. 



VII ; Trin." 41" 

 Scr. i), xxx, 25 ; 

 i — -„ — „,.,,, ,, Di F eet f p_ jjj t 

 Co. Mich. 3 Cbas. I- Cat. Com For 

 Camp, iii, mZi Iast Bks _ (PiR _' V 

 .Bacon, Liter Regis. 



" Close, ii Geo. I, pt. iv, no. 5. 



8l 



* s Ibid. pt. vi, no . x . 



"Cussani, op. cit. Broad-water Hund 

 197. 



m Bacon, Libir Regi, ; Injt Bin. 

 (M.O,)iC^ te (, 9 o8). 



«Urwiek,^ ncon/ / n V„. 5 !7 J- 

 Static, from Bd. of Agric. (1905). 



II 



