A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



with Graveley are Ralph and Robert de la Have, 

 who held ooe fee there early in the 13th century." 

 Robert de la Haye is again mentioned in 1232 and 

 1248," but some time between the latter date and 

 1255 the manor seems to have been acquired by 

 John de Blomvile and Joan his wife." John de 

 Blomvile, apparently their son, held it in 1 303," and 

 died in 1337." Immediately before his death he 

 became lord of the manor of Graveley," which 

 passed to his son, and Chesfield has descended with 

 that manor until the present day." 



A windmill in Chesiield was leased to the lord of 

 the manor of Great Wymondley in 131 8." In 1328 

 the site is described as land where there was lately a 



Chesfield Manor Housi 



the North-east 



. Jact'i Hill i: 



mill." There is now a windmill 

 the north of the parish. 



This manor of GKAFELEr HALL was formed 



17 Tata d e Ncvitl (Rec Com.), 271; 

 Cur. Reg. R. no, m. 6. 



■ 8 Maitland, Broctan'i Nan Bit. ii, 671; 

 Feet of F. Herts. 31 Hen. Ill, no. 362 ; 

 HarL Chart. 51 D. %6; Had. MS. 5836, 

 fol. 147. 



89 Feet of F. Herti. 39 Hen. Ill, no. 

 469 ; Harl. Chart. 46 E, z B. 



*" Find. Aidt, ii, 430. 



tl Cal. Clue, 1337-9, P- * 8 - 



41 Feet of F. Herta. Trin. 11 Eiw. IIL 



from the lands in Graveley 

 which belonged to Sop we 11 

 Nunnery, St. Albana. It is 

 unfortunately impossible to 

 ascertain from what donor the 

 nunnery received them, and 

 hence the overlordship is un- 

 known. In 1528 the Prioress 

 of Sopwell leased them to 

 Agnes Gascoigne for a term 

 of twenty years," and in 1538 

 the king renewed the lease for 

 twenty-one years to Agnes quarttr. 

 Gascoigne, widow, and John 



Graveley. The reversion and rem 

 were granted later in the same 

 year to James Necdham of 

 Wymondley Priory,' 7 who in 1 541 

 obtained a licence to alienate them 

 to John Graveley and his hein." 

 John Graveley was succeeded by 

 his son Thomas, who bought np 

 other lands in Graveley from John 

 Brockett and John Graveley of 

 Hitchin," and thus consolidated 

 his estate. He died m 1583 and 

 bequeathed his lands in Graveley 

 to his wife for the education of his 

 four children, with remainder to 

 Francis, his eldest son." Francis 

 became lord of the manor, bihE 

 died in 1584, and was followed 

 successively by his brothen 

 Thomas," who died unmarried in 

 15^/1" and Rowland, his youngest 

 brother, who lived until 1610. 

 Rowland Graveley 's eldest son 

 John died on the day after his 

 father, so that the reversion of the 

 manor after the death of Rowland 

 Graveley's widow, the life-tenant, 

 passed to the second son Thomas, 

 a minor in wardship of his mother 

 Anne." Thomas Graveley and 

 Winifred his wife sold the manor in 

 1 617 to Richard Nixon," and he 

 in 1637 to Eustace Needham." 

 Graveley Hall thus returned to 

 the family of its early owners and 

 seems to have remained in that 

 family. Almost a hundred yean 

 later the Needham co-heirs were 

 holding the manor," after which 

 it seems to have followed the descent 

 of Wymondley Priory Manor." 

 Sir Henry Holmes or Helmes, the occupier during 

 the ownership of Richard Nixon, 4 * was granted court 

 leet and view of frankpledge there in 1616." 



u Clone, 1 Ric. II, m . 3 ; d.; Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. ,+ Edw. IV, no. 3S ; (Ser. 2), xxx, 

 14? i Chan. Proc (Ser. 2), bdle, 22, 

 no. ;8 ; Feet of F. Hertt. Etit. 7 Eli*. ; 

 Reeov. R. Hit 1 Geo. Ill, rot, 30. 



** Chan. Inq. p.m. 12 Ed». II, no. 43. 



« Ibid. 49 Edw. HI, p l ii, no. 17. 



" Dugdale, Mm. iii, 364. 



»j.«rfj-fl» .«/j;xii.( I ), t .| B7 

 (13). « rb.d. cti, e . 780(6). 



48 Com. Pleai D. Enr. Mich. 6*7 Elit • 

 HiL 7 EG*, m. 6. 



w Chan, Inq. p.m. (Ser. 1), ccv, 191. 



51 Ibid, cevi, 42. 



" Ibii eciri, 104. 



* Ibid, cecxii, 162, 



M Feet of F. Herta, Mich. J Chat. L 



" Com. Plea* D. Enr. HiL n Chat. I. 



M Feet of F. Herts. Eait, 1 3 Geo. I ; 

 Mich. 2 Geo. II. 



M Ibid. Mich. 7 Geo. II ; Recov. R. 

 Bait, to Geo. Ill, roc 311. 



M Com. Pleat D. Enr. Hil. u Cbu. I- 



■FltltJ*I,SlBt,M.U. 



