A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



at some time migrated to the main road. About a 

 mile east is the hamlet of Chesfield with its ruined 

 church or chapel of St. Etheldreda, adjoining which is 

 Chesfield Manor House, now a farm-house. The 

 existing building is only a portion of the old house 

 which has been considerably modernized. What is 

 left dates from the beginning of the 17th century. 

 The house consists of what was apparently the old 

 hall, having a projection at the back or north side 

 containing the staircase and a long wing, in which are 

 the kitchen offices, projecting northwards and con- 

 nected now to the main block at one corner only. 

 The hall has been subdivided into a drawing room 

 and dining room, each having a modern fireplace, the 

 old fireplace on the north side of the hall having been 

 built up, though the original chimney still exists. The 

 dining room contains some old moulded panelling. 

 The old entrance door has disappeared, but it was 



with moulded mullions and frame of oak, the casementi 

 being glazed with the old diamond panes in lead, It 

 is the only original window left in the building. 



Chesfield Park, the scat of Mr. Charla Poyntz 

 Stewart, J. P., was erected towards the end of the 

 17th century. It is a plain building, with very little 

 architectural pretension. The front is of brickwork, 

 with painted stone or cement moulded architrava 

 round the windows. The house has recently been con- 

 siderably added to at the back. The park liej partly 

 in this parish and partly in that of Stevenage. 



In the extreme east of the parish is the hamlet of 

 Botany Bay. 



Corey's Mill is situated on the south-western 

 boundary of the parish. 



The subsoil, like that of the surrounding country, 

 is chalk, with a surface soil of gravel and clay. There 

 are some old chalk-pits in the neighbourhood of 



t 



n 



Chesfield Manor House 



probably on the south side, as itie old boundary walls 

 and gate piers still remain on that side of the house. 

 On the north side of the old hall a modern passage 

 has been formed giving access to the staircase and 



othe 



edoot 



The 



:d,' having 



one and is of the type known 



two straight flights without a w 



stair is all of oak, with squai 



moulded tops, the balusters a 



3 in. square at top and botton 



turned and moulded. The m 



stories and attics, but there i 



internally. Externally, the chief featui 



chimney stack at the back, which consists of a row of 



three square chimney shafts set diagonally on a heavy 



mass of brickwork, all of a plain character. The 



bricks are 2\ in. thick, rising about 11 in. to four 



courses, but much of the work has been refaced. The 



south and west of the kitchen wing are of brick, but 



the other two sides are timber-framed and plastered. 



In the west wall is a long low window of five lights, 



of the usual pattern, 

 the centre part being MANORS 

 i block consists of two 

 very little of interest 

 's the brick 



Chesfield Church, and others, still in use, to the west 

 of that village. There is a gravel-pit beside the road 

 in the south of the parish and a disused one to the 

 north of Graveley village. No railway passes through 

 the parish ; the nearest station is Stevenage, a mile 

 and a half south. 



Place-names mentioned in the early 17th centory 

 are 'la Holt,' Rainehill and Annicks. 1 ' 



The manor of GRAVELET was held 

 a the time of King Edward by Swen, 

 one of Earl Harold's men, and was 

 granted by William the Conqueror to Goisbert of 

 Beauvais. At this time it was assessed at 1 hides. 

 Half a hide, formerly held by two men of Godwin 

 of Bendfield, was held in 1086 by William of Robert 

 Gernon.' 



The manor of Goisbert of Beauvais seems to have 

 been granted with Great Wymondley (q-v.) w 



1* Chan. Inq. p.m. (Set. z), cctxiii, 16a ; Htra. Cm. tU 



; S 6. 



■ i. 335. J°8, 3*3- 



