BROADWATER HUNDRED 



GRAVELEY 



Reginald de Argentein early in ihe 12th century. 

 The estate of Robert Gernon in Little Wymondley 

 was held in the 13th century by the Argent eins, so 

 it is probable that here the two estates of 1086 

 became amalgamated. The overlordship of this 

 manor, therefore, follows the descent of Great 

 Wymondley. 3 



The early sub-tenants of the manor under the 

 lords of Great Wymondley are obscure. Early in 

 the reign of Richard I and in 1 198 there is mention 

 of William de Graveley, 4 and in the latter year of 

 John de Graveley and Beatrice his wife, 5 who were 

 ultimately succeeded (if they held the manor) by 

 Robert de Graveley, who died about I 3 1 1. s Robert's 

 wife Beatrice outlived him by many years, 7 and also 

 survived their son John, who was seised of the manor 

 and died without issue before IJ21. 8 In that year 

 Pagana de Merdele sued Beatrice for the manor on 

 the ground that John's heir was his aunt Alice, the 

 mother of Pagana. Beatrice stated in defence that 

 John had quitclaimed all his right in the manor to 

 her and her husband and her heirs. 3 The result of 

 the suit is not recorded. Beatrice died about 1 337- 10 

 In the same year Thomas Fitz Eustace conveyed the 

 manor to John de Blomvile," lord of the manor of 

 Chesfield. He died in the same year," and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son John, and he after 1 3 5 1 by his son, 

 also John de Blomvile, 13 after whose death the manor 

 came into the possession of John Harrington " and 

 Margaret his wife, who is said to have been the daughter 

 and heir of John de Blomvile the third. '" After the 

 death of her husband Margaret granted Graveley to 

 Edmund Barrington, 16 who held it in 14z8. 17 He 

 was succeeded by Thomas Barrington, who died in 

 1472, when the manor passed to his son Humphrey, 18 as 

 Edmund, his eldest son, had died without issue. Nicholas 

 Barrington, the next holder, died in I 50; and was 

 succeeded by his son of the same name.' 3 Nicholas 

 the younger died in 1 5 1 5, and the manor passed to 

 his son John," who was succeeded by Thomas 

 Barrington. Thomas alienated the manor in 1565—6 

 to Thomas Bedell, who conveyed it a few months 

 later to William Clarke. 11 He was succeeded by his 

 son William," whose daughter Elizabeth married 

 George Throckmorton, who held the manor in right 

 of his wife and died in i6tj6. n His son John suc- 

 ceeded him," and sold the manor in 1704 to Edward 

 Lawndy of Baldock.'* The latter is said to have 

 bequeathed it to his grandson, Edward Sparhawke, 

 who held it in 1728,** and died without issue in 

 1 741." The manor passed to his nephews Lawndy 

 and Edward Sparhawke,' 6 who, however, both died 



lands p; 



ted in 1 7 7 S 30 to 



■ Katherine, who 

 Both William and his 



, /„„ 



without issue, and their 

 William Parkins, son of 1 



held Graveley in l8zi. ! 



brother and heir Edward 



Parkins died without issue, 



and the manor was divided 



between Captain Obert, son 



of their sister Margaret, and 



Richard Lack, son of their 



younger sister Catherine. In 



1858 Richard Lack sold his 



moiety to Lieut.-Col. Robert 



Hindley Wilkinson, who 



married Caroline sister of 



Captain Obert. 31 Lieut.-Col. 



Wilkinson died in I 888, and 



his widow continued to hold «'« ^"""w />«■«»• 



the manor until December a ' s ' n ' 



1894, the other moiety also 



having come to her. She was succeeded by her 



daughter Caroline Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Charles 



Poyntz-Stewart, M.A., J.P., who is the present lord 



of the manor in right of his wife. 35 



CHESFIELD or CH1SFIELD (Chevesfeld, xiii 



cent. ; Chenesfeld, Chiffield, Chelsfield, xiv cent. ; 



Chenyfeld, xvi cent.). 



This manor may be identified by its subsequent 

 history with the holdings of Peter de Valognes in 

 1086. Two hides and i£ virgates in Graveley 

 which formed a manor before the Conquest had been 

 held by JJlmar or ^thelmar of Benington. Another 

 virgate had been held by Alestan of Boscombe, and 

 belonged to Weston ; half a virgate had been held 

 by Lepsi, a sokeman of King Edward, and 8 acres 

 and a toft lying in Stevenage by the Abbot of 

 Westminster, by gift of King Edward. In 1086 the 

 ' manorial ' portion was held by Godfrey of Peter de 

 Valognes the sheriff. 33 The virgate and a half was 

 held by Peter de Valognes of William de Ow, and 

 the 8 acres and a toft, apparently reclaimed from 

 Westminster, were in the hands of Roger, Peter's 

 bailiff. 31 Probably Peter de Valognes also acquired 

 the 1 \ hides 1 o acres which Adam Fitz Hubert held 

 of the Bishop of Bayeux in 1086," through his 

 marriage with Albreda, sister of Eudo Dapifer, brother 

 and heir of Adam Fitz Hubert. The manor thus 

 formed was held of Benington Manor as of the 

 barony of Valognes, 3G and the overlordship follows the 

 descent of Benington. 



In the 13th century the manor of Chesfield was 

 held of the barony of Valognes by the family of 

 La Haye. The first of them mentioned it 



* Rot. Cur. Reg. (Pipe R. Soc. xiv), 

 z 7 . 



"Feet of F. (Pipe R. Soc. ttiv), 53 i 

 Rat. Cur. Reg. (Rec. Com.), i, .7; j Feet 

 t/F. (Pipe R. Soc. xxiv), 4;. 



■H«rl, Chart. 51 D. 26 ; Hatl. MS. 

 5836, fol. 147- 



* CI. Close, 1307-13, P- 3"7- 



a De Banco R. Mich. 15 Edw. II, 



ls Cal. Chit, 1337-9, p. **3- 



qo. 387. 



" Close, a Ric. II, m. 3;d, 



15 Cussans, op. cit. Broadwater Hun. 

 5 4 . 



16 Close, 6 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 15 d. 



17 Feud. Aids, ii, 448. 



13 Chan. Inq. p.m. 14 Edw. H 

 10. 35. 



19 Ibid. 24 Hen. VII, no. 72, 74. 



'"Hail. MS. 756, fol. 381; Cha> 

 inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), xxx, 14.7. 



» Feet of F. Herts. East. 7 Eli*. 



With. 8 & 9 Eli*. 



■'- Vhit. efforts. (Harl. Soc. «ii), +2 

 lecov. R. Mich. 18 Jas. I, rot. 73. 

 28 Chauncy, op. cit. 368. 



« Feet of F. Herts. Hil. 2 Anne. 



36 Salmon, op. cit. 186. 



37 Clutterbuck, op. cit. 230. 



se Rccot. R. Hil. 2 Geo. Ill, rot. 3 

 !9 Clutterbuck, op. cit. ii, 3, quot 



1 Burke, Landed Gentry (1907). Ini- 

 tiation kindly supplied by Mr. C. 



33 Ibid. 308. 



M Testa de Ne-uill (Rec Com.), 2 

 Feud. Aids, ii, 430 ; Chan. Inq. 1 



87 



