A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



the same descent as that of \Vestingtons (in Ayot 

 St. Peter, q.v.). Brockett Hall passed on the death 

 of the seventh and last Lord Cowper to his sister 

 Lady Amabel Kerr, and at her death to her husband, 

 the late Admiral Lord Walter Kerr. 



Sir Thomas Reade obtained a grant of free warren 

 in i6i 5 . m 



The manor of BLOUXTS is first mentioned, 

 together with the manor of Hornbeamgate, in 1 3 70, 

 when it was granted by John de Louth to Nicholas 

 and Robert his uncles. 51 It descended with the latter 

 manor, and with it was granted by Robert Louth to 

 Nicholas Britte and Nicholas Leventhorpe in 14.68." 

 These were apparently trustees for Sir John Say, who 

 was in possession in 1+68." After this there is no 

 further record of the manor. 64 



CHEH'ELLS (Chivalls, xvi and xvn cent.) was a 

 small reputed manor situated in Cromerhyde and held 

 of the manor of Hatfield." It is not called a manor 

 until the 1 5th century, 60 but is first mentioned in the 

 reign of Henry 111, when Nigel son of Richard de 

 Chewell held land in this district." In the register of 

 1277 Nigel de Chewell is entered as holding two parts of 

 a fee. 6 * Shortly afterwards it came into the possession 

 of John de Queye or Coye, who held it 

 and in 1317-18 conveyed it 

 of the manor of Benington, 

 132+." From this date Che 

 of the manor of Benmgtun ur 

 century." Sir John Bcnslrde possessed 

 in 1471, but his son and heir William evidently sold 

 it, for he died in 148,- seised of Benington only. In 

 the reign of Henry VIII the owner was named Blake," 

 but by 155; it had been acquired by John Brockett '' 

 of Brockett Hall and Symondshyde, and continued in 

 his family, following the same descent as Symondshyde" 

 (q.v.) and presumably becoming merged in it. The 

 only trace or it now remaining is Benstead's Wood, 

 which lies a little south of the village of Cromerhyde. 



CROMERHYDE (Creymore Hyde, xvi cent.) is 

 situated between the estates of Symondshyde and 

 Brockett Hall. There is no early mention of the 

 manor ; it first appears in the possession of Sir John 

 Brockett, 7 * lord of both the above manors, who 

 probably acquired it as a connecting link between his 

 two estates. After this date Cromerhyde followed 

 the descent of the manor of Symondshyde" (q.v.). 



The manor of Gs/CELIWS (Gastlyn, Gasselyns) 

 was held partly of the manor of Hatfield and partly 

 of the manor of Bayford," and took its name from 



] John Benstede,™ lord 

 who died seised of it in 

 /ells follows the descent 



il the end of the 15th 



Geoffrey Gacelin, who held land in Hatfield in 

 i z 55-" In 1268 Geoffrey Gacelin and his wife 

 Joan conveyed it as a messuage and 2 carucatea of 

 land to William de Valence Earl of Pembroke," 

 from whom it passed to his ion Aylmer de Valence." 

 The latter died in 1323 without issue seised of 'a 

 tenement called Gacelines,' his three heirs being 

 John de Hastings, son of his sister Isabel," and 

 Elizabeth Comyn and Joan, wife of the Earl of 

 Atholl, daughters of his sister Joan.* 3 Gacclyru, 

 under the name of the manor of Bishop's Hatfield, 

 was apportioned to Joan and David de Strathbolfi," 

 the latter of whom died in 1 327.** His son and heir 

 David complained in 1332 that the portion of the 

 lands of Aylmer de Valence assigned to his parents 

 had not been delivered, and procured an order for 

 their proper delivery."* The manor was shortly after 

 granted for a fixed rent of £6, and at the death of 

 this David in 1335 was in the occupation of Ralph 

 de Blithe, a citizen of London." The rent remained 

 in the king's hands owing to the minority of David's 

 heir, and was granted to Adamde Walton." Next year, 

 however, the £6 rent from these lands was granted as 

 dower to Katherine, widow of David de Strathbolgi, 

 who gave it back to the king in exchange for lands in 

 Northumberland. 8 * Robert de Blithe possibly alienated 

 the manor to Sir Simon de Lek of Cottam, co. 

 Nottingham, for in 1377 he enfeoffed of it 

 William Batesford, Richard Halle, Roger Assheburn- 

 ham and Edmund del Clay, who released their right 

 to Walter Frost and others." 1 In 1387 Walter 

 Frost with other feoffees conveyed the manor to 

 Solomon Fresthorp." This may possibly have been 

 in trust for Walter Marewe, or Fresthorp may have 

 alienated to Marewe, for in 1429 John Marewe son 

 and heir of Walter remitted his right in the manor 

 to John and Elizabeth Kirkeby. 1 * In 1432-3 John 

 Kirkeby granted back rents in the manor to John 

 Marewe." Kirkeby, however, seems to have held 

 the manor (through feoffees) at the time of his death 

 in 1441." He left a daughter Alice, aged four. 

 In 1447-8 a certain Richard Clynt and his wife 

 Klcna, whose connexion with the manor is not clear, 

 conveyed it to John Fortcscue," who about five 

 years later obtained a release from Elizabeth wife of 

 John London, daughter and heir of John Marewe." 

 This is the last record of the manor, and it perhaps 

 became absorbed in the Ponsbourne estate. 



The park of Gacclyns is first mentioned in 1300, 

 when Aylmer de Valence complained that while he 



